ACT Reading

Question 1

ACT English vs School English

Answer 1

1. In SCHOOL, you are encouraged to INTERPRET literature.
2. On the ACT, you need to simply RESTATE/DEMONSTRATE info from the passage.

Question 2

Key Beliefs In Your ACT Mindset

Four Beliefs

Answer 2

1. “There is only one right answer to every question.”
2. “All three other answers have something wrong I need to identify.”
3. “I must find a part of the passage that fully supports my answer.”
4. “The ACT is ridiculously detail-oriented, and I need to consider every word in the question and answer choices.”

Question 3

N.I.C.K.
(4 ways reading questions can be wrong)

Answer 3

N. Not in passage OR Not in line number/paragraph that they asked about.

I. Interpretation (beyond what is stated in the passage).

C. Confuses Relationships/Contradicts Passage

K. Kill Words

Question 4

Kill Words

Answer 4

The 1-3 words in an answer that make it incorrect.

Look for kill words when you’re reading every single answer!

Question 5

Kill Words Strategies

Answer 5

1. ALWAYS consider every answer choice.
2. You need to flip your mentality: don’t look for the “right” answer… Look for the three answers that are wrong, and choose the answer that’s left over. You might not always love the correct answer, but you won’t find anything wrong with it.
3. Strive to understand exactly what every word means in the question and in the answers (and try not to assume anything)
4. Always remember the ACT is objective, not subjective.
5. Be aware of NICK: the ways that answers can be wrong.

Question 6

Implicit Questions

What kind of words make it an implicit question?

Answer 6

A question where the answer is BASED on the passage.

Implicit questions sample words: suggests, implies, infers, most likely

Question 7

Explicit Questions

What kind of words make it an explicit question?

Answer 7

A question where the answer is IN (restated or paraphrased from) the passage.

Explicit question sample words: states, describes, uses, in the passage

Question 8

Main Goal/Primary Purpose
Strategy

Answer 8

1. Be super attentive to “big picture” - just because something is in the passage doesn’t mean that it’s the “writer’s goal” or “primary purpose”
2. Treat each answer as a “True/False” and be super attentive to small details

Question 9

The Classic Reading Method

Answer 9

1. Read the Passage
2. Answer Questions
3. Repeat For Each Passage

Question 10

Question First Reading Method

Answer 10

1. DON’T READ THE PASSAGE - JUST THE BACKGROUND INTRO & FIRST PARAGRAPH
2. ANSWER QUESTIONS WITH LINE NUMBERS
3. Answer questions without line numbers

Question 11

The Paired Passage Last Reading Method

Answer 11

1. Complete the three “regular” passages first.
2. Do the “paired passage” last

Question 12

The Ideal Reading Question Order

Answer 12

1. Line Number Questions
2. Non-Line Number Questions
3. “Main Idea” or “Primary Purpose” Questions