ACT Reading 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which genre is NOT one of the four ACT Reading passage types?
- Prose Fiction / Literary Narrative
- Social Science
- Natural Science
- Persuasive Advertising (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Persuasive Advertising
The four types are literary narrative, social science, humanities, and natural science.
Question 2: A 'paired passage' set on the ACT Reading test requires you to:
- Read only the first passage
- Compare and synthesize two related passages (Correct answer)
- Ignore one passage entirely
- Answer questions in reverse order
Correct answer: Compare and synthesize two related passages
Paired passages include comparison questions across both texts.
Question 3: When a question asks what a word 'most nearly means' in context, you should:
- Use the most common dictionary definition only
- Plug each choice into the sentence and test fit (Correct answer)
- Choose the longest word
- Select the word's antonym
Correct answer: Plug each choice into the sentence and test fit
Context determines meaning, so testing each choice in the sentence works best.
Question 4: Which approach best helps with detail questions you can't immediately answer?
- Guess randomly and move on without marking
- Locate the relevant section using keywords (Correct answer)
- Reread the whole passage from the start
- Skip the entire passage
Correct answer: Locate the relevant section using keywords
Scanning for keywords pinpoints the section holding the detail.
Question 5: An author's 'purpose' in a passage refers to:
- Why the author wrote the passage (Correct answer)
- The length of the passage
- The reader's opinion
- The number of characters
Correct answer: Why the author wrote the passage
Purpose is the author's reason for writing, such as to inform or persuade.
Question 6: On the ACT Reading test, is there a penalty for marking a wrong answer?
- Yes, points are deducted
- No, only correct answers add to the score (Correct answer)
- Yes, but only on the last passage
- Half a point is lost per error
Correct answer: No, only correct answers add to the score
The ACT has no guessing penalty, so you should answer every question.
Question 7: A question about how a paragraph 'functions' in the passage is asking about its:
- Role or purpose within the overall structure (Correct answer)
- Exact word count
- Position on the answer sheet
- Grammatical errors
Correct answer: Role or purpose within the overall structure
Function questions ask what a paragraph contributes to the passage's argument.
ACT Reading 3
Which genre is NOT one of the four ACT Reading passage types?