The ACT Reading TestThe test wasnt created for Einstein; it was created for high school students!This test is about how quickly you can read accurately.Many people think that they have to know everything, or be a genius, to do well on the ACT Reading test. This is not true! The test is made to test how quickly you can read and comprehend. 4 passages, 40 questions, 35 minutesReading Video (4:25 min.)Test StructureThere are four passages on the test:Prose fiction Social scienceHumanities Natural scienceEach passage is about 750 words, or roughly two pages of a typical book. There are 10 questions/passage and 40 questions total.Use TriageIf you have a knack for a particular passage type, great! Do it first. If not, look at the topics, as well as the questions and answer choices. Some will be straightforward, while others will look like true pains.Insider Reading Test Taking TipsUse POEDont look for why an answer is right, look for why it is wrong and get rid of it.Most people try to read the whole passage then answer the questions from memory. That is a mistake.Your opinions, any outside knowledge you may have on the topic, and critical evaluations you may have are all out of bounds.Insider Reading Test Taking TipsUse POEDont look for why an answer is right, look for why it is wrong and get rid of it.Most people try to read the whole passage then answer the questions from memory. That is a mistake.Your opinions, any outside knowledge you may have on the topic, and critical evaluations you may have are all out of bounds.Insider Reading Test Taking Tips1.Reorder the passages.2.See through the camouflage.3.Identify and eliminate distracters.4.Prove your answers in the passage.This is your Strategy1.Pick which passage you are going to read first.2.Give yourself 9 minutes to complete each passage.3.Read the questions and underline key words and phrases. Skim the answer choices.4.Read the first and last sentence of every paragraph in the passage. Underline key words and phrases from the questions and other stuff that seems important. Scan the entire paragraph. Scribble the main idea in the margin.5.Answer the questions and use POE to eliminate distracters and wrong answer choices.ACTs StrategyThe shady ACT test writers have a strategy too. They are out to trick you.The test is designed to make you guess the wrong answers. These poor answer choices are called distracters.Look out for Weasels, Shifts, Enticers, Extremes and Camouflage.The WeaselA distracter may try to weasel in a misstatement of the authors words.It distorts the meaning of the passage.Even a slight change in wording or meaning may make the answer choice incorrect.Read this and answer the question on the next slide.Tom loves going to the movies with Mary.The WeaselAccording to the passage, which of the following statements is true about Tom and Mary?A.Tom fell in love with Mary at the movies.B.Tom enjoys viewing motion pictures with Mary as his companion.C.Tom and Mary generally enjoy seeing movies about love.D.Both Tom and Mary love going to the movies.The WeaselAccording to the passage, which of the following statements is true about Tom and Mary?A.Tom fell in love with Mary at the movies.B.Tom enjoys viewing motion pictures with Mary as his companion.C.Tom and Mary generally enjoy seeing movies about love.D.Both Tom and Mary love going to the movies.The ShiftThey will try to shift your thinking to choose the correct answer to another question.It correctly represents the meaning of the passage, but does not correctly answer the question being asked.The ShiftRead this statement.Professor Thorne generally explains a technological discovery first in terms of its history and then in terms of the science up on which it was founded.The ShiftDoes this statement mean the same thing?1.Professor Thorne generally explains a technological discovery first in term of the science up on which it was founded, and then in terms of history.It looks like the statement, but it is backward.The ShiftDoes this statement mean the same thing?2.After Professor Thorne describes the scientific aspects of a technological breakthrough, he explains the historical context in which the breakthrough was made.Because it uses the word after, it means the opposite of what is said in the original passage.The EnticerThis choice appeals to you because it looks really nice, is sensible, seems reasonable, is sweet, sentimental, or appears to be universally true. They want you to pick it because it looks like who would disagree with it, but does it really answer the question you are being asked.The EnticerThis choice appeals to you because it looks really nice, is sensible, seems reasonable, is sweet, sentimental, or appears to be universally true. They want you to pick it because it looks like who would disagree with it, but does it really answer the question you are being asked.The EnticerUltimately, the voting public knows its own best interest.Structure is important, but it should not be imposed in such a way as to stifle creativity.The ideal society is one that allows for individual difference, but at the same time creates a people united in interest.All people have a right to live and die with dignity.The ExtremeAn incorrect answer choice may include words like: always, completely, absolutely, or perfectly.If you can think of one exception or if the answer is debatable, then the extreme answer choice is incorrect. Be careful, because not all extreme answers are incorrect.The ExtremePatients who are chronically depressed never enjoy their lives.A political leader should seek to make peace at all costs.The right answer might be camouflaged.Look at these two phrases:“rationally conceived idea”“concept born of reason”The two dont have a single word in common, but if you think about it youll probably agree that they mean the same thing. Lots of reading questions test your ability to see that one sentence or phrase means more or less the same as another even though the wording is different.POEUse process of eliminationIdentify and eliminate answer choices that are distracters.Eliminate none and you have a 25% chance of guessing the right answer.Eliminate two and you have a 50% chance of guessing the right answer.Guess from the remaining choicesPOEUse process of eliminationIdentify and eliminate answer choices that are distracters.Eliminate none and you have a 25% chance of guessing the right answer.Eliminate two and you have a 50% chance of guessing the right answer.Guess from the remaining choicesStrategyThe next slides are a sample of how one student approached the Reading test. Look over the sample pages and tell me what strategies you notice.Strategy did you get all of them?All of the questions have parts underlined.The part of the question that will point the student to the answer in the passage is underlined.Each question has a circled number next to it. What do those numbers represent?The numbers show the order that the student attacked the questions. The student used TRIAGE and decided to answer the easiest questions first.Strategy did you get all of them?Key words and phrases are underlined throughout the entire passage.Each paragraph has notes scribbled next to it in the margin stating the main idea of the paragraph.Strategy did you get all of them?Key words and phrases are underlined throughout the entire passage.Each paragraph has notes scribbled next to it in the margin stating the main idea of the paragraph.Strategy Review1.Pick which passage you are going to read _, then Give yourself _ minutes to complete each passage.2.Read the _ first and underline key words and phrases.3.Read the first and last sentence of every paragraph in the passage. _ key words and phrases from the questions and other stuff that seems important. Scribble the _ in the margin.4.Answer the questions and use _ to eliminate distracters and wrong answer choices.First9QuestionsUnderlineMain IdeaPOELets Practice1.Pick which passage you are going to read first, then Give yourself 9 minutes to complete each passage.If you time yourself, you will not run out of time which means you will answer every question and earn more points.Always begin with the easiest questions to get the easy points first. Remember what is easy for one person may not be easy for another person.Review your practice test from ACTONLINE and determine which passage you did best on. This will help you decide which ones you are good at versus which ones are hard for you.Lets PracticeWhen you first start to time yourself, you may not be able to complete a passage in 9 minutes, but the more you practice, the faster you will become.Since this is practice, we are not going to time ourselves. We will slowly “walk through” our first passage.Lets Practice2.Read the questions and underline key words and phrases. Skim the answer choices.Who cares what the passage is really about. Reading the questions first will help you determine what is really important in the passage and help you focus only on those parts that you need to know to answer the questions. You do not have to read the entire passage.If they do not have key phrases ignore them for now.You will look for these key words and phrases as you skim the passage.Lets Practice3.Read the first and last sentence of every paragraph in the passage. Skim the entire paragraph. Read the bibliographical information at the top of the passage to get an idea of what the passage is about.Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph (topic sentences) to determine the topic of the paragraph.Sometimes you have to read the first two sentences or last two sentences before they make sense.Lets Practice3.Read the first and last sentence of every paragraph in the passage. Skim the entire paragraph. Read the bibliographical information at the top of the passage to get an idea of what the passage is about.Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph (topic sentences) to determine the topic of the paragraph.Sometimes you have to read the first two sentences or last two sentences before they make sense.Lets Practice3.Scan the passage and Underline key words and phrases from the questions and other stuff that seems important.Dont read the entire passage, Scan it: pass your eyes over all of it trying only to spot key words.Every time you see a key word or phrase underline it.Also underline any words that seem similar to the key words you identified in the questions.Lets Practice3.Scribble the main idea in the margin.In the margin, write what the paragraph is about.This will help you determine the main idea of every paragraph. Even if you cannot find the exact words in the passage, you will know where to look for an answer.This saves you time because you will not read the entire passage word for word.Lets Practice4.Answer the questions.Go to the first question that points to an answer and read it carefully.Return to that part of the passage and read around it carefully.Formulate your own answer to the question.Pick the answer choice that best matches your own.Even if you cannot find the wording in the passage, you will know where to look.Lets Practice4.Answer the questions.Use POE. You may not be able to tell what the correct answer is, but you might be able to tell which answers are wrong and eliminate them.This drastically improves your chances of getting more questions correct.Strategy Review1.Pick which passage you are going to read _, then Give yourself _ minutes to complete each passage.2.Read the _ first and underline key words and phrases.3.Read the first and last sentence of every paragraph in the passage. _ key words and phrases from the questions and other stuff that seems important. Scribble the _ in the margin.4.Answer the questions and use _ to eliminate distracters and wrong answer choices.First9QuestionsUnderlineMain IdeaPOEStrategy Review1.Pick which passage you are going to read _, then Give yourself _ minutes to complete each passage.2.Read the _ first and underline key words and phrases.3.Read the first and last sentence of every paragraph in the passage. _ key words and phrases from the questions and other stuff that seems important. Scribble the _ in the margin.4.Answer the questions and use _ to eliminate distracters and wrong answer choices.First9QuestionsUnderlineMain IdeaPOELets Practice1.Pick which passage you are going to read first.2.Give yourself 9 minutes to complete each passage.3.Read the questions and underline key words and phrases. Skim the answer choices.4.Read the first and last sentence of every paragraph in the passage. Underline key words and phrases from the questions and other stuff that seems important. Scan the entire paragraph. Scribble the main idea in the margin.5.Answer the questions and use POE to eliminate distracters and wrong answer choices.Reading Test StrategyWhat did you underline in each question?What did you underline in each paragraph?What did you identify as the main idea of each paragraph?Which questions did you answer first?