Mastering the ACT Reading Section: Strategies and Curriculum

ACT Reading Test

A test assessing speed, comprehension, and evidence retrieval.

Total Time

35 Minutes given for the ACT Reading Test.

Total Questions

40 Questions in the ACT Reading Test.

Time Per Passage

8 minutes and 45 seconds for each passage, including reading and answering.

Literary Narrative

Passages that focus on characters, emotional conflicts, and coming-of-age themes.

Social Science

Passages covering history, psychology, sociology, and economics, often informational and argumentative.

Humanities

Passages featuring memoirs, essays on art, music, and philosophy, usually in first person.

Natural Science

Passages that cover biology, chemistry, physics, and geology, focusing on facts and scientific phenomena.

Key Ideas and Details

Questions that focus on identifying central themes and locating specific information in the text.

Craft and Structure

Questions that analyze how the text is written, examining word choice and structure.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Complex questions requiring connection of ideas and evaluation of arguments across texts.

The A-B-Both Method

Reading strategy for paired passages, focusing on one passage at a time before answering related questions.

The 3-Stage Process

Active reading strategy involving Preview, Map, and Attack to finish passages within time.

Lead Words

Keywords in question stems that help locate answer sentences in the text.

Evidence + Context

Formula for correct answers in the ACT; answers must be supported by textually derived evidence.

Right Words, Wrong Meaning Trap

Distractor answers that use verbatim language from the text but alter the meaning.

Extreme Language Trap

Distractor answers using absolute words which may not align with text.

Half-Right, Half-Wrong Trap

Answers that are partially true, but contain factual inaccuracies.

Misplaced Detail Trap

True statements that answer the wrong question, often referencing a different passage.

C.O.A.T. Acronym

Citations, Order, Annotate, Time - a mnemonic for exam strategies.

Active Reading

Strategies employed to read passages efficiently and effectively.

PoD Strategies

Personal Order of Difficulty strategies for tackling passage genres based on individual comfort level.

Vote for your answer

Choosing the best vocabulary synonym based on contextual evidence in the text.

Skimming

A reading technique focused on identifying structure and main arguments without memorizing details.

'Not' or 'Except' Questions

Questions that require careful attention to capitalized formatting, avoiding knee-jerk selections.

Answer selection

The need to cross out answers that aren't supported by evidence from the text.

Guessing Policy

The ACT does not penalize for incorrect answers; students should answer all questions.

Citations in text

Explicit references in the passage that support answer choices and can be verified.

Tone/Perspective Questions

Questions that ask about the author's attitude or viewpoint regarding the passage subject.

Proper Noun Tracking

Identifying key figures, dates, or terms as lead words for finding answers in details.

Character Motivation

The driving emotional forces behind character actions and reactions in literary passages.

Cause and Effect Questions

Questions assessing the relationship between events described in the passage.

Chronological Order Questions

Questions that ask for events presented in the order they occur.

Function of Language

Understanding how language serves specific purposes or functions within a passage.

Time Management

The strategic allocation of time to different passages and questions throughout the exam.

Factual Accuracy

The importance of ensuring all answer components in choices are factually correct.

Evidence Retrieval

The process of finding specific information or quotes from the text to answer questions.

Annotate

Making marks on the text to indicate important terms, arguments, or transitions.

Mental Preparation

Understanding the structure of passage genres to improve test readiness.

Objective Investigator

The role the test-taker assumes to focus on factual retrieval rather than emotional interpretation.

Extraction of Key Ideas

Identifying critical themes or details explicitly stated within the text.

Time Check

Regularly verifying how much time remains after each passage to maintain pace.

First Paragraph Importance

Significant context typically found in the introductory paragraph aiding comprehension.

Summary and Structure Recognition

Understanding the main ideas and the overall structure of the text.