ACT Past Papers with Answers

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 2.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 3.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 4. ACT-72G 2

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Given that all the choices are true, which one most specifically describes what was sometimes used to create temporary ironing boards? projectsafter the ironing chores were completed. literalironing board. the house. GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. 110ACT 微信号 loviact 独角兽在这里 1 Some types of wood were considered better suited to thejob then others. In her 1841 book, Cottage Comforts, 6 Esther Copley writes, "No wood does so well as deal [pine or fir] for an ironing board; the heat draws out a stain from any other kind." Accustomed to their traditional boards, l860s Americans weren't quick to adopt new, often mass­ produced, ironing boards. As a result, inventors began to craft more specialized boards that weren't so general. 7 Patents emerged for newly designed ironing boards 8 intended exclusively for difficult-to-iron attire, like 9 bonnets. [1] Of the numerous ironing board inventors, of which there were many, Sarah Boone is credited by 10 the US Patent and Trademark Office, turning the tide II against homemade boards. [2] Boone, a former slave, patented an ironing board that had a tapered end in 1892 12 so that anyone could iron a sleeve easily and quickly.' [3] Her board had collapsible legs and was reversible, allowing the user to iron one side of a sleeve and then the other without having to move the shirt at all. [4] Popular for its efficiency and convenience, Boones' invention 13 pushed the modern ironing board into the American domestic mainstream while simultaneously obscuring its long, homemade history. 曰

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 6.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 7. tence with a period.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 8.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 9.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 10. .ff. invention being a good thing,

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 11.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Which of the following placements of the underlined portion most clearly indicates that Boone patented her ironing board design in 1892? '

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 13. ACT-72G 3

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

For the sake of the logic and coherence of this para­ graph, Sentence 4 should be placed: GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. 1101\.CT 微信号loviact 独角兽在这里 1 Question 15 asks about the preceding passage as a whole.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

$uppose the writer's goal had been to write a brief ,essay explaining some of thehistory behind a common household object. Would this essay accomplish that goal? . it �e.s�ri�es precur�ors t� Boone's ironing board, which the essay shows became a common household item in the United States. first ironing board that was used in US households. design was just one of many that became popular in the United States. inventions, only some of which were used for household work. PASSAGE II Meriwether Lewis: Botanist by Request [I) In 1803, Meriwether Lewis, private secretary to President Jefferson, 16 was commissioned by the president to lead a newly formed Corps of Discovery and travel •17 west to the Pacific Ocean. (A] Lewis was expected to record "with great pains and accuracy" the "growth and vegetable production" of the country the Corps passed through， 曰Jefferson hoped the information would provide a key to the agricultural and commercial possibilities of the western territory.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

If the writer were to delete the underlined portion (adjusting the punctuation as needt!d), the paragraph would primarily fose: the various professions Lewis held. to Jefferson. paragraph away from Jefferson. main focus of the essay.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 17.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

The use of quotation marks around two phrases in the precedingsentenceis most likely intended to: Lewis would have to struggle to accomplish. writer's paraphrase of the directive. Lewis and not to the rest of the Corps. torical narrative. ACT-72G 4 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. 110�CT 微信号loviact 独角兽在这里 1 [2] Lewis might of seemed to be an odd choice. He 19 was no botanist but rather an army officer with only a few years of schooling. Lewis had, however, grown up in the presence of an expert. His mother, Lucy Meriwether Lewis Marks, was a respected herbal doctor in Virginia. [B] From her, Lewis had learned to identify which plants 20 were beneficial and the ones that weren't to avoid. He had 20 a catalog of medicinal herbs committed to memory and a talent for observation.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 19.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 20. avoided. that weren't. should be avoided. [3] Prior to setting out with William Clark, Lewis spent two years learning the principles of preserving and cataloging botanical specimens. [C] His mentor was the countries most prominent botanist, 21 Benjamin Smith Barton. 曰During what could be summarized an apprenticeship, Lewis perfected 23 his ability to dry a specimen between pages of blotting paper and methodically keeping notes. 24

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 21.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

At this point, the writer is considering adding the fol- lowing true statement: As a young man, Barton had gone to Scotland, intending to complete his study of medicine at Edinburgh University. Should the writer make•this addition here? tions of Lewis's mentor. tomed to studying in distant places. was still at Edinburgh University at the time. Lewis's preparations for the trip.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 23.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 24. ACT-72G 5 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. 110}\.CT 微信号loviact 独角兽在这里 1 On the expedition, he would meticulously describe, in writing and through sketches, each plant, including: details about how it 25 tasted, smelled, seemed, and handled. 26 [4] Lewis diligently collected seeds and brought back over 150 specimens, at least half of which had been previously unknown to botanists. [D] He more than fulfilled Jefferson'sdirective despite the fact that his own botanical skills were, as he put it, "slender." 27 (5) Declared a national hero, the collection of , 28 botanical specimens became one of the richest legacies of the expedition. Among the plants were species that wouid become official st.ate flowers. Your state flowt!!Ill_�Y be� 29

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 25.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 26.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

The writer is considering deleting the underlined por­ tion (adjusting the punctuation as needed). Should the underlined portion be kept or deleted? it was Lewis himself who described his botanical skills as lacking. Lewis was to leadthe Corps of Discovery. ing light. Lewis performed an extraordinary task.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 28.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Which choice provides the most logical conclusion to the paragraph? the time. Question 30 asks about the preceding passage as a whole. ACT-72G 6

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

The writer plans to add the following sentence to the essay: The president's directive was clear. This sentence would most logically be placed at Point: GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. 110:A.CT 微信号loviact 独角兽在这里 1 PASSAGE Ill Responsible Ecotourism (1) When ecotourism first became popular during the I970s, people were excited by its goal touring natural 31 habitats while affecting them as little as possible. Taking an ecotour, by definition, meaning minimizing the 32 environmental impact of the trip. It was inevitable, therefore, that an increase in any sort of tourism in a 33 natural environment would impact those in some way. 34 [A] People throughout the world have had to confront unintended consequences of the growing popularity of ecotourism. Now, guides are striving to preserve the originalgoal, of low-impact tours, of the natural world.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 31.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 32.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 33.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 34. 35 [2] [BJ Ecotourism guides in heavily visited locales must take great care in monitoring their clients to minimize their effect on the natural environment. When leading hiking tours, for example, guides must be vigilant that groups 36 don't trample native plants or disturb wild animals. [C] [3] Equally important, you need to be wise advisors 37 and diplomats for their clients. [D] For instance, when helping travelers make lodging arrangements, guides should recommend accommodations that comply with environmentally sustainable practices, such as conserving energy and water. Ecotourists have tended to seek out natural beauty in remote locations, where there may not have been an active tourist industry previously.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 35.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 36.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 37. ACT-72G 7 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. 110:i\.CT 微信号loviact 独角兽在这里 1 Some areas have suddJ!nly become burdened by the needs of travelers. It's not uncommon for overeager ecotourists to trespass on private land, sometimes they build campfires 38 using wood that's integral to the local environment. 巴 Responsible ecotourism guides know what areas and resources are available for tourists use and they advise 40 their clients accordingly.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 38. J . land sometimes they

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

If the writer were to delete the preceding sentence, the paragraph would primarily lose: dened communities and environments. minimize the environmental impact of hikers. industry in certain areas. remote locations.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 40. [4] Teaching tourists how to minimize their impact on the environment, it is essential to responsible ecotourism. 41 With redoubled commitment to this goal, ecotourism can continue to foster maximum enjoyment of nature with 42 minimum disruption, even as the number of tourists grows. 43

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 41.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 42.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Which choice most effectively concludes the sentence and the essay by referring to a specific problem men­ tioned earlyin the essay? warming. like hiking and camping. ACT-72G 8 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. 110:l\.CT 微信号loviact 独角兽在这里 1 Questions 44 and 45 ask about the preceding passage as a whole.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Upon reviewing the essay and finding that some infor­ mation has been left out, the writer composes the fol­ lowing sentence incorporating that information: In some cases, guides must spread out hikers to avoid unintentionally trampling down a new path. If the writer were to add this sentence to the essay, the sentence would most logically be placed at Point:

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Suppose the writer's goal had been to write a persua­ sive essay arguing that more people should take eco­ tours. Would this essay accomplish that goal? preserve natural habitats. world. tourism guides must take to reduce the environ­ mental impact of tourists. ecotourism is a faulty idea that should be abandoned. PASSAGE IV Crossing an Icon Shortly after its completion in I883, the recently completed Brooklyn Bridge was 46 dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World and became a symbol both of American industry, of modernism, and 47 the rise of New York City. 巨］ They want to cross the bridge because it's beautiful. And because it's big. And so they can say, "I did it." As for me, a native New Yorker, I recently walked across the Brooklyn Bridge for the first time for the same reasons. Stepping onto the e�evated promenade that serves as the bridge's pedestrian walkway and bicycle path, I began my trek to Brooklyn. Though Frank Sinatra had san巳严t the bridge's "lovely views from Heaven," 49

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 46.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 47.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Which of the following sentences, if added here, would provide the most logical transition from the preceding sentence to the rest of the paragraph? bridge, however, don't know all that. Brooklyn are separate boroughs. of cities on the eastern seaboard. Islandand the Statue of Liberty. my first view, conseque�_, was far from heavenly. 50

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 49.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 50. ACT-72G 9 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. 110}\.CT 微信号loviact 独角兽在这里 1 Tourists, joggers, cyclists: each were jostling on the 51 promenade, an elevated walkway overlooking the bridge's 52 six-lane highway. Looking past the crowds and out toward 53 the East River through the bridge's steel cables made you 54 dizzy. I began to enjoy the views, for example, as I walked 55 under the Gothic archway of the bridge's first tower and inched my way to the bridge's midpoint. Beyond the tourists in their floppy foam Statue of Lib�rty hats stood the real statue in the harbor. Looking back toward Manhattan, I could appreciate the tininess of the island, a seventeenth-century city bearing the weight of a modern superstructure. "Watch out!" The warning cry of a speeding cyclist brought my attention back to the promenade, where I had edged into the bicyc_lists' lane. 巨］ Though some tourists near the bridge's second tower paused to take 57 pictures of the views, the press of the crowd reinforced my desire to keep moving.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 51.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 52. and bicycle path, overlooking

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 53.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 54.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 55.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

If the writer were to delete the preceding two sen­ tences, the paragraph would primarily lose: rupts the narrator's enjoyment of the view. tor's dissatisfaction withthe view of Manhattan. pedestrian walkway and the crowded conditions of the bicyclists' lane. vertently forced the narrator into the bicyclists' lane.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 57. ACT•72G 10 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. 110:1\.CT 微信号loviact 独角兽在这里 1 [1] Finally, approaching Brooklyn, the 58 cities low quiet architecture came into focus. 59 [2] But I had already crossed it once. [3] Now, at dusk, the lights on the bridge's cables snapped on. [4] Turning around, I could see the illuminated bustle of Manhattan. [5] Hesitating, I contemplated a return crossing. [6] The bridge was beautiful and definitely an icon. [7] I was taking the subway home. EJ PASSAGE V Researching "Frozen Smoke" [1] Nicknamed "frozen smoke" because their semitransparent when formed int!。 61 bricks—silica aerogel is the lightest solid 62 material known. Approximately 99 percent air by volume, considering silica aerogel has a density 63 only three times that of air. The dry, spongelike substance is created by scientists who apply heat and pressure to silica gel until all the liquid has been removed. Only a solid, 3-D framework of dried-out gel, consisting mostly of empty space that will be filled with air, remains. ACT•72G 11

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 58.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 59.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

For the sake of the logic and coherence of this para­ graph, Sentence 2 should be placed:

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 61.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 62.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 63. GO ON TO THENEXT PAGE. 1 ».CT 微信号 loviact 独角兽在这里 1 [2] The structure of silica aerogel一airtrapped in a highly porous web of dried gel-makes it an ideal insulatorandsoundproofingmaterial. It's thirty-seven 64 times more effective as an insulator than the widely used insulating material called fiberglass. Researchers claim that a one-inch-thick window of silica aerogel has the insulating properties of a ten-inch-thick system of glass windows. [A] The use of silica aerogel to insulate buildings would discharge huge energy savings through reduced 65 heating and cooling costs. [3] So far, silica aerogel has rarely been used in building construction or other industries isolating smaJI applications, such as to insulate 66 skylights. Large-scale use has been limited by the high cost of processingtetraethyl orthosilicate, the type of silica most commonly used to create aerogel. 67 For years, though Dr.HalimatonHamdan of Malaysia, has 68 been researching a way to lower aerogel manufacturing costs. [B]

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 64.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 65.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 66.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Given that all the choices are accurate, which one pro­ vides information that is most relevant at this point in the essay? being considered by NASA for use in capturing dust in space. compression as aerogel created from vanadium oxide.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 68. ACT-72G 12 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. 1 10:i\.CT 微信号loviact 独角兽在这里 1 [4] Hamdan's findings that discarded rice husks offer a 69 nearly limitless supply of silica. [C] Rice husks, which are 20 percent silica, by weight are readily available from 70 Malaysian farmers, who must find a way to dispose of 71 great quantities of the husks after harvest. Although 72 the husks are cheap to obtain, Hamdan claims that using them as raw material could reduce silica aerogel production costs by 80 percent. [DJ Hamdan hopes her process, when perfected, will make silica aerogel 73 affordable to a variety of industries for the first time, with en叩rgy-saving benefits to follow.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 69.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 70.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 71.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Source question 72.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

The writer is considering revising the underlined por­ tion to the following: process If.the writer were to make this revision, the sentence would primarily lose: a new method for making"silica aerogel. Hamdan has designed to testher silica aerogel. silica aerogel is still being fine-tuned. written creates a redundancy. Questions 74 and 75 ask about the preceding passage as a whole.

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

The writer is considering adding the following sen- tence to the essay: The only by-products of processing rice husks to make aerogel are alcohol and water, so Hamdan's method also offers a pollution-free means of disposing of the husks. If the writer were to add this sentence, it would most logically be placed at Point:

Paper 41 · ACT December 2014 · Form 72G · English Test

Suppose the writer's primary purpose had been to explain the ways in which silica aerogel is used by industries as an alternative to fiberglass. Would this essay accomplish that purpose? the cost of creating silica aerogel, this material's use in several industries has expanded. hope to create an affordable silica aerogel that will eventually replace fiberglass. explaining what silica aerogel is and how this material might be used and made more cheaply. many areas of research of Dr. Halimaton Hamdan of Malaysia. END OFTEST 1 STOP! DO NOT TURN THE PAGEUNTIL TOLD TO DO SO. ACT-72G 13