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ACT Reading Hard practice

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Hard practice

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Question 1

Based on the passage about the Hudson River School, how does the view of the school in the late twentieth century compare with the view held by earlier post–Hudson River movements?

A.Earlier movements treated the school as an embarrassment, while late-twentieth-century historians began to read it as a record of pre-industrial America and an early statement that landscape has moral standing.B.Both eras dismissed the school as sentimental and unworthy of serious study.C.Earlier movements admired the school's environmentalism, while late-twentieth-century critics rejected it as old-fashioned.D.Both eras agreed that the school was the first truly American art movement.

Question 2

Based on the passages in question 1, which of the following best describes how Passage B responds to Passage A's reference to the hardware store?

A.Passage B disputes that the hardware store ever opposed the project in the first place.B.Passage B accepts the hardware store's reported gain but argues that, after adjusting for inflation, the store lost ground.C.Passage B claims the hardware store has since closed and been replaced by a chain.D.Passage B agrees with Passage A that the hardware store demonstrates revival.

Question 3

Refer to the passage about bumblebee flight in question 1.

The author's description of the bee's buzz as sounding "more like a complaint than a song" primarily serves to:

A.establish a casual, slightly humorous tone that prepares the reader for the "old joke"B.argue that bees are unhappy creatures that resent being studiedC.provide scientific evidence for the frequency of bee wingbeatsD.contrast the buzz of bumblebees with the songs of birds

Question 4

Based on the passages in question 7, the 'table' analogy in Passage B is used primarily to

A.illustrate how grouping objects by shape can obscure functional diversity.B.argue that furniture has changed less over time than archaeologists assume.C.suggest that hand axes were used as furniture in some regions.D.show that modern observers are more easily fooled than ancient ones.

Question 5

Refer to the persuasive passage about library hours in question 9.

The author's choice to end the passage with the phrase "a quiet promise that the city's day belongs to its night-shift workers, too" primarily serves to:

A.reframe a budget decision as a statement of civic valuesB.predict that the vote will pass by a wide marginC.ask night-shift workers to volunteer at the libraryD.criticize the city council for poor accounting

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Question 6

Based on the passage about the Ohio town, how does the neighboring town compare with the town described in the rest of the passage?

A.Both towns built libraries, but the neighboring town built them later.B.Both towns lost their foundries, but they responded differently — the Ohio town invested in civic institutions, while the neighboring town cut taxes.C.The neighboring town grew faster because of cheaper labor and land.D.The neighboring town's schools were stronger, which attracted manufacturers more quickly.

Question 7

Refer to the passage about Mira and the letter in question 5.

The narrator's description of the grandmother humming "the same four notes she always hummed when she was about to ask a question she did not want answered" primarily characterizes the grandmother as someone who is:

A.predictable in her habits but uneasy about certain truthsB.cheerful and musical by nature, with no hidden worriesC.forgetful of her own past, especially of her daughter's lifeD.an aggressive interrogator who corners family members

Question 8

Based on the passages in question 1, the author of Passage B would most likely view Passage A's mention of Pontevedra and Times Square as

A.compelling evidence that pedestrianization works in any urban context.B.irrelevant comparisons, because dense European centers and Times Square differ from a mid-sized American main street.C.examples that should be dismissed because foreign cities have no lessons for American policy.D.support for Passage B's own argument about preserving independent merchants.

Question 9

Based on the passages in question 7, the author of Passage A would most likely respond to Passage B's argument by

A.conceding that some hand axes had varied uses but maintaining that the basic design still represents a stable solution.B.rejecting microwear evidence as methodologically unreliable.C.agreeing fully and abandoning the claim that the hand axe was a single tool.D.arguing that Passage B's examples are too recent to bear on the deep prehistoric record.

Question 10

Based on the passages in question 1, taken together, the two passages most strongly suggest that disagreements about urban policy often turn on

A.whether the underlying facts can be measured at all.B.the political affiliations of the elected officials involved.C.what the shared facts are taken to mean for the community's interests.D.whether opponents of a project are sincere in their objections.

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Question 11

Based on the passages in question 7, the two passages together most strongly imply that progress in archaeology can depend on

A.the discovery of entirely new categories of artifact at undisturbed sites.B.improvements in dating technology that revise the chronology of human evolution.C.reinterpreting familiar artifacts in light of new methods such as microwear analysis.D.abandoning attempts to classify prehistoric tools altogether.

Question 12

Based on the passage about Mira, how do Mira's expected feelings about the visit compare with what she actually feels once she is on the swing?

A.She expected to feel only sadness, but she also experiences memory and quiet pleasure.B.She expected to feel relief, but she instead feels overwhelming grief.C.She expected to enjoy herself, but the wild garden ruined her mood.D.She expected to argue with her brother, but the visit unfolded peacefully.

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