ACT Assessment Sample Question
Answer Key and Question Explanations
Set
1:
1. The best answer is C. Lines 24–25 express the narrator's opinion
that "Her hair must have been sadly thin," and other evidence in
support of this view appears in the third paragraph (lines 23–28). While the
narrator thinks of literary figures (line 24), there is no indication that Mrs.
Sennett wears a hat for this reason, so B is a choice
not supported by the passage. She wears a hat all the time, "indoors and
out," which rules out A. There is no evidence that she has unique taste in
clothing, which blocks D as a good answer.
2. The best answer is H. It is clear from the passage that Mrs. Sennett has affection for the children; we know that while
she needs to and would rather rest, she has returned with the children before,
and will do so again now. While the children do hang onto her skirt, there is
no indication that Mrs. Sennett is bothered by this
(G). Because Mrs. Sennett is "almost
stone-deaf" (lines 16–17), she would not be disturbed by their noise,
which rules out F. G and J are choices contradicted by Mrs. Sennett's
apparent affection for the children, and by her generous personality; there is
no evidence to suggest that the children are disobedient or that their behavior
bothers her.
3. The best answer is C. We know that Mrs. Sennett
is old, looked ill (line 28), and is tired (lines 31–32). There is no
indication that Mrs. Sennett feels annoyance (A) or
anger (B); she has agreed to go, and must know that she is wanted. D is too
strong; while she is willing, she probably is not "enthusiastic"
about going. Her words in lines 91–93 do not show enthusiasm.
4. The best answer is F. There are indications provided by lines 79
and 81–83 that the Curleys cry on cue to get what
they want. There is no evidence in the passage that Mrs. Sennett
is aware of their manipulation, which rules out J. Neither is there any
evidence available to support G or H.
5. The best answer is B. The key is clearly supported by lines 16–18.
All of the other foils are contradicted by the passage: C by line 22, and A and D by her personality as it is revealed over the course
of the passage.
6. The best answer is J. The last 30+ lines of the passage focus on
this issue. H is simply not true: the children are speaking to Mrs. Sennett, not the narrator. There is no indication that they
are reluctant to leave, which rules out G. F can be eliminated because the
children do not seem offended by Mrs. Sennett's
words; it is more likely that they are merely continuing their manipulative
behavior (see lines 79, 81–83).
7. The best answer is A. This choice is consistent with Mrs. Sennett's generous personality, and Mrs. Sennett's action comes in direct reaction to the narrator's
change of expression (line 11). There is no evidence anywhere in the passage in
support of B; C is obviously not true (she has performed her duties to the Curleys' satisfaction); and there is never any evidence
that Mrs. Sennett is bothered by the noise the children
make--she is "almost stone-deaf," after all, which rules out D.
8. The best answer is H. Both characters are considerate and exchange
favors: the narrator lends Mrs. Sennett the car
(lines 51–56) and Mrs. Sennett gives the narrator
many presents (lines 59–60). There is no indication that their relationship has
been anything but a relatively short-term, neighborly friendship, which makes
both F and J choices that are not supported by the passage. G is contradicted
by examples of both characters' sensitivity to the other (lines 11–16, 80).
9. The best answer is D. A, B, and C do not make sense in the context
of the sentence.
10. The best answer is F. Mary tells the narrator of this earlier
event as they sit watching the sunset (lines 67–68). Mrs. Sennett
had told the narrator of her intentions before Mr. Curley even arrived (lines
61–63), so G cannot be correct. There is no evidence in the passage that
supports H, which makes it implausible. The narrator learns of Mrs. Sennett's plans to return to
Set
2:
1. The best answer is C. Lines 21–22 explain what being put to the
proof requires. Since there was no automatic assumption of innocence in
2. The best answer is F. Support for the answer is found in lines
54–56. Floating proved guilt (line 51), which means G is incorrect; H is
incorrect because simply wearing bandages for three days did not determine
innocence (proof of innocence or guilt came with their removal and inspection
of the wound); and J is incorrect because oaths were part of trial by
compurgation, not trial by ordeal.
3. The best answer is D. Support for the answer is in the last
paragraph, which compares the three kinds of trial: "The oaths that
saturated the proceedings called upon God to witness to the truth of the . . . claims . . . , or the justice
of their cause . . ." (lines 82–85). The passage clearly
identifies the assistance of God as necessary in each form of trial. Neither of
the procedures described in A or B apply to the trials
described in the passage, and C is only one type of the several trials
described in the passage.
4. The best answer is F. Lines 78–81 support the answer by stating
that the judges' only role was to decide which party should be put to proof and
the form of the proof. The proceedings were the same for criminal and civil
cases (lines 77–78), which rules out G; lines 85–87 directly contradict what is
claimed in H and lines 78–81 directly contradict the assertions in J, which
eliminates both as plausible answers.
5. The best answer is D. Line 74 supports option I; lines 76–77
contradict what is stated in option II (thus eliminating B and C as plausible
choices); and lines 82–85 prove III. Given that both I and III are true, the
best and most complete answer is D.
6. The best answer is F. The answer is clearly supported by
information in lines 32–35. An oath would be "burst" if precise
"swearing" procedures were not followed; an oath is not
"burst" by the number of swearers
assembled, but by what those swearers say and how
they say it, which rules out G. The swearer's trial
preference was completely irrelevant, so H is incorrect; and judges had no role
in deciding the verdict (see lines 78–79), which makes J incorrect.
7. The best answer is B. Trial by compurgation requires oath-helpers,
so option I is wrong (thus ruling out A and D). Lines 36–38 state that the more
serious crimes required ordeals, lesser crimes compurgation, which makes option
II true. The same lines reveal that peasants or persons of bad reputation
usually had a trial by ordeal, making III incorrect (thus ruling out C). B is
thus the only plausible choice.
8. The best answer is H. The answer is strongly supported by
information in lines 74–76. Choices F, G, and J are either contradicted by that
portion of the passage or are illogical in the context of the passage.
9. The best answer is B. Lines 16–17 clearly state that trial by
battle was used only after the Norman Conquest. All trials discussed in the
passage were public and had a known accuser (see line 74), which rules out A;
no trials in this era had secret proceedings (lines 76–77), which rules out C;
and judges had no role in the verdict (lines 78–79), which rules out D.
10. The best answer is J. The context makes clear that the process is
very precise, and that any mistake has the serious consequence of proving
guilt. This would make the swearing anything but "comfortable," which
rules out F. H makes no sense in context and G is illogical, for if the
"swearing" is dishonest it cannot be "without a mistake"
(line 34). Given that the procedure seems quite involved and exacting, J is the
best answer.
Set
3:
1. The best answer is A. The wood in mass-produced tansu was thinner, not thicker (see lines 70–71), which
rules out B. There is no evidence available to suggest that tansu
became more popular, which rules out C. The burden of lines 73–76 is that the
variety of types of tansu diminished drastically,
which rules out D.
2. The best answer is H. Lines 21–22 support the answer, stating that
"the greatest demand was for clothing and merchants' chests." The use
of tansu as staircase chests (J) and in kitchens (G)
is discussed in paragraphs 5 and 6, respectively, but the lines supporting the
answer effectively block them as possible choices. F, which refers to
black-and-gold lacquered pieces, actually refers to furniture owned in very
limited quantity by nobility prior to the Edo Period (see lines 10–12) and not
to the tansu discussed in the rest of the passage.
3. The best answer is B. Support for the answer is found in the first
two lines of the passage. Since tansu are chests for
storing clothing (and clothing tansu were kept out of
sight--see lines 37–38) and other things, not displaying them, A can be
ruled out. C is wrong because tansu were built to
reflect a shopkeeper's prosperity (see lines 40–41). Lines 10–12 indicate that tansu were inspired by Chinese furniture; this fact rules
out D.
4. The best answer is J. Lines 64–73 indicate that tansu acquired sand-cast iron handles (I), that traditional
designs were simplified (II), and that the wood used to make tansu became thinner (III). That all three changes are true
dictates the choice of J and the other three answers--F, G, and H--must be seen
as incomplete.
5. The best answer is D. The context indicates that what caused the patina
was years of exposure to smoke and heat. Lines 55–57 tell us that household tansu were rarely finished. Thus, B makes little sense. The
context makes no mention of carving designs, which makes A
implausible. C is also a poor choice, since it is hard to imagine something
being described as "lovely" if it has been destroyed.
6. The best answer is G. Support for the answer exists in lines
17–20, where the passage states that tansu can
"tell us much about the lifestyle and accoutrements of people during the Edo
Period." The beginning of mass production in
7. The best answer is C. Lines 70–73 support the answer directly. The
passage makes no mention of different types of wood in this context, which
rules out A; the thickness of the finish applied is never mentioned, which
rules out B; and no mention is made of a renewed interest in black-and-gold
lacquered finishes, which makes D an incorrect choice.
8. The best answer is F. The answer is supported by information in
the second paragraph, specifically lines 12–16. The burden of that (and
subsequent) paragraphs is that tansu, previously
limited to nobility, became available to many more people in this period, which
rules out G. Tansu are identified in lines 40–41 as
being indicators of a merchant's success, which rules out H as a choice. Some tansu were large, others not, but since we do not know the
size of tansu made prior to this period, J is not a
good choice.
9. The best answer is A. Lines 11–12 mention "black-and-gold
lacquered pieces of Chinese inspiration,
10. The best answer is G. Lines 40–41 support II. Since tansu were practical as well as beautiful, I is a wrong choice, which rules out F and H as possible
answers. The passage makes clear that tansu were
always on display in houses and businesses, which makes III incorrect and thus
rules out J.
Set
4:
1. The best answer is C. It is supported directly by lines 51–54. The
passage suggests that escaping methane affects how reflective Charon is, not its setting, which rules out D. B is
eliminated by understanding that stellar occultations
(line 60) refers to eclipses. A is an inappropriate choice because it relates
to the number of eclipses (where, from the surface of Pluto, Charon disappears from view) occurring in a short period of
time and is unrelated to why Charon never sets.
2. The best answer is G. The answer is supported by lines 32–33,
which establish the uniqueness of Charon and Pluto's
mutual tidal coupling. No such statement is made about frequency of eclipses
(F), synchronous rotation (H), or axial tilt (J), so these choices must be
ruled unacceptable.
3. The best answer is C. The point of the first paragraph is how huge
Charon appears in Pluto's sky. That it is unusually
large rules out A: it occupies a relatively much larger portion of the sky than
does Earth's moon. The first paragraph does not compare Pluto and Charon, which makes B an incorrect choice, and neither does
the first paragraph compare the size of Earth to Pluto, which eliminates D as a
possible choice.
4. The best answer is F. The Sun's corona is defined in lines 80–83.
Options II and III refer to the preceding sentence and have to do with how Charon might be illuminated during an eclipse by reflected
light from Pluto and there is nothing in the passage to suggest that the Sun's
corona is comprised of reflected light. This information rules out G, H, and J
as acceptable answers.
5. The best answer is D. Lines 67–69 state that "Because of
Pluto's axial tilt and Charon's position over Pluto's
equator, the pair go for almost 120 years without
their shadows ever falling upon one another." This information establishes
options I and III as correct. Option II, which refers to
escaping methane, has no relation to eclipse frenzy.
6. The best answer is J. Support for the answer is to be found in
lines 44
7. The best answer is A. Lines 8–10 tell us that Charon
takes up 4 degrees of Pluto's sky and is eight times as wide as our Moon
appears from Earth. The relatively simple math produces A as the only possible
choice.
8. The best answer is G. The information necessary to see that
options I and II are correct is clearly stated in lines 45
9. The best answer is C. Support for the answer can be found in lines
16–19. The passage makes no mention of axial tilt as a feature shared by
satellites, which rules out A. The distance of major satellites and/or planets
from one another is not taken up in those lines, or anywhere in the passage,
which rules out B. The next to last paragraph makes it clear the "eclipse
frenzy" is rare, so that would not be something major satellites had in
common, which rules out D as a plausible choice.
10. The best answer is G. Support for the answer can be found in
lines 73–75. No mention is made of the discovery of the synchronous rotation of
satellites anywhere in the passage; this eliminates F as a plausible choice.
The passage makes clear that our Moon is not identical to Charon,
which rules out H as a choice. No mention is made of a demonstration of tidal
coupling by Earth and its Moon occurring at the same time or in any way
relating to the discovery of Charon, which makes J an
incorrect choice.