ACT (American College Testing) Reading Syllabus

What does a 'function of a paragraph/sentence' question ask you to do?

Identify the role a portion of text plays in the passage's structure (e.g., to introduce a counterargument, provide an example, transition, or qualify a claim) — not just summarize its content.

What is the difference between an author's purpose and an author's point of view?

Purpose is why the author wrote the passage (to inform, persuade, entertain, analyze, describe); point of view is the author's attitude, stance, or perspective on the subject.

What are the four most common author's purposes tested on the ACT?

To inform/explain, to persuade/argue, to entertain/narrate, and to describe/analyze.

How do you determine an author's tone or attitude?

Examine word choice (connotation), especially adjectives and adverbs, and note whether language is positive, negative, or neutral toward the subject.

Why are extreme tone words (e.g., 'furious,' 'ecstatic,' 'contemptuous') usually wrong on the ACT?

ACT passages tend to be measured and academic, so tone answers are usually moderate (e.g., 'curious,' 'skeptical,' 'appreciative'); overly strong emotions rarely match the text.

What are rhetorical/stylistic choices an author can use, and why?

Devices like repetition, rhetorical questions, analogy, anecdote, juxtaposition, diction, and imagery — used to emphasize points, persuade, set tone, or guide the reader's response.

What is the purpose of an author including a specific example or anecdote?

To illustrate, support, or make concrete a larger claim or abstract idea, making the argument more vivid or persuasive.

What does a 'rhetorical question' accomplish in a passage?

It engages the reader, emphasizes a point, or prompts reflection without expecting a literal answer, often steering the reader toward the author's view.

In an argument-based passage, what is a 'claim'?

A statement the author asserts as true and seeks to prove — the position being argued, supported by evidence and reasoning.

What is the difference between a claim, evidence, and reasoning?

A claim is the assertion; evidence is the facts/data/examples supporting it; reasoning is the logical explanation connecting the evidence to the claim.

What is a counterargument, and why might an author include one?

An opposing viewpoint; authors include it to anticipate objections, then rebut it to strengthen their own argument's credibility (concession and refutation).

How do you evaluate whether evidence supports a claim on the ACT?

Check that the evidence is directly relevant to the claim and logically backs it; the best answer ties specific textual support to the specific assertion.

On paired/multiple-text questions, how do you find a point of agreement between two authors?

Identify each author's main claim, then locate the shared idea both would endorse based on their stated positions — not what one says alone.

How would each author likely respond to the other's argument in a paired-passage question?

Determine each author's stance, then infer agreement, disagreement, or qualification by applying one author's reasoning to the other's specific claim, grounded in the text.

What is the key skill for the dual-passage (paired) format on the ACT?

Reading each passage's main idea and perspective separately first, then synthesizing relationships (similarities, differences, and how one passage informs the other).

What types of quantitative/graphic information can appear in ACT Reading passages?

Tables, charts, graphs, or data figures accompanying a passage, requiring you to interpret data and connect it to the text's claims.

How should you approach a question linking a graphic to the passage text?

Read the graphic's title, axes, labels, and units; find the relevant data point; then verify how it confirms, illustrates, or relates to the specific claim in the text.

What is a common trap in quantitative/graphic questions on the ACT?

Choices that misread the trend (direction), confuse the axes/units, or state a relationship the data does not actually show.

What genre is the 'Literary Narrative / Prose Fiction' passage, and what does it emphasize?

An excerpt from a novel or short story; it emphasizes character, relationships, mood, motivation, and how events affect characters — often requiring inference about feelings and dynamics.

What should you focus on while reading a Prose Fiction passage on the ACT?

Characters and their relationships, narrator's perspective, tone/mood, motivations, and how characters change or react — not just plot events.

What topics fall under the ACT 'Social Science / Humanities' passages?

Social Science covers fields like history, economics, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and political science; Humanities covers art, literature, music, philosophy, ethics, and memoir/personal essays.

How does reading a Humanities passage differ from Social Science?

Humanities passages are often more personal, reflective, or opinion-based (memoir, essay) focusing on attitude and perspective, while Social Science tends to be more fact- and concept-driven.

What characterizes the 'Natural Science' passage on the ACT?

It presents scientific concepts, experiments, discoveries, or processes (biology, chemistry, physics, earth science), emphasizing facts, cause-effect, hypotheses, and relationships among variables.

What reading strategy helps most with dense Natural Science passages?

Track the central scientific question/hypothesis and the logical flow (cause-effect, problem-solution); don't try to memorize every detail — note where key facts are to return to them.

What is 'active reading' and why does it help on the ACT?

Engaging with the text by predicting, questioning, summarizing paragraphs, and noting structure as you read — it improves comprehension and lets you locate answers faster.

How much time per passage does the ACT Reading section allow, and how is it structured?

About 8 minutes and 45 seconds per passage — roughly 35 minutes for 4 passages and 40 questions (standard format) — so pacing requires reading and answering quickly.

What is the recommended pacing split for reading versus answering each ACT passage?

Roughly 3 minutes reading the passage and about 5 minutes answering its questions, keeping under ~9 minutes total per passage.

Why should you always return to the passage for ACT Reading answers rather than rely on memory?

Every correct answer is text-based; verifying against the passage prevents picking choices that 'sound right' but aren't supported, the most common error.

What pacing technique helps when you encounter a hard ACT Reading question?

Skip it, mark it, answer easier questions first to bank points, then return — never let one question consume time needed for several answerable ones; and bubble an answer for every question since there's no penalty for guessing.