ACT Reading Practice Test

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Literary narrative: "The Radio"

(1) The radio had been silent for eleven years when Nadia found it in the back of her grandfather's closet, wrapped in a faded blue towel. It was larger than she expected: a wooden box with a cloth front and two brass knobs, one of them missing its cap.

(2) "That was your grandmother's," Grandpa Yusuf said from the doorway. He didn't come any closer. "She listened to the evening news on it every night. After she passed, I couldn't stand the quiet it made when it was off, so I stopped turning it on."

(3) Nadia set the radio on the kitchen table. She had fixed her friends' phones and her own bike more times than she could count, and she liked the feeling of a problem giving way, piece by piece. She asked if she could try. Her grandfather shrugged, which she had learned meant yes.

(4) For three evenings she worked at the table while he read the newspaper in the next chair, pretending not to watch. She found a broken wire, cleaned rust from the contacts and ordered a replacement part online. Each time she tested the radio, the speaker gave only a dry hiss.

(5) On the fourth evening, the hiss broke into a man's voice reading the weather. Nadia turned, grinning, but her grandfather had put down his paper. He was leaning toward the radio with his eyes closed, and for a long moment neither of them said anything.

(6) "Same station," he finally said. "She always had it on this one." He reached over and turned the volume up a little.

The passage is mainly about:

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Literary narrative: "The Radio"

(1) The radio had been silent for eleven years when Nadia found it in the back of her grandfather's closet, wrapped in a faded blue towel. It was larger than she expected: a wooden box with a cloth front and two brass knobs, one of them missing its cap.

(2) "That was your grandmother's," Grandpa Yusuf said from the doorway. He didn't come any closer. "She listened to the evening news on it every night. After she passed, I couldn't stand the quiet it made when it was off, so I stopped turning it on."

(3) Nadia set the radio on the kitchen table. She had fixed her friends' phones and her own bike more times than she could count, and she liked the feeling of a problem giving way, piece by piece. She asked if she could try. Her grandfather shrugged, which she had learned meant yes.

(4) For three evenings she worked at the table while he read the newspaper in the next chair, pretending not to watch. She found a broken wire, cleaned rust from the contacts and ordered a replacement part online. Each time she tested the radio, the speaker gave only a dry hiss.

(5) On the fourth evening, the hiss broke into a man's voice reading the weather. Nadia turned, grinning, but her grandfather had put down his paper. He was leaning toward the radio with his eyes closed, and for a long moment neither of them said anything.

(6) "Same station," he finally said. "She always had it on this one." He reached over and turned the volume up a little.

According to the passage, Grandpa Yusuf stopped turning on the radio because:

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Literary narrative: "The Radio"

(1) The radio had been silent for eleven years when Nadia found it in the back of her grandfather's closet, wrapped in a faded blue towel. It was larger than she expected: a wooden box with a cloth front and two brass knobs, one of them missing its cap.

(2) "That was your grandmother's," Grandpa Yusuf said from the doorway. He didn't come any closer. "She listened to the evening news on it every night. After she passed, I couldn't stand the quiet it made when it was off, so I stopped turning it on."

(3) Nadia set the radio on the kitchen table. She had fixed her friends' phones and her own bike more times than she could count, and she liked the feeling of a problem giving way, piece by piece. She asked if she could try. Her grandfather shrugged, which she had learned meant yes.

(4) For three evenings she worked at the table while he read the newspaper in the next chair, pretending not to watch. She found a broken wire, cleaned rust from the contacts and ordered a replacement part online. Each time she tested the radio, the speaker gave only a dry hiss.

(5) On the fourth evening, the hiss broke into a man's voice reading the weather. Nadia turned, grinning, but her grandfather had put down his paper. He was leaning toward the radio with his eyes closed, and for a long moment neither of them said anything.

(6) "Same station," he finally said. "She always had it on this one." He reached over and turned the volume up a little.

In paragraph 3, the grandfather's shrug indicates that he:

Topic 3.2 · Apply it

Literary narrative: "The Radio"

(1) The radio had been silent for eleven years when Nadia found it in the back of her grandfather's closet, wrapped in a faded blue towel. It was larger than she expected: a wooden box with a cloth front and two brass knobs, one of them missing its cap.

(2) "That was your grandmother's," Grandpa Yusuf said from the doorway. He didn't come any closer. "She listened to the evening news on it every night. After she passed, I couldn't stand the quiet it made when it was off, so I stopped turning it on."

(3) Nadia set the radio on the kitchen table. She had fixed her friends' phones and her own bike more times than she could count, and she liked the feeling of a problem giving way, piece by piece. She asked if she could try. Her grandfather shrugged, which she had learned meant yes.

(4) For three evenings she worked at the table while he read the newspaper in the next chair, pretending not to watch. She found a broken wire, cleaned rust from the contacts and ordered a replacement part online. Each time she tested the radio, the speaker gave only a dry hiss.

(5) On the fourth evening, the hiss broke into a man's voice reading the weather. Nadia turned, grinning, but her grandfather had put down his paper. He was leaning toward the radio with his eyes closed, and for a long moment neither of them said anything.

(6) "Same station," he finally said. "She always had it on this one." He reached over and turned the volume up a little.

As it is used in paragraph 3, the phrase "giving way" most nearly means:

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Literary narrative: "The Radio"

(1) The radio had been silent for eleven years when Nadia found it in the back of her grandfather's closet, wrapped in a faded blue towel. It was larger than she expected: a wooden box with a cloth front and two brass knobs, one of them missing its cap.

(2) "That was your grandmother's," Grandpa Yusuf said from the doorway. He didn't come any closer. "She listened to the evening news on it every night. After she passed, I couldn't stand the quiet it made when it was off, so I stopped turning it on."

(3) Nadia set the radio on the kitchen table. She had fixed her friends' phones and her own bike more times than she could count, and she liked the feeling of a problem giving way, piece by piece. She asked if she could try. Her grandfather shrugged, which she had learned meant yes.

(4) For three evenings she worked at the table while he read the newspaper in the next chair, pretending not to watch. She found a broken wire, cleaned rust from the contacts and ordered a replacement part online. Each time she tested the radio, the speaker gave only a dry hiss.

(5) On the fourth evening, the hiss broke into a man's voice reading the weather. Nadia turned, grinning, but her grandfather had put down his paper. He was leaning toward the radio with his eyes closed, and for a long moment neither of them said anything.

(6) "Same station," he finally said. "She always had it on this one." He reached over and turned the volume up a little.

In paragraph 4, the detail that the grandfather was "pretending not to watch" suggests that he:

Topic 3.2 · Apply it

Literary narrative: "The Radio"

(1) The radio had been silent for eleven years when Nadia found it in the back of her grandfather's closet, wrapped in a faded blue towel. It was larger than she expected: a wooden box with a cloth front and two brass knobs, one of them missing its cap.

(2) "That was your grandmother's," Grandpa Yusuf said from the doorway. He didn't come any closer. "She listened to the evening news on it every night. After she passed, I couldn't stand the quiet it made when it was off, so I stopped turning it on."

(3) Nadia set the radio on the kitchen table. She had fixed her friends' phones and her own bike more times than she could count, and she liked the feeling of a problem giving way, piece by piece. She asked if she could try. Her grandfather shrugged, which she had learned meant yes.

(4) For three evenings she worked at the table while he read the newspaper in the next chair, pretending not to watch. She found a broken wire, cleaned rust from the contacts and ordered a replacement part online. Each time she tested the radio, the speaker gave only a dry hiss.

(5) On the fourth evening, the hiss broke into a man's voice reading the weather. Nadia turned, grinning, but her grandfather had put down his paper. He was leaning toward the radio with his eyes closed, and for a long moment neither of them said anything.

(6) "Same station," he finally said. "She always had it on this one." He reached over and turned the volume up a little.

The detail that one knob was "missing its cap" (paragraph 1) mainly serves to:

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Literary narrative: "The Radio"

(1) The radio had been silent for eleven years when Nadia found it in the back of her grandfather's closet, wrapped in a faded blue towel. It was larger than she expected: a wooden box with a cloth front and two brass knobs, one of them missing its cap.

(2) "That was your grandmother's," Grandpa Yusuf said from the doorway. He didn't come any closer. "She listened to the evening news on it every night. After she passed, I couldn't stand the quiet it made when it was off, so I stopped turning it on."

(3) Nadia set the radio on the kitchen table. She had fixed her friends' phones and her own bike more times than she could count, and she liked the feeling of a problem giving way, piece by piece. She asked if she could try. Her grandfather shrugged, which she had learned meant yes.

(4) For three evenings she worked at the table while he read the newspaper in the next chair, pretending not to watch. She found a broken wire, cleaned rust from the contacts and ordered a replacement part online. Each time she tested the radio, the speaker gave only a dry hiss.

(5) On the fourth evening, the hiss broke into a man's voice reading the weather. Nadia turned, grinning, but her grandfather had put down his paper. He was leaning toward the radio with his eyes closed, and for a long moment neither of them said anything.

(6) "Same station," he finally said. "She always had it on this one." He reached over and turned the volume up a little.

Which of the following events happens last in the passage?

Topic 3.2 · Apply it

Literary narrative: "The Radio"

(1) The radio had been silent for eleven years when Nadia found it in the back of her grandfather's closet, wrapped in a faded blue towel. It was larger than she expected: a wooden box with a cloth front and two brass knobs, one of them missing its cap.

(2) "That was your grandmother's," Grandpa Yusuf said from the doorway. He didn't come any closer. "She listened to the evening news on it every night. After she passed, I couldn't stand the quiet it made when it was off, so I stopped turning it on."

(3) Nadia set the radio on the kitchen table. She had fixed her friends' phones and her own bike more times than she could count, and she liked the feeling of a problem giving way, piece by piece. She asked if she could try. Her grandfather shrugged, which she had learned meant yes.

(4) For three evenings she worked at the table while he read the newspaper in the next chair, pretending not to watch. She found a broken wire, cleaned rust from the contacts and ordered a replacement part online. Each time she tested the radio, the speaker gave only a dry hiss.

(5) On the fourth evening, the hiss broke into a man's voice reading the weather. Nadia turned, grinning, but her grandfather had put down his paper. He was leaning toward the radio with his eyes closed, and for a long moment neither of them said anything.

(6) "Same station," he finally said. "She always had it on this one." He reached over and turned the volume up a little.

The point of view from which the passage is told is best described as that of:

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Literary narrative: "The Radio"

(1) The radio had been silent for eleven years when Nadia found it in the back of her grandfather's closet, wrapped in a faded blue towel. It was larger than she expected: a wooden box with a cloth front and two brass knobs, one of them missing its cap.

(2) "That was your grandmother's," Grandpa Yusuf said from the doorway. He didn't come any closer. "She listened to the evening news on it every night. After she passed, I couldn't stand the quiet it made when it was off, so I stopped turning it on."

(3) Nadia set the radio on the kitchen table. She had fixed her friends' phones and her own bike more times than she could count, and she liked the feeling of a problem giving way, piece by piece. She asked if she could try. Her grandfather shrugged, which she had learned meant yes.

(4) For three evenings she worked at the table while he read the newspaper in the next chair, pretending not to watch. She found a broken wire, cleaned rust from the contacts and ordered a replacement part online. Each time she tested the radio, the speaker gave only a dry hiss.

(5) On the fourth evening, the hiss broke into a man's voice reading the weather. Nadia turned, grinning, but her grandfather had put down his paper. He was leaning toward the radio with his eyes closed, and for a long moment neither of them said anything.

(6) "Same station," he finally said. "She always had it on this one." He reached over and turned the volume up a little.

The final paragraph most strongly suggests that Grandpa Yusuf:

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Social science: "Why Shared Bikes Spread"

(1) In the last two decades, bike-sharing programs have appeared in hundreds of cities around the world. The idea is simple: riders pick up a bicycle at one station, ride it across town and leave it at another. Yet many of the earliest experiments with shared bikes, in the 1960s and 1970s, failed. Bikes left free on the street were often stolen or damaged, and no one was responsible for repairing them.

(2) Modern systems have succeeded largely because of technology. Docking stations lock each bike in place, and riders unlock one with a card or a phone app that records who has it. Because every trip is linked to a user, bikes are far less likely to disappear. Sensors also tell operators which stations are running empty, so workers can move bikes to where they are needed.

(3) Bike sharing has also benefited from a shift in how city planners think about streets. Many planners now see cycling not as a hobby but as part of the transportation system, like buses and trains. Shared bikes can cover the "last mile" between a train station and a rider's home or office, a trip that is often too long to walk comfortably but too short to be worth driving.

(4) Still, bike sharing is not a cure for every city's problems. Systems work best where stations are close together and streets feel safe for cyclists. In neighborhoods with few protected bike lanes, many residents remain unwilling to ride, no matter how convenient the bikes are. For bike sharing to keep growing, cities must invest in the streets as well as the bikes.

Which statement best expresses the main idea of the passage?

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Social science: "Why Shared Bikes Spread"

(1) In the last two decades, bike-sharing programs have appeared in hundreds of cities around the world. The idea is simple: riders pick up a bicycle at one station, ride it across town and leave it at another. Yet many of the earliest experiments with shared bikes, in the 1960s and 1970s, failed. Bikes left free on the street were often stolen or damaged, and no one was responsible for repairing them.

(2) Modern systems have succeeded largely because of technology. Docking stations lock each bike in place, and riders unlock one with a card or a phone app that records who has it. Because every trip is linked to a user, bikes are far less likely to disappear. Sensors also tell operators which stations are running empty, so workers can move bikes to where they are needed.

(3) Bike sharing has also benefited from a shift in how city planners think about streets. Many planners now see cycling not as a hobby but as part of the transportation system, like buses and trains. Shared bikes can cover the "last mile" between a train station and a rider's home or office, a trip that is often too long to walk comfortably but too short to be worth driving.

(4) Still, bike sharing is not a cure for every city's problems. Systems work best where stations are close together and streets feel safe for cyclists. In neighborhoods with few protected bike lanes, many residents remain unwilling to ride, no matter how convenient the bikes are. For bike sharing to keep growing, cities must invest in the streets as well as the bikes.

According to the passage, many early bike-sharing experiments failed mainly because:

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Social science: "Why Shared Bikes Spread"

(1) In the last two decades, bike-sharing programs have appeared in hundreds of cities around the world. The idea is simple: riders pick up a bicycle at one station, ride it across town and leave it at another. Yet many of the earliest experiments with shared bikes, in the 1960s and 1970s, failed. Bikes left free on the street were often stolen or damaged, and no one was responsible for repairing them.

(2) Modern systems have succeeded largely because of technology. Docking stations lock each bike in place, and riders unlock one with a card or a phone app that records who has it. Because every trip is linked to a user, bikes are far less likely to disappear. Sensors also tell operators which stations are running empty, so workers can move bikes to where they are needed.

(3) Bike sharing has also benefited from a shift in how city planners think about streets. Many planners now see cycling not as a hobby but as part of the transportation system, like buses and trains. Shared bikes can cover the "last mile" between a train station and a rider's home or office, a trip that is often too long to walk comfortably but too short to be worth driving.

(4) Still, bike sharing is not a cure for every city's problems. Systems work best where stations are close together and streets feel safe for cyclists. In neighborhoods with few protected bike lanes, many residents remain unwilling to ride, no matter how convenient the bikes are. For bike sharing to keep growing, cities must invest in the streets as well as the bikes.

According to paragraph 2, linking every trip to a user made bikes:

Topic 3.2 · Apply it

Social science: "Why Shared Bikes Spread"

(1) In the last two decades, bike-sharing programs have appeared in hundreds of cities around the world. The idea is simple: riders pick up a bicycle at one station, ride it across town and leave it at another. Yet many of the earliest experiments with shared bikes, in the 1960s and 1970s, failed. Bikes left free on the street were often stolen or damaged, and no one was responsible for repairing them.

(2) Modern systems have succeeded largely because of technology. Docking stations lock each bike in place, and riders unlock one with a card or a phone app that records who has it. Because every trip is linked to a user, bikes are far less likely to disappear. Sensors also tell operators which stations are running empty, so workers can move bikes to where they are needed.

(3) Bike sharing has also benefited from a shift in how city planners think about streets. Many planners now see cycling not as a hobby but as part of the transportation system, like buses and trains. Shared bikes can cover the "last mile" between a train station and a rider's home or office, a trip that is often too long to walk comfortably but too short to be worth driving.

(4) Still, bike sharing is not a cure for every city's problems. Systems work best where stations are close together and streets feel safe for cyclists. In neighborhoods with few protected bike lanes, many residents remain unwilling to ride, no matter how convenient the bikes are. For bike sharing to keep growing, cities must invest in the streets as well as the bikes.

As it is used in paragraph 3, the phrase "last mile" refers to:

Topic 3.2 · Apply it

Social science: "Why Shared Bikes Spread"

(1) In the last two decades, bike-sharing programs have appeared in hundreds of cities around the world. The idea is simple: riders pick up a bicycle at one station, ride it across town and leave it at another. Yet many of the earliest experiments with shared bikes, in the 1960s and 1970s, failed. Bikes left free on the street were often stolen or damaged, and no one was responsible for repairing them.

(2) Modern systems have succeeded largely because of technology. Docking stations lock each bike in place, and riders unlock one with a card or a phone app that records who has it. Because every trip is linked to a user, bikes are far less likely to disappear. Sensors also tell operators which stations are running empty, so workers can move bikes to where they are needed.

(3) Bike sharing has also benefited from a shift in how city planners think about streets. Many planners now see cycling not as a hobby but as part of the transportation system, like buses and trains. Shared bikes can cover the "last mile" between a train station and a rider's home or office, a trip that is often too long to walk comfortably but too short to be worth driving.

(4) Still, bike sharing is not a cure for every city's problems. Systems work best where stations are close together and streets feel safe for cyclists. In neighborhoods with few protected bike lanes, many residents remain unwilling to ride, no matter how convenient the bikes are. For bike sharing to keep growing, cities must invest in the streets as well as the bikes.

The main function of paragraph 4 is to:

Topic 3.2 · Apply it

Social science: "Why Shared Bikes Spread"

(1) In the last two decades, bike-sharing programs have appeared in hundreds of cities around the world. The idea is simple: riders pick up a bicycle at one station, ride it across town and leave it at another. Yet many of the earliest experiments with shared bikes, in the 1960s and 1970s, failed. Bikes left free on the street were often stolen or damaged, and no one was responsible for repairing them.

(2) Modern systems have succeeded largely because of technology. Docking stations lock each bike in place, and riders unlock one with a card or a phone app that records who has it. Because every trip is linked to a user, bikes are far less likely to disappear. Sensors also tell operators which stations are running empty, so workers can move bikes to where they are needed.

(3) Bike sharing has also benefited from a shift in how city planners think about streets. Many planners now see cycling not as a hobby but as part of the transportation system, like buses and trains. Shared bikes can cover the "last mile" between a train station and a rider's home or office, a trip that is often too long to walk comfortably but too short to be worth driving.

(4) Still, bike sharing is not a cure for every city's problems. Systems work best where stations are close together and streets feel safe for cyclists. In neighborhoods with few protected bike lanes, many residents remain unwilling to ride, no matter how convenient the bikes are. For bike sharing to keep growing, cities must invest in the streets as well as the bikes.

The author's attitude toward bike sharing is best described as:

Topic 3.3 · Experiment

Social science: "Why Shared Bikes Spread"

(1) In the last two decades, bike-sharing programs have appeared in hundreds of cities around the world. The idea is simple: riders pick up a bicycle at one station, ride it across town and leave it at another. Yet many of the earliest experiments with shared bikes, in the 1960s and 1970s, failed. Bikes left free on the street were often stolen or damaged, and no one was responsible for repairing them.

(2) Modern systems have succeeded largely because of technology. Docking stations lock each bike in place, and riders unlock one with a card or a phone app that records who has it. Because every trip is linked to a user, bikes are far less likely to disappear. Sensors also tell operators which stations are running empty, so workers can move bikes to where they are needed.

(3) Bike sharing has also benefited from a shift in how city planners think about streets. Many planners now see cycling not as a hobby but as part of the transportation system, like buses and trains. Shared bikes can cover the "last mile" between a train station and a rider's home or office, a trip that is often too long to walk comfortably but too short to be worth driving.

(4) Still, bike sharing is not a cure for every city's problems. Systems work best where stations are close together and streets feel safe for cyclists. In neighborhoods with few protected bike lanes, many residents remain unwilling to ride, no matter how convenient the bikes are. For bike sharing to keep growing, cities must invest in the streets as well as the bikes.

Which finding, if true, would most strongly support the claim in paragraph 4?

Topic 3.3 · Apply it

Social science: "Why Shared Bikes Spread"

(1) In the last two decades, bike-sharing programs have appeared in hundreds of cities around the world. The idea is simple: riders pick up a bicycle at one station, ride it across town and leave it at another. Yet many of the earliest experiments with shared bikes, in the 1960s and 1970s, failed. Bikes left free on the street were often stolen or damaged, and no one was responsible for repairing them.

(2) Modern systems have succeeded largely because of technology. Docking stations lock each bike in place, and riders unlock one with a card or a phone app that records who has it. Because every trip is linked to a user, bikes are far less likely to disappear. Sensors also tell operators which stations are running empty, so workers can move bikes to where they are needed.

(3) Bike sharing has also benefited from a shift in how city planners think about streets. Many planners now see cycling not as a hobby but as part of the transportation system, like buses and trains. Shared bikes can cover the "last mile" between a train station and a rider's home or office, a trip that is often too long to walk comfortably but too short to be worth driving.

(4) Still, bike sharing is not a cure for every city's problems. Systems work best where stations are close together and streets feel safe for cyclists. In neighborhoods with few protected bike lanes, many residents remain unwilling to ride, no matter how convenient the bikes are. For bike sharing to keep growing, cities must invest in the streets as well as the bikes.

Based on the passage as a whole, the author would most likely agree that:

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Social science: "Why Shared Bikes Spread"

(1) In the last two decades, bike-sharing programs have appeared in hundreds of cities around the world. The idea is simple: riders pick up a bicycle at one station, ride it across town and leave it at another. Yet many of the earliest experiments with shared bikes, in the 1960s and 1970s, failed. Bikes left free on the street were often stolen or damaged, and no one was responsible for repairing them.

(2) Modern systems have succeeded largely because of technology. Docking stations lock each bike in place, and riders unlock one with a card or a phone app that records who has it. Because every trip is linked to a user, bikes are far less likely to disappear. Sensors also tell operators which stations are running empty, so workers can move bikes to where they are needed.

(3) Bike sharing has also benefited from a shift in how city planners think about streets. Many planners now see cycling not as a hobby but as part of the transportation system, like buses and trains. Shared bikes can cover the "last mile" between a train station and a rider's home or office, a trip that is often too long to walk comfortably but too short to be worth driving.

(4) Still, bike sharing is not a cure for every city's problems. Systems work best where stations are close together and streets feel safe for cyclists. In neighborhoods with few protected bike lanes, many residents remain unwilling to ride, no matter how convenient the bikes are. For bike sharing to keep growing, cities must invest in the streets as well as the bikes.

It can reasonably be inferred from paragraph 2 that sensors at docking stations help operators mainly by:

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Humanities: "Learning to See" (a personal essay)

(1) For most of my life I believed I could not draw. My stick figures leaned like tired fence posts, and my attempts at faces looked like potatoes. So when a friend invited me to a weekly sketching group at the city museum, I almost said no.

(2) The group's leader, a retired art teacher named Ms. Okafor, began the first session with an odd instruction. "Don't draw the statue," she said. "Draw what you actually see." I didn't understand the difference until I tried. When I drew a hand, I drew the hand I knew: five equal fingers spread like a star. But the marble hand in front of me was curled, and from where I sat two of its fingers were almost hidden.

(3) That, I came to realize, was the real lesson. Drawing is less a skill of the hand than a habit of the eye. Most of the time we glance at things just long enough to name them (cup, tree, hand) and then stop looking. Sketching forces us to keep looking past the name, to notice the angle of a shadow or the way a sleeve folds.

(4) I am still not a good artist, and my drawings rarely leave my notebook. But the habit has followed me out of the museum. On the bus I notice the shapes of people's hands on the railing; in the park I notice that no two leaves on a branch tilt the same way. I didn't learn to draw so much as I learned to see.

Which statement best expresses the main point of the passage?

Topic 3.2 · Apply it

Humanities: "Learning to See" (a personal essay)

(1) For most of my life I believed I could not draw. My stick figures leaned like tired fence posts, and my attempts at faces looked like potatoes. So when a friend invited me to a weekly sketching group at the city museum, I almost said no.

(2) The group's leader, a retired art teacher named Ms. Okafor, began the first session with an odd instruction. "Don't draw the statue," she said. "Draw what you actually see." I didn't understand the difference until I tried. When I drew a hand, I drew the hand I knew: five equal fingers spread like a star. But the marble hand in front of me was curled, and from where I sat two of its fingers were almost hidden.

(3) That, I came to realize, was the real lesson. Drawing is less a skill of the hand than a habit of the eye. Most of the time we glance at things just long enough to name them (cup, tree, hand) and then stop looking. Sketching forces us to keep looking past the name, to notice the angle of a shadow or the way a sleeve folds.

(4) I am still not a good artist, and my drawings rarely leave my notebook. But the habit has followed me out of the museum. On the bus I notice the shapes of people's hands on the railing; in the park I notice that no two leaves on a branch tilt the same way. I didn't learn to draw so much as I learned to see.

The first paragraph mainly serves to:

Topic 3.2 · Apply it

Humanities: "Learning to See" (a personal essay)

(1) For most of my life I believed I could not draw. My stick figures leaned like tired fence posts, and my attempts at faces looked like potatoes. So when a friend invited me to a weekly sketching group at the city museum, I almost said no.

(2) The group's leader, a retired art teacher named Ms. Okafor, began the first session with an odd instruction. "Don't draw the statue," she said. "Draw what you actually see." I didn't understand the difference until I tried. When I drew a hand, I drew the hand I knew: five equal fingers spread like a star. But the marble hand in front of me was curled, and from where I sat two of its fingers were almost hidden.

(3) That, I came to realize, was the real lesson. Drawing is less a skill of the hand than a habit of the eye. Most of the time we glance at things just long enough to name them (cup, tree, hand) and then stop looking. Sketching forces us to keep looking past the name, to notice the angle of a shadow or the way a sleeve folds.

(4) I am still not a good artist, and my drawings rarely leave my notebook. But the habit has followed me out of the museum. On the bus I notice the shapes of people's hands on the railing; in the park I notice that no two leaves on a branch tilt the same way. I didn't learn to draw so much as I learned to see.

The comparison of the narrator's stick figures to "tired fence posts" (paragraph 1) mainly suggests that the drawings looked:

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Humanities: "Learning to See" (a personal essay)

(1) For most of my life I believed I could not draw. My stick figures leaned like tired fence posts, and my attempts at faces looked like potatoes. So when a friend invited me to a weekly sketching group at the city museum, I almost said no.

(2) The group's leader, a retired art teacher named Ms. Okafor, began the first session with an odd instruction. "Don't draw the statue," she said. "Draw what you actually see." I didn't understand the difference until I tried. When I drew a hand, I drew the hand I knew: five equal fingers spread like a star. But the marble hand in front of me was curled, and from where I sat two of its fingers were almost hidden.

(3) That, I came to realize, was the real lesson. Drawing is less a skill of the hand than a habit of the eye. Most of the time we glance at things just long enough to name them (cup, tree, hand) and then stop looking. Sketching forces us to keep looking past the name, to notice the angle of a shadow or the way a sleeve folds.

(4) I am still not a good artist, and my drawings rarely leave my notebook. But the habit has followed me out of the museum. On the bus I notice the shapes of people's hands on the railing; in the park I notice that no two leaves on a branch tilt the same way. I didn't learn to draw so much as I learned to see.

Ms. Okafor's instruction "Draw what you actually see" asks students to:

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Humanities: "Learning to See" (a personal essay)

(1) For most of my life I believed I could not draw. My stick figures leaned like tired fence posts, and my attempts at faces looked like potatoes. So when a friend invited me to a weekly sketching group at the city museum, I almost said no.

(2) The group's leader, a retired art teacher named Ms. Okafor, began the first session with an odd instruction. "Don't draw the statue," she said. "Draw what you actually see." I didn't understand the difference until I tried. When I drew a hand, I drew the hand I knew: five equal fingers spread like a star. But the marble hand in front of me was curled, and from where I sat two of its fingers were almost hidden.

(3) That, I came to realize, was the real lesson. Drawing is less a skill of the hand than a habit of the eye. Most of the time we glance at things just long enough to name them (cup, tree, hand) and then stop looking. Sketching forces us to keep looking past the name, to notice the angle of a shadow or the way a sleeve folds.

(4) I am still not a good artist, and my drawings rarely leave my notebook. But the habit has followed me out of the museum. On the bus I notice the shapes of people's hands on the railing; in the park I notice that no two leaves on a branch tilt the same way. I didn't learn to draw so much as I learned to see.

According to paragraph 2, the narrator's first drawing of the hand was inaccurate because the narrator:

Topic 3.2 · Apply it

Humanities: "Learning to See" (a personal essay)

(1) For most of my life I believed I could not draw. My stick figures leaned like tired fence posts, and my attempts at faces looked like potatoes. So when a friend invited me to a weekly sketching group at the city museum, I almost said no.

(2) The group's leader, a retired art teacher named Ms. Okafor, began the first session with an odd instruction. "Don't draw the statue," she said. "Draw what you actually see." I didn't understand the difference until I tried. When I drew a hand, I drew the hand I knew: five equal fingers spread like a star. But the marble hand in front of me was curled, and from where I sat two of its fingers were almost hidden.

(3) That, I came to realize, was the real lesson. Drawing is less a skill of the hand than a habit of the eye. Most of the time we glance at things just long enough to name them (cup, tree, hand) and then stop looking. Sketching forces us to keep looking past the name, to notice the angle of a shadow or the way a sleeve folds.

(4) I am still not a good artist, and my drawings rarely leave my notebook. But the habit has followed me out of the museum. On the bus I notice the shapes of people's hands on the railing; in the park I notice that no two leaves on a branch tilt the same way. I didn't learn to draw so much as I learned to see.

As it is used in paragraph 3, the word "habit" most nearly means:

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Humanities: "Learning to See" (a personal essay)

(1) For most of my life I believed I could not draw. My stick figures leaned like tired fence posts, and my attempts at faces looked like potatoes. So when a friend invited me to a weekly sketching group at the city museum, I almost said no.

(2) The group's leader, a retired art teacher named Ms. Okafor, began the first session with an odd instruction. "Don't draw the statue," she said. "Draw what you actually see." I didn't understand the difference until I tried. When I drew a hand, I drew the hand I knew: five equal fingers spread like a star. But the marble hand in front of me was curled, and from where I sat two of its fingers were almost hidden.

(3) That, I came to realize, was the real lesson. Drawing is less a skill of the hand than a habit of the eye. Most of the time we glance at things just long enough to name them (cup, tree, hand) and then stop looking. Sketching forces us to keep looking past the name, to notice the angle of a shadow or the way a sleeve folds.

(4) I am still not a good artist, and my drawings rarely leave my notebook. But the habit has followed me out of the museum. On the bus I notice the shapes of people's hands on the railing; in the park I notice that no two leaves on a branch tilt the same way. I didn't learn to draw so much as I learned to see.

According to paragraph 3, people usually stop looking at an object once they:

Topic 3.3 · Apply it

Humanities: "Learning to See" (a personal essay)

(1) For most of my life I believed I could not draw. My stick figures leaned like tired fence posts, and my attempts at faces looked like potatoes. So when a friend invited me to a weekly sketching group at the city museum, I almost said no.

(2) The group's leader, a retired art teacher named Ms. Okafor, began the first session with an odd instruction. "Don't draw the statue," she said. "Draw what you actually see." I didn't understand the difference until I tried. When I drew a hand, I drew the hand I knew: five equal fingers spread like a star. But the marble hand in front of me was curled, and from where I sat two of its fingers were almost hidden.

(3) That, I came to realize, was the real lesson. Drawing is less a skill of the hand than a habit of the eye. Most of the time we glance at things just long enough to name them (cup, tree, hand) and then stop looking. Sketching forces us to keep looking past the name, to notice the angle of a shadow or the way a sleeve folds.

(4) I am still not a good artist, and my drawings rarely leave my notebook. But the habit has followed me out of the museum. On the bus I notice the shapes of people's hands on the railing; in the park I notice that no two leaves on a branch tilt the same way. I didn't learn to draw so much as I learned to see.

Which detail from paragraph 4 best supports the claim that the narrator's new habit has "followed me out of the museum"?

Topic 3.3 · Apply it

Humanities: "Learning to See" (a personal essay)

(1) For most of my life I believed I could not draw. My stick figures leaned like tired fence posts, and my attempts at faces looked like potatoes. So when a friend invited me to a weekly sketching group at the city museum, I almost said no.

(2) The group's leader, a retired art teacher named Ms. Okafor, began the first session with an odd instruction. "Don't draw the statue," she said. "Draw what you actually see." I didn't understand the difference until I tried. When I drew a hand, I drew the hand I knew: five equal fingers spread like a star. But the marble hand in front of me was curled, and from where I sat two of its fingers were almost hidden.

(3) That, I came to realize, was the real lesson. Drawing is less a skill of the hand than a habit of the eye. Most of the time we glance at things just long enough to name them (cup, tree, hand) and then stop looking. Sketching forces us to keep looking past the name, to notice the angle of a shadow or the way a sleeve folds.

(4) I am still not a good artist, and my drawings rarely leave my notebook. But the habit has followed me out of the museum. On the bus I notice the shapes of people's hands on the railing; in the park I notice that no two leaves on a branch tilt the same way. I didn't learn to draw so much as I learned to see.

The narrator would most likely agree with which statement?

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Natural science: two passages about why zebras have stripes

Passage A
For more than a century, scientists have debated why zebras have stripes. One long-standing idea is that stripes protect zebras from predators. When a herd runs, the stripes of many animals may blur together, making it hard for a lion or hyena to pick out a single target. Supporters of this view point out that zebras live in open grasslands, where hiding is difficult and confusing a predator could mean the difference between life and death.

Passage B
A growing body of research points to a smaller enemy: biting flies. In parts of Africa, horseflies and tsetse flies spread diseases that can be deadly to horses and their relatives. In one experiment, researchers put striped coats on horses and found that far fewer flies landed on them than on horses wearing plain coats. Video showed that flies approached the striped coats but failed to slow down properly, bumping into them or flying past. These results suggest that stripes may disrupt how flies judge where to land. Researchers also note that lions do not seem to have unusual difficulty catching zebras.

According to Passage A, stripes may protect zebras by:

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Natural science: two passages about why zebras have stripes

Passage A
For more than a century, scientists have debated why zebras have stripes. One long-standing idea is that stripes protect zebras from predators. When a herd runs, the stripes of many animals may blur together, making it hard for a lion or hyena to pick out a single target. Supporters of this view point out that zebras live in open grasslands, where hiding is difficult and confusing a predator could mean the difference between life and death.

Passage B
A growing body of research points to a smaller enemy: biting flies. In parts of Africa, horseflies and tsetse flies spread diseases that can be deadly to horses and their relatives. In one experiment, researchers put striped coats on horses and found that far fewer flies landed on them than on horses wearing plain coats. Video showed that flies approached the striped coats but failed to slow down properly, bumping into them or flying past. These results suggest that stripes may disrupt how flies judge where to land. Researchers also note that lions do not seem to have unusual difficulty catching zebras.

In the experiment described in Passage B, the researchers compared:

Topic 3.1 · Apply it

Natural science: two passages about why zebras have stripes

Passage A
For more than a century, scientists have debated why zebras have stripes. One long-standing idea is that stripes protect zebras from predators. When a herd runs, the stripes of many animals may blur together, making it hard for a lion or hyena to pick out a single target. Supporters of this view point out that zebras live in open grasslands, where hiding is difficult and confusing a predator could mean the difference between life and death.

Passage B
A growing body of research points to a smaller enemy: biting flies. In parts of Africa, horseflies and tsetse flies spread diseases that can be deadly to horses and their relatives. In one experiment, researchers put striped coats on horses and found that far fewer flies landed on them than on horses wearing plain coats. Video showed that flies approached the striped coats but failed to slow down properly, bumping into them or flying past. These results suggest that stripes may disrupt how flies judge where to land. Researchers also note that lions do not seem to have unusual difficulty catching zebras.

According to Passage B, video of the experiment showed that flies:

Topic 3.2 · Apply it

Natural science: two passages about why zebras have stripes

Passage A
For more than a century, scientists have debated why zebras have stripes. One long-standing idea is that stripes protect zebras from predators. When a herd runs, the stripes of many animals may blur together, making it hard for a lion or hyena to pick out a single target. Supporters of this view point out that zebras live in open grasslands, where hiding is difficult and confusing a predator could mean the difference between life and death.

Passage B
A growing body of research points to a smaller enemy: biting flies. In parts of Africa, horseflies and tsetse flies spread diseases that can be deadly to horses and their relatives. In one experiment, researchers put striped coats on horses and found that far fewer flies landed on them than on horses wearing plain coats. Video showed that flies approached the striped coats but failed to slow down properly, bumping into them or flying past. These results suggest that stripes may disrupt how flies judge where to land. Researchers also note that lions do not seem to have unusual difficulty catching zebras.

In Passage B, the phrase "a smaller enemy" refers to:

Topic 3.2 · Apply it

Natural science: two passages about why zebras have stripes

Passage A
For more than a century, scientists have debated why zebras have stripes. One long-standing idea is that stripes protect zebras from predators. When a herd runs, the stripes of many animals may blur together, making it hard for a lion or hyena to pick out a single target. Supporters of this view point out that zebras live in open grasslands, where hiding is difficult and confusing a predator could mean the difference between life and death.

Passage B
A growing body of research points to a smaller enemy: biting flies. In parts of Africa, horseflies and tsetse flies spread diseases that can be deadly to horses and their relatives. In one experiment, researchers put striped coats on horses and found that far fewer flies landed on them than on horses wearing plain coats. Video showed that flies approached the striped coats but failed to slow down properly, bumping into them or flying past. These results suggest that stripes may disrupt how flies judge where to land. Researchers also note that lions do not seem to have unusual difficulty catching zebras.

The last sentence of Passage B mainly serves to:

Topic 3.3 · Apply it

Natural science: two passages about why zebras have stripes

Passage A
For more than a century, scientists have debated why zebras have stripes. One long-standing idea is that stripes protect zebras from predators. When a herd runs, the stripes of many animals may blur together, making it hard for a lion or hyena to pick out a single target. Supporters of this view point out that zebras live in open grasslands, where hiding is difficult and confusing a predator could mean the difference between life and death.

Passage B
A growing body of research points to a smaller enemy: biting flies. In parts of Africa, horseflies and tsetse flies spread diseases that can be deadly to horses and their relatives. In one experiment, researchers put striped coats on horses and found that far fewer flies landed on them than on horses wearing plain coats. Video showed that flies approached the striped coats but failed to slow down properly, bumping into them or flying past. These results suggest that stripes may disrupt how flies judge where to land. Researchers also note that lions do not seem to have unusual difficulty catching zebras.

The authors of both passages would most likely agree that:

Topic 3.3 · Apply it

Natural science: two passages about why zebras have stripes

Passage A
For more than a century, scientists have debated why zebras have stripes. One long-standing idea is that stripes protect zebras from predators. When a herd runs, the stripes of many animals may blur together, making it hard for a lion or hyena to pick out a single target. Supporters of this view point out that zebras live in open grasslands, where hiding is difficult and confusing a predator could mean the difference between life and death.

Passage B
A growing body of research points to a smaller enemy: biting flies. In parts of Africa, horseflies and tsetse flies spread diseases that can be deadly to horses and their relatives. In one experiment, researchers put striped coats on horses and found that far fewer flies landed on them than on horses wearing plain coats. Video showed that flies approached the striped coats but failed to slow down properly, bumping into them or flying past. These results suggest that stripes may disrupt how flies judge where to land. Researchers also note that lions do not seem to have unusual difficulty catching zebras.

How would the researchers described in Passage B most likely respond to the idea in Passage A?

Topic 3.3 · Experiment

Natural science: two passages about why zebras have stripes

Passage A
For more than a century, scientists have debated why zebras have stripes. One long-standing idea is that stripes protect zebras from predators. When a herd runs, the stripes of many animals may blur together, making it hard for a lion or hyena to pick out a single target. Supporters of this view point out that zebras live in open grasslands, where hiding is difficult and confusing a predator could mean the difference between life and death.

Passage B
A growing body of research points to a smaller enemy: biting flies. In parts of Africa, horseflies and tsetse flies spread diseases that can be deadly to horses and their relatives. In one experiment, researchers put striped coats on horses and found that far fewer flies landed on them than on horses wearing plain coats. Video showed that flies approached the striped coats but failed to slow down properly, bumping into them or flying past. These results suggest that stripes may disrupt how flies judge where to land. Researchers also note that lions do not seem to have unusual difficulty catching zebras.

Which finding, if true, would most strengthen the explanation in Passage B?

Topic 3.3 · Apply it

Natural science: two passages about why zebras have stripes

Passage A
For more than a century, scientists have debated why zebras have stripes. One long-standing idea is that stripes protect zebras from predators. When a herd runs, the stripes of many animals may blur together, making it hard for a lion or hyena to pick out a single target. Supporters of this view point out that zebras live in open grasslands, where hiding is difficult and confusing a predator could mean the difference between life and death.

Passage B
A growing body of research points to a smaller enemy: biting flies. In parts of Africa, horseflies and tsetse flies spread diseases that can be deadly to horses and their relatives. In one experiment, researchers put striped coats on horses and found that far fewer flies landed on them than on horses wearing plain coats. Video showed that flies approached the striped coats but failed to slow down properly, bumping into them or flying past. These results suggest that stripes may disrupt how flies judge where to land. Researchers also note that lions do not seem to have unusual difficulty catching zebras.

Unlike Passage A, Passage B: