In addition to knowing the kinds of questions to expect and the kinds of wrong answer traps you’ll see repeatedly on the test, it helps to have some familiarity with the different passage types. Generally, the three nonfiction passage types will be organized according to a clearly identifiable structure that is based on an outline, chronology, or logical argument. Occasionally, you’ll encounter a nonfiction passage written in a more narrative structure that has something in common with the prose fiction. Here, we’ll look at the passage types in the order in which they appear on the ACT.
The prose selection is taken from a novel or short story. Because the Prose Fiction passage is centered on characters’ thoughts, moods, behaviors, and relationships, it’s quite different from the three nonfiction passages. As you do the practice passages in this book, get a feel for your own comfort level with prose passages. Do you find them as easy as or even easier than the other three passages? If so, then jump right into the ACT Reading test at the beginning and work on the prose passage first. On the other hand, if you’re generally less comfortable with the prose passage, it would be wise for you to work through the other three passages first and come back to do the prose passage last. Remember that you need to manage your time carefully during the Reading section if you want to answer each question. If you attempt to do the prose passage first even though you’re not comfortable with prose, chances are that you’ll get bogged down and spend too long on it. This leaves less time to work on passage types that may be easier for you. You don’t want to run out of time and wind up guessing on questions for a passage type that would have been easy for you to answer if only you’d had more time to spend on it.
One aspect of the Prose Fiction passage that can be challenging is that you must infer much of the meaning. Typically, fiction writers don’t come right out and make explicit statements. They tend to show rather than tell. Thus, your ability to understand a prose passage hinges largely on your ability to make appropriate inferences. If you find this challenging, think about watching a movie. The writer and director don’t often tell you what to think. Instead, they show you a situation. The music, lighting, and camera angles all affect how you interpret what the characters say and do. Obviously, a piece of literature doesn’t use music and cinematography to impart meaning. Nonetheless, a prose passage may be easier for you to understand if you try to visualize it as a movie. Trying to visualize the characters as if they were on film, and not just words on a page, can help you develop a fuller understanding of the prose passage.
Recall that scoring points on this ACT section requires you to read actively, which means asking yourself questions as you read. For the prose section, the questions you need to keep in mind are different from the questions that help you understand a nonfiction passage. Ask yourself:
Often, the ACT prose passage focuses on only a few main characters, but it may include several minor characters as well. As you read through the prose passage, one of the most important things you must do is develop your understanding of the main characters. If you come across a character that seems more minor, you can underline the name, but don’t get distracted by giving equal attention to all the characters. Focus on the most important ones.
The Social Studies, or Social Sciences, passage always appears second in the ACT Reading test. It may cover a topic relating to history, anthropology, archaeology, education, psychology, political science, biography, business, geography, sociology, or economics. Because social science is a nonfiction passage, remember to apply the active reading questions listed at the beginning of this chapter. Look for the connections words that illustrate the logical progression of the passage. Topics you might see in a Social Science passage include:
This list is merely representative; it certainly doesn’t include everything you might find in a Social Science passage. No matter what the topic, your task on your first read-through is to grasp the author’s purpose for writing. As you read each paragraph, ask yourself how it broadly contributes to the overall purpose. Don’t focus on particular details until later, when a question directs you to do so.
The Humanities passage is always the third passage in the ACT Reading test. Broadly speaking, you can think of the humanities as areas that relate to human creativity. Obviously, the visual arts, such as drawing, painting, and sculpture, fall into this category, but so do other areas, such as literature, theater, music, dance, philosophy, language, communications, film, literary criticism, radio, television, and architecture. As you read the Humanities selection, you should apply all of the active reading questions that you’d use for any nonfiction selection. Some examples of topics that you might be likely to find in a Humanities passage include:
Again, this list is not exhaustive. Notice, however, that the outline form and the chronological structure appear in some way in each example. Even though you can’t predict the topic you’ll see in the Humanities passage, and you may find yourself on test day facing a topic you have little familiarity with, you don’t need to be intimidated. The practice you get in this workbook looking for the main purpose and the relationships among ideas will prevent you from getting lost in the details.
The Natural Science passage is always the fourth (and last) passage type in the ACT Reading test. Areas that might appear in a Natural Science passage include botany, zoology, natural history, biology, chemistry, earth sciences, physics, anatomy, astronomy, ecology, geology, medicine, meteorology, microbiology, physiology, and technology. Don’t worry if a science passage includes technical terms that you aren’t familiar with. If you need to understand a technical term to answer a question correctly, then that term will be explained somewhere in the passage. Some examples of the way a topic might be treated in an ACT science Reading passage include:
While science passages may seem challenging if you don’t know much about the particular topic, you should be especially careful with passages that address topics you are familiar with. If you’ve just studied a particular group of elements in your chemistry class and you find a passage that discusses those elements, your first read-through of the passage will go pretty quickly and comfortably because you’ve had some previous exposure to the material. When you attack the questions, however, don’t rely on your previous knowledge. The correct answer is always based on something that’s stated in the passage. Even when you’re familiar with a topic (in fact, especially when you’re familiar with it), it’s very important to carefully read the question stem and make sure that your prediction is grounded in this passage.
If you’ve attacked the passages in the order in which they appear on the test, you may be feeling tired and rushed by the time you get to the science passage. Don’t lose sight of the big picture. Read the passage through once quickly, looking only to discern the writer’s main purpose. Make brief passage map notes, and get to the questions as soon as possible. Avoid spending time trying to understand every detail in the passage. You score points only for answering questions correctly, not for coming to a complete and thorough understanding of the passage.