Chapter 8

Rhetorical Skills

ACT categorizes the questions on the English test as either Rhetorical Skills or Usage and Mechanics. For most questions, the Basic Approach used to crack them is the same, regardless of how ACT labels them. Some questions, however, require a different approach. In this chapter, we’ll teach you how to crack questions that ask for wrong answers, as well as questions on strategy and order.

EXCEPT/LEAST/NOT

You know a question is tricky when the right answer is wrong. That is, if the question asks you to identify the choice that is “NOT acceptable,” you have to cross off three answers that work and choose the one that doesn’t.

The EXCEPT/LEAST/NOT questions, or E/L/N for short, hide in plain sight, posing a challenge to spot. Most of the “questions” on the ACT English section do not actually include a question: instead, they feature only answer choices and the task is to choose the best one. However, some questions will actually include a bona-fide question, and if you’re not careful, it’s easy to jump straight to the answers and overlook the fact that your task is different on these questions. Moreover, many of the topics on E/L/N will look familiar: Stop/Go punctuation and transition questions are two topics heavily tested in this format, so the four answers look pretty much the same way they always do.

For the Record

Not all EXCEPT/LEAST/NOT questions are Rhetorical Skills questions by ACT standards. Our argument is that when most of the “questions” are just four answer choices, the presence of a true question demands a different category and different approach.

POE provides your key to cracking these: Eliminate all choices that could work. Cross off the EXCEPT/LEAST/NOT word, and then use POE to cross off the answers that do work. NO CHANGE is almost never an option on these. Use the sentence as it is written as your standard of comparison for the answer choices. Let’s try an example.

I gave my information to the director of the animal shelter. She promised1 to contact me if any French Bulldogs came in.

1. Which of the following alternatives to the underlined portion would be NOT acceptable?

A. shelter; she promised

B. shelter, and she promised

C. shelter, she promised

D. shelter, who promised

Be on the lookout for E/L/N questions: Expect as many as 3–4 per passage.

Here’s How to Crack It

Cross out NOT. Since the sentence used Stop punctuation, use POE to eliminate first all answers that are Stop punctuation, (A) and (B). Before you worry about (D), which changes the wording, focus on the remaining choice with the exact same wording as the original sentence. Remember that a comma alone can never be Stop Punctuation, so (C) is grammatically wrong—and therefore the correct answer here.

Word Choice and Idioms

Two of the most popular and challenging topics ACT tests are word choice and idioms, either in regular or E/L/N format. Word choice refers to selecting the precise word that fits with the context. An idiom is an expression that requires a specific preposition. Idioms follow no grammatical rules—they are what they are.

Idioms

Idioms are expressions that require the use of a specific preposition. Fortunately, you’ll be familiar with many of the idioms on the test. The best way to spot them is to look for prepositions in the answer choices.

Both word choice and idioms will be easy to spot by the changes in the answers, but neither fits our standards for being easy to fix. While they tend to be fairly common words and expressions, you’ll either know them or you won’t. ACT rarely, if ever, repeats any words or idioms, so there is no way to prepare for the particular ones that will show up on your ACT. Use POE heavily with these, and don’t let them drag you down in your pacing.

Try some more examples.

I remember well the day I first saw Wheezie at the animal shelter. In truth, I think Wheezie is the one who adopted2 me.

2. Which of the following alternatives to the underlined word would be LEAST acceptable?

F. selected

G. assumed

H. picked

J. chose

Here’s How to Crack It

Cross out LEAST. Use POE, trying each answer choice in place of adopted. Choices (F), (H), and (J) could all mean the same thing, but assume just doesn’t work and is therefore the correct choice.

After an hour of play, chew toys, tennis balls, and stuffed animals were strewn around3 the living room.

3. Which of the following alternatives to the underlined word would be LEAST acceptable?

A. on

B. throughout

C. all over

D. about

Here’s How to Crack It

Cross out LEAST. This is testing an idiom, specifically which prepositions work with strewn. Use POE, trying each answer choice in place of around. Choices (B), (C), and (D) could all work with strewn, but on doesn’t work and is therefore the correct choice.

STRATEGY QUESTIONS

Strategy questions come in many different forms, but they all revolve around the purpose of the text. Among the different types of Strategy questions, expect to see questions asking you to add and replace text, determine if text should be added or deleted, evaluate the impact on the passage if text is deleted, or judge the overall effect of the passage on the reader.

Let’s see some examples.

Many dog owners turn to animal trainers when they find they can no longer control their pets. Most experts find that a poorly-trained dog has received plenty of affection but not enough discipline or exercise.  4 

4. Which of the following sentences provides new, specific guidelines about the proper training of a dog?

F. Behavior that was cute in a twenty-pound puppy is alarming in a one hundred-pound adult dog.

G. Would-be dog owners should consider their own lifestyles and the temperament of a specific breed before adopting the animal.

H. Dogs should be walked at least three times a day and should never be given a treat without first obeying a command.

J. Small children should never be left unsupervised with a dog.

Here’s How to Crack It

Identify the purpose of the proposed text. According to the question, one of these choices provides new, specific guidance about the proper training of a dog. We don’t even need to go back into the passage: Find an answer choice that fulfills the purpose. Choices (F), (G), and (J) all may be true, but they do not offer any specific information about training a dog. Only (H) does that, and it is our correct answer.

Try another.

Wheezie’s puppy playfulness masked the steely determination of a true French bulldog, and she stubbornly resisted all the lessons from our obedience class.  5 

5. At this point, the writer is considering adding the following true statement:

My nephews trained Blizzard, a black lab with a sweet disposition, very easily.

Should the writer add this sentence here?

A. Yes, because it explains why the author felt so insecure about her difficulties training her dog.

B. Yes, because it provides an important detail about another breed of dog.

C. No, because it doesn’t explain how Blizzard was trained

D. No, because it distracts the reader from the main point of this paragraph.

Here’s How to Crack It

Whenever a strategy question asks if you should add or delete new text, evaluate the reasons in the answer choices carefully. The reason should correctly explain the purpose of the selected text. Here, choice (D) is correct because there is no reason to add text that is irrelevant to the topic.

Most puppy books no longer recommend using newspapers to housebreak dogs.6 I bought three safety gates to block off the kitchen from the rest of the house. I also brought home a crate, baby blankets to make it cozy, a stylish collar and matching leash, several bags of food, and of course, plenty of toys.

6. Given that all choices are true, which one provides the best opening to this paragraph?

F. NO CHANGE

G. When I was growing up, my family had an Irish Setter and four cats.

H. I made sure I had all the supplies we’d need before bringing Wheezie home.

J. Many people prefer cats as pets.

Here’s How to Crack It

In many strategy questions, the purpose is to add a sentence to open or close a paragraph or tie two paragraphs together. Use the context of the paragraph, and read through to the end before deciding. Since the author mentions several things she’s bought in preparation, (H) provides the best introduction to the paragraph.

ORDER

There are also several types of Order questions, but they all involve the correct placement of ideas. Some order questions will ask you to place correctly a modifier or additional text. Other questions will ask you to evaluate and possibly correct the order of sentences within a paragraph or the paragraphs themselves.

All order questions work best with POE. Ideas should be consistent and the meaning should be clear, but that meaning can be difficult to understand until ideas are in their proper place.

Let’s look at a few examples.

French bulldogs can face a serious7 number of health issues affecting the respiratory system, knees, and eyesight.

7. The best placement for the underlined word would be:

A. where it is now.

B. before the word French (revising the capitalization accordingly).

C. before the word health.

D. before the word respiratory.

Here’s How to Crack It

Use POE, trying the word in the places suggested by each answer choice. The correct answer is (C) because it modifies health issues and therefore includes all three listed. “Serious” to mean “a lot of” is slang and thus appeals to your ear. But “large” is not a definition of serious, literally or figuratively, and none of the other definitions really apply to the figurative meaning of “large.”

Order of Sentences

If there is a question on order of the sentences or placement of new text within a paragraph, all of the sentences in the passage will be numbered. NO CHANGE could be the answer to order of the sentences, but if you’re reading along and get confused by a sudden shift in the action, that’s a good sign the sentences are in fact out of order. Do not go back and reread, but instead wait until you get to the question.

Don’t waste time trying to re-order all of the sentences yourself. Look for transition words that indicate an introduction, a conclusion, or a pair of sentences that should go back to back, and use POE.

Try an example.

[4]

[1] He recommended an excellent specialist to perform the surgery. [2] When the day came, I drove to the hospital, dreading the moment I’d need to leave her behind. [3] While we waited for her to be admitted, Wheezie sensed something was wrong and curled on my lap, trembling. [4] My vet broke the bad news that Wheezie would have to have surgery to correct the problems in her nasal passage and vocal chords.

8. Which of the following order of sentences will make the paragraph most logical?

F. NO CHANGE

G. 2, 3, 1, 4

H. 4, 3, 2, 1

J. 4, 1, 2, 3

Here’s How to Crack It

Use POE. The surgery isn’t properly introduced until the end, which means sentence 4 should be the introduction. Eliminate (F) and (G), and determine if sentence 3 or 1 should be next. Sentence 1 makes more sense, so the answer is (J).

Order of the Paragraphs

If there is a question on the order of the paragraphs, there will be a warning at the beginning of the passage, alerting you that the passages may or may not be in the correct order and identifying which question will ask about which paragraph.

Almost no one ever spots this warning. Treat these the same way you treat the order of the sentences. If you suddenly find yourself confused by an inexplicable shift in the action, check above the title if the warning is there. Alternatively, continue reading and working the questions and bet safely you’ll encounter a question on the order of the paragraphs at the end of the passage.

AND IN THE END…

Questions 9 and 10 ask about the passage as a whole.

Other than order of the paragraphs, two other questions routinely appear at the end and are always preceded by the announcement above.

Placement of New Info

The paragraphs will also be numbered for a question testing the placement of additional info.

9. Upon reviewing this essay and concluding some information has been left out, the writer composes the following sentence:

After a night spent winning the hearts of all of the attendants, Wheezie bounded out of the recovery room and into my waiting arms.

This sentence should be:

A. placed at the end of paragraph 4.

B. placed at the end of paragraph 3.

C. placed at the end of paragraph 2.

D. placed at the end of paragraph 1.

Here’s How to Crack It

Okay, so this is a little unfair: We didn’t give you the entire passage, and only the correct paragraph (4) was numbered. But we couldn’t leave you hanging about Wheezie’s fate. Even with a little bit of cheating on our part, the new information is consistent with the rest of the information in that paragraph, and (A) is the correct answer.

Grading the Passage

Questions at the end that ask you to evaluate the passage are another version of a strategy question. The question identifies the purpose of the passage and asks you to determine if the author succeeded. These are always at the end, so we waited to show you here.

10. Suppose that one of the writer’s goals has been to address the role obedience classes can play in the healthy development of dogs. Would this essay fulfill that goal?

F. Yes, because the essay implies the writer and her dog benefited from obedience classes.

G. Yes, because the essay indicates French bulldogs are not easily trained.

H. No, because the essay is focused on one anecdote about one dog.

J. No, because the essay indicates the dog displayed aggressive and territorial behavior.

Here’s How to Crack It

With all strategy questions, identify the purpose in the question. With questions that use a Yes/No format, connect the purpose in the question to the reasons given in the answer choices. Choice (H) is the correct answer.

Rhetorical Skills Drill

In the drill below, you will find questions focusing only on Rhetorical Skills. Before you start, take a few moments to go back over the review material and techniques. Answers are in Chapter 25.

The following paragraphs may or may not be in the most logical order. Each paragraph is numbered, and question 9 will ask you to choose where Paragraph 2 should most logically be placed.

[1]

The golden age of television means many things to many people, but to the small band of actors, writers, and directors who would rise to prominence1 in the late 50s and early 60s, without a doubt it meant the television shows such as

1. Which of the following alternatives to the underlined word would be LEAST acceptable?

A. fame

B. projection

C. stardom

D. greatness

Playhouse 90, on which many of them worked for the first live2 time.

2. The best placement for the underlined word would be:

F. where it is now.

G. before the word actors.

H. before the word doubt.

J. before the word television.

[2]

Despite the undeniable risks of live performances—or perhaps because of—the results rank among the greatest achievements in American entertainment. Many of its productions were later remade, both for television and film, including Requiem for a Heavyweight, Judgment at Nuremberg, and Days of Wine and Roses.  3  Many critics maintain none of the remakes could match the brilliance and electricity of the live performances displayed in Playhouse 90.

3. The writer is considering deleting the preceding sentence. Should the sentence be kept or deleted?

A. Kept, because it provides context for the reference to remakes in the next sentence.

B. Kept, because it is crucial to understanding why Playhouse 90 was a success.

C. Deleted, because it does not match the objective tone of the essay.

D. Deleted, because it contains information that has already been provided in the essay.

[3]

[1] Each week, a new “teleplay” was created from scratch—written, cast, rehearsed, and performed. [2] Playhouse 90 was truly a remarkable training ground for the young talents. [3] Such future luminaries as Rod Serling, Sidney Lumet, Paddy Chayefsky, Marlon Brando, and Patricia Neal worked long hours reading scripts.4 [4] In some cases, when there were problems with the censors, it would have to be created

4. Which choice would most clearly indicate that the actors, writers, and directors became extremely skilled?

F. memorizing their lines.

G. honing their craft.

H. constructing the set.

J. skimming the want-ads.

twice.  5 

5. Which of the following order of sentences will make the paragraph most logical?

A. NO CHANGE

B. 1, 2, 4, 3

C. 2, 1, 4, 3

D. 2, 3, 1, 4

[4]

Due to the frantic pace, accidents happened frequently.6 David Niven once revealed that, during an early show, he inadvertently locked his costume in his dressing room two minutes before air time. As the announcer read the opening credits, the sound of axes splintering the door to Niven’s dressing room could be heard in the background.  7 

6. Given that all choices are true, which one most effectively introduces this paragraph?

F. NO CHANGE

G. The ratings for Playhouse 90 were unimpressive.

H. Broadway has produced many famous actors as well.

J. Playhouse 90 ran on CBS from 1956 to 1961.

7. The writer is considering deleting the preceding sentence. If the writer were to make this deletion, the essay would primarily lose a statement that:

A. explains the organization of the last paragraph.

B. adds a much needed touch of humor to the essay.

C. explains how one accident was resolved.

D. adds nothing, since the information is provided elsewhere in the essay.

Questions 8 and 9 ask about the preceding passage as a whole.

8. Suppose that one of the writer’s goals had been to write a brief essay describing an influential program in television’s history. Would this essay fulfill that goal?

F. Yes, because it explains that many future stars underwent valuable training working on Playhouse 90.

G. Yes, because it mentions that Playhouse 90 had the greatest number of viewers in its time slot.

H. No, because it fails to mention any future stars by name.

J. No, because even though many future stars received their start on Playhouse 90, few ever returned to television.

9. For the sake of the logic and coherence of this essay, Paragraph 2 should be placed:

A. where it is now.

B. before Paragraph 1.

C. after Paragraph 3.

D. after Paragraph 4.

Summary