ACT Practice Questions - English

Directions: In the sentences that follow, a section or phrase will be presented in bold. Each
question will have several options available as alternatives. Choose the best alternative for the
bolded section, or if a question is presented about the bolded part, select the correct answer to the
question.

1. In the brilliant glare of the spotlight, focused on the center one of a group of rings on the
dirt floor, a man in a silver suit stood proudly, top hat in hand.

A. NO CHANGE
B. center of the rings
C. center one ring
D. center ring

2. Behind the ringmaster, I could see a majestic lion, pacing back and forth between the
sides in the cage and snarling at the clowns that stood off to one side.

A. NO CHANGE
B. REMOVE
C. between the sides
D. back and forth

3. ....An old gray elephant stood silently, picking up tufts of hay from an open bale beside the
flap, munching quietly as the ringmaster spoke to the crowd.

What phrase would make the best transition from the previous sentence if substituted for
the ellipsis at the beginning of this sentence?

A. Part of the clowns' halftime act,

B. Waiting for the aerialists to finish,
C. Behind the lion's cage,
D. A major draw of customers,

4. I sat between my parents in the front row of the circus bleachers, eating salted peanuts and
gaping up at the canvas tent that arched over my head like a cloth cathedral.

A. NO CHANGE
B. arched high overhead
C. arched overhead
D. arched high

5. Behind me, I heard kids oohing and aahing at the wonders of the circus. I was eight, and I
fell in love with the big top and everything under it right then, even down to the musty
sawdust and hay that ground underfoot, so much so that I vowed that someday, I would
work under its canvas wings.

Which of the following sentences would best continue the personal theme expressed here?
 A. As I grew older, I found I had a talent for numbers, and studied accountancy.
B. Twenty years later, I had gone into engineering, and soon went to work for NASA.
C. Throughout high school, I studied acting and drama, and began working with dinner
theatre after graduation.
D. It took me several years, but by the time I was 20, I had graduated from clown college
and begun working with a small family-run operation.

Note: The next set of questions is based on a passage from How to Tell a Story and
Other Essays by Mark Twain.

6. The humorous story depends for its effect upon the manner of the telling; the comic story
and the witty story upon the matter.

A. NO CHANGE
B. the telling the comic story
C. the telling-the comic story
D. the telling: the comic story

7. The humorous story may be spun out too grate length, and may wander around as much
as it pleases, and arrive nowhere in particular; but the comic and witty stories must be brief
and end with a point.

A. NO CHANGE
B. to grate
C. too great
D. to great

8. The humorous story bubbles gently along, the others burst. The humorous story is only a
work of art--high and delicate art--and only an artist can tell it; but no art is necessary in
telling the comic and the witty story; anybody can do it.

A. NO CHANGE
B. strictly
C. mainly
D. potentially

9. The art of telling a humorous story--understand, I mean by word of mouth, not print-was
created in America, and has remained at home. The humorous story is told gravely; the
teller does his best to conceal the fact that he even dimly suspects that there is anything
funny about it; but the teller of the comic story tells you beforehand that it is one of the
funniest things he has ever heard, then tells it with eager delight, and is the first person to
laugh when he gets through.

A. NO CHANGE
B. great hurry
C. eager laughter
D. some reluctance
10. And sometimes, if he has had good success, he is so glad and happy that he will repeat the
"nub" of it and glance around from face to face, collecting applause, and then repeat it
again. It is a pathetic thing to see.

A. NO CHANGE
B. point
C. summary
D. punchline

Note: The next set of questions is based on a passage from Common Sense by
Thomas Paine.

11. Perhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages, are not YET intensely
fashionable to procure them general favour; a long habit of not thinking a thing WRONG,
gives it a superficial appearance of being RIGHT, and raises at first a formidable outcry in
defense of custom.

A. NO CHANGE
B. prohibitively
C. sufficiently
D. OMIT

12. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason.

A. NO CHANGE
B. opponents
C. arguments
D. OMIT

13. As a long and violent abuse of power, is generally the Means of calling the right of it in
question (and in Matters too which might never have been thought of, had not the Sufferers
been aggravated into the inquiry) and as the King of England hath undertaken in his OWN
RIGHT, to support the Parliament in what he calls THEIRS, and as the good people of this
country are grievously repressed by the combination, they have an undoubted privilege
to inquire into the pretensions of both, and equally to reject the usurpation of either.

A. grievously oppressed, and by the combination

B. grievously oppressed by the combination
C. grievously repressed in the combination
D. grievously repressed, and in the combination

14. In the following sheets, the author hath studiously avoided every thing which is personal
among ourselves. Compliments as well as censure to individuals make no part thereof. The
wise, and the worthy, need not the triumph of a pamphlet; and those whose sentiments are
injudicious, or unfriendly, will cease of themselves unless too much pains are bestowed
upon their conversion.

Which modern term might be substituted for the bolded word?

A. conundrums
B. catharsis
C. complaints
D. conferences
15. The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind. Many circumstances
hath, and will arise, which are not local, but universal, and through which the principles of
all Lovers of Mankind are affected, and in the Event of which, their Affections are interested.

Suppose the author had chosen to shorten the bolded section to simply read "which are
universal." If the author had done so, this change would have made the sentence more:

A. vague
B. emphatic
C. descriptive
D. formal

Note: The next set of questions is based on a passage from The Prince by Niccolo
Machiavelli.

16. All states, all powers, that have held and hold rule over men have been and are either
republics or principalities. Principalities are either hereditary, in which the family has been
long established; or they are new. The new are either entirely new, as was Milan to
Francesco Sforza, or they are, as it were, members annexed to the hereditary state of the
prince who has acquired them, as was the kingdom of Naples to that of the King of Spain.

The author wishes to delineate the types and properties of governments that were
commonly used in the Western world at the time of this passage's writing, the late 15th and
early 16th centuries. Would this passage fit the author's desired purpose?

A. No, the author fails to recognize other types of government in his list.
B. Yes, the author has encompassed all types in his introduction.
C. No, the author is defining a political system rather than a government.
D. Yes, the author is defining his terms and establishing an argument.

17. Such dominions thus acquired are either accustomed to live under a prince, or to live in
freedom; and are acquired either by the arms of the prince himself, or, of others or else, by
fortune or by ability.

A. NO CHANGE
B. or of others, or else
C. or, of others, or else
D. or of others or else

18. I will leave out all discussion on republics, inasmuch as in another place I have written of
them at length, and will address myself only to principalities. In doing so I will keep to the
order indicated above, and discuss how such principalities are to be ruled and preserved.

Suppose the author were to change the bolded section to "inasmuch as I have discussed
them in other works." If the author had made this change, it would have made the sentence
more:

A. interesting
B. precise
C. emphatic
D. concise
19. I say at once there are fewer difficulties in holding hereditary states, and those long
accustomed to the family of their prince, than new ones; for it is sufficient only not to
transgress the customs of his ancestors, and to deal prudently with circumstances as they
arise, for a prince of average powers to maintain himself in his state, unless he be deprived
of it by some extraordinary and excessive force; and if he should be so deprived of it,
whenever anything sinister happens to the usurper, he will regain it.

The bolded words in the passage are an example of which parts of speech?

A. adjectives
B. nouns
C. verbs
D. adverbs

20. For the hereditary prince has less cause and less necessity to offend; hence it happens that
he will be more loved; and unless extraordinary vices cause him to be hated, it is
reasonable to expect that his subjects will be naturally well disposed towards him; and in the
total antiquity and duration of his rule the memories and motives that make for change
are lost, for one change always leaves the toothing for another.

A. NO CHANGE
B. OMIT
C. total antiquity and total duration
D. antiquity and duration
Answer Key - English
EngQ1-Answer: The best answer is D. This option precisely defines the location wherein the subject of the sentence-
the man in the silver suit-can be found. The sentence as is contains the correct information, but the phrasing interrupts
the flow of the sentence, and unnecessarily includes the specifier "one" in the phrase. Option B is inconclusive, as the
center of the rings may not necessarily include the inside of a ring, depending on how the rings are arranged. Option C
is incorrectly phrased, as the "one" incorrectly modifies the phrase "center ring." Thus, the best answer is option D, as
it contains the necessary information in a phrasing that is both factually and structurally correct.

EngQ2-Answer: The best answer is B. The use of "pacing" implies a repetitive motion over a limited space, and as the
rest of the phrase identifies the lion as being inside a cage, no further information is needed. Option A is not
appropriate in this case, as it is stylistically incorrect and contains redundant information. Option C is also redundant,
and contains a stylistic error; "between the sides" in this context is not a common usage, and is confusingly phrased for
most readers. Back and forth is a common adjectival phrase, but back and forth motion is implied in the word "pacing,"
so option D would also be redundant. Thus, the best option is B, as it shortens the sentence to a succinct phrasing and
eliminates unnecessary information.

EngQ3-Answer: The best answer is C. Since the previous sentence was specifically about the lion in his cage, a
peripheral mention of the lion's cage that illustrates the subject of this sentence and its relationship to the cage is a
solid transition. While the previous sentence mentioned clowns as well, they were not the subject of the sentence, and
so the relationship between sentences would not be firmly and logically established by a transition using them.
Aerialists were not mentioned at all in the previous sentence, and neither were customers; as a result, there is not a
factual basis on which a transition can be anchored. Thus, the best option is C, which connects the subjects of the
sentences and allows for a smooth and logical transition between them.

EngQ4-Answer: The best answer is A. This sentence is written from a first-person perspective, as illustrated by the
use of "I" and "my" for pronouns, so descriptive information that reinforces the "I" point of view would be the best
choice for adjectives. Option B has redundant phrasing, as arched implies a certain degree of height; overhead can
also be interpreted as redundant in this context, but it is common usage to include it. Option C is grammatically correct,
but is more suited to an impersonal sentence in this context. Option D also contains redundant phrasing and is
idiomatically incorrect when combined with the final clause of the sentence. Option A fits smoothly into the first-person
perspective, is idiomatically correct and completes the metaphor logically; thus, option A is the best choice.

EngQ5-Answer: The best answer is D. The mini-passage expresses the love the narrator has for circuses, and is
written using the past tense, which implies a looking back from the present time and also implies a strong connection
with circuses. Option A expresses a change in time, but does not link the subject of the sentence thematically with the
passage and does not follow logically. Option B contains a correct time transition, but also has no thematic connection
to the passage. Option C has both a time transition and a weak thematic connection, but does not develop it in a
consistent fashion with the passage. Only option D has both the thematic connection and a time transition, which
makes option D the correct answer.

EngQ6-Answer: The best answer is A. The bolded section highlights a break between clauses in the sentence, and
the second clause is a dependant clause, meaning it cannot stand alone as a sentence. Since the dependant clause
requires punctuation to conjoin it to the previous clause, option B would not be an appropriate choice. Hyphens are
used to form compound words, so option C would not be acceptable either. Option D would not be the best choice
because colons are used primarily to form lists or join clauses (usually parallel or independent clauses). Since the
clause beginning with "the comic story" is a dependant clause, the semi-colon would be the most accurate selection
from the available options. As a result, option A is the best choice.

EngQ7-Answer: The best answer is D. In the context of the sentence, the bolded phrase is being used to describe the
quality of length, so the phrase as is would not be appropriate to the sentence, which would eliminate option A. The
word "grate," which is most commonly used as a verb for rubbing something against a serrated surface or a noun for a
metal hatch cover, would have no bearing on the prepositional phrase, so option B would not be an acceptable choice.
From the context of the sentence, the word "too" as a quantity descriptor is not the proper use, so option C would not
be acceptable. The prepositional phrase "to great" is in context the only proper choice, so option D would be the
correct answer.

EngQ8-Answer: The best answer is B. The author is making the point that a humorous story is already a work of art,
so adjectives like "potentially" are not correct, eliminating option D. Along these lines, adjectives like "mainly" imply
there is some sense in which the term being modified does not fully meet the qualification. Since the passage clearly
states that the humorous story is a work of art, such adjectives are not appropriate, and thus option C is not correct.
Although the definition of "only" might seem to make a good fit, the connotation of the word implies a limitation that
does not match the author's intent, so option A is not correct. The use of the word "strictly" does not have the same
connotation, and rules out any judgment that the humorous story is not art, which aligns closest with the author's
intent. Thus, option B is correct.

EngQ9-Answer: The best answer is A. The author is drawing a comparison between storytelling styles, and in regard
to the comic story, the author demonstrates that the comic story teller makes clear his or her delight or high opinion of
the story. Thus, option D would not be suitable, as the story teller is interested in sharing the tale. A story is generally
not rushed in its telling in order to impart maximum information and impact, so option B would not work in this example.
The clause immediately following the bolded section says the story teller laughs at the story; in context, that is the
proper placement of the mention of laughter, and other mentions would be redundant, so option C is not relevant. The
term "eager delight" most clearly identifies the story teller's frame of mind in relating a comic story, so option A would
be the correct choice.

EngQ10-Answer: The best answer is D. The author refers to the narrative climax of the comic story as being the
aspect of the story that generates laughter. Modern common parlance has different meanings for the word "nub," so in
this context, option A would not be suitable. Although the point of the story may indeed be the central theme meant to
be communicated, the expression of the humor is usually more important than the content, so option B would also not
be suitable in this context. A summary of a story that had just been told would be unnecessarily redundant in virtually
all settings, so option C would not be correct. However, the punchline, or humorous conclusion, would be the part of
the story most likely to elicit laughs even if repeated, and thus, option D is the correct answer.

EngQ11-Answer: The best answer is C. From the context of the sentence, the reader can see that the adverb must
modify "fashionable" such that the next action becomes more likely, and as written, the bolded adverb fails to do that.
Thus, option A is not correct. Using "prohibitively" as the adverb would modify the term such that the end result is
exactly opposite of what the context implies, so option B is not correct. Given the sentence's construction, an adverb
must be used at that location, as "yet" and "fashionable" would not be used correctly without one, so option D is not
correct. Only option C, with its adverb modifying the term in a positive fashion to agree with the rest of the clause,
correctly completes the sentence; thus, option C is correct.

EngQ12-Answer: The best answer is A. The author intends to reinforce the first sentence with the reason expressed
in the second sentence, so the sentences must logically agree. If option B is used, then the sentences logically
contradict each other and the point is negated. Therefore, option B is not correct. By the same token, option C is not
correct, as using it in the second sentence also creates a logical negation of the first sentence. The sentence structure
would be incorrect if option D is selected, as there would be no term for "more" to modify, so option D is not correct.
Only option A offers a logical completion of the second sentence and allows it to complement the first sentence;
therefore, option A is the correct answer.

EngQ13-Answer: The best answer is B. The author is describing an action taken against a population by a political
entity-in this case, King George III is taking action against the population of the American colonies-so the word
"oppress" is the more correct term to use in this situation. Thus, options C and D are automatically excluded, since
they use "repress" in their construction. Furthermore, the agent of the tyrannical action being taken is a compound of
the English king's actions and Parliament's, so the term "combination" has a direct relationship to the action. Given the
relationship and the context of the sentence, using a comma to separate the terms would be incorrect, so option A is
not suitable. Only option B uses the correct terminology and punctuation, so option B is the correct answer.

EngQ14-Answer: The best answer is C. In the context of the sentence, the author is using compare and contrast to
list what is not included in his work. Since the first term is "compliments," the second or contrasting term must be a
word opposite in meaning. Option A is not suitable, as a conundrum is a puzzle or riddle and thus does not fit the
author's intention. Option B is also not suitable, as catharsis is an emotional purging and thus has no relation to the
sentence. Likewise, option D would not be correct, as a conference also has no relation to the sentence. Only option
C, which holds an opposite definition to compliment, suits the author's contextual intention, and so option C is the
correct answer.

EngQ15-Answer: The best answer is B. Reducing the number of adjectives to one in the sentence would have little
effect on the meaning of the sentence, as it would have only changed the structure without altering the primary
adjective. Thus, option A would not be correct. Generally, reducing adjectives makes a sentence more direct but
detracts from its descriptive nature, so option C would not be correct either. Since formal diction depends more on tone
and syntax than specific numbers of words, option D would not be suitable here either. Only option B, which directly
refers to the emotional impact of the sentence (and is achieved by getting directly to the point), would be a suitable
choice for the suggested change; thus, option B is correct.
EngQ16-Answer: The best answer is D. At the time of writing, all governments in the Western world (defined in this
case as Europe west of Russia) were as the author identified, so option A would not be suitable. However, there are
more than two types of government-for example, democracy as practiced by the Greeks is not mentioned-so option B
is not correct, as it identifies a condition that the passage has not met. Although the author is known as a political
philosopher, the opening of the passage explicitly defines the state as one of the types of government he goes on to
discuss, so option C is not relevant, as the author is discussing governments. Only option D strictly defines the
purpose of the passage and how it relates to the stated goal of the question; thus, option D is correct.

EngQ17-Answer: The best answer is B. While commas have multiple uses, their primary usage, and the one the
author intends here, is to separate items in a list. If the comma is placed after the first coordinating conjunction, as in
option A, the emphasis changes from a list to a specific sub-clause; as the rest of the sentence is clearly numerating a
list, option A is therefore not correct. Option C illustrates a comma where neither grammar nor rhythm would indicate a
comma belongs; thus, option C is not correct. Option D shows a run-on phrase, which in the context of the sentence is
incorrect, as it does not correctly demonstrate the list structure the author intends, and so option D is incorrect. Only
option B, which correctly places the comma to illustrate items in a list, fits the context and structure of the sentence;
thus, option B is correct.

EngQ18-Answer: The best answer is D. Value judgments such as "interesting," while commonly used in teaching
situations, are subjective measurements, and do not reflect the inherent structure or meaning as much as the reader's
bias. As a result, this option is not valid for this example, so option A is not correct. In order for "precise" to apply, the
replacement clause would have to strictly and carefully define a condition rather than restating it in fewer words. Since
this is not the case, option B is not correct. The change in terms does not carry an emotional weight or a sense of
urgency, so option C is not suitable. Only option D, which accurately describes the condition of expressing more ideas
in fewer words, properly describes the effect of the substituted phrase, so option D is correct.

EngQ19-Answer: The best answer is A. In order for the bolded words to function as nouns, they would have to
describe a person, place or thing; in other words, something concrete, which neither word does. Therefore, option B is
incorrect. Since neither word describes an action that the subject of a sentence could take or perform, neither word
can function as a verb. As a result, option C is also incorrect. While the bolded words do modify a word in the sentence
in degree, the term being modified-force-is not a verb, adjective or adverb in itself; in this case, force is a noun.
Therefore, the bolded words fail to meet the condition of adverbs, so option D is incorrect. Since the bolded words
modify a noun, they act as adjectives, and so option A is the correct choice.

EngQ20-Answer: The best answer is D. The sentence's construction and context indicate the author is drawing a
conclusion about the nature of governing over a long period of time, so a phrase giving a sense of time spanned is
essential. However, the phrasing of the bolded clause is redundant, as the context of the sentence already implies the
author is considering the totality of the time period. As a result, option A is not correct. Since the context of the
sentence requires a sense of time passed for comparison purposes, option B cannot be used, as the sentence would
become illogical without the time span mentioned. Option C is not suitable for the same reason that option A was
unsuitable; since totality is implied in the passage, using "total" provides redundant information. Only option D provides
the time information needed without redundancy; thus, option D is correct.