help help help ACT reading and english section

Keystone
Sat, 26 Feb 2011 20:01:53 +0000

For reading:


There are 4 passage types. Take several practice reading sections and get comfortable as to which types are easier, and which types are harder, then rank the passages in order easiest to hardest. For my son, he ranked them in this order: natural sciences, social studies, prose fiction and humanities. On test day, do the passages easiest to hardest.
I think most high schools students are not yet skilled enough to read the questions first, then the passage. I advise a good, thorough read of each passage first, then do the questions. Skip around within each set of passage questions if you are comfortable doing that, doing easiest to hardest.


Read the questions first only if you are comfortable doing it and it does not cause you to get manic during the test.


It may be wise to do the questions within a passage first that refer to certain line numbers or paragraphs. Those questions tell you specifically where to look for the answer so you should be able to do them easier than some of the others.
Do tons of practice questions. Initially, do the questions un-timed, and focus on getting the right answers rather than doing everything on time. Later, move in to doing timed questions.
After you grade your practice tests go back over each wrong answer and try to determine why you missed it and where the answer was in the passage.
I read this elsewhere on this forum and it really helped my son: Remember most of the time the actual answer is plainly reflected in the passage. For almost all of the questions when you pick an answer, you should be able to cite a sentence or two from the passage that directly supports the answer you have chosen. If you cannot do that, you probably have not chosen the right answer.
Sometimes you can tell the likely correct answer just because the other options are worded in a nonsensical or confusing manner. Oftentimes you can eliminate 2 of the 4 answers in that manner.