ACT & College Preparation Course for the Christian Student

Arising out of heady optimism in the early 1900s, modernism was a radical approach that tried to recreate the way modern civilization viewed culture, politics, and science. This new thinking engendered a sort of rebellion that merged in full force by the 1920s.

There were certain assumptions that moderns made: Western culture was old-fashioned and dysfunctional. Society was bound by the facileness of a society that was too preoccupied with image and too recalcitrant or reticent to embrace needed change. This disillusionment with everything status quo led writers and artists to cross cultural boundaries heretofore ignored. The Puritans embraced neo-classicism. The romantics were nature lovers. The modernists examined and replicated the lifestyle of Amazon prehistoric culture. Ironically, everything that had emerged in Western culture for the last four hundred years was suspect but romantic motifs of pristine culture were cool!

This of course was impossible and laughable. Modernist subjects included primitive people groups who looked like they had just descended the steps of Macy’s. In short, the emerging culture ultimately would undermine tradition and authority in the hopes of transforming contemporary society. They would try to replace Judeo-Christian morality with a “feel good” reductionist subjectivity.

They would fail abysmally, of course. They could not have their epistemological cake and eat their pneumatic icing in the same meal. It was like mixing oil and water. So, perhaps the best way to describe modernism is “nihilism.” Nonetheless, modernism sets the stage for the chaotic 1960s, postmodernism, and absurdism. In other words, the worst was yet to come!

Nihilism was the questioning of all religious and moral enculturation principles as the only means of obtaining social progress. Ironically, a sort of modernist religion replaced the old orthodox religion and no progress was made at all. As one social critic explained, “Like poor Elmer Fudd and his futile quest to bag Bugs Bunny, there arrived a moment when Elmer exclaimed ‘West and wewaxation at wast!’ ”1 But poor Elmer and the modernists had neither bagged their prey nor knew how to rest!

At the same time that modernists embraced pastoral (nature) themes, they also embraced science. In the wake of the discovery of the theory of relativity, modernists were sure that they had arrived at Nirvana. Science, apparently, now, where religion had failed, would solve all the problems of society.

Science, being the cold and sterile thing that it is, invited modernists to repudiate the moral codes of the society in which they were living. In other words, the modernists ran from Victorian morality as quickly as they could! The reason that they did so was not necessarily because they did not believe in God, although there was a great majority of them who were atheists or agnostics. Rather, their rejection of conventional morality was based on its boring predictability, and its exertion of control over human feelings. In other words, it limited the human spirit or, to use later vernacular, traditional morality “cramped” one’s style.

Conformity and tradition were anathema. And so, in the arts, for instance, at the beginning of the 20th century, artists flirted with many different styles: cubism, futurism, constructivism, dadaism, and surrealism. They broke new ground, so to speak.

Yet, is it really that new? Xerxes and Pharoah saw themselves as gods — now that is a metaphysical coup d’é·tat. Pretty modern, too. The builders of the Tower of Babel believed in science, too. Fervently, too. And we know what happened. But a few people got it right. Moses put his rod into the Red Sea and it parted. Hmm . . . not very “modern” — there is nothing cool about an old rod and old fashioned faith. The sea parted, too. And we know what happened to the most high and mighty Pharoah! I want my science to help me build my bridges but not my metaphysics!

OCABULARY

Fathers and Children2

Ivan Turgenev

Ivan Turgenev was one of the giants of Russian literature, a literature that boasts Tolstoy, Chehkov, and Dostoevsky. This short novel was a 19th-century study of parent and children relations. It presages the “generation gap” that popularized the 1950s.

Suggested Vocabulary Words

The servant, from a feeling of propriety, and perhaps, too, not anxious to remain under the master’s eye, had gone to the gate, and was smoking a pipe. Nikolai Petrovitch bent his head, and began staring at the crumbling steps; a big mottled fowl walked sedately towards him, treading firmly with its great yellow legs; a muddy cat gave him an unfriendly look, twisting herself coyly round the railing.
She used suddenly to go abroad, and suddenly return to Russia, and led an eccentric life in general. She had the reputation of being a frivolous coquette, abandoned herself eagerly to every sort of pleasure, danced to exhaustion, laughed and jested with young men, whom she received in the dim light of her drawing-room before dinner; while at night she wept and prayed, found no peace in anything, and often paced her room till morning, wringing her hands in anguish, or sat, pale and chill, over a psalter.
Nikolai Petrovitch had made Fenitchka’s acquaintance in the following manner. He had once happened three years before to stay a night at an inn in a remote district town. He was agreeably struck by the cleanness of the room assigned to him, the freshness of the bed-linen. Surely the woman of the house must be a German? was the idea that occurred to him; but she proved to be a Russian, a woman of about fifty, neatly dressed, of a good-looking, sensible countenance and discreet speech.

ATH

Solving Math Problems

Read the problem very carefully. Most people answer a word problem incorrectly because they do not read the problem carefully — normally the math computation is easy.
Draw a diagram if necessary but, if one is available, mark it up.
Write an equation reflecting your problem.
Solve the equation.
Check your answer. Make sure it is in the right medium (i.e., x or so forth).

The length of the side of square B is double the width of rectangle A. The length of the rectangle is three times the width of the rectangle. The perimeter of the rectangle is 48 inches. Find the length of the side of the square.

EADING

Tone and Inference

She used suddenly to go abroad, and suddenly return to Russia, and led an eccentric life in general. She had the reputation of being a frivolous coquette, abandoned herself eagerly to every sort of pleasure, danced to exhaustion, laughed and jested with young men, whom she received in the dim light of her drawing-room before dinner; while at night she wept and prayed, found no peace in anything, and often paced her room till morning, wringing her hands in anguish, or sat, pale and chill, over a psalter. Day came, and she was transformed again into a grand lady; again she went out, laughed, chattered, and simply flung herself headlong into anything which could afford her the slightest distraction. She was marvelously well-proportioned, her hair coloured like gold and heavy as gold hung below her knees, but no one would have called her a beauty; in her whole face the only good point was her eyes, and even her eyes were not good — they were grey, and not large — but their glance was swift and deep, unconcerned to the point of audacity, and thoughtful to the point of melancholy — an enigmatic glance. There was a light of something extraordinary in them, even while her tongue was lisping the emptiest of inanities. She dressed with elaborate care. . . . Her whole behaviour presented a series of inconsistencies; the only letters which could have awakened her husband’s just suspicions, she wrote to a man who was almost a stranger to her . . . she ceased to laugh and to jest, she listened to him, and gazed at him with a look of bewilderment. Sometimes, for the most part suddenly, this bewilderment passed into chill horror; her face took a wild, death-like expression; she locked herself up in her bedroom, and her maid, putting her ear to the keyhole, could hear her smothered sobs. More than once, as he went home after a tender interview, Kirsanov felt within him that heartrending, bitter vexation which follows on a total failure. (Turgenev, Fathers and Children)

The tone of this passage is:

Serious
Moribund
Tepid
Whimsical

Turgenev characterizes this woman:

as a scatter-brained, silly female.
as an intelligent, iconoclastic character.
as a choleric, eccentric person.
as a reticent, sanguine person.

“Turgenev did for Russian literature what Byron did for English literature; he led the genius of Russia on a pilgrimage throughout all Europe. And in Europe his work reaped a glorious harvest of praise. Flaubert was astounded by him, George Sand looked up to him as to a master, Taine spoke of his work as being the finest artistic production since Sophocles. In Turgenev’s work, Europe not only discovered Turgenev, but it discovered Russia, the simplicity and the naturalness of the Russian character; and this came as a revelation.”4 — M. Baring

Test-Taking

Insight

General Summary of ACT Test-taking Strategies

• If you don’t know the answer or can’t figure out the answer, guess! There is no penalty for guessing.

• Vocabulary is important but it is not a separate section. It is tested in the reading, English, writing, and science sections.

• If the SAT is a critical thinking exam, the ACT is a knowledge assessment exam. The SAT evaluates your readiness for college. The ACT measures your accomplishments in high school. Both predict college success.

• Most questions on the ACT are multiple choice. There are no fill-in-the blank questions.

• Mark answers on the booklet. Mark it up! Administer quick benchmark comparisons every fifth question — if you are on question 25 make sure that you are answering question 25 on the answer grid.

CIENCE

Analyzing Data

The most common causes of the common cold are viruses — rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The rhinovirus group causes 10% to 40% of colds. The coronaviruses and RSV are responsible for 20% and 10% of cases, respectively.

Rhinoviruses, the worst offenders, are most active in early fall, spring, and summer. More than 110 distinct rhinovirus types have been identified. These viruses grow best at temperatures of about 91 degrees, that perfect body temperature right inside the human nose. Most rhinoviruses seldom produce serious illnesses. Other cold viruses, such as parainfluenza and RSV, produce mild infections in adults but can lead to severe lower respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, in young children.

Scientists think coronaviruses cause a large percentage of adult colds. These cold viruses are most active in the winter and early spring. Of the more than 30 kinds of coronaviruses, three or four infect humans. The importance of coronaviruses as a cause of colds is hard to assess because, unlike rhinoviruses, they are difficult to grow in the laboratory.

About 10% to 15% of adult colds are caused by viruses also responsible for other, more severe respiratory illnesses. The causes of 30% to 50% of adult colds, presumed to be viral, remain unidentified. The same viruses that produce colds in adults appear to cause colds in children. The relative importance of various viruses in children’s colds, however, is unclear because it’s difficult to isolate the precise cause of symptoms in studies of children with colds.

There is no evidence that you can get a cold from exposure to cold weather or from getting chilled or overheated.

There is also no evidence that one’s chances of getting a cold are related to factors such as exercise, diet, or enlarged tonsils or adenoids. On the other hand, research suggests that psychological stress and allergic diseases affecting your nose or throat may have an impact on your chances of getting infected by cold viruses.6

Which conclusion is correct?

On September 15, a four-year-old male is exhibiting flu-like symptons but his temperature is normal.

He most likely has problems with undiagnosed allergies.
He most likely has a cold instigated by the rhinovirus.
He most likely has a cold instigatged by RSV.
He most likely has the flu — not a cold.

On March 15, a 55-year-old female has a runny nose, slight cough, and very low grade temperature. She does not have the flu.

She mostly likely has a cold instigated by the rhinovirus.
She most likely has problems with undiagnosed allergies.
She most likely has a cold instigated by RSV.
She mostly likely has a cold instigated by the coronavirus.

On June 28, a very busy businessman walks into the emergency room with a splitting headache, a runny nose, and a high fever. His tonsils were inflamed. He tells the attending physician that he was out in the “weather” yesterday and had “chills.” He is sure that he has a bad cold, or worse.

There is no evidence that one’s chances of getting a cold are related to factors such as exercise, diet, or enlarged tonsils or adenoids. On the other hand, research suggests that psychological stress and allergic diseases affecting your nose or throat may have an impact on your chances of getting infected by cold viruses. Obviously the man was under stress, so he very well may have a cold. But, at the same time, his high fever points to a more serious cause.
There is evidence that one’s chances of getting a cold are related to factors such as exercise, diet, or enlarged tonsils or adenoids. On the other hand, research suggests that psychological stress and allergic diseases affecting your nose or throat may have an impact on your chances of getting infected by cold viruses. Obviously the man was under stress, so he very well may have a cold. But, at the same time, his high fever points to a more serious cause.
There is no evidence that one’s chances of getting a cold are related to factors such as exercise, diet, or enlarged tonsils or adenoids. On the other hand, research suggests that psychological stress and allergic diseases affecting your nose or throat may have an impact on your chances of getting infected by cold viruses. Obviously the man was under stress, so he very well may have had allergies. But, at the same time, his high fever points to a more serious cause. Therefore, the allergies were merely a mask for more serious issues.
None of the above.

NGLISH

Below is a paragraph containing underlined portions. Alternate ways of stating the underlined portions follow the paragraphs. Choose the best alternative.

Several experienced African lion hunters strongly advise to take a “paradox,” which in their parlance is affectionately called a “cripple-stopper.” It looks like what one would suppose an elephant gun to look like. Its weight is staggering, and it shoots a solid ball, backed up by a fearful charge of cordite. They use it under the following conditions: Suppose that a big animal has been wounded and not instantly killed. It at once assumes the aggressive, and is savage beyond belief. The pain of the wound infuriates it and its one object in life is to get at the man who shot it. It charges in a well-nigh irresistible rush, and no ordinary bullet can stop it unless placed in one or two small vital spots. Under the circumstances the hunter may not be able to hold his rifle steady enough to hit these aforesaid spots. That is when the paradox comes in. The hunter points it in a general way in the direction of the oncoming beast, pulls the trigger and hopes for the best. The paradox bullet hits with the force of a sledge hammer, and stuns everything within a quarter of a mile, and the hunter turns several back somersaults from the recoil and fades into bruised unconsciousness.

1. A. taking a “paradox,”

B. to took a “paradox,”

C. bringing “a paradox,”

D. No change

2. A. It at once assumed the aggressive and was savage beyond belief.

B. It at once assumes an aggressiveness and savagery beyond belief.

C. It at once assumes aggressive, and is savagely beyond belief.

D. No change

3. A. That is when the paradox arrives.

B. When the paradox comes in

C. If the paradox comes in.

D. No change

RITING

Developing an Argument with Examples

On the ACT writing section, you will develop your argument(s) by offering numerous examples. Analyze the way this author develops his argument. Which examples does he offer?

All this may be very true. But of what practical use will physical science be to me?

Let me ask in return: Are none of you going to emigrate? If you have courage and wisdom, emigrate you will, some of you, instead of stopping here to scramble over each other’s backs for the scraps, like black-beetles in a kitchen. And if you emigrate, you will soon find out, if you have eyes and common sense, that the vegetable wealth of the world is no more exhausted than its mineral wealth. Exhausted? Not half of it — I believe not a tenth of it — is yet known. Could I show you the wealth which I have seen in a single Tropic island, not sixty miles square — precious timbers, gums, fruits, what not, enough to give employment and wealth to thousands and tens of thousands, wasting for want of being known and worked — then you would see what a man who emigrates may do, by a little sound knowledge of botany alone.

And if not. Suppose that any one of you, learning a little sound Natural History, should abide here in Britain to your life’s end, and observe nothing but the hedgerow plants, he would find that there is much more to be seen in those mere hedgerow plants than he fancies now. The microscope will reveal to him in the tissues of any wood, of any seed, wonders which will first amuse him, then puzzle him, and at last (I hope) awe him, as he perceives that smallness of size interferes in no way with perfection of development, and that “Nature,” as has been well said, “is greatest in that which is least.” And more. Suppose that he went further still. Suppose that he extended his researches somewhat to those minuter vegetable forms, the mosses, fungi, lichens; suppose that he went a little further still, and tried what the microscope would show him in any stagnant pool, whether fresh water or salt, of Desmidiæ, Diatoms, and all those wondrous atomies which seem as yet to defy our classification into plants or animals.

Suppose he learnt something of this, but nothing of aught else. Would he have gained no solid wisdom? He would be a stupider man than I have a right to believe any of my readers to be, if he had not gained thereby somewhat of the most valuable of treasures — namely, that inductive habit of mind, that power of judging fairly of facts, without which no good or lasting work will be done, whether in physical science, in social science, in politics, in philosophy, in philology, or in history.

But more: let me urge you to study Natural Science, on grounds which may be to you new and unexpected — on social, I had almost said on political, grounds.

We all know, and I trust we all love, the names of Liberty, Equality, and Brotherhood. We feel, I trust, that these words are too beautiful not to represent true and just ideas; and that therefore they will come true, and be fulfilled, somewhen, somewhere, somehow. It may be in a shape very different from that which you, or I, or any man expects; but still they will be fulfilled.

But if they are to come true, it is we, the individual men, who must help them to come true for the whole world, by practising them ourselves, when and where we can. And I tell you — that in becoming scientific men, in studying science and acquiring the scientific habit of mind, you will find yourselves enjoying a freedom, an equality, a brotherhood, such as you will not find elsewhere just now.

Freedom: what do we want freedom for? For this, at least; that we may be each and all able to think what we choose; and to say what we choose also, provided we do not say it rudely or violently, so as to provoke a breach of the peace. That last was Mr. Buckle’s definition of freedom of speech. That was the only limit to it which he would allow; and I think that that is Mr. John Stuart Mill’s limit also. It is mine. And I think we have that kind of freedom in these islands as perfectly as any men are likely to have it on this earth.9 (Charles Kingsley, Town Geology)