ACT Reading Test
The reading comprehension
section focuses on main idea recognition and supporting details.
The passage will be preceded by a brief context review. Take the time to
read the opening review of the passage before jumping into the passage.
This will help give you the right framework for the passage. Consequently, the questions will make more sense about the
passage. In addition, there are 40
questions on the Reading Test and you have 35 minutes to complete this test.
The passage will have
number out to the side identifying the lines on the passages.
Moreover, the questions will ask you to review line (blank) or lines
(blank) through (blank). Don’t try and reread the whole passage to answer the
given question. The answer can be
found within the lines indicated. So
don’t waste time looking elsewhere for the answer.
You do have time to read
the passage and not skim over the passage.
Test questions distracters are set-up for skimmers.
Even slow readers can complete the reading passages and have a good
opportunity to answer the passage due to the fact they understand the passage.
Four answer choices are presented and only one choice is the correct answer.
Sample
ACT Test Paragraph Comprehension
Frank Tower, have you
ever heard of him? He is the questionable figure who supposedly survived three
doomed ships in the 1900’s. Some consider him one of the luckiest men alive.
He was touted to be a middle-aged fireman in the engine room. Some considered
him an ordinary, hardworking person, but he had the ability to avoid dying in
some of the most horrendous ocean liner accidents ever recorded.
He was said to have
once been a crew member on the Titanic at
the time that the ship hit the iceberg. Two years later, he was working on the Empress
of Ireland when she collided with the Storstad.
Over one thousand people died in that disaster. He was then employed in May of
1915 on the Lusitania when it was hit
by a U-20 torpedo. He apparently lived through that without a scratch as well.
If you are beginning to doubt this man’s existence, you are probably not to
far from the truth. No records have been found ever listing a man by Frank
Towers working on any of the three ships.
The legend of Frank
Towers seems to be another case of an urban folk tale, humanity’s desire to
see triumph over a tragic situation. Fact or fiction, Frank Towers is one of the
multiple characters that help color the history books.
1. According to the
article, the Lusitania is a?
A.
Airplane
B.
Torpedo Boat
C.
Ship
D.
Train
2. In this statement
from the article, “He was touted to be a middle-aged fireman in the engine
room.” Touted means?
A.
Publicized
B.
Demeaned
C.
Set-up
D.
Sighted
3. This passage sheds
doubt on
A.
The fact that three ships sank.
B.
The thought that America was at war with other countries.
C.
Frank Towers causing the ships to sink.
D.
Urban folk tales are not always based on real people.
4. The title of this
article could be
A.
“Frank Towers, a Man of Mystery”
B.
“Surviving the Impossible”
C.
“The Legend of Frank Towers Debunked”
D.
“How to Survive Doomed Ships”
Answer
Key Reading Comprehension
1.
C
2.
A
3.
D
4.
C