ACT Past Papers with Answers

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 2. around. Everywhere, around everywhere. around everywhere to work. to friends houses. Years later. my guitar

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 3. accompanied me on business trips. No matter where I was. playing it made me feel a little bit closer io home.

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 4. trips, no tnatter where I wa¥, GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. ACT-AIQ But one day, after landing in Honolulu. Hawaii, for an extended trip, I couldn't locate my guitar on the luggage carousel. Panicked, I assailed airport

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Which choice best illustrates ihe fervor with which the narrator communicated with the airport personnel? approached contacted personnel, who assured myself that they would

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 6. whom assured myself whom assured me who assured me try to recover my beloved instrument. At that moment of my extended trip, continuing the trip

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 7. moment, due to the fact that I was on an extended trip, very moment during my time in Honolulu, moment, without it seemed impossible. My worries began to dissipate, otherwise, as I

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 8. instead, walked out of the airport and upon th¢ baltny Hawaiian

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 9. amid onto into air. In front of me, a man was playing what looked like a miniature guitar. Wartn, mellow tones accrued from A• the instrument, complementing the lyrical rhythm of

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 10. appeared issued the Hawaiiall words he sang. It was a ukulele. As soon as I could, I bought a ukulele of my own, I began to linger on the beach, where several native Hawaiians often played. I watched them for hours, my

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 11. ukulele in my hands, and practiced. Unlike the guitar, which has six strings, my ukulele had four- to make the same chords with the uke, I had to learn completely different finger positions. I also had trouble with dexterity at first because the neck of the uke is much narrower then that of a guitar. I had to retrain my fingers to makc k2 Stnaller movements in order to shape the choids.

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 12. then it. ACT-A10 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. When I wasn't working, I was on the beach, losing myself in the bright notes of the uke. Eventually, I began playing music 13

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Which choice best specifies the type of songs the nar- rator played on the ukulele? tropical tunes things like "He'eia" as the locals. 14

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 14. And the sound of the ukulele is synonymous Is with the romance and beauty of Hawaii's beaches. 15

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Which choice best concludes the essay by emphasizillg the central point made in the first and second paragraphs? guitarless time in Honolulu. I telt like I was home. want to leave. PASSAGE11 Hedy Lamarr, Across the Spectrum In 1940, Hedy Lamarr was becoming a Hollywood star, but she was bored. On set for only three months of the year, she filled her spare time with an unusual hobby: inventing. World War Il wa8 underway in Europe, where Lamarr had grown up, and she hoped to invent something to help the Allied cause. Because Lamarr's former husband had often discussed his work in munitions, the actress knew about weaponry. ACT-A10 GO ON TO THE NExf PAGE. She had ideas of her own, including an idea of hers for a torpedo with a sophisticated radio-controlled

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 16. one idea that she had one guidance system. l7 amarr knew that radio signals

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

At this point, the writer i.s considering dividing the paiagraph into two. Making this change would help organAZ¢ the essay by separating: an analysis of Lamarr's first invention from details about anotheT one she later developed. information about the origin of LamarT'S idea from details about how the invention would work. an overview of Lamarr's film career from an acLount of how she conceived of her invention. information about radio signals. on one frequency i.q easy to jam by anyone sending a 18

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 18. is easily jammed competing signal on the same frequency. She envisioned a iy sy.stem that used dozens of frequencies to transmit a signal Éo guide torpedoes. To protect the signal further. transmitters and receivers would jump from frequency

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 19. to frequency in a predet¢rmined order that would seem random to an outsider. Such a signal like that would be

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 20. similar to that would be would be difficult and would be hard to detect and nearly impossible to disrnpt. [1] In August 1940, Lamarr met composer George Antheil, and the two begdn collaboiating. [2] Antheil, who had synchronizcd player pianos for hi.4 compositions. had the mechanical knowledge that Lamarr needed to instigate 21 her idea. [3] Then in 1942, the inventors heard that the

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 21. implement Navy had rejected their idea. [4] They submitted the "Secret Communication sy￿￿tem, lo the mijitary in June 1941. [5] In the decades after the war. however, the US

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 22. war. however, war, however war however military discovered the value of Lamarr's idea, which came to be called "spread spectrum,, and used it in guidance. radio, and navigation systems, 23

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

For the sake of logic and cohesion, Sentence 3 should be placed: where it is now. after Sentence 4. ACT-A10 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. In 1978, spread spectn]m was declassified, and it made a difference. Devices that operate 24

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Which choice most Strongly and specifjcally empha- sizes that the declassification of spread spectrnm was a turning point in the history of communication technology. revolutionized things. wirelessly, cellular phones, wireless Internet networks,

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 25. wirelessly-cellular phones, wireles8ly: cellular phones, wirelessly, cellular phones the Global Positioning System-functioning because

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 26. of Lamarr's idea. It wasn't until 1996 that Lamarr and 27

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 27. Antheil, they were finally given credit for spread spectrum. 28

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 28. However, they were awarded the Pioneer Award from the 29 Electronic Frontier Foundation. Upon hearing of her

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 29. B, Conversely, they award, Lamarr said, "It's about time." Question 30 asks about the preceding passage as a whole. 30, Suppose the writcr's piiinary purpose had been lo give an overview of the history of an important invention. Would this essay accomplish that purpose. Antheil's invention of spread 8pectrum and the invention's significance. changed the course of World. War II by inventing spread spectrum. Antheil's invention, it does not establish the importance of spread spectrum. and their collaborations in the film industry. ACT-A10 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. PASSAGE 111 Climbing Mt. Windmill [1] They're some 45,0(K) electricity-generating 31 wind turbines in th¢ United States, and the task

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 30. Refer to the source image.

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 31. of repairing and maintaining these huge machines have represented a substantial undertaking. Ladders 32 inside the towers simplify access to the generators

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 32. are representing represent and controllers within the turbine housing. In contrast, 33

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 33. servicAng the turbine blades those long fiberglass vanes that slice through the air, is a serious challenge.

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 34. through the air- through the air, through the air [2] [A] Rock climbers are comfortable in high places and capable. equipped with rope and other simple gea¥, of scaling almost anything. After completing speckalized 35

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 35. climbing ncarly dnything something they're able to do. ascending just about anything by climbing it. using rope to climb almost anything.

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 36. old skills and new knowledge turn rock climbeT% into ideal "rope tcchnicians." new careers as "rope technicians" open up for rock climbers. idedl "rope technicians" can be made out of rock climbers. training, rock climbers become ideal "rope technicians., When the rope technicians arrive across a turbine, 37 they first lock the blades into a bunny ears" position, in which two blades angle up and one blade points straight down. The technicians climb the ladder inside the tower, secure themselves wilh ropes harnesses, open a hatch in the turbine's housin8, and Tappel down the vertical blade.

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 37. with via [4] Certainly, turbin¢ blades withstand severe stress. The blades zip through the elements as fast as 200 miles ACT-A10 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. per hour, braving heat, h&il, blizzards, and more. Yet despite enduring such harsh conditions, most turbine blades that rope technicians service only need a thorough cleaning or otber basic upkeep, such as a new coat of paint. [B] Sometimes, the task can b¢ more complicated". patching fEberglass damage from a lightning strike, for example. [5] The laigest wind turbine blades are 38 over 270 feet long. Technicians work in

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Given that all the choices are true, which one would provide the most effective illtroduction to the paragraph? bled in five years. pairs. while they don't climb in high winds,

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 39. extreme temperatures, or precipitation. Whether there's

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 40. lightning within thirty miles, the technicians stay on the ground. [C] Precautions such as these-along with 41

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 41. these rigorous procedures and training, make the job quite safe. 42

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 42. [6] is making makes For many rock climbers, being a rope technician is a dream job. [D] Fresh air, great vistas, to Practice climbing daily, and ample time off to scale 43

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 43. they practice climbing regularly, while ofien practicing climbing,

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

The writer wants to end this sentence by emphasizing that rock climbers in particular may find being a rope technician an appealing occupation, Which choice best accomplishes that goal? what inspires rock climbers to reach such heights? what more could a climber wantg ready to sign up yet? actual rocks-it's not a typical job description, is it? ACT.A10 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. Queslion 45 asks about the preceding passage as a whole.

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

The writer wants to add the following sentence to the essay". Enter rock climbers. The sentence would most logically k placed at: PASSAGE IV The following paragraphs may or may not be n the most logical order. Each paragraph is num- bered in brackets, and question 59 will ask you to choose where Paragraph 3 should most logically be placed. Christy's Constltutfion [1] From shoes to chandelier, Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of ihe United States blend accuracy with 46

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 46. artistic license to achieve the artist's vision of an event 47 that took place in Philadelphi2's Independence Hall. The

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Which choice best indicates where the painting is on display. in a way that is not immediately apparent to all who see it OD display. in one of the most famous paintings in Washing- ton, DC. on a canvas that has been on display for many decades. 47 attist, Howard Chandler Christy. was born in 1873, long after George Washington presided-over the momentous

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 48. ev¢nt that in 1787 served the finaj role of ending the 49

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 49. ended in the conclusion of concluded Constitutional Convention. ACT-AIQ GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. [2] [1] The group portrait, as big as a billboard, hangs in the US Capitol building, where it was installed in 1940. [2] Christy's prior preparations in advance of the work 50 included a visit to Philadelphia to study how the light falls through the windows in Independence Hall. [31 Christy arranged to see the inkwells into which the 51 quills would have becn dipped as the delegates prepar¢d to make history. [4] He scoured countless drawings of

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 50. advance preparations preceding

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 51. which period furniture and fabric8. noting color, texture, design. $2

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 52. of which were noted 15] Hunting down portraits of the signers and scrutinized 53

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 53. them. 54

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

The writer wants to add the following statement to the paragraph: He deliberately timed his trip for September, the month in whicb the thirty-nine signers had put their names on the revered document. This statement would most logically be placed after: [3] Such measures may seem standard in the making of historical paintings, but that is not the case. For example, in Emanuel Luetze's Washirtgton Cmssins the Delaware, the president strikes a noble pose on a boat. Experts now agree could not have been the vessel 55 that carried the revolutionary leader across the river. In

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 55. D, boat, experts another, painting of the signing of the US Constitution, artist Barry Faulkner places the figures in a Roman ruin.

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 56. another painting of the signing, another painting of the signing another painting, of the signing [4] Accurate in many respects, Christy's paintlDg also plays with the truth to suggest the grandeur of the moment. For instance, Washington benefits from more ACT-A10 10 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. than his share of natural light, which singles him oul in Christy's famous painting. Many of the assembled 57

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Which choice both supports the claim the writer makes in the preceding sentence about the grandeur of the moment and best emphasizes that Christy deliberately presents Washington as having a special status among the signers? as a hero among heroes. with visual effects. in the group. men. luminarie￿* as Benjamin Franklin and James Madison, 58 irnprobably stsre the viewer squarely in the eye. Their

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 58. including such luminaries as who are luminaries expressions suggest they are well aware of their own importance but even more aware of the viewer's. almost as if one more signature will give the document its full meaning. Queslions 59 and 60 ask about the preceding passage as a whole.

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

For the sake of logic and cohesion, Paragraph 3 should be placed:

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Suppose the writer's primary purpose had been to examine how a work of art changed the direction of an artist's career. Would this essay accomplish that purpose? striving for authenticity in historical paintings. Christy in the national spotlight. particular painting but does not discuss the paint- ing's effect on Christy's career. focused on histOTical subject matter throughout his career. where it Is now. after Paragraph l. after Paragraph 4. PASSAGE V The Artful Stltch of Paj Ntaub She dcpicts flowers with layers of petals, intricate spirals and rosettes, teardrops b¢nding within circles, and dizzying mazes of lines embroidering them in vibrant 61 reds, blues. pinks, yellows, and greens on fabric of delicate

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Which choice best maintains the stylistic pattern of descriptions established earlier in the sen(ence? something with a dizzying effect mazes that she creates- so many lines- silk or cotton. Pang Xiong Siriiathasuk Sikoun is a master of paj nlaub, or "flower cloth" embroidery, the most difficult of the century's-oldest Hmong needlework arts. 62

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 62. centuries-old c¢nturies'.old centUry'8-old ACT-AIO GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. Paj ntaub 18 increasingly made in lighter, softer shades 63 today. ll She's been creating stitched textiles since she

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

The writer is considering deleting the preceding sen- tence. Should the sentence be kept or deleted? dery style with that of mod¢rn paj nlaub. modern context. focus on the various styles of ancient Hmong needlework arts. to the paragraph's intr(Iduction of Pang Xiong's connection to paj ntaub. was a young woman, and lived in northern Lao8. For the

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 64. woman living woman, who lives woman, having lived past several decades, she's been designing paj ntaub in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she also teaches her craft. Flower cloth (commonly as a shin, dress,

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

The best placement for the underlined portion would coat, or collar) is n]ade to be worn as clothing and, where it is now. after the word made. after the word clothing. depending on the amount of needlework on the piece, is designed either for everyday wear or for a special 66 occasion. With pattern names such as "elepbant's foot"

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 66. and "snail house" and images of animals framed by geometric design8, paj nlaub patterns are versatile. 67 What distinguishes paj nlaub from other Hmong

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Which choice most clearly builds on the Anformation provided earlier in the senten¢¢ about a common theme ID paj ntaub patterns and image8? only a master artist is able to create paj nlaub clothing for special occasions. needlework arts is the artist's use of tiny, tight stitches, and s¢veral complex techniques. One technique is

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 68. tiny tight stitches, reverse appliqué, in which shapes itire cut out from, 69

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 69. applique which applique and rather than adding on top of, the embroidered fabTiC.

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 70. as an addition added ACT-A10 12 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. Another is elaborate overstitching: thousands of layered stitches are applied to its surface. 71

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 71. Pang Xiong regrets that most people she knows today wear only regular clothes. When she was growing up in Laos, she explains, she had few items of clothing, but each garnient she owned was handcrafted paj ntaub.

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

The writer is considering revising the underlined poI- tion to the following: mass-produced Should the writer make this revision? between the homogeneous styles of clothing that are popular today and the handcrafted paj ntaub. Xiong's desire for her handcrafted paj ntaub to be sold on a large scale in stores. that although paj nlaub clothing can be used for everyday wear, it should be saved for special occa- sions. describes the type of clothing Pang Xiong disap- proves of. However, she still wears flower cloth every day and

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Source question 73. would like to inspire others to do so. Pang Xiong 74 teaches paj ntaub in art museums-including at the Smithsonian Institution. where some of her textiles

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Which choice most clearly and concisely indicates that Pang Xiong wants other people to wear and appreciate handcrafted clothing, others. are on permanent display and in community settings around Philadelphia. 75 ang Xiong is showing a

Paper 28 · ACT December 2017 · Form A10 · English Test

Which of the following true statements. if added here, would best build on the ideas presented in this para- graph and connect to ihe final sentence of the essay. nicity, wear traditional clothing every day. age who want to learn new techniques. women in a formal apprenticeship. her famijy, new generation the joys of paj ntaub and beautiful handcrafted clothing. END OF TEST 1 STOP! DO NOT TURN THE PAGE UNTIL TOLD TO DO SO. ACT.AIO 13