ACT Reading Preparation (for use in Social Science)

ACT Reading Preparation

(for use in Social Science)

University of Illinois-ChicagoCurriculum Framework Project

Spring 2011

FHS Social SciencesOverview of Unit

• Introduction – ACT Reading Test•Lesson 1 – Active Reading•Lesson 2 – Question Types: MI & SD•Lesson 3 – Questions Types: Inference•Lesson 4 – Distracters: Weasel & Shift•Lesson 5 – Distracters: Enticer & Extreme

•Strategies

Introduction to the Test:Four Types of Passages

The ACT Reading passages almost always appear in the following order:• Prose Fiction•Social Science•Humanities•Natural Science

Our Focus - the Social Science Reading Description- 775 words

- Questions based on passages from any of the following subjects: Anthropology, Archaeology,Economics, History,Political science, and Sociology.

Introduction to the Test:Types of Questions

•Main Idea Questions (MI)

•Supporting Detail Questions (SD)

• Inference/Evaluation Questions (I)

Introduction to the Test:Main Idea Questions

•Understanding theme/thesis

•Understanding author’s purpose

•Determine which of the answer choices best summarizes the information presented in the passage either as a whole or in a specific paragraph.

Introduction to the Test:Main Idea Question Stems

•Which of the following is the main point…?

• The main argument the author makes about. . . is:

•What is the main purpose of [a specific paragraph or line]?

Introduction to the Test:Supporting Details Questions

• Shows understanding of individual points

• Demonstrate comprehension and careful understanding

• Determine which fact(s) best supports main idea.

• Sequence the events in the passage

Introduction to the Test:Supporting Details Question Stems

• According to the [a specific paragraph/section/passage]

…

• Who/when/what/where did…

• According to the passage, all of the following are true

about ------ EXCEPT. . .

• The passage makes it clear that…

Introduction to the Test:Inference-Evaluation Questions• Make judgments

• Identify the implications of the supporting details in the passage.

• Draw conclusions based on reading the passage

• Determine the author’s idea through generalization of the facts

Introduction to the Test:Inference-Evaluation Questions

• Analyze cause-and-effect relationships

• Identify multiple meanings of a word and determine its definition with context clues from the passage

• Determine the implications of the author’s general tone or attitude

Introduction to the Test:Inference-Evaluation Question Stems

• The author suggests/implies/ that…

• It can most reasonably be inferred that the author….

• With which of the following statements would the author agree?

• According to the passage, the WORD/TERM ‘…’ means which of the following?

• The idea….is best exemplified by which of the following quotations from the passage?

• The attitude of the author toward x is…

Lesson #1: Active Reading

•Structural Clues

•Annotating

•Hinge Words

Active Reading: Structural Clues

Each passage was written by a PERSON, and people write for a purpose. Some authors want to trace historical causes or

consequences.

Some authors want to critique a theory.

Some authors want to draw a comparison between two things.

Some authors want to tell a story.

Some authors just want to describe something.


Why is it important to figure out

WHY an author

wrote a passage?

Many questions ask you what the AUTHOR means, NOT what YOU

think!

Knowing what the AUTHOR would

say can help you answer confusing

questions!


Think of the passage as a map

Questions are like hints as to where to go next

The passage gives you the rest: Anticipate author’s direction by noticing structural clues (how passage is organized, where paragraphs break, what words are bold or italicized)


Look up the answers

Don’t remember them—find them!

Think of the passage as a reference book and refer back.

Don’t trust your memory!

Active Reading: Annotate

WRITE ON THE TEST as you read!!

Use different marks to mean different things.• Circle names of

people• Underline critical

phrases, terms, main ideas

• Number (“1,” “2,” “3,” etc.) ideas in a sequence

No matter what, underline “key words” in the question

stem.

Look for those “key words” in the passage.

Active Reading: Example from Humanities (56A)

Question

21. The passage indicates that religion, support groups, and soap operas are alike in that they all:

A. Are circulated by a common culture

B. Provide a way to combat loneliness.

C. Appear intimate but are remote.

D. Enable people to participate vicariously.

Text from Passage

“Undoubtedly, each of these notions does explain part of the soaps’ mass appeal. Soaps can ease the loneliness and boredom of life. They do offer advice, sometimes implicitly, often explicitly, on what to wear, how to conduct love affairs, how to save a marriage, how to handle one’s children, how to cope with heartache, how to enjoy the intrigue of romance.” (lines 19-25)

“Loneliness, we are repeatedly told, has become pandemic in America…Whether through religion, clubs, associations, or support groups—or through daily immersion in a favorite soap—many Americans search for some kind of communal life to counter varying degrees of social isolation and alienation.” (lines 42-48)

Active Reading: Example from Social Science (56A)

Question

17. Which of the following events was the first to occur, according to the passage?

A. The National American Woman Suffrage Association began their campaign.

B. The first women’s rights meeting was held in Seneca Falls.

C. Massachusetts held a referendum on whether suffrage should be extended to females.

D. The General Federation of Women’s Clubs endorsed women’s suffrage.

Text from Passage

“In 1910 the fight for women’s suffrage was more that sixty years old, a national campaign by the National American Woman Suffrage Assoc was twenty years old..” (Lines 3 - 6)

“First women’s rights meeting at Seneca Falls in 1848.” (Line 38)

“1895 Massachusetts conducted a referendum …whether suffrage should be extended to females.” (lines 56 – 60)

“ The General Federation of Women’s Clubs did not endorse suffrage until 1914.” (lines 84 – 85)

Active Reading: Hinge Words

Underline or circle hinge words• Words or phrases

that are used to alert you to shifts in thought

• Words or phrases that are used to drive a point home

• Answers are often located near hinge words!

Common Hinge Words

but, although, yet, however, as a result, nevertheless, on the other hand, despite,

while, in spite of, consequently,

therefore, thus, alternatively


Question

15. The passage presents the information that in 1910 “women could vote in only Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and Colorado” (lines 6-7) primarily to make the point that the:A. Women’s suffrage movement had

made little progress up to that time.

B. Women’s suffrage movement was just then beginning to get started.

C. Women’s suffrage movement has made tremendous strides since then.

D. Western states were the first to be receptive to the cause of women’s suffrage.

Text from Passage

“In 1910 the fight for women’s suffrage was more than sixty years old, a national campaign by the National American Woman Suffrage Association was twenty years old, and yet women could vote in only Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and Colorado.” (lines 3-7)


Question

15. The passage presents the information that in 1910 “women could vote in only Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and Colorado” (lines 6-7) primarily to make the point that the:A. Women’s suffrage movement had

made little progress up to that time.

B. Women’s suffrage movement was just then beginning to get started.

C. Women’s suffrage movement has made tremendous strides since then.

D. Western states were the first to be receptive to the cause of women’s suffrage.

Text from Passage

“In 1910 the fight for women’s suffrage was more than sixty years old, a national campaign by the National American Woman Suffrage Association was twenty years old, and yet women could vote in only Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and Colorado.” (lines 3-7)

(this implies that there HAD been action, but the word “yet” tells you that the long period of action had not accomplished much!!!)

Recap Lesson 1: Active Reading

•Structural Clues

•Annotating

•Hinge Words

Lesson #2 – Question Types: Main Ideas & Supporting Details

• Review Information from Introductory Lecture

• Examine Specific Questions from Practice Test 56A

• Identify Strategies to Help Answer Difficult Questions

• Practice the Strategies

Practice Test Question 13:Main Ideas

Question

13. The passage indicates that at the time of the women’s suffrage movement, one of the fundamental assumptions of American politics was that the basic political unit was the:

A. individual voter.

B. precinct.

C. village or town.

D. family.

Text from Passage

“Women’s suffrage challenged one of the fundamental assumptions of American politics: that the basic unit of political life was the family, with the father standing at its head representing and protecting his wife and children in the wider world. To grant suffrage to women would be to break up that fundamental unit.”

(lines 12-18)

Strategies to Help Answer This Question

• Active Reading: Underline “key words” in the question stem.

• Identify which key words in the question stem also appear in the text.

• Look back at the passage! Do not try to REMEMBER the answer.

• When looking at the answer choices, think about meanings, not exact words.

Practice Test Question 13:Main Ideas

Question

13. The passage indicates that at the time of the women’s suffrage movement, one of the fundamental assumptions of American politics was that the basic political unit was the:

A. Individual voter.

B. Precinct

C. Village or town

D. Family

Text from Passage

“Women’s suffrage challenged one of the fundamental assumptions of American politics: that the basic unit of political life was the family, with the father standing at its head representing and protecting his wife and children in the wider world. To grant suffrage to women would be to break up that fundamental unit.” (lines 12-18)

Practice Test Question 11: Supporting Details

Question

11. The passage indicates that women’s demand for property rights was agreed to primarily because men realized that:A. Women were indeed individuals

deserving of their own rights.

B. If they gave in on the property rights issue, they’d be able to hold firm on suffrage.

C. Conceding the right would provide men with a way to protect themselves from creditors.

D. Women had unique interests and were needed as students in universities and teachers in schools.

Text from Passage

”Men gradually agreed to extend property rights to women, because property in a wife’s name could save a man from his creditors.” (lines 44-46)


• Active Reading: Underline “key words” in the question stem.

• Identify which key words in the question stem also appear in the text.

• Look back at the passage! Do not try to REMEMBER the answer.

• When looking at the answer choices, think about meanings, not exact words.


Question






Text from Passage

”Men gradually agreed to extend property rights to women, because property in a wife’s name could save a man from his creditors.” (lines 44-46)


Question

12. At the women’s right meeting in Seneca Falls, all of the following were called for EXCEPT the right to:

A. Vote in elections.

B. Enter any profession.

C. Divorce abusive husbands.

D. Receive equal education.

Text from Passage

“When Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized the first women’s rights meeting at Seneca Falls in 1848, the many goals that were at first identified as worthy of support did not include the vote. Women wanted property rights, the right to divorce abusive husbands, the right to an education equal to any man’s, and the right to join any profession. But the idea of the vote seemed too extreme.” (lines 37-44)


• Active Reading: Identify Hinge Words

• “BUT”

• Active Reading: Underline Key Words in the Question Stem

• “NOT”

• Look back at the text!!


Question

12. At the women’s rights meeting in Seneca Falls, all of the following were called for EXCEPT the right to:

A. Vote in elections.

B. Enter any profession.

C. Divorce abusive husbands.

D. Receive equal education.

Text from Passage

“When Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized the first women’s rights meeting at Seneca Falls in 1848, the many goals that were at first identified as worthy of support did not include the vote. Women wanted property rights, the right to divorce abusive husbands, the right to an education equal to any man’s, and the right to join any profession. But the idea of the vote seemed too extreme.” (lines 37-44)

Lesson #3 – Question Types: Inference

• Review Information from Introductory Lecture

• Examine Specific Questions from Practice Test 56A

• Identify Strategies to Help Answer Difficult Questions

• Practice the Strategies

Practice Test Question 22: Inference—Meaning of Words

Question

22. As it is used in line 65, the word engendered most nearly means:

F. DiminishedG. ProducedH. Denied J. Discouraged

Text from Passage

“Here lies the extraordinary appeal and irony of the daytime soap opera; it is circulated by the very commercial culture which has engendered the need for it in the first place.” (lines 63-66)


• Look back at the text!

• Reread the lines before AND after the word in the question stem.

• Identify “hinge words” that help you understand the overall sentence.

• Read the answer choices carefully.


Question

22. As it is used in line 65, the word engendered most nearly means:

F. DiminishedG. ProducedH. Denied J. Discouraged

Choices F, H, and J are all the OPPOSITE of choice G. Each is too similar to be the right answer. Therefore, G is the logical choice!

Text from Passage

“Here lies the extraordinary appeal and irony of the daytime soap opera; it is circulated by the very commercial culture which has engendered the need for it in the first place.” (lines 63-66)


Question

19. As it is used in line 24, the word liability most nearly means:

A. ObligationB. DrawbackC. ProbabilityD. Result

Text from Passage

“But women’s ideological advantage in the United States was offset by a crippling liability—the central importance of the family to maintaining social order.” (lines 23-26)


• Look back at the passage!

• Reread the lines before AND after the word in the question stem.

• Look for “hinge words” that help you understand the overall sentence.


Question

19. As it is used in line 24, the word liability most nearly means:

A. ObligationB. DrawbackC. ProbabilityD. Result

Hinge word!

Text from Passage

“But women’s ideological advantage in the United States was offset by a crippling liability—the central importance of the family to maintaining social order.” (lines 23-26)

“crippling” has a negative connotation! (just like “drawback”)

Practice Test Question 16: Inference— Drawing Conclusions

Question

16. It can reasonably be inferred that suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony’s statement (lines 63 – 65) is presented primarily to express the movement’s:

F. questioning whether women had earned the right to vote.

G. criticism of the generals in their army.

H. frustration with women’s lack of interest in gaining suffrage.

J. doubts about the attainability of women’s suffrage.

Text from Passage

“In the indifference, the inertia, the apathy of women, lies the greatest obstacle to the enfranchisement.”

(lines 63 - 65)


• Look back at the passage!

• Reread the lines and underline key words that help you understand the overall nature of the statement.

Practice Test Question 16: Inference— Drawing Conclusions

Question

16. It can reasonably be inferred that suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony’s statement (lines 63 – 65) is presented primarily to express the movement’s:

F. questioning whether women had earned the right to vote.

G. criticism of the generals in their army.

H. frustration with women’s lack of interest in gaining suffrage.

J. doubts about the attainability of women’s suffrage.

Text from Passage

“In the indifference, the inertia, the apathy of women, lies the greatest obstacle to the enfranchisement.”

(lines 63 - 65)

Lesson #4 – DistractersWeasel and Shift

• Introduction to Distracters

•Definitions

•Examples

•Practice Overcoming Distracters

Understand Distracters Distracters = the “other” answer choices

Distracters are THINKING CHALLENGES designed to make wrong answers seem correct Prey upon your tendency to rush They are supposed to DISTRACT YOU

Inference Questions: seek opinions from facts The answers are not directly stated in the reading Read your “road map” differently

ACT constantly tries to make distracters more distracting Practice with them!

The FOUR Types of Distracters

The WeaselThe ShiftThe EnticerThe Extreme

Distracters: The Trick

There is often ONE distracter that is REALLY DIFFICULT to get around.

Watch out for this distracter.

Which one depends on the question.

Distracter #1: The Weasel

Definition

Any attempt to change or misrepresent the author’s words or author’s meaning…regardless of how small. The answer can not be verified by the passage.

Adds wordsTakes out wordsFlips words

Example of The Weasel (Practice Test 56A, Social Science)

Question






Text from Passage

”Men gradually agreed to extend property rights to women, because property in a wife’s name could save a man from his creditors. They accepted coeducation, because universities needed students and society needed trained teachers. But the vote was something else. To give women the vote would mean recognizing them as individuals with their own rights and interests.” (lines 44-51)

Distracter #1: The Weasel

Which

distracter is a “Weasel?

Example of The Weasel (Practice Test 56A, Social Science)

Question






Text from Passage


This idea is nowhere in the passage!

Distracter #2: The Shift

Definition

The answer answers another question about the passage but does not answer this one.

Answer choices may actually appear in the text

Watch out for choices that look like statements in the passage …even direct quotes

Remember, this is not a matching test! You must understand meanings, not just words!

Example of The Shift (Practice Test 56A, Social Science)

Question






Text from Passage


Distracter #2: The Shift

Which

distracter is a “SHIFT”?

Example of The Shift (Practice Test 56A, Social Science)

Question






Text from Passage


This is why men agreed to coeducation, but NOT property rights!

READ and REREAD QUESTIONS!!!

Lesson #5 – DistractersEnticer and Extreme

•Definitions

•Examples

• Practice Overcoming Distracters

Distracter #3: The Enticer

Definition

It’s a con. It looks right, but it’s too good to be true.

Sounds great – warm and fuzzySeems reasonable and correctJust because the choice says, “love is all we

need,” doesn’t mean it’s the answer to the question you are being asked!

Example of The Enticer (Practice Test 56A, Social Science)

Question






Text from Passage


Distracter #3: The Enticer

Which distracter is an “Enticer”?

Example of The Enticer (Practice Test 56A, Social Science)

Question






Text from Passage


Sounds nice, right? HOWEVER, this is NOT why men gave property rights. In fact, they did NOT want this!

Distracter #4: The Extreme

Definition

An incorrect answer choice which might be true if it did not include extreme words such as: always, completely, perfectly, all.

If you can find an exception, it’s a wrong answer

If the answer is debatable, it’s a wrong answerWATCH OUT! Not all extreme answer choices

are incorrect.

Remember Distracter #4? The Extreme

An incorrect answer choice may include extreme words such as “always” and “completely”

An incorrect answer may go too far—the author would not agree with how far the answer choice goes

If you can think of one exception, or if the answer is debatable, then the extreme answer choice is incorrect.

Not all extreme answer choices are incorrect.

Extreme: Examples

--Europeans won all their battles.”--they established an ideal community--the bank was always busy.--Impressionism was an

entirely different style of painting.--It was impossible for him to overcome his past. --Men were incapable of recognizing the equality of women

You can do this!!!

Focus, discipline, and PRACTICE are the keys to

success!!!

Be better tomorrow than

you were yesterday!

ACT Reading Preparation (for use in Social Science)

Documents

Transcript of ACT Reading Preparation (for use in Social Science)