ACT English Test 3 Practice- Passage 2

(16) common, ordinary

• F. NO CHANGE

• G. typical

• H. to be expected

• J. run of the mill

Answer explanation

Common and ordinary are redundant (the same), so choice F should be eliminated.

Choices H and J are overly wordy and too casual, so G is the best fit.

(17) increasingly

• A. NO CHANGE

• B. important and

• C. monumentally

• D. definitively

Answer explanation

The passage focuses on how senior pranks are becoming more prevalent, which the word increasingly implies.

(18) Although

(Which of the following is NOT an appropriate replacement for the underlined portion?)

• F. While

• G. Though

• H. But

• J. Even if

Answer explanation

Beginning the sentence with but would create a sentence fragment.

(19) boundless. Especially

• A. NO CHANGE

• B. boundless; especially

• C. boundless, especially

• D. boundless especially,

Answer explanation

The second half of the sentence in the original sentence is a sentence

fragment. This can be corrected by joining the fragment to the complete

thought that precedes it with a comma.

(20) appropriately

• F. NO CHANGE

• G. strangely

• H. obviously

• J. which of course is

Answer explanation

Appropriately emphasizes the connection between the title and the content of the show.

(21) it disrupted

• A. NO CHANGE

• B. the disruption of

• C. can be disrupting to

• D. disrupted

Answer explanation

The original sentence is incorrect because it forgets to include a comma before the conjunction and, which connects two complete thoughts.

Removing the pronoun it (choice D) fixes this problem.

(22) the internet; Often

• F. NO CHANGE

• G. the internet, often

• H. the internet; often,

• J. the internet; often

Answer explanation

Unless it is a proper noun, do not capitalize the word after a semicolon.

Also, we do not need a comma after often because there is already a comma after the complete phrase, often times.

(23) it spreads simply

• A. NO CHANGE

• B. they spread

• C. they’ll spread

• D. it’s spread

Answer explanation

The antecedent is the plural noun pranks; choice B uses the correct pronoun they and avoids the unnecessary addition of will from choice C.

(24) on

• F. NO CHANGE

• G. for

• H. about

• J. concerning

Answer explanation

Here, the author is discussing the focus or the topic of the prank, which would best be expressed with the word about (choice H). The joke is not on the animals (choice F), for the animals (choice G), or concerning the animals

(choice J).

(25) animals (such as pigs or goats),

(Which of the substitutions for the underlined portion is LEAST acceptable?)

• A. animals, such as pigs or goats,

• B. animals like pigs or goats

• C. animals—usually pigs or goats—

• D. animals (pigs, goats, etc.),

Answer explanation

Choice B is wrong because there is no separation between the example and

the main thought of the sentence.