Question Types amp Strategies Two Types of Content on English Test Content of Passages Subjects covered by the five passages Content of Questions the more important of the two Question Types ID: 585605
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Slide1
ACT English Test
Question Types
&
StrategiesSlide2
Two Types of Content on English Test
Content of Passages
Subjects covered by the five passages
Content of Questions
**the more important of the twoSlide3
Question Types
Usage / Mechanics
40 questions re: Proper use of standard written English
Punctuation (10 questions)
Basic Grammar & Usage (12 questions)
Sentence Structure (18 questions)
Rhetorical Skills
35 questions re: your ability to refine written English
Writing Strategy (12 questions)
Organization (11 questions)
Style (12 questions)Slide4
Rhetorical Skills
Much more challenging than the Usage / Mechanics questions!
Require a sense of what constitutes good writing in EnglishSlide5
Memorization
Not really…
No
vocab
…
But having a decent vocabulary is important when answering the style and strategy questions
No definitions…
You won’t have to state the definition of a gerund, but you’ll be in trouble if you can’t make your subjects and verbs agree.Slide6
Strategies for the English Test
Skim the Entire Passage First
Quickly read through passage before jumping to questions
Will prevent you from making unnecessary errors.
Instructions warn that you need to read beyond question to answer it correctly.
Skimming passage first will also help w/ Rhetorical SkillsSlide7
Example
her dogs
has
sleek, brown hair
14
14. F.
NO CHANGE
G.
are
H.
have J. do not have Slide8
Example
The girl walking her dogs
has
sleek, brown hair
14
14. F.
NO CHANGE
G.
are
H.
have J. do not have
Reading the rest of the sentence reveals that the
sleek, brown hair
belongs to a girl rather than a pack of dogs.Slide9
Answer the Questions in Order
Say what?!
Rule applies to English test ONLY
Questions appear in order for a reason:
? at the beginning deals w/ beginning of passage, ? In middle deals w/ middle of passage, etc.
An organization question in the middle of the passage won’t ask you to reorganize the entire passage (or a faraway section of the passage)… but it WILL ask you to reorganize material directly to the left of the question.
Questions on the passage as a whole appear at the END of the passage!Slide10
Guess and Move OnThe English test assesses what you already know (not what you can figure out)
If you can’t get the answer right away (or within a few seconds), you’re not likely to get it through intense wriggling and head scratching.
If you find yourself in this situation…
On the English test (and
ONLY
on the English test) – it is best to guess and move on.Slide11
Guess and Move On, continued…Do not move on to a new passage without answering all the questions from the previous one.
Unlike the math or science tests, you’re not likely to “figure out” an answer.
Guess right awaySlide12
Guess and Move On, continued…If you do decide to return to a question that you skipped or guessed on, do so before moving on to the next passage; otherwise, you’re likely to forget crucial details from the passage.Slide13
Eliminate Answer ChoicesEducated guessing is
always
better than random guessing.
Try to eliminate
at least
one answer before guessing.Slide14
Sample P.o.E.
A. When I swung the bat I knew, I had hit a home run.
B. When I swung the bat, I knew I had hit a home run.
C. When I swing the bat I will know I always hit a home run.
D. When, I swung the bat I knew, I had hit a home run.
Hmmm… the answer choices indicate that
there is a
comma placement error.Slide15
Sample P.o.E.
A. When I swung the bat I knew, I had hit a home run.
B. When I swung the bat, I knew I had hit a home run.
C. When I swing the bat I will know I always hit a home run.
D. When, I swung the bat I knew, I had hit a home run.
A, B,
and
D
all give versions of the same sentence
with different comma placement.
C
, has no commas
but the verb tenses don’t make sense.
I feel confident eliminating
C
because it really
doesn’t make sense. Slide16
Sample P.o.E.
A. When I swung the bat I knew, I had hit a home run.
B. When I swung the bat, I knew I had hit a home run.
C. When I swing the bat I will know I always hit a home run.
D. When, I swung the bat I knew, I had hit a home run.Slide17
Sample P.o.E.
A. When I swung the bat I knew, I had hit a home run.
B. When I swung the bat, I knew I had hit a home run.
C. When I swing the bat I will know I always hit a home run.
D. When, I swung the bat I knew, I had hit a home run.
D
also looks like it can go because of the comma
placed after “When,” which leaves the word
dangling at the beginning of the sentence.Slide18
Sample P.o.E.
A. When I swung the bat I knew, I had hit a home run.
B. When I swung the bat, I knew I had hit a home run.
C. When I swing the bat I will know I always hit a home run.
D. When, I swung the bat I knew, I had hit a home run.Slide19
Sample P.o.E.
A. When I swung the bat I knew, I had hit a home run.
B. When I swung the bat, I knew I had hit a home run.
C. When I swing the bat I will know I always hit a home run.
D. When, I swung the bat I knew, I had hit a home run.
I’m still not completely certain so I should guess.
At least I have a 50% chance of picking the
correct
answer!Slide20
Sample P.o.E.
A. When I swung the bat I knew, I had hit a home run.
B. When I swung the bat, I knew I had hit a home run.
C. When I swing the bat I will know I always hit a home run.
D. When, I swung the bat I knew, I had hit a home run.
I think I’ll pick
B.Slide21
Eliminate Answers with Multiple Errors!
You will encounter questions that involve more than one error – this may benefit you!!!
When eliminating answer choices… if you can’t spot one error, you might spot the other!
STRATEGY
Instead of tackling all the errors at once, pick them off one by one.Slide22
Multiple Error Sample #1
A
.
Cathys
’ friends left they’re bags in the room.
B
. Cathy’s friends left there bags in the room.
C
.
Cathys
friends left their bags in the room.
D
. Cathy’s friends left their bags in the room.Slide23
Multiple Error Sample #1
A
.
Cathys
’ friends left they’re bags in the room.
B
. Cathy’s friends left there bags in the room.
C
.
Cathys
friends left their bags in the room.
D
. Cathy’s friends left their bags in the room.
These sentences contain two variations. If you focus on Cathy and her friends, you realize you should eliminate
A
and
C for the incorrect apostrophe placement.Slide24
Multiple Error Sample #1
A
.
Cathys
’ friends left they’re bags in the room.
B
. Cathy’s friends left there bags in the room.
C
.
Cathys
friends left their bags in the room.
D
. Cathy’s friends left their bags in the room.
Now you’ve narrowed your options to
B
and
D, which use “there” and “their” as possessive pronouns. If you don’t know the difference between the two, you have a 50% chance of guessing the correct answer.If you do know the difference, you know that the correct answer is D.