Why ACT Reading Paired Passages Are So Hard

Why ACT Reading Paired Passages Are So Hard SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Paired passages on the ACT are a relatively new phenomenon, first announced by ACT, Inc in spring of 2013. Just as the changes to the new SAT have made it resemble the ACT, so have some of the changes to the ACT made it more like the SAT. What are paired passages, why are they suddenly on the ACT, and what’s the best way to prepfor them? Read on to find out. feature image credit: Pencil Biting by Walt Stoneburner, used under CC BY 2.0. ACT Reading Paired Passages: The Origin Story As far as I’ve been able to research it out, the first time any mention of two short passages (paired pasages) appeared in the â€Å"preparing for the ACT† manual was 2012-2013 (in 2011-2012, the Reading section was still made up of â€Å"four prose passages† with questions that asked about individual passages). For a long time, however, despite the fact that as early as June 2014 the ACT was including paired passages on official test administrations (as per PrepScholar co-founder Allen Cheng, who took the ACT then), the only place with official practice for ACT paired passage questions was the ACT website, which provided 9 paired passage questions (3 of which asked about multiple passages). Most prep books (including The Real ACT, 3rd (and current) edition, Kaplan's ACT Premier 2014 guide, the ACT Black Book, and Meltzer's The Complete Guide to ACT Reading) do not include paired passage practice questions, let along any strategies to deal with them. As of July 2015, the new 2015-2016 "Preparing for the ACT" guide finally includes a test with paired passages and 10 questions on these passages (incuding another 3 on both passages). Fun fact: as I was looking through the new guide, I noticed that the ACT Reading questions looked really familiar, and so I double checked with Allen's June 2014 booklet (acquired through TIR) and confirmed that yes, the test included in the "Preparing for the ACT: 2015-2016" guide is the (US administered) June 2014 ACT. Why Does This Make Paired Passages on ACT Reading Extra Difficult? I don’t mean to climb on my soapbox, but I see this as more than a â€Å"minor† change. We at PrepScholar have always stated that the best way to practice for the ACT is to use actual ACT Reading practice questions, because only the ACT words the questions (and answer choices) in that certain way. If there are no (or relatively few) questions to practice with, how are students supposed to prepare for the test? Moreover, how can the scores of students who took the ACT without paired passages on the Reading section (any student who took the ACT prior to June 2014) be compared to those of students who are taking the ACT with paired passages (any student who took the test June 2014 or later)? For the most part, answering a question about multiple passages is more difficult than answering a question about just one passage, because nswering questions on multiple passages requires you to synthesize more information and juggling multiple perspectives in your head, as you try to keep track of who said what where and when did she say it. This is definitely a valuable skill to develop, particularly for students heading to college. However, ACT Reading is already a big time crunch (35 minutes to answer 40 questions), and going from 4 to 5 passages, even if those passages are now 2/5 shorter, is not insignificant. chubby soapbox by daretoeatapeach, used under CC BY 2.0. This is clearly a photorealistic portrait of me done as I was writing this article. Clearly. Paired Passage Question: A Comparison Below is a comparison of a paired passage question with a single-passage question, modified to be on the same topic. For each question, I list the steps needed to successfully answer the question. Paired passage example (adapted from an ACTual ACT Reading question): Based on these two passages, which pair of phrases best compares Stark’s relationship to Science and Banner’s relationship to Science? F. Aimless researcher versus idle dreamer G. Fascinated onlooker versus pragmatic worker H. Casual alchemist versus thoughtful artist J. Indifferent outsider versus sarcastic farmer How do you answer this question? You must go through Passage A and find information about Stark’s relationship to Science, then go to Passage B and find information about Banner’s relationship to Science, then compare the two, and then see which answer matches reality. That's a four step process. When answering a comparable question on a single passage, you only have to go through two steps. Take the following (adapted) ACT question: Stark’s approach to the task of converting the junk in the cave to a functioning energy source can best be described as: F. reluctant until his companion’s plans inspire him.G. enthusiastic until his companion’s error puts them both in an awkward position.H. apprehensive until he discovers his error is not a devastating one.J. thrilled until he remembers that his companion is a poor planner. All you need to do in order to answer this question is go through the passage and find information about Stark’s approach to converting junk into functioning energy source and then see which answer matches reality. What Can I Do To Practice Paired Passages? Since there are so few official sample questions out there, this makes it difficult (but not impossible!) to create tailored advice. I recommend starting with my article on how to attack paired passages in ACT Reading, which goes into great detail on this very topic. In short, though, here are the takeaway strategies from that article: 1. Answer questions on individual passages first. As I discussed above, questions on single passages are generally less complex than those on multiple passages, which makes them better to tackle first. In addition, answering questions on a particular passage may lead to your finding information that is useful for answering multipassage questions. 2. Guess on all multi-passage questions. If you’re not aiming for above a 31 on Reading, you can safely skip/guess on the 3 questions per ACT Reading section that ask about multiple questions, and still have some room for other errors. Choose your favorite letter pair (A/F, B/G, and so on) and go for it! 3. Eliminate three wrong answers (yes, that good old standby). Answer choices to questions on multiple passages tend to be relatively complicated, but this means that they can also be easier to eliminate, since if any part of the answer choice is wrong, then the whole thing must be wrong. 4. Practice with official SAT paired passage questions. Currently, there are 8 free official SAT practice tests that contain ACT-length paired passages. Each set of these paired passages has around 12 questions, for a total of 95 paired passage questions (yes, I did actually go in and count it). That's exactly 5x as many questions as compared to the 19 total (not just free, but TOTAL) official paired passage questions provided by the ACT. What’s Next? Want to make sure you're practicing ACT Reading as effectively as possible? Find out more about paired passages and strategies to help answer questions on multiple passages here. How should you approach passages in the first place? Our blog has explanations of three different ways to approach the passage on ACT Reading. Want to improve your ACT Reading skills? Read our series of targeted articles on big picture, little picture, and vocab in context questions - articles about function and inference questions on ACT Reading are coming soon! Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Reading lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Will It Be Possible for more African Nations to Transition to Essay

Will It Be Possible for more African Nations to Transition to Democracy - Essay Example Not all African nations lack democracy; however, most of the African nations have demonstrated poor or lack of democracy. These can be seen through personal dictatorships, one-party systems and military regimes. This paper will examine the barriers to democratic transition in African countries. Secondly, the paper will explore how African countries can overcome these difficulties. Lastly, the paper will focus on South Africa as a country that has moved towards democratic transition. Will it be possible for more African nations to transition to democracy? Why it is incredibly difficult for African nations to democratic transition According to Riley (1991), African nations can adopt democracy as most western countries such as the United States have adopted. However, the transition to democracy is incredibly a difficult task, which requires many changes in hindrances to democratic transition. There are several policies that need to be adopted by most African nations in order to enhance their chances for a democratic transition. South Africa is one of the African nations that have demonstrated a successful democratic transition through overcoming the barriers of such a transition. There are several barriers that prevent the African nations from having a successful democratic transition. First, there has been the lack of democratic culture in many African nations. There is an African culture that allows a single chief who cannot be challenged throughout the history of African leadership. Such a tradition has passed across generations and is a barrier to democratic transition (Bates, 1995). In addition, in many African nations, the sense of a democratic majority is expressed by a single party system and a need for unity among ethnic, cultural and linguistic groups. Such an idea leads to conflicts among various tribes and cultures. The other barrier to successful democratic transition includes the underdeveloped economies in many African nations. Democracy is expensiv e since it requires the establishment of institutions that deal with problems such as corruption, poor governance, and dictatorship. The institutions of democratic government and civil society are weak in many countries; this makes the transition to democracy a substantial challenge. Being underdeveloped, most of the African countries cannot support the establishment of democratic institutions (Bates, 1995). Riley (1991) asserts that unstable societies can be regarded as a barrier to democratic transition in many African nations, which has resulted from wars and violence. Some African countries such as Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Kenya, and Rwanda have experienced tribal or civil wars. For a successful democratic transition, there must be a stable society that focuses on the development. The effects of wars tend to be tremendous both economically and socially. Economic and social inequalities tend to undermine one’s capacity to participate in public discourses that may lead to significant changes in life. The violation of human rights in many African countries also hinders the transition to governance. In these countries, human rights are not given a priority; there are many cases of child abuse, rape, killings and even slavery and other human rights violations (Nzongola-Ntalaja & Lee, 1997). In such a state, it is almost impossible to have a successful transition to democracy. Poor education system in many African countries is also a barrier to democratic transition. In countries where there is democracy, such as United States, education systems aim at producing scholars who are capable of criticizing the lack of democracy. Poor education results to low earning and low standards of living. Consequently, income inequality may undermine democratic instit

Illegal Immigration, Mexican drug cartels, and terrorist organizations Research Paper

Illegal Immigration, Mexican drug cartels, and terrorist organizations - Research Paper Example The United States then takes strict measures to screen individuals from Mexico before they venture into her territory. This does not usually mean the loss of trust between the two countries but only a measure to protect territorial integrity. In most cases, culprits are not necessarily Mexicans but citizens of other countries exploiting the lax law enforcement in Mexico and using her as a passage route into the land of opportunity, the US. The US-Mexico border has one of the highest numbers of cross-border movements compared to all other international borders in the world, being second only to the US-Canada border. In this respect, the US federal government has formed two main agencies to control and deal with issues arising from cross-border movements between the two countries. The United States Border Patrol (CPB) is a component of the Department of Homeland Security within Customs and Border Protection responsible for admission into the United States people born in foreign lands. Following the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2003, the major role of the USBP became that of controlling the entry of weapons through the Mexican or the Canadian border. However, its original mission of prevention, detection, and arrest of illegal immigrants remains. These immigrants are people who get into the country through other routes other than the official 33 interior checkpoints along the Mexican border, including those involved in illegal trade (Andreas, 2003). The other federal government agency dealing with cross-border issues is the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE), which lies in the United States Department of Homeland Security. This agency is responsible for identifying and dealing with security weaknesses that affect national boundaries with other countries, the economy, transport and infrastructure. The main components of this agency are homeland security investigations, and enforcement and removal operations. Guiding

Evolution of aviation during World War II Essay Example for Free

Evolution of aviation during World War II Essay The year between the two great Wars saw the continuation and expansion of aviation technology. By now, European nations knew the uses of airplanes in war times. Even though disarmament was commanded by the treaty of Versailles, many nations (mostly Europeans) continued to advance their aircraft technology in a lesser or higher degree (Pavelic, 2007, p. 2). Unlike the First World War, there was greater interest in research and advance studies on material science, aerodynamics, engine thermodynamics and fuel technology that favored the extensive use of monoplane and the use of new high powered weapons in fighter planes like cannons and rockets (Mathews, 2001, p. 9). Even though Germany was denied to build an air force by the Treaty of Versailles, nevertheless, they continued to conduct covert aeronautical research for secret rearmament plans during the interwar years. Secretly they also bought aircrafts from other countries. It can be said therefore that in spite of being banned to build military aircrafts, Germany was up-to-date in aircraft development. In fact by the time the Pact of Paris (1926) relaxed their restriction on German aviation development, Germany built some of the most advanced aircraft in the world (Pavelic, 2007, p. 2). Increasing the speed and rising at high altitudes had remained the preoccupation of aircraft development in the interwar and Second World War. Altitude was very important to the military because of their mission to intercept and attack invading bombers (Matthews, 2001, p. 9). For conventional type of airplanes, development was geared toward increasing speed and altitude through engine development, particularly the piston engine and turbo jet engine. Britain had design one of the best liquid-cooled aircraft engines, the Rolls Royce Merlin, used in World War II for two heavy bombers, the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricanes (Pavelec, 2007, p. 7). However, the alternative to piston engine, the turbojet engine (engine without propeller) can be considered the greatest achievement in the history of aviation in terms of speed development and solved the problem of jet propulsion during the interwar and the Second World War. It was Germany who led in this development in the person of Dr. Hans von Ohain who completed a flight-worthy turbojet engine for aircraft, commencing the jet age on August 27, 1939. Throughout the war, the race for jet speed was dominated by the Germans and they were the ones who initiated to produce jet aircraft for combat operations. Other countries soon followed suit (although they have their own jet inventions at the same time that the Germans developed it but with less support) in producing turbojet engine. In Britain, it was Frank Whittle who developed a turbojet engine that powered the Gloster Pioneer on May 15, 1941 and the only Allied combat jet aircraft ,Meteor. By the end of the war, airplanes of the Second World War travel in faster speeds than their predecessors, with a record of 606 miles per hour by the British Gloster Meteor IV powered by a turbojet engine (Matthews, 2001, p. 6). Radar was also an innovation in aviation during the Second World War. When the First World War had ended, nations had realized that airplanes, especially those carrying bombs, will pose a threat to their safety. Therefore, radar systems were developed and in the Second World War, they were installed in airplanes to detect enemy aircrafts or ships, or to help in navigation or to accurately locate bombing targets ( Perry, 1988, p. 703). IV. Conclusion It is very obvious that due to the pressing need of the First and Second World War, the history of aviation took a rapid turn. It is at this period that aircrafts changed its role from transport and reconnaissance vehicle to destructive weapons of war when fighter and bomber planes were developed. Airplanes also undergone rapid change in physical appearance from biplanes to monoplanes and from using fabric to full-metal body. During the interwar periods, as aircrafts were already seen as an integral part in war victory, in-depth researches in aerodynamics and thermodynamics and other engineering technology related to flying was undertaken well into the Second World War. Moreover, the quest for greater speed and high altitudes was improved in the Second World War upon the invention of turbo jet engines as an alternative to the piston engines of the First World War.

A Foolish American Dream in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman :: Death of a Salesman

A Foolish American Dream in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Willy Loman is responsible for his own downfall.   Willy finds his own hero and tries to become the hero in his own existence.   Willy tries to become a very successful businessman, at the start of his career he thinks that no one can tell him what to.   Willy is not good with people, he is good with his hands, he is not a good salesman and he chooses the wrong career.   Willy often makes up stories or changes the stories he knows because he cannot face the truth of his life that he has not accomplished as much as he has planned.   Willy's downfall is his own doing which is brought about by his unrealistic dreams, his pride, his career choice and his failure to manage life's problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Willy, at a young age, noticed an old salesman who worked at an age of 80 and made a lot of money. The old salesman took orders from no one, he made his own orders and everyone did as the old man said.   When the old salesman, Dave Singleman dies, all the buyers came to his funeral. All the people Dave ever knew came.   There were thousands mourning his death.   From that point, Willy Loman found an awesome dream which he followed the rest of his life.   Willy became a salesman.   Willy is the most unqualified salesman ever!   He never sold a thing.   Willy stops seeing the truth at one point of his life and he relies on his own lies to numb his pain. The pain of knowing he cannot and wont be able to become Dave Singleman.   He is Willy Loman, who is good at fixing the house.   He is not cut out for travelling from city to city and selling goods to people he has never met before.   Willy dramatically dies living out his dream, the dream that never suited Willy Loman.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Willy does not allow people to tell him what to do.   He believes that he cannot be bossed around and that he is too important to fall under anyone's authority but his own.   Willy teaches Biff and Happy not to take orders from anyone.   He thinks this will make Biff, Happy and himself

Advantages and Disadvantages of Having a Mobile Phone

This is a quite hot topic,espeaially for students in campus! net has collected this sample coposition for you! 1. 2. 3. Nowadays,with the rapid development of IT and information industry, cell phones play a dominant role in towns people's life. But, like everything else, they have both favorable and mffavorahle aspects. First, it's useful. As a wireless mobile telephone, it's easy and handy to early to wherever one goes and call the callee however far away he is. Therefore, it greatly facilitates people's life. Second, it's convenient. Whenever one meets trouble or something urgent, one can nmke a call immediately. Most important of all, it's a very helpful companion. With a multirfunction cell phone in hand, one can easily get on the Net, browsing the useful information, conducting e-commerce and doing whatever one can do via Internet. However, just as everything has two sides, the cell phone also has many disadvantages. To begin with, it's expensive to buy and costly to pay the hills, esp. that of global service. To make matters worse, it's also easy to lose and costly to get it repaired. Worst of all,it's not as clear as a family telephone and sometimes the number dialed is often not available. Last but not least, it's alleged the microwaves in it might do harm to people's health. In my opinion,with its expenses greatly reduced after China's entry into the WTO, it will face an ever brighter future in its development. Someday most of them will be developed into new Intemet-enabled mobile phones, which will be as useful as pocket computers. And I believe its advantages will not only offset its disadvantages, but also far outweigh them.

Social Media Profiles As An Invasion Of Privacy - 999 Words

One of the most highly debated issues in the business world is the use of social media profiles as a determining factor in the hiring process. Some people feel that using someone’s social media profile is an invasion of privacy because it uses something from their personal life to determine their professional success. As long as the company follows some basic guidelines I believe there is nothing wrong with them looking into the profiles of their potential employees. It is important to point out that while looking at many of the different ethical ideologies, this practice does not violate the ethical conducts. Teleologists would agree that looking into someones profile will ensure that you are hiring someone who will conduct themselves in a proper manner. Therefore, the means of looking into their personal lives justifies the ends in which you hire a professional with good character. Deontologists would likely agree that as long as the company does not try to find loop holes t o see into protected accounts that they are respecting the rights of the individual and therefore are not being unethical. I believe that it is reasonable for a company to use social media profiles as a basis for hiring because everything posted on the internet is public domain, it allows them to get an understanding of who the potential client is, and you want to ensure that you are hiring someone who fits in to your company. I believe that it is reasonable to use a potential employee’s social mediaShow MoreRelatedSocial Media s Eroding Our Privacy Essay1312 Words   |  6 PagesSeptember 24, 2016 Social Media and U.S Surveillances Eroding our Privacy The emerge of our privacy invasion has mount with government surveillance by the U.S national security system (Baumer, Roth, Epstein, 2014). 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