How to answer it
- Find the lines the question points to.
- Read a sentence before and after them.
- Pick the choice the passage supports, not one that only sounds reasonable.
Worked example
An original question in the ACT format, already answered.
Mara had practiced the speech for weeks, but when she reached the podium she set her notes aside. She looked at the faces of the people who had cleaned the park beside her all summer and simply told them what each Saturday had meant to her.
Based on the passage, Mara sets her notes aside most likely because she:
- Aforgot what she had planned to say.
- Bwants to speak directly from her experience to people she knows.
- Cwas told to by the event organizers.
- Drealizes her speech is too long.
Answer: B. She looks at people she worked beside and tells them what the Saturdays meant, which points to speaking from experience. Nothing supports A, C or D.
The most common trap
Answers that could be true in real life but have no support in the passage.
Practice it
Hourly Prep’s daily sets mix key ideas and details with the rest of ACT Reading, and send more of it your way when it’s a weak spot. See how the ACT prep plan works, or browse the other ACT skill guides.