The Writer's Goal

• Underline the goal named in the stem ('emphasize', 'illustrate the contrast', 'suggest', 'most effectively introduces') and pick the choice that does exactly that job, knowing that 'Given that all the choices are accurate' means truth is not the test
• Choose the opening, transition, or closing sentence that connects to both what comes before and what comes after, or that ties a conclusion back to the essay's main idea
• Answer 'Suppose the writer's primary purpose had been to...' items: say in a few words what the essay mostly does, compare it with the stated purpose, decide Yes or No, then pick the reason that is true of the essay
• Reject the goal-question traps: a choice that is accurate but off goal, a choice that fits only one detail, and a Yes or No whose reason describes something the essay never does
• Finish on one ACT-hard question and say what made it hard

Goal questions put the job in the question. The stems sound like this: 'The writer wants to emphasize how crowded the market was. Which choice best accomplishes that goal?'; 'Given that all the choices are accurate, which one most effectively leads into the rest of the essay?'; 'Which choice most effectively introduces the main idea of the paragraph?'; 'Which choice best concludes the essay by referring back to its opening?'; and, at the end of most passages, 'Suppose the writer's primary purpose had been to... Would this essay accomplish that purpose?' routine for a goal in the stem: (1) underline the goal words, every one of them: 'emphasize the volunteers' patience' has two parts, so a choice that praises the volunteers but says nothing about patience misses; (2) every choice is accurate and usually grammatical, so ignore truth and grammar and test only the goal; (3) say why each wrong choice misses: it does a different job, it is too narrow for the paragraph, it is too broad, or it fits the sentence but not the goal. Openings, transitions, and closings: an opening sentence must cover everything the paragraph goes on to say, so a choice that matches only the first detail is too narrow. A transition between paragraphs must point back to the paragraph before and forward to the paragraph after; read both before you choose. A closing sentence that 'ties back' or 'refers to the opening' must echo something specific from the first paragraph. Whole-essay purpose ('Suppose the writer's primary purpose had been to...'): before you read the choices, say in one sentence what the essay mostly does ('it profiles one beekeeper and how she saved her hives'). Compare that with the purpose in the stem. If the essay does that job, the answer is Yes; if it mostly does something else, or touches the purpose only in a sentence or two, the answer is No. Then test the reasons the same way as on add and delete items: two choices share the right Yes or No, and only one gives a reason that is true of the essay. A No reason often starts 'instead, it focuses on...' and must name what the essay actually does. Traps: a Yes reason that cites one detail that fits the purpose (one mention is not the essay's purpose), a No reason that claims the essay omits something it actually includes, and a purpose that is close to the essay's but broader ('a history of the sport' when the essay profiles one player). The ACT-hard version: the goal in the stem has two parts and three choices satisfy only one of them, or the essay contains a paragraph that fits the stated purpose but the essay as a whole is about something else, so the answer is No even though a Yes reason quotes a true detail.

• Underline every word of the goal. A choice that meets half of it is wrong.
• 'Given that all the choices are accurate' means you are not checking facts, only the goal.
• For an opening sentence, read the whole paragraph first. The right opening covers all of it.
• For 'primary purpose' questions, say what the essay mostly does before you look at Yes or No.
• A No reason must describe what the essay really does instead. Check it against the passage.