Reading Foundations

• Preview before reading: glance at the questions, mark line references and key terms, then pick a reading mode (a quick 2 to 3 minute skim, or reading chunk by chunk as the questions send you) and keep a one-line note per paragraph
• Key detail questions first: go back to the text and point to the line that proves the answer before locking it
• Summary questions: pick the choice that covers the whole paragraph or passage, and name the reason each wrong choice fails (not stated, too narrow, distorted detail, extreme wording)
• Main idea questions last: state the passage's point in one sentence of your own, then match a choice
• Finish on one ACT-hard question and say what made it hard

The ACT Reading section has 36 questions in 40 minutes: four passages with 9 questions each, so about 10 minutes per passage. On every official practice test one of the four is a pair of shorter passages (Passage A and Passage B), and most tests include one informational passage with a table or graph. Passages are printed with line numbers (every fifth line is numbered in the margin), and many questions point to them: 'As it is used in line 27, the word ... most nearly means' or 'The main point of the third paragraph (lines 22-35) is that'. To find line 27, go to the printed 25 and count down two lines, then read from the sentence before to the sentence after. On the enhanced ACT each passage is labeled Literary Narrative or Informational, and informational passages draw on social science, humanities, and natural science topics; each of those kinds gets its own lesson later. One passage may come with a graph or table, and when a part has two shorter passages, some questions ask about both. Start with a preview: glance at the questions, mark any line references and key terms, then read. Two reading modes work: a quick skim of the whole passage in about 2 to 3 minutes before answering, or reading chunk by chunk as the questions send you; a student who runs out of time on Reading should try the second. Active reading means reading with a purpose: notice topic sentences and transition words like 'however' and 'therefore,' and jot a one-line note for each paragraph on scratch paper. Order rule: answer the specific and line-reference questions first and the whole-passage and main idea questions last, because the specific questions teach you the passage. Three question types form the base of the section. Main idea questions ask what the whole passage (or a paragraph) is mostly about; say the point in your own words first, then match a choice, and reject choices that are too narrow (one detail) or too broad (beyond the passage). Summary questions ask for the choice that best restates a paragraph or the passage; the right answer covers the beginning, middle, and end, not one vivid moment. Key detail questions ask what the passage states directly; the right answer is a paraphrase of a specific line, so always go back and find that line rather than answering from memory. A useful time split is about 3 to 4 minutes reading and 6 to 7 minutes answering, which adds up to the 10 minutes per passage. Proof habit: before locking any answer, point to the line that supports it; if no line does, the choice is out. Name the reason each wrong choice fails: not stated in the passage, too narrow (fits one part only), a distorted detail (the right words with a changed meaning), extreme wording, or true but not an answer to this question. A plausibility filter helps too: a choice that makes a sweeping or insulting claim about a real person or group is rarely the credited answer. At the hard end of the section, the trap choice paraphrases a line right next to the proving line, and the first paragraph can suggest a main idea that the rest of the passage turns away from, so the proof must be the exact line and the main idea must fit the whole passage.

• Spend roughly 3 to 4 minutes reading a passage and 6 to 7 minutes answering its 9 questions. Adjust as needed.
• Do main idea questions last. Check your one-sentence point against the first and last paragraphs and make sure it also fits the middle.
• For detail questions, point to the line that proves the answer. If you cannot find it, the choice is probably wrong.
• On test day you may do the passages in any order. Starting with your strongest type builds confidence and banks time.