ACT English › ACT English
Passage adapted from Around the World in Eighty Days (1873) by Jules Verne
Phileas Fogg was a member of the Reform, and that was all.
The way in which he got admission to this exclusive club was simple enough.
He was recommended by the Barings, with whom he had an open credit. His cheques were regularly paid at sight from his account current, which was always flush.
Was Phileas Fogg rich? Undoubtedly. But those who knew him best could not imagine how he had made his fortune, and Mr. Fogg was the last person to whom to apply for the information. He was not lavish, nor, on the contrary, avaricious; for, whenever he knew that money was needed for a noble, useful, or benevolent purpose, he supplied it quietly and sometimes anonymously. He was in short the least communicative of men. He talked very little, and seemed all the more mysterious for his taciturn manner. His daily habits were quite open to observation; but whatever he did was so exactly the same thing that he had always done before, that the wits of the curious were fairly puzzled.
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the passage. If the bolded and underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
He was, in short, the least communicative of men.
He was, in short the least communicative of men.
He was in short, the least communicative of men.
NO CHANGE
Commas should only be placed around "in short," because this is a non-restrictive clause that can be removed without altering the sentence's meaning.
Choose the word that best completes the sentence.
After spending hours in the summer heat with nothing to drink, Joe felt extremely __________.
parched
requited
sated
satiated
contented
The correct answer is "parched" because it is a synonym for "thirsty."
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
Allison packed twelve cans of soda for the trip, but her father told her she'd selected two many cans to fit in the cooler.
too many cans
NO CHANGE
too many can's
too much cans
two much cans
"Drinks" can be counted, making them a countable noun, unlike a noun like "water," which isn't countable. (You wouldn't say "two water" but you might say "two drinks.") "Too many" is used to refer to countable nouns. "Drinks" is a plural noun and the drinks are not possessing anything, so "too many drinks" is the correct answer.
Communist rule in Poland ended in 1989 and the following year proved disastrous for the Polish economy. Prices rapidly ballooned while incomes dropped. Attempting to find a solution, the Balcerowicz Plan was implemented by Polish officials. The plan liberalized the economy by abolishing price controls, exposing markets to international competition, and it discontinued most industrial subsidies. In the time of the years following these efforts, economic growth has increased steady.
After years of negotiations and economic and political reforms, Poland became a member of The European Union on May 1, 2004. Soon after, Polish officials voted in favor for laws that would eventually mend the unemployment problem in Poland significantly. In fact, the unemployment rate improved for the first time in five years immediately following Poland's membership. The involvement of Poland in the Eastern Bloc is currently greater than the Czech Republic. The passage of two policies regarding energy credits from foreign countries provide evidence of the emergence of Poland in the global economy.
Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded portion of the passage. If the bolded portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
discontinuing most industrial subsidies
NO CHANGE
discontinued most industrial subsidies
it was discontinuing most industrial subsidies
Parallelism means that the structure is the same for a group of words. We have a list with two gerund phrases: 1) "abolishing price controls" and 2) "exposing markets to international competition." To have parallel structures, the third item in the list should be a gerund phrase as well. The correct answer choice will have gerund phrase is "discontinuing most industrial subsidies." Notice that the choice, "it was discontinuing most industrial subsidies," has a gerund phrase, but is nevertheless incorrect because it unnecessarily includes "it was." The correct way to express the sentence is "The plan liberalized the economy by abolishing price controls, exposing markets to international competition, and discontinuing most industrial subsidies."
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Waiting for the crucial trial to begin, the anxiety Neil felt was almost overwhelming.
Neil felt almost overwhelmed with anxiety.
the anxiety Neil felt was almost overwhelming.
the anxiety almost overwhelmed Neil.
the anxiety being felt by Neil was almost overwhelming.
Neil's anxiety felt almost overwhelming.
When a sentence begins with a dangling participle or descriptive phrase, the person or thing described in that phrase (in this case, "Neil") must immediately follow it. Only one answer choice does this correctly. The answer choice that begins "Neil's anxiety" may appear to do so, but it does not, because the possessive "Neil's" is no longer the subject, but is describing the anxiety.
As he stepped into the shower that morning, Ronald wondered whether he would be scalded or frozen. It would happen every morning because his neighbors usually took their showers at the same time as he did, and the water temperature would either dip precariously or rise sharply, depending on the day. About five minutes into his shower, he could hear the telltale sound of his neighbors' turning on their shower, and he braced himself. Sure enough, a jet of steaming hot water was shooting through the shower nozzle, and Ronald darted to the side to wait until it cooled down again. As it was January, he was grateful that it wasnt cold water—if it had been, he might of spent the whole morning frozen in a block of ice. Soon the water returned to normal, and Ronald resumed his shower, cursing himself for ever moving into such an old building in the first place.
Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded portion of the passage. If the bolded portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
might've
NO CHANGE
mightve
could of
The contraction "might've" (might have) sounds to many people's ears like "might of," but you should always use the contracted form.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Coming back to the farm, the gruesome scene was seen by everyone in the car.
everyone in the car saw the gruesome scene.
the gruesome scene was seen by everyone in the car.
the gruesome scene saw by everyone in the car.
the gruesome scene was seen by everyone at the car.
the gruesome scene being seen by everyone in the car.
The sentence is written with a dangling modifier, which makes the sentence read as though the "gruesome scene" was what was "coming back to the farm." The sentence needs to be restructured to clarify this problem. The only answer choice that does this is "everyone in the car saw the gruesome scene."
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Waiting for the crucial trial to begin, the anxiety Neil felt was almost overwhelming.
Neil felt almost overwhelmed with anxiety.
the anxiety Neil felt was almost overwhelming.
the anxiety almost overwhelmed Neil.
the anxiety being felt by Neil was almost overwhelming.
Neil's anxiety felt almost overwhelming.
When a sentence begins with a dangling participle or descriptive phrase, the person or thing described in that phrase (in this case, "Neil") must immediately follow it. Only one answer choice does this correctly. The answer choice that begins "Neil's anxiety" may appear to do so, but it does not, because the possessive "Neil's" is no longer the subject, but is describing the anxiety.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
Some writers use literary illusions to tactfully reference authors who previously wrote about similar themes.
tactfully use literary allusions to reference authors
tactfully use literary illusions to reference authors
use literary allusions to tactfully reference authors
use literary illusions tactfully to reference authors
use literary illusions to tactfully reference authors
An illusion is a hallucination, an image that isn’t really there. An allusion is a reference or citation, especially to/from another text. Also, there is a split infinitive; the adverb “tactfully” must be moved elsewhere in the sentence so the verb “to reference” is kept together.
“Justice and Parents”
We tend to think of justice as a matter of strict equality. For example if someone wants to buy an item, they are understandably expected to pay an amount that is roughly equal to its value. Likewise, when a law declares that the penalty for speeding is $150, it is considered just that one who breaks this law pays the fine. However, justice can also pertain to matters that are beyond mere equality.
An obvious example of this is the case of the relationship between children and their parents. Unlike the cases discussed earlier, children will have had little opportunity to repay they’re parents for all that they have done for them. Technically speaking, strict “equality” would require the child to give birth to the parents. This is an absurd thing to suggest. Similarly absurd is the suggestion that children should directly repay the rearing offered by parents. Once again, strict equality cannot occur in the child-parent relationship.
However, there is a kind of justice between children and his or her parents. For example, when a parent ages and is in need of assistance, if the adult child can provide assistance but refuses to do so. This is a kind of injustice to the parents. On a more positive note. For example, an adult child might send his parents on a cruise in memory of their anniversary. Such an action would be a kind of “justice” done to the parents—at least in that it recognizes the immense debt that is owed by the child to the parents in question.
In these (and many other cases), justice is less about equality than it is about paying what one can pay. That is, in such cases, both justice or injustice is determined by worthiness that surpasses mere equality. This kind of justice could be called justice above justice. That is, it is a kind of justice that surpasses the “normal” justice of equality. Such acts of justice ensure that society does not become reduced to the cold calculation of equality but, instead, has the warmth of true affection and loving gratitude.
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."
That is, in such cases, both justice and injustice is determined
NO CHANGE
That is, in such cases, both justice / injustice is determined
That is, in such cases, both justice, and injustice is determined
That is, in such cases, both justice and, injustice, is determined
As written, this sentence misuses the correlative conjunction construction "both . . . and." It is written, "both . . . or," which is quite wrong. Several options swap out "or," replacing it with "and." They add commas where they are not needed. All you need is a simple "and."