ACT Past Papers with Answers

Ivhich choice niost cleai'ly iiilIoduces tlic i"ebearch que%lioii ccntral to Ihc essay A, NTO CHANGE wav oNei- lono distLqnces, L. I'o deterin7nL Iiow ants accomplish thi8 n¢iviga- tional las.I, rese¢lI-￿Il biologistq studied ants iii the Tunisi<lll desert. [Al ACI-72 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. The scientists will place food a shoi't distance from the

Source question 5. the paths iliat were taken by the ants as they went

Source question 6. i iivolved Lliat tliey relocated involving tlieiii i-el ncdLii](J involved i'clocating [3] The team's first experiment involving relocating the atRts afteL" tliey'd l.ound Ihe food. [B.l By movino the ants to a new location. the scienti sts cliaiiged tlie LlireLtion Lhe ants WOLild need to walk in order to return to their nest. When the ants headed away fi'niii iheir nest, walking in Lhe direction they would have gone if they hadn't been nioved, scientists coiicliicled Lli(Il dills i'ely on an internal navigation system rather than extcrnaI inarkcrs. [4] 'rhcy also tcstcd what they i-efei'reLI to £15 'ihe pedometer hypothesis., [Cl The scientists ticd tiny tiltq niade OLIt of pi¥ h£liT LO some aLlts' legs. Witli the extended legs, which wcrc niade af Iiig Iiaii., Ilie aLIls

Source question 7. refeL'red, to as refeL-red 10, as refe.LL'ed io a5,

Source question 8. Tl. exleiisiuIib IiiaLle of pi(T hair attached to thcir Icgs, the exteiided le.os, Inoved a greater distancc with cach stei). MarLliiiig lar

Source question 10. Refer to the source image.

Which clioice reiterates intormation most i-elevaLlt to the essay at this point? counting their steps, to their nest, [D] Because the routes horne were so direct, the ants must have beeii making adjustments all along. ACT-72E GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. Were they using the sun's position in the sky as a 12

Source question 13. Refer to the source image.

Assuming that thc capitalization and PLinctuation would be adjusted as needed, Ihe be.st placemcnt for the underlined portion woiild be.. where it is now. aftei tlie wol'd i?170to. after thc word iv0171eii. after the word Massacltiisezts. house in Dovei., Massachusctts.

Which of the following trL]e statements, if added here, WOLild provide the best introduction for the essay. day was not N'cry warm. Raymond, had designed it. C, It Ivas difficult to tell from the picture what time of day it was. heated from the siin when it was out and shining, 18 was the first of its kind. [A]

Source question 18. using the sun's heat to heat the house, heated only by the sun, GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. ACT-72E [2] Ten years earlier-before the sun first warmed it's 19 chilly Dover horne-Telkes had been studying how to

Source question 19. that's its use the sun's eneigy to produce c.lean drinking water from saIt water. Tclkcs had becn working with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before World War Il began, and Iier repiitation as a chemical en¥ineer 2U got the US government's attention. The US military hired 20 Telkes to design a water filtration system that could easily

Given that all the choices are accurate, which onc pro- vides the most relevant information at this point in the cvcntually shc ivould devclop otlier inventions for private use. she hoped to solve global hunger problcms Ilii'oiigh invenLions like a solar oven. she had beeii intei'ested siiice higli school in how the sun's encrgy could be u,sed. be used by .sailor.s, sti"aiided at sea. Hei solar still, which 21 removed the salt through vaporization instcad of boiling,

Source question 22. many lives, arid ,qaviiig saving [3] Attcr thc war, Telkes went back to work at MIT on a much larger project, a home heating system powered oiily by suiilighi. [B] Theii, in 1948, bhe began work with Eleanor Raymond, an circhitect, who was designiiig a home for a sculptor named Amelia Peabody, Together, Telkes and Rayinoiid, blended forin

r. NO CHANGE with function, and tlie end resuli holne dazzled 24 architects and scientists alike. resulting results result [4] [c] Its design improved on top of 25

Source question 25. above upon over traditional solar-heating systems. By transferring 26 heat from the air (instead of from rocks or water).

Source question 26. systetns and by systems: by systems by AGf.72E GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. The heat activated a chemical compound trapped betweeii-an exterior glass wall and a series of 27 metal walls, which served as the heating elerncnts.

Which choice most strongly emphasizes the dÉfficult conditions the heating system could withstand? r, NO CHANGE some chilly teLnperatures the cold season This system could withstand winter months and, 28 during hot summers. work in reverse by drawing in and transfcrring the heat frorn inside to outside. 29

Source question 29. the interior to the exterior, or the inside to tlie [5] [DJ The successes of her solar still and solar house did not mark the end of Telkes's career. Slie coiitinued to Question 30 asks aboul the preceding passage as a whole. find practLC'al, iiinovative, and cost-ctfectiN'e ways to use tlie sun's cncrgy.

The writcr is considering adding the following sen- tence to the essay; The Peabody home becatne knowii as tlie solar house. If the wrileL' were LO add this sentcncc, it would most lugilally be placed at PGJint: J, D in Paragraph 5. PASSAGE 111 From Theater to Fllm Hindi cinema, whicli is tlie Hiiidi-languagc t'ilm Ji

A, NO CHANGE cinema who's cinema is cincma industry based in MLimbai, India. It's unique aesthetic 32 derives froin Parsi theater troupes in Mumbai in the late 1800s. An ethnic group possessing a diversity of skills in business and the arts, the Parsis used this

Source question 33. arriving at the traditions of calling out and song. 34

Source question 35. Hindi filrnmakers. early Hiiidi filmtnakers adopted Parsi thcatrical IneLhods.

Source question 38. sound put an appearance sound gave rise in movies, also did not use synchronous sound- 39 actoi"s dubbed their line.5 after filming W¢lS colliplete. 39

Which choice most effectivcly introduces the subject of the paragraph and leads into the next sentence ot the essay? incorporated the Parsi theater's tradition of elabo- rate song and dance. was epic in Iength, lasting nearly threc hours and included an intermission. and economic issues. Acf-72E GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. Complex musical numbers are a defining characteristic of 40

Source question 40. is defining characteristics with is a defining characteristic of rnost Hindi filtns. This serve8 as interludes designed to 41

If the w'riter were to deleie the precediiig sentence, the pardgraph would primai'ily lose: a desciiption of the niiisical con1ponents that Inake up typical song and dancc numbcrs in Hindi films. a definiiion of the term inlerliide Lind its multiple functions within Hiiidi films. an analysis of ihe eflecLiveness of miisical niiiii- l)ei-£ isi Hindi filiiis. an cxplanation of thc main function of musical numbers in Hindi films. Often featLII'jlla multiple settings OT i-omanticized backdrops, rnusical numbers in Hindi cinema ernphasize spectacle. One nllrnber in the 1951 film Awara was shot on thirteen dit"t"erent scts, Two lovc songs in the 198 L film Silsila, set at large in India, wag shoi among tulips in 43

Source question 44. .J. True to Hindi cinema 1.8 now one ot the largcst film industrics in the world, endurinrr criticism by some for its use of 45 ouLdated teclinology. Modern Hindi filmmakers continue to apply the conventions of Parsi theater by remaining faithful to Indiaii traditions while appealing to a wide

Which choice most effeLtively einphasi£es Lhe prolific iialiire of Hiiicli ciiieIiia today world, rclcasing morc than 150 new films pcr ycar. world and has its own, unique traditions. world and is based out of Muinbai, India. rantse of audienccs. ACT-72E GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. PASSAGE IV The Construction of a Graphic NoYeI [1] The story begins at my cluttcrcd wooden desk, where I write in whatever space I can clear among the haphazard Stacks of sketclibooks, photos, and comics. I jot dowii notes about characters and plots, collecting rccuL'ring images and themes as I go. Eventually, a story line I can iinagine as a graphic novel emerges. I keep scribbling until I've written a full first draft. When I was younger, T p refei"i-ed sloi'i es abou t siipei-hei'oes ill SP¢iCe. 46

The wriLer is considering deleting clie pi'eceding sen- tence. Slioiilcl tlie seiitenoe be kepl oi- deleLed? nirrator cnjoys writing about. loved writing and drawing from an early aue. superlieroes. ,[. Dclctcd, because it intcrrupts the paragraph'.$ focus on the narrator's writing proccss. l approach ihat draft onc chaptcr at a timc and carvc out Llie plot, lakiiig (Iwcty Lexl uiilil ULily ilie bciresL fL'duiewL)rk 47

Which choice best niaintains Lhe carving imacTery É Iili-odiiced eai'lier iii Ilie seiileiiLt? whittling away at eliminL1ting removing h¢od bccn lett. 4B

Source question 48. would havc been was is [2] Oiice tlie sloi-y is solid, I swivel iny cliaiI' aroLind and face the gleaming, white, surfL1ce of my tilled, drawing 49 table. [A] I Map out a storyiboard, limiting myself to five

Source question 50. of thumbnails- of thumbnails experiment with the sequence of images, Because 51 graphic novels demand such economy of language,

Source question 52. of taken of took [3] 53 circular panel that features a close-up of a character's shocked face, for example, ernphasizes the

Source question 54. affect, than effeLt tlieEI affect then

Source question 55. righL, lor exaLLipIe, sitting next Lo her. I sliai-peii the lines of a charactcr's 56 tightened jaw to giTre away the anger behind his seemingly polite reply. [D] Each visual delail is as vital to the narLative as any word.

Source question 56. some Lhai'(ILlers' tlie characters, charactcrs, [4] [1] Over weeks and n10riths, that stack becomes heavy, its weight & satisfying affirmation of my progress. 57 [2] When I'm ready to fully commit tlie story to the paper. I uncap a pen and then ink every penciled line. [3] The finished pages pile up steadily.

Source question 57. it's weight is its weight is it's weight 58

Source question 61. Refer to the source image.

Source question 62. i11stl"LILiieLIls, SLILII (IS

Which choice best introduces the essay's main focus and sets up a clear organizational patiern for the essay . inflLiences: Iiis iincle Pen and a blues musician namcd Arnold Schultz. influences for the lasting impression they had made on Monroe and others. influences. ACT-72E GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. [2] Monroe was raised in rural Kentucky with a large family. [B] His uncle Pen taught him and his eight siblings to play a variety of instrumcnts. [C] The famÈly performed the music of their Scottish and Irish ancestors-folk songs 65 and ballads that settlers had brought to the Appalachian

Source question 65. ancestors, of which ancestors whose ancestors region during the eighteenth century. Monroe became skilled at playing mandolin and guitar and being a gkilled 66

Source question 66. a .skilled mandolin player aiid guitai player, and he also bccame skilled at being a a skiIled mandolin, guitar, and . fiddle player. Evenlually, he was often providiiig

Which choice creates the most logical aiid specific transition to the rest of the sentence? ' D. SoiiieLlily, liowever, accornpanimcnt tor Unclc l)cn at local danccs. 68

Given that all the quotations are accurate, which one most directly elaborates on the information in the pre- cediiig sentence? "Blucgrass has brought more people together claimed Monroe, "than any music in the world. You meet people at festivals and renew acquain- tances year after year., "It's plain music that tells a story," Monroe said about bluegrass. "It's played fio£n my heart to your heart, and it will touch you." 'I tried to keep in my mind a little of it. wanted sonie blues in my music." ACT-72E 12 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. Schultz's bluesy, syncopated style can be heard in bluegrass music's use of polyrhythms O. These jazzlike 70

Source question 71. polyrhythms ai"e one ol Monroe's clearest deviation in 71 most cleaiei. devi<ltions clcarcst dcviatinns clear deviation stylc trom the old-tiiiie folk music he'd grew up playing. 72 The music Monroc had played with liis faiiiily Wds

F, NO C.FIANGE mcn, Pen and Schult7., live on in bluegrass music. Question 75 asks about the preceding passag9 as a whole.