ACT Prep English (Practice Questions)

[1] Often, my brother and I, joined our mother on her adventures into tidal lands. [2] At the very low tides of the full moon, when almost all the water was sucked away, we found the hideaways where crabs, snails, starfish, and sea urchins hid in order not to be seen.[3] Sometimes we would dig with shovels in the mud, where yellow and white worms lived in their leathery tunnels. Which of the following sequences of sentences makes this paragraph most logical? A. NO CHANGE B. 2, 1, 3 C. 2, 3, 1 D. 3, 1, 2

A (because it is the only choice that places Sentence 1 as the introduction to the paragraph. There is no other logical placement for Sentence 1 because it provides information that the narrator and the brother are joining the mother on their "adventures into tidal lands." If either Sentence 2 or Sentence 3 introduced the paragraph, the reader would be confused.)

My father was an avid gardener, he still is: and every Saturday morning he would put on his work clothes, pick up his hoe and trowel, and would head out the back door. Choose the best replacement answer for this part of the sentence: "gardener, he still is:" A. NO CHANGE B. gardener - he still is - C. gardener, he still is - D. gardener and he still is

B (It offers the best punctuation for this nonessential parenthetical element. The phrase "he still is" needs to be set off with the same punctuation marks on both ends. In this case, the dashes are best for avoiding ambiguity.)

When the tide was high, she would be standing on the inlet bridge with her plankton net. I have great respect for my mother. I learned early that the moon affected the tides. Which choice most effectively signals the shift from the preceding paragraph to this paragraph? (The sentence underlined was "I have great respect for my mother." A. NO CHANGE B. Our lives were likewise affected by the phases of the moon. C. A relationship exists between the moon and the tides. D. The moon is a mysterious orb afloat in the sky.

B (This is the best introductory sentence because the rest of this new paragraph explains how "the phases of the moon" affected a "complete cycle of tides." The other choices do not logically lead into this explanation of what causes high and low tides.)

For plankton tows, we would stand on the bridge while Mom lowered a cone-shaped net that is often used by marine biologists. Given that all of the choices are true, which one provides information that is relevant and that makes the rest of this paragraph understandable? (The sentence underlined was "is often used by marine biologists.") A. NO CHANGE B. had a specimen bottle attached to its smaller end. C. was woven from cotton and nylon material. D. was shaped like a geometric figure.

B (because the information about the attached "specimen bottle" is critical to understanding the last sentence of the essay, which describes the mother "peering at a drop of water from the bottle.")

Later, we would see her sitting at the kitchen table, peering at a drop of water through the lenses of her microscope from the bottle—watching the thousands of tiny swimming organisms. The best placement for the underlined portion would be: (The part of the sentence that was underlined was "at a drop of water") A. NO CHANGE B. after the word lenses C. after the word microscope D. after the word bottle (but before the dash)

C (It is the only choice where the sentence elements are placed in a logical, comprehensible order. The mother is "peering through the lenses of her microscope at a drop of water from the bottle." No other order makes sense.)

Everything was subservient to the disposal of the tides. Choose the best replacement answer for this part of the sentence: "was subservient to the disposal of" A. NO CHANGE B. was defenseless in the face of C. depended on D. trusted in

C (It offers the clearest, most concise wording for this sentence. "Everything depended on the tides," is a precise, clear statement that avoids unnecessary or confusing words.)

I grew up with buckets, shovels, and nets waiting by the back door; hip-waders hanging in the closet; tide table charts covering the refrigerator door; and a microscope was sitting on the kitchen table. Choose the best replacement answer for this part of the sentence: "was sitting" A. NO CHANGE B. would sit C. sitting D. sat

C (The verb form sitting is best here because it creates a parallel structure for all three items in the series: "nets waiting," "hip-waders hanging," "a microscope sitting.")

The moon being aligned with Earth and the sun when full or new, so its gravity combines with the sun's gravity to create an even stronger gravitational pull. Choose the best replacement answer for this part of the sentence: "The moon being" A. NO CHANGE B. Since the moon is C. The moon is D. The moon,

C (This choice creates a structurally sound compound sentence with two complete independent clauses connected by the coordinating conjunction so.)

At the very low tides of the full moon, when almost all the water was sucked away, we found the hideaways where crabs, snails, starfish, and sea urchins hid in order not to be seen. Choose the best replacement answer for this part of the sentence: "hideaways where crabs, snails, starfish, and sea urchins hid in order to not be seen." A. NO CHANGE B. hideouts where crabs, snails, starfish, and sea urchins concealed and hid themselves. C. places where crabs, snails, starfish, and sea urchins were stashed away. D. hiding places of crabs, snails, starfish, and sea urchins.

D (It offers the clearest and most concise wording for the underlined portion and avoids redundancy.)

Having studied, my mother is a marine biologist. Choose the best replacement answer for this part of the sentence: "Having studied, my mother" A. NO CHANGE B. As my mother's interest is science, she is C. My mother's occupation is that of D. My mother is

D (It offers the clearest, most concise wording for this sentence. "My mother is a marine biologist," is a clear statement that avoids unnecessary or confusing words.)

Often, my brother and I, joined our mother on her adventures into tidal lands. Choose the best replacement answer for this part of the sentence: "brother and I," A. NO CHANGE B. brother, and I, C. brother, and I D. brother and I

D (because no punctuation is needed to separate the subject of the sentence (my brother and I) from the verb (joined).)

I knew that it took about eight hours for the tides to change from high to low, sixteen hours for a complete cycle of tides. If the writer were to delete the phrase "sixteen hours for a complete cycle of tides" from the preceding sentence (ending the sentence with a period), the essay would primarily lose a detail that: A. shows the narrator's interests are different from the mother's interests. B. contradicts a point made earlier in the paragraph. C. helps establish the setting for the essay. D. display's the narrator's knowledge for tides.

D (because the detailed information about how long it takes to complete a cycle of tides clearly shows that the narrator has specific knowledge of tides.)

I grew up with buckets, shovels, and nets waiting by the back door; hip-waders hanging in the closet; tide table charts covering the refrigerator door; and a microscope was sitting on the kitchen table. Choose the best replacement answer for this part of the sentence: "waiting by the back door;" A. NO CHANGE B. waiting, by the back door, C. waiting by the back door, D. waiting by the back door

A (It provides the best punctuation for the underlined portion. The phrase "waiting by the back door" describes the noun nets and is essential because it tells which nets the narrator "grew up with." Therefore, no comma should be placed after nets. The semicolon after the word door is appropriate because semicolons are used between items in a series when one or more of these items include commas. So, basically since each item also has a semicolon after it in the list, this item should also have a semicolon after it to keep it the same.)

The moon being aligned with Earth and the sun when full or new, so its gravity combines with the sun's gravity to create an even stronger gravitational pull. Choose the best replacement answer for this part of the sentence: "its" A. NO CHANGE B. one's C. it's D. its'

A (The possessive pronoun its is appropriate here because it refers back to the moon: "[the moon's] gravitational pull.")

At the very low tides of the full moon, when almost all the water was sucked away, we found the hideaways where crabs, snails, starfish, and sea urchins hid in order not to be seen. Choose the best replacement answer for this part of the sentence: "away, we" A. NO CHANGE B. away. Then we C. away. We D. away; we

A (because it is the only choice that results in a complete sentence.)

I grew up with buckets, shovels, and nets waiting by the back door; hip-waders hanging in the closet; tide table charts covering the refrigerator door; and a microscope was sitting on the kitchen table. Having studied, my mother is a marine biologist. Our household might have been described as uncooperative. Our meals weren't always served in the expected order of breakfast, lunch, and supper. Everything was subservient to the disposal of the tides. When the tide was low, Mom could be found down on the mudflats. When the tide was high, she would be standing on the inlet bridge with her plankton net. Which choice would most effectively introduce the rest of this paragraph from this part of the sentence: "Our household might have been described as uncooperative." A. NO CHANGE B. There seemed to be no explanation for why Mom ran our household the way she did. C. Our household didn't run according to a typical schedule. D. Mom ran our household in a most spectacular manner.

C (This is a good introductory sentence because the rest of the paragraph explains how the narrator's household "didn't run according to a typical schedule." The paragraph goes on to say that "meals weren't always served in the expected order" and that the mother operated according to the tides, which were not on a typical household schedule. So basically this sentence explains the rest of the paragraph.)