ACT Test Breakdown
ACT Vocab
Test Day Strategies
ACT Grammar
100

When is the school giving the ACT?

The Spring

100

Line 1: “Jiro always takes copious notes during history class."

As used in line 1, “copious” most nearly means 

abundant

100

True or False: For reading and vocab questions, you should predict your answer before looking at answer choice

True

100

I grew up with buckets, shovels, and nets waiting by the back door; hip-waders hanging in the closet; tide table charts covering the refrigerator door; and a microscope was sitting on the kitchen table. 

Choose the best answer.

  1. NO CHANGE

  2. waiting, by the back door,

  3. waiting by the back door,

  4. waiting by the back door

The best answer is A. It provides the best punctuation for the underlined portion. The phrase "waiting by the back door" describes the noun nets and is essential because it tells which nets the narrator "grew up with." Therefore, no comma should be placed afternets. The semicolon after the word door is appropriate because semicolons are used between items in a series when one or more of these items include commas.

200

How long is the English section?

75 minutes

200

Line 2: “When I asked HR what my chances were of getting the job, they gave me a very ambiguous reply."

As used in line 2, “ambiguous” most nearly means 

unclear and difficult to understand

200

True or False: You should not read the full passages in the reading and science sections, skim. 

False.

200

Having studied, my mother is a marine biologist.

Choose the best answer.

  1. NO CHANGE

  2. As my mother’s interest is science, she is

  3. My mother’s occupation is that of

  4. My mother is

The best answer is D. It offers the clearest, most concise wording for this sentence. "My mother is a marine biologist," is a clear statement that avoids unnecessary or confusing words.

300

How many questions are in the reading section and how much time is offered for this section?

40 questions and 35 minutes

300

Line 10: “Her antipathy toward the professor was obvious: she rolled her eyes whenever he entered the classroom.”

In line 10, the word “antipathy” most nearly means 

a strong feeling of dislike

300

True or False: Reading in an accent can help keep you attentive while reading the passages

True

300

I grew up with buckets, shovels, and nets waiting by the back door; hip-waders hanging in the closet; tide table charts covering the refrigerator door; and a microscope was sitting on the kitchen table.

Choose the best answer.

  1. NO CHANGE

  2. would sit

  3. sitting

  4. sat

The best answer is G. The verb form sitting is best here because it creates a parallel structure for all three items in the series: "nets waiting," "hip-waders hanging," "a microscope sitting."