ACT Reading | "Song of the Lark" Cather

Which of the following examples best parallels the analogy that Mrs. Kronborg made in the final paragraph?

• A student with good writing skills must work harder on math.

• A young girl with beauty must be kept under close watch.

• A person with outdoor allergies must be kept indoors.

• A child with learning differences may benefit from tutoring.

Answer explanation

Explanation

C.
First, go to the last paragraph to find Mrs. Kronborg’s analogy. It appears in the last sentence right after the statement that Mrs. Kronborg knew talent meant practicing. She compares the need for a talented child to practice with the way that a child with measles needs to sleep. So a talented child should practice, and a child with measles should sleep. The answer that provides a similar should statement is Choice (C). A person with outdoor allergies should stay indoors.

Choice (A) is unlike the analogy because it mentions two separate skills – math and writing. For Choice (B), while it’s obvious why a child with measles must be kept under blankets, it is decidedly less obvious why a beautiful child should be kept under close watch. So, that’s probably not the best choice, either. Choice (D) uses may instead of must. Must, like should is an absolution, while may is hypothetical. You can feel confident in selecting Choice (C).

Tip: You’re supposed to choose the best answer out of the four options. To determine which is the best, use that secret weapon known as POE, or the process of elimination. By eliminating answers you know can’t be right, you help isolate the answer that fits the best.

The author associates all of the following with the onset of summer EXCEPT:

• seeing new neighbors

• the blossoming of cottonwood trees

• home dwellers painting their fences

• children wearing cool clothing instead of warm

Answer explanation

Explanation

A.
The second paragraph begins “It was in the summer that one really lived,” so check there first. The author mentions fence painting in the third sentence, cottonwood trees in the fourth sentence, and the shedding of warm clothes for cotton at the end. So eliminate Choices (B), (C) and (D). By process of elimination, check Choice (A). The paragraph suggests that people see their neighbors, but it doesn’t specifically say the neighbors are new. Choice (A) is correct.

The use of the word crony at line 62 most likely means:

• elder

• buddy

• enemy

• teacher

Answer explanation

Explanation

B.
This vocabulary in context question is best answered by substituting each answer for crony in the fifth paragraph. Not only does it not make sense to say that Fritz had never had an elder, the paragraph doesn’t say whether the music teacher was older than Fritz. Eliminate Choice (A). Choice (D) doesn’t seem right. The author later says Fritz hasn’t had a crony since “the harness-maker and Spanish Johnny.” There is nothing in the passage that suggests that either of these individuals ever taught him anything. Choice (C) is also wrong. Because the passage directly states that the Kohlers took this person in to live with them, you can reasonably assume that they don’t view him as an enemy — so eliminate Choice (C). If you replace crony with friend, the paragraph makes sense. Choice (B) is best.

When the author says, “the old woman went at him like she did her garden” (lines 70–71), she most nearly means Mrs. Kohler:

• determined to rid Professor Wunsch of his less desirable qualities.

• tried in vain to improve his appearance.

• spruced him up with care and attention.

• tried to mold him into her idea of perfection.

Answer explanation

Explanation

C.
Eliminate Choice (A), because the statement compares the way Mrs. Kohler treated Professor Wunsch to the way she treated her garden and nothing in the passage suggests that there was anything undesirable about her garden. Eliminate Choice (B) because the paragraph goes on to discuss how Mrs. Kohler was successful in making the professor particularly clean and respectable — so she certainly wasn’t trying in vain. Now, you’re left with either Choice (C) or (D). Of the two, Choice (C) is better. The paragraph indicates that Mrs. Kohler helped get the professor in tip-top shape, but it doesn’t provide clues to what would make up her idea of perfection. Stick with Choice (C).

The author makes all of the following assertions regarding Mrs. Kohler’s personal style, EXCEPT:

• she wore a black hood in the wintertime.

• she wore a black sunbonnet in the summertime.

• Mrs. Kohler preferred men’s shoes over women’s.

• Mrs. Kohler made her own dresses.

Answer explanation

Explanation

A.
Answering this question correctly requires careful attention to detail. A close reading of the fourth paragraph and its description of Mrs. Kohler’s typical attire reveals the answer. The black bonnet in summer appears in the third sentence, the handmade dresses in the fourth, and the men’s shoes in the fifth. Choices (B), (C), and (D) are mentioned and therefore wrong. If you read the paragraph carefully, you notice that the hood Mrs. Kohler wore in the winter was red, not black, so Choice (A) is the correct answer.

The best way to describe the way Professor Wunsch feels toward Mrs. Kohler is:

• indifferent

• amorous

• grateful

• bitter

Answer explanation

Explanation

C.
The fact that Wunsch says that his greatest desire is to spend the rest of his days with Mrs. Kohler and then be buried in her garden lets you know that his feelings toward her must be positive, so you can confidently eliminate Choices (A) and (D), since they are negative. Now, you’re down to either Choice (B) or Choice (C). Nothing in the passage suggests he felt amorous or romantic toward her, so examine Choice (C) more closely. Does it make sense that the professor would be particularly grateful to the woman that took him in, cleaned him up, and helped him find work? Indeed it does. Choice (C) is your answer.

Mrs. Kohler’s garden is best described as a:

• haven where she hid, planned, and found purpose

• reminder of her homeland, filled with hedges, fruit trees, and sage-brush

• barren sand gulch that she fled to when she was lonely

• verdant paradise fed by Moonstone’s frequent rainfall

Answer explanation

Explanation

A.
Eliminate answers that contain elements that don’t fit. Although the passage describes the garden as verdant, it doesn’t suggest that it’s the frequent rainfall that makes it green. Notice that the third paragraph describes the Kohler property as an open, sandy plain. It’s unlikely that Moonstone receives frequent rainfall. Eliminate Choice (D). You can also easily get rid of Choice (C). The garden is a jungle of verdure, so it isn’t best described as a barren sand gulch. Examine the remaining two choices for clues that would help you eliminate one. Choice (B) is true all the way up to the last word. Mrs. Kroger hasn’t cultivated sage-brush in her garden, so the best answer must be Choice (A). The passage states that she hid and planned in her garden, and it’s reasonable to assume that she found purpose in creating shade there.
Tip: Usually you can easily eliminate two answer choices. Then focus on the remaining two to find the one answer that contains an element that can’t be justified by the passage. Eliminate that answer to discover the correct option.

The author makes which of the following assertions about Mr. Kohler?

• He played in the dance orchestra

• He had only three friends

• He had a son who lived in Santa Fe

• He was one of the first men to live in Moonstone

Answer explanation

Explanation

D.
The passage doesn’t devote a lot of attention to Mr. Kohler; he’s only mentioned in the third and fifth paragraphs. You can get rid of Choice (A). Professor Wunsch is the musician, not Fritz Kohler. The fifth paragraph states that Mr. Kohler was friends with the harness-maker and Spanish Johnny but doesn’t mention a third crony, so Choice (B) is wrong. Examine Choice (C) carefully. The passage says that one of Mr. Kohler’s sons had gone to work for the Santa Fe in New Mexico, but it means the railroad. You know that the son lived in New Mexico, but you don’t know that he specifically lived in Santa Fe. Choice (C) is also wrong and the best answer is Choice (D). Because the passage states that Mr. Kohler was one of the first settlers in Moonstone, you can logically conclude that he was one of the first to live there. Pick Choice (D).

The author would most likely say that Thea differed from other children in that she:

• had few friends and attended few social gatherings.

• studied music with Professor Wunsch.

• was particularly fond of fairy tales.

• was musically gifted.

Answer explanation

Explanation

D.
The final paragraph of the passage discusses Thea’s musical talent, and since gifted is a synonym for talented, Choice (D) is likely your answer. To be sure, though, take a look at the other possibilities. While the passage suggests Mrs. Kohler doesn’t get out much, it doesn’t indicate the same about Thea. You can’t justify Choice (A). The first paragraph states that Thea has a favorite fairy tale, but it doesn’t say she is particularly fond of fairy tales in general. Choice (C) is too much of a stretch. Choice (B) is true. Thea does study music with Professor Wunsch, but so do other children. However, although Choice (B) is true, it doesn’t show a way that Thea differs from other children. Stick with Choice (D).

Remember: Just because something in an answer choice is true doesn’t necessarily mean it answers the question correctly.

Thea’s attitude in the first paragraph can best be described as:

• cheerful

• eager

• combative

• restless

Answer explanation

Explanation

A.
Thea is mentioned in the first and last paragraphs. Begin by concentrating on the first because it gives more information about Thea’s disposition. Nothing in the first paragraph — or, the entire passage, for that matter — suggests that Thea is combative, so eliminate Choice (C). You’d have to infer more than is provided to pick Choice (D). Nowhere does it suggest that Thea is restless. The two remaining options are cheerful and eager. The first paragraph states that Thea is running, but it also says she is in no hurry to get to her music lesson. She isn’t running because she’s eager to get to lessons but because she’s happy about the beautiful summer day. Choice (A) is better that Choice (B).