act essentials english and reading sample

2015-16 Edition

SAMPLE

ACT® EssentialsEnglish and Reading

2015–16 Edition

Student Workbook

MasteryPrepACT

®

is the registered trademark of ACT Inc. MasteryPrep LLC has no affiliation with ACT Inc., and the ACT

®

Mastery program is not approved or endorsed by ACT Inc.

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Table of Contents

Lesson 1: English Pacing (Part 1) .................................................................................................... 7

Lesson 2: Using Commas ............................................................................................................... 15

Lesson 3: Transition Words ............................................................................................................. 27

Lesson 4: Run-Ons and Fragments ................................................................................................ 37

Lesson 5: Reading Pacing (Part 1) ................................................................................................. 51

Lesson 6: Finding Details ............................................................................................................... 59

Lesson 7: English Strategy ............................................................................................................. 79

Lesson 8: English Pacing (Part 2) .................................................................................................. 93

Lesson 9: Redundancy ................................................................................................................. 101

Lesson 10: Coordinating Conjunctions ..........................................................................................113

Lesson 11: Drawing Conclusions .................................................................................................. 125

Lesson 12: Summarize Key Ideas and Details ............................................................................. 137

Lesson 13: Identify Purpose ......................................................................................................... 153

Lesson 14: English Pacing (Part 3) ............................................................................................... 173

Lesson 15: Reading Strategy ........................................................................................................ 181

Lesson 16: Reading Pacing (Part 2) ............................................................................................. 201

Glossary ....................................................................................................................................... 212SAMPLE

Lesson 2

Using Commas

It’s raining, cats and dogs!

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Learning Targets

1 2 3 4Before Lesson

1 2 3 4After Lesson

Self-Assessment

Circle the number that corresponds to your confidence level in your knowledge of this subject before beginning the

lesson. A score of 1 means you are completely lost, and a score of 4 means you have mastered the skills. After you

finish the lesson, return to the bottom of this page and circle your new confidence level to show your improvement.

Learning Targets FANBOYS Lists and Series Introductory Words and Phrases ACT Practice Sum It Up

1. Identify several different strategies to use in comma usage conflicts

2. Use commas for different purposes in several types of sentences

ACT® Essentials – English and Reading

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FANBOYS

1. The five-foot gorilla lives at the zoo but it is originally from Africa.

2. My music teacher from high school was at the restaurant and I ran over to say hello as soon as I saw him.

3. We started the music and immediately the baby started to dance!

1. I prefer the color purple but Kevin likes red better.

2. My grandmother came to America hoping to escape the terrors of war in her native country and I’m glad

she did because it was here she met my grandfather!

3. My friend Bella and I recently took a ballet class so one night we went to the Bass Performance Hall to

see a show by the ballerina Kristina Haronoff.

4. The man paid me twenty dollars for the book and he said he would have paid twice as much if it had been

a first edition.

5. The very idea of spiders and even just the word spiders terrify us and both tend to give us chills.

6. The two types of cats are short-haired and long-haired and each has different grooming requirements.

Comma Rule 1:

English Tip

Sounds Right: If a comma causes you to pause your reading at an awkward location, it’s almost always

wrong. Try the “secret agent move” to sound out comma pauses and determine if the comma is misplaced.

Place a finger over one ear and whisper the answers. Using this technique, you will hear your whispers

loud and clear without disrupting the others testing around you.


Lesson 2 – Using Commas

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Lists and Series

1. Kim ordered a large coffee pancakes eggs and hashbrowns for breakfast.

2. Brandon had homework in geometry world history Spanish and even PE!

3. Azalea lived at home with her parents her grandma one brother one sister and a dog.

1. Old McDonald raises various livestock poultry and some domestic animals on his farm.

2. Miriam decided to try out for the softball swimming and cross country teams at her school.

3. He stopped by the grocery store to pick up fruit and crackers to bring to the party.

4. The Himalayan teapots are quite rare exceedingly lovely and richly intricate.

5. Mike snuck into the kitchen scarfed down some cookies swept away the crumbs that might give him away

and was out in a flash.

Comma Rule 2:



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Lists and Series

1. Jamie snuck into the kitchen and scarfed down some cookies.

2. Her trip abroad was both incredibly enlightening and overwhelmingly exhausting.

3. After the speech, congressman and presidential candidate Ford Peterson took some time to answer

questions from reporters in the audience.

Comma Rule 3:



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Introductory Words and Phrases

Comma Rule 4:

1. Even though I don’t like pickles I ate a spoonful of relish when my friend dared me.

2. Growling and barking the dog warned the mailman not to come any closer.

3. As if being grounded weren’t enough her mom also took away her cell phone.

English Tip

Decoding: Look for giveaway words, such as when, while, even though, and although. These words

create dependent clauses. If the dependent clause comes first in the sentence, you will need to use a

comma to separate the dependent clause from the independent clause.



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SAMPLE

1 1Set One

END OF SET ONE STOP! DO NOT GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE

UNTIL TOLD TO DO SO.

We ordered in French, so it took the waiter a

few minutes to understand and bring out our drinks.

1. A. NO CHANGEB. take the order,C. take the order;D. understand them

What’s already clear, is that the image of coal

miners as rough men fails to take into account the

great diversity within the profession.

2. F. NO CHANGEG. clear is that,H. clear is, thatJ. clear is that

Ms. Barnes, the librarian, then decorated a

banner with red, white, and blue stripes; hung it; and

began pouring soda for the class.

3. A. NO CHANGEB. stripes, hung it,C. stripes hung it,D. stripes, hung it;



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1 1Set Two

END OF SET TWO STOP! DO NOT GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE


The explorers reached the edge of the forest,

where they collected water and they decided to set

up camp for the night.

4. F. NO CHANGEG. water and, they decidedH. water, and they decidedJ. water and, they decided,

Even though she hadn’t practiced the piano

in years she still remembered how to play the piece

almost perfectly.

5. A. NO CHANGEB. in years; she still rememberedC. in years she, still rememberedD. in years, she still remembered

Once she started the car, she pulled out of the

driveway and then, drove around the block and went

to the store.

6. F. NO CHANGEG. then, drove around, the block H. then drove around the block,J. then drove around the block



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1 1Set Three

END OF SET THREE STOP! DO NOT GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE


My friend and I wanted to go to the beach, so

we gathered our change together and got on the bus.

7. A. NO CHANGEB. the beach so weC. the beach so, weD. the beach; so we

Growing up, in Florida, in the 1990s Sara

developed a deep appreciation for video games.

8. F. NO CHANGEG. up in Florida in the 1990sH. up, in Florida in the 1990sJ. up in Florida in the 1990s,

In desert sands and sweltering canyons once

thought too hot, too dangerous or too secluded to

support a community, there exist small villages

determined to fight for survival.

9. A. NO CHANGEB. too hot, too dangerous, or too secludedC. too hot, too dangerous, or too secluded,D. too hot, too dangerous, or to secluded



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1 1Set Four

END OF SET FOUR STOP! DO NOT GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE


Next, my sister and I, braided each other’s

hair.

10. F. NO CHANGEG. Next my sister and I,H. Next my sister, and IJ. Next, my sister and I

Every winter, thousands of tourists, come

to Colorado. They enjoy the snowy mountains and

scenic views.

11. A. NO CHANGEB. thousands, of touristsC. thousands of touristsD. thousands of tourists’

I can see him now, standing in the hallway,

sweat dripping from his forehead, hands worn from

the day’s work.

12. F. NO CHANGEG. sweat dripping, from his foreheadH. sweat, dripping from his, foreheadJ. sweat dripping from his forehead



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1 1Set Five

END OF SET FIVE STOP! DO NOT GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE


The school day was over, the children had

returned home; and everyone was sitting in the

kitchen waiting for dinner.

13. A. NO CHANGEB. over, the children had returned home,C. over the children had returned home,D. over the children had returned home;

In the mythology, of the ancient tribes of

Ireland, selkies live as seals in the sea and become

human on land.

14. F. NO CHANGEG. mythology of the ancient tribes, of IrelandH. mythology, of the ancient tribes, of IrelandJ. mythology of the ancient tribes of Ireland,

The heart-shaped, dark-brown chocolates sat

waiting for my valentine on his desk.

15. A. NO CHANGEB. heart-shaped, dark-brown, chocolatesC. heart-shaped, dark-brown chocolates,D. heart-shaped dark-brown chocolates,



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Sum It Up

ClauseA phrase with a subject and predicate

Independent ClauseA clause that can stand on its own as a complete sentence

Dependent ClauseA clause that is not a complete idea and so cannot stand on its own as a complete sentence

ConjunctionA word used to connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences

Using Commas

Sounds Right: Remember to eliminate any commas that create awkward-sounding pauses or otherwise seem misplaced.

Tips and Techniques



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act essentials english and reading sample

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