ACT English : Analyzing Effectiveness

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ACT English

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Example Questions

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Example Question #361 : Act English

"The Election of 1800" by Alec Slatky (2013)

The presidential election of 1800 was an unusual and unique contest in American history. The opponents were John Adams and Thomas Jefferson former friends who became rivals. Jefferson had actually been Vice President under Adams, but had not supported the latter’s policies. Jefferson leapt at the chance to unseat his former boss. Adams, too, would have enjoyed spending time on his farm more than dealing with political acrimony. Accordingly, he was too prideful to willingly relinquish his office. So, the two men who were most qualified for the position but least excited to have such a stressful job became the presidential candidates.

The campaign was a bitter partisan one and included numerous personal attacks. Critics called Jefferson a Democratic-Republican radical, he would lead the country down the bloody path of the French Revolution. Jefferson’s allies fired back, painting Adams as an anti-liberty autocrat. Adams was from Massachusetts. Adams even faced opposition from some extremists among his fellow Federalists and thus lacked the party unity required to win the election.

In the end, Jefferson emerged victorious, winning 73 of the 138 electoral votes. Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated as President, and Aaron Burr was inaugurated as Vice President. The election was a milestone in American history: it was the first that shifted control of the White House to a different party, the first with a modern mudslinging campaign, and the first that truly tested whether the new nation would remain united despite all its divisions.

Suppose the author intended to write an essay about the platform of the Federalist Party. Would this essay fulfill the author’s goal?

Possible Answers:

No, because the essay focuses on a contest involving the Federalist Party rather than its specific policy proposals.

No, because the Federalist party did not have a platform in the presidential election of 1800.

No, because the Federalist Party was not part of the presidential election of 1800.

Yes, because the presidential election of 1800 promoted Federalist ideals.

Yes, because John Adams was the candidate who explained the Federalist platform.

Correct answer:

No, because the essay focuses on a contest involving the Federalist Party rather than its specific policy proposals.

Explanation:

"No, because the essay focuses on a contest involving the Federalist Party rather than its specific policy proposals" is correct because the essay is about the overall election, not the Federalist Party or their proposals. The two "yes" choices are incorrect because the essay never explains what the platform is. The other "no" choice is incorrect because the Federalist Party was mentioned as one of the competitors in the Election of 1800: “Adams even faced opposition from some extremists among his fellow Federalists.”

Example Question #331 : Writing And Revising Effectively

Speech production is a complicated and complex process, that requires the coordination of three different systems: respiration, phonation, and articulation. A deficit in any of these systems will negatively impact the quality of one’s speech.

We all know that respiration, or breathing, is necessary for life, but have you ever thought about it’s usefulness for speech? Try to talk while holding you’re breath and you will see what I mean. Exhalation provides a stream of air that the next two systems shape into what many people like to call speech.

Phonation happens in your larynx, or voice box. A pair of muscles form a shelf-like structure on either side of your larynx, and this pair of muscles is known as your vocal folds. As you exhale during speech, your vocal fold muscles contract and move towards each other. They vibrate as air passes between them, creating a buzzing sound, and this is a process that is known as phonation. The word “phonation” comes from the ancient Greek word for sound.

Finally, the last stage is articulation. At this final stage, you move your tongue, lips, and jaw to affect the way vibrating air leaves your mouth. For example, when you say the “b” sound, you need to squeeze your lips together to stop the airflow before opening your lips again. For the “v” sound, you touch your top teeth against your lower lip and force air through between your teeth and lip.

Assuming all of the following are true, which would be the best sentence to place at the end of the third paragraph instead of the bolded sentence?

Possible Answers:

The word "phonation" comes from a word meaning sound; you may recognize this from other words relating to sound, such as "telephone" and "microphone."

Without phonation, you wouldn’t be able to speak louder than a whisper.

NO CHANGE

How could we speak without phonation?

Other mammals, such as cats, also phonate, but using a different set of muscles.

Correct answer:

Without phonation, you wouldn’t be able to speak louder than a whisper.

Explanation:

The original sentence is irrelevant. This is a passage about how speech is produced, so the word origins of speech-related terms is not important. The correct answer expands on the information in the paragraph, describing what happens where there is a deficit in this stage of the speech process. The incorrect answer choice "Other mammals, such as cats, also phonate, but using a different set of muscles" is also irrelevant to the purpose of the passage.

Example Question #331 : Writing And Revising Effectively

The following passage is meant to convince you to not buy a specific brand of car. Does it accomplish this goal or not? Why?

I am a loyal Vroom customer. A friend of mine had a Howdy for years, and, I swear, that thing would break down at least once a year. He must have poured over $3,000 into that car in repairs over the years, and that's not counting the lost time when he didn't have a car. I also heard from my sister that her girlfriend owns a Howdy that also needs repairs all the time. My Vroom has never had problems like that, so I know where my loyalties lie. You should take this lesson to heart.

Possible Answers:

This is effective because Howdy makes terrible cars.

This is effective because his stories of his friend's and family's car troubles clearly establish his brand choice as the superior one.

This is not effective because the speaker does not clarify what kind of car he own. He only references the brand.

This is not effective because the speaker only uses anecdotal evidence that may be unique to his limited frame of reference

Correct answer:

This is not effective because the speaker only uses anecdotal evidence that may be unique to his limited frame of reference

Explanation:

Anecdotal evidence is not strong enough to prove a point. The speaker, as an individual, has a limited perspective. His anecdotes, while possibly provable, are not enough evidence to make an argument that stands up to scrutiny. He will need to cite more objective data points such as a study or a product analysis to make his point effective.

Example Question #11 : Analyzing Effectiveness

For decades large American corporations have outsourced (1) its workers, (2) especially in the manufacturing realm, in order to save money that could be spent paying American workers for the same job. Workers in foreign countries, especially those that contain a highly populated urban population as in Eastern Asia, are willing to work much longer hours for far less money than American workers. In addition,these foreign workers are not protected by as many labor laws. If a company’s primary desire is to maximize profit, (3) so outsourcing jobs is the most obvious and convenient solution. That is, until stories of unfair labor practices (4) begin circulating. Technological advancements in mass media communication (5) having been able to facilitate the process of raising awareness of important issues, including violation of basic human rights in the workplace.

Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded and underlined portion of the passage. If the bolded and underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

Possible Answers:

began circulating

circulation begins

begin to circulate

NO CHANGE

Correct answer:

NO CHANGE

Explanation:

The verb "begin" is one that can be followed by either a gerund (-ing verb) or infinitive verb. If the underlined portion is grammatically correct, it is always best to keep it as such. For this reason, you should not choose the also grammatically correct "begin to circulate." "Began circulating" would change the tense from present to past. Changing to "circulation begins" would place a noun directly after the noun "unfair labor practices" without first inserting the verb.

Example Question #335 : Writing And Revising Effectively

For decades large American corporations have outsourced (1) its workers, (2) especially in the manufacturing realm, in order to save money that could be spent paying American workers for the same job. Workers in foreign countries, especially those that contain a highly populated urban population as in Eastern Asia, are willing to work much longer hours for far less money than American workers. In addition,these foreign workers are not protected by as many labor laws. If a company’s primary desire is to maximize profit, (3) so outsourcing jobs is the most obvious and convenient solution. That is, until stories of unfair labor practices (4) begin circulating. Technological advancements in mass media communication (5) having been able to facilitate the process of raising awareness of important issues, including violation of basic human rights in the workplace.

Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded and underlined portion of the passage. If the bolded and underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

Possible Answers:

have facilitated the process of raising awareness

NO CHANGE

have facilitated in the process to raise awareness

have facilitating the process of raising awareness

Correct answer:

have facilitated the process of raising awareness

Explanation:

"Have facilitating the process of raising awareness" is incorrect because "have" cannot be followed by a gerund verb. "Have facilitated in the process to raise awareness" creates unnecessary wordiness, and "the process of raising awareness is facilitated" demonstrates passive voice as opposed to active voice.

Example Question #331 : Writing And Revising Effectively

“John Adams—A Forgotten American Founder”

Sadly, the great exploits of important [46] men and women is often forgotten in the mists of history. The myths and historical tales of a nation can lead the people to forget [47] some of their most important founders and national heroes. In the United States of America, this kind of forgetfulness has occurred in the case of the Founding Father, John Adams. For a number of reasons, President Adams [48] had been forgotten. Recounting the [49] tales of the nations’ founding, many remember figures like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. [50] However, during those early years of the republic, Adams was a pivotal figure in assuring independence to the burgeoning nation.

[51] During the debates concerning the Declaration of Independence, Adams was something of a “chief orator,” tirelessly attempting to convince the gathered parties of the importance of declaring independence from England. [52] Adams a temperamental and passionate man, was the perfect person to fill such a role. In contrast to the judicious Franklin and the controlled and quiet Jefferson, he was fit for performing such oratorical shows and bombasts. [53] Although he joined Jefferson and Franklin on the drafting committee for the declaration, his most important work during this time was arguably this long project of oratory.

[54] In addition, many forget the lonely years Adams spent as a minister to France and as the first minister to England. What a difficult affair such posts would have been at the time. [55] As the minister to France, what weight could he have had with the court of such an old European nation? Furthermore, Adams [56] was not temperamentally [57] suited for French courtly customs being a stern and somewhat moralistic man. [58] Then, to be sent to England—how difficult that must have been. As the minister on behalf of a once-rebel nation, how could he stand before the Court of King James? Nevertheless, Adams served his [59] post nobly and deserves great recognition for this devoted service to his young nation.

Choose the answer that best explains the purpose of section [53].

Possible Answers:

To indicate how Adams reacted to criticism during his presidency

To add explicit contrasts with Franklin and Jefferson

To provide more backstory regarding Adams's personal life

NO CHANGE

Correct answer:

To add explicit contrasts with Franklin and Jefferson

Explanation:

Since the author contrasts Adams's lack of fame to the actual fame of other American founders, it would be helpful if the author explained why Adams's work was comparable to their work. Perhaps they were far more important than him. Even though the details provided here might explain why Adams did some decently great things, perhaps his accomplishments pale in comparison to the others. By telling us more explicit details in this regard, the passage's argument would be greatly strengthened.

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