ACT Reading Practice Test

Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the passage?

• The Táin tells the story of Queen Medb and the magic bull of Ulster.

• Stories told in the vernacular are much better than stories told in Latin.

• The Táin is an epic, one of the great national stories of Ireland, which has inspired writers for hundreds of years.

• The Táin provides an image of Ireland in the late medieval period, before the English occupation.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Which of the following questions is NOT answered in the passage?

• What is vernacular literature?

• Why did Queen Medb want the magic bull of Ulster?

• What does The Táin Bó Culainge mean?

• How did the warrior, Cú Chulainn, get his name?

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The passage suggests that one of The Táin's most important contributions to Irish literature is that:

• it provides an inspirational image of Ireland free of English cultural repression.

• it illustrates the political power of women in early European countries.

• it personifies the ancient Irish demigods, incorporating them into one literary figure.

• it collects several important mythological stories into one book, making them less significant.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The main function of the second paragraph (lines 12–22) is to:

• give a brief description of The Táin Bó Culainge.

• introduce the Ulster king, Conchobor mac Nessa.

• describe Ireland's agrarian society in the early middle ages.

• define an epic cycle.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

All of the following details are used in the passage to show the range of content in The Táin EXCEPT:

• the bulls were originally pig-keepers who knew magic.

• the Ulstermen were cursed with debilitating pain whenever their country was attacked.

• Fergus was once a king of Ulster who lost his crown and subsequently agreed to fight against his old country.

• Deirdre was originally promised in marriage to King Conchobor.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The last paragraph establishes all of the following about The Táin EXCEPT:

• The Táin is over twelve hundred years old.

• once a literary work is dead, it ceases to have any cultural significance.

• modern writers use The Táin as a source of artistic inspiration.

• Irish bards once called on the ghost of Fergus to tell them the true story of The Táin.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

One of the main points in the third paragraph (lines 23–36) is that, under medieval Irish law:

• bulls were important instruments of attaining political power.

• a king was defined as the local man who had the most cattle.

• children had limited legal rights.

• women had legal rights equal to men, but only under certain conditions.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

According to the passage, literary lovers' triangles have included all of the following EXCEPT:

• Queen Medb, King Aillil, and Fergus.

• Queen Isolde, King Mark, and Sir Tristram.

• Queen Guinevere, King Arthur, and Sir Lancelot.

• Queen Medb, King Mark, and King Arthur.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.7

CCSS.RI.11-12.7

CCSS.RL.11-12.7

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.7

The author most likely includes the information in lines 60–63 ("Still even Medb's daughter, Finnabair,… same name") to suggest that:

• some thematic similarities between the King Arthur story and The Táin are very strong.

• medieval authors knew that Finnabair and Guinevere were originally the same person.

• the King Arthur story is an English version of The Táin.

• no medieval kings could fully trust their best warriors.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.7

CCSS.RI.11-12.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.11-12.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.7

Which of the following phrases best describes why Medb wanted the magic bull of Ulster?

• Spiteful vanity.

• Marital jealousy.

• Serious ambition.

• Childish determination.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9