ACT Reading Practice Flashcards

Cities across the world are essentially blends of smaller cultural environments that lead people to have vastly different experiences. Each city typically contains a broad spectrum of dining establishments along with various art institutions like museums and theatres. Yet with all these blends of dining, art and night lives, what is the one characteristic that can distinguish a city? History. The undeniably unique history of each city provides rich traditions and a bond between the local people that overshadows any other city’s mélange of dining and art institutions. In context, which word most closely defines mélange?

Answer: assortment

The word 'mélange' is used in the context of a city's 'broad spectrum of dining establishments along with various art institutions.' The preceding sentence also uses the phrase 'blends of dining, art and night lives.' Therefore, 'mélange' refers to a mixture or collection of different things, making 'assortment' the most fitting synonym for this diverse collection.

Cities across the world are essentially blends of smaller cultural environments that lead people to have vastly different experiences. Each city typically contains a broad spectrum of dining establishments along with various art institutions like museums and theatres. Yet with all these blends of dining, art and night lives, what is the one characteristic that can distinguish a city? History. The undeniably unique history of each city provides rich traditions and a bond between the local people that overshadows any other city’s mélange of dining and art institutions. Which of the following would the author believe is the most important city attraction or characteristic?

Answer: Ruins from the Berlin Wall and the local community

The author explicitly states that 'History' is the 'one characteristic that can distinguish a city' and that it 'overshadows any other city’s mélange of dining and art institutions.' 'Ruins from the Berlin Wall' represent a unique historical element, and 'the local community' embodies the 'rich traditions and a bond between the local people' that the author values most, making this option the best fit for the author's emphasis.

Passage 1 Because it is filled with contradictions, performance is also filled with risk. This is the domain of stage fright. The actor is aware that appearing in front of an audience is a Line scary proposition. Maintaining the reality of the character is, 5 in itself, a fragile affair; it demands of the actor a series of complex transformations. The actor has the unique problem of hiding and showing at the same time. The actor’s conscious fear is not about making a mistake, but about allowing the audience to see something that it is not supposed to see: 10 namely, the performer’s fear, or stage fright. Passage 2 The term “stage fright” has largely dropped out of use, because we know now that dwelling on something this malevolent gives it power. If I tell you not to be afraid, you may dwell on your fear. If I say, do not think of 15 fast-food burgers under any circumstances, a line of them will parade through your mind. The key to most fears is substitution. On the simplest level, you replace the ogre with something less menacing to fill your consciousness. If you will imagine yourself to be a 20 host rather than an actor, and think more about the comfort of your listeners than their verdicts, everything will fall into place. What is the best way to describe the purposes of the two passages?

Answer: Passage 1 analyzes a phenomenon; Passage 2 suggests a solution to a problem.

Passage 1 analyzes the phenomenon of stage fright, describing its nature, risks, and the underlying fear experienced by actors. In contrast, Passage 2 focuses on providing a practical strategy or 'solution' to overcome stage fright, suggesting 'substitution' as a key to managing fear. Thus, one analyzes a problem, and the other offers a remedy.

Passage 1 Because it is filled with contradictions, performance is also filled with risk. This is the domain of stage fright. The actor is aware that appearing in front of an audience is a Line scary proposition. Maintaining the reality of the character is, 5 in itself, a fragile affair; it demands of the actor a series of complex transformations. The actor has the unique problem of hiding and showing at the same time. The actor’s conscious fear is not about making a mistake, but about allowing the audience to see something that it is not supposed to see: 10 namely, the performer’s fear, or stage fright. Passage 2 The term “stage fright” has largely dropped out of use, because we know now that dwelling on something this malevolent gives it power. If I tell you not to be afraid, you may dwell on your fear. If I say, do not think of 15 fast-food burgers under any circumstances, a line of them will parade through your mind. The key to most fears is substitution. On the simplest level, you replace the ogre with something less menacing to fill your consciousness. If you will imagine yourself to be a 20 host rather than an actor, and think more about the comfort of your listeners than their verdicts, everything will fall into place. In the context of Passage 1, the phrase "Maintaining the reality of the character" (line 4) most directly refers to

Answer: presenting to the audience only behavior relevant to the character

The passage explains that an actor's fear (stage fright) is about the audience seeing the performer's true fear, not the character's. Therefore, "Maintaining the reality of the character" means preventing the audience from perceiving the actor's personal emotions or self. It implies that the actor must only display behaviors and emotions that are consistent with the role, effectively hiding anything that breaks the illusion of the character.

Passage 1 Because it is filled with contradictions, performance is also filled with risk. This is the domain of stage fright. The actor is aware that appearing in front of an audience is a Line scary proposition. Maintaining the reality of the character is, 5 in itself, a fragile affair; it demands of the actor a series of complex transformations. The actor has the unique problem of hiding and showing at the same time. The actor’s conscious fear is not about making a mistake, but about allowing the audience to see something that it is not supposed to see: 10 namely, the performer’s fear, or stage fright. Passage 2 The term “stage fright” has largely dropped out of use, because we know now that dwelling on something this malevolent gives it power. If I tell you not to be afraid, you may dwell on your fear. If I say, do not think of 15 fast-food burgers under any circumstances, a line of them will parade through your mind. The key to most fears is substitution. On the simplest level, you replace the ogre with something less menacing to fill your consciousness. If you will imagine yourself to be a 20 host rather than an actor, and think more about the comfort of your listeners than their verdicts, everything will fall into place. How do the passages view stage fright in relation to human behavior in general?

Answer: Passage 1 emphasizes that situations unique to the theater cause stage fright, whereas Passage 2 views stage fright as similar in one way to most other

Passage 1 describes stage fright as a specific risk inherent to acting, focusing on the unique challenges of a performer in front of an audience. In contrast, Passage 2 broadens the discussion by stating that "The key to most fears is substitution" and uses a general example (fast-food burgers) to illustrate how fear can be managed. This suggests Passage 2 views stage fright as a type of fear that shares common psychological mechanisms with other fears, rather than being exclusive to performance.

Passage 1 Because it is filled with contradictions, performance is also filled with risk. This is the domain of stage fright. The actor is aware that appearing in front of an audience is a Line scary proposition. Maintaining the reality of the character is, 5 in itself, a fragile affair; it demands of the actor a series of complex transformations. The actor has the unique problem of hiding and showing at the same time. The actor’s conscious fear is not about making a mistake, but about allowing the audience to see something that it is not supposed to see: 10 namely, the performer’s fear, or stage fright. Passage 2 The term “stage fright” has largely dropped out of use, because we know now that dwelling on something this malevolent gives it power. If I tell you not to be afraid, you may dwell on your fear. If I say, do not think of 15 fast-food burgers under any circumstances, a line of them will parade through your mind. The key to most fears is substitution. On the simplest level, you replace the ogre with something less menacing to fill your consciousness. If you will imagine yourself to be a 20 host rather than an actor, and think more about the comfort of your listeners than their verdicts, everything will fall into place. Which of the following describes an actor coping with stage fright by following the advice of the author of Passage 2?

Answer: A performer who thinks of the audience as friends

Passage 2 advises overcoming fear through "substitution," specifically suggesting that a performer should "imagine yourself to be a host rather than an actor, and think more about the comfort of your listeners than their verdicts." Thinking of the audience as friends aligns perfectly with this advice, as it replaces a potentially intimidating perception (judgmental audience) with a comforting one (friends), thereby reducing fear and anxiety.