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ACT English Unit 2: Knowledge of Language

12 questions

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Unit 2: Knowledge of Language

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Question 1

A travel article reads: "The coastal village was quaint. It was also charming. The narrow cobblestone streets were attractive and the harbor views were beautiful." Which revision best improves the style by combining these choppy sentences?

A."The coastal village was quaint, charming, attractive, and beautiful with its narrow cobblestone streets and harbor views."B."The coastal village charmed visitors with its narrow cobblestone streets and harbor views."C."The coastal village was quaint and charming, with attractive cobblestone streets and beautiful harbor views."D."The quaint, charming village had cobblestone streets, harbor views, and other attractive features."

Question 2

A fashion magazine article describes a jacket as "an innovative new design that represents a novel departure from conventional traditional styles." Identify all instances of redundancy in this phrase and select the best revision.

A."an innovative new design that represents a novel departure from conventional styles"B."a design that represents a novel departure from conventional styles"C."an innovative design that departs from conventional traditional styles"D."an innovative new style departing from tradition"

Question 3

An essay on urban development states: "The construction of new apartment buildings in the downtown core area is an issue that has sparked controversy and debate among residents." Which revision best improves concision?

A."The construction of new downtown apartment buildings has sparked controversy among residents."B."The issue of constructing new apartment buildings downtown is controversial and debated by residents."C."The construction of new apartment buildings in the downtown core area is a controversial issue."D."Building apartments downtown has sparked quite a bit of controversy among neighborhood residents."

Question 4

An essay about environmental policy reads: "The government should make a decision about whether or not to implement stronger regulations." Which revision best improves concision?

A."The government should decide about whether to implement stronger regulations."B."The government should make a decision on stronger regulations."C."The government should decide whether to implement stronger regulations."D."The government should come to a decision about whether or not to implement stronger regulations."

Question 5

An essay about urban planning states: "The new transit system will be beneficial to commuters, who will benefit from reduced travel times and improved reliability." Which revision best eliminates the redundancy in this sentence?

A."The new transit system will be beneficial to commuters, providing improved reliability and reduced travel times."B."The new transit system will benefit commuters through reduced travel times and improved reliability."C."The new transit system will benefit commuters and also be beneficial in other ways too."D."The new transit system's benefits will be beneficial to commuters."

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Question 6

A student writes in a formal essay: "The reason why the experiment failed was because the temperature was not properly controlled." Which revision corrects both the grammatical error and improves concision?

A."The reason why the experiment failed was that the temperature was not properly controlled."B."The experiment failed because the temperature was not properly controlled."C."The reason the experiment failed was because of improper temperature control."D."The reason behind the experiment's failure was a lack of proper temperature control."

Question 7

In a literary analysis essay, a student writes: "Shakespeare was a very good author who wrote many plays. His works are still popular to this day and people still read them." Which revision best elevates the style to match formal literary analysis?

A."Shakespeare was a talented author whose plays are still popular and widely read."B."Shakespeare was a great writer whose plays continue to be performed and studied across the globe."C."Shakespeare's dramatic works have endured for four centuries because they probe the unchanging tensions of ambition, love, and betrayal with unmatched psychological depth."D."Shakespeare, who wrote many plays, is still read and performed today, making him a very influential figure."

Question 8

Consider this sentence from a short story: "Maria carefully, methodically, and with great precision arranged the flowers." Which revision best improves style by eliminating redundancy while preserving meaning?

A."Maria carefully and methodically arranged the flowers with great precision."B."Maria carefully arranged the flowers."C."Maria methodically arranged the flowers."D."Maria arranged the flowers in a careful, methodical, and precise way."

Question 9

Consider the sentence: "The scientist was very excited and very happy about the very surprising results of the experiment." Which revision best improves the sentence's style and concision?

A.Keep the sentence as written.B."The scientist was thrilled by the experiment's surprising results."C."The scientist was extremely excited and extremely happy about the extremely surprising results of the experiment."D."The scientist was excited, happy, and surprised about the results."

Question 10

A formal academic essay contains this sentence: "The results of our study are gonna show that the hypothesis was totally wrong." Which revision corrects the register to match formal academic writing?

A."The results of our study will show that the hypothesis was totally wrong."B."Our findings demonstrate that the hypothesis was incorrect."C."The results of our study are going to show that the hypothesis was totally incorrect."D."The results of our study gonna show the hypothesis was wrong."

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Question 11

A writer describing a mountain hike writes: "We ascended upward along the trail as the sun descended downward behind the peaks." Which revision eliminates the redundancy?

A."We ascended upward along the trail as the sun set behind the peaks."B."We climbed along the trail as the sun descended downward behind the peaks."C."We climbed along the trail as the sun set behind the peaks."D."We ascended upward along the trail as the sun set behind the peaks."

Question 12

A history essay uses this phrase: "The treaty was signed by both countries at a summit in Geneva, where it was agreed upon by the two nations." Which revision best eliminates the redundancy?

A."The treaty was signed by both countries, which agreed upon it, at a summit in Geneva."B."Both countries signed the treaty at a summit in Geneva."C."Both countries signed and agreed upon the treaty at a summit in Geneva."D."The treaty was signed and agreed upon at a Geneva summit by both nations involved."

ACT English Unit 2: Knowledge of Language — Free with Answer Explanations | Test Practice Hub