Reading Study Guide for the ACT

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Reading and understanding are great first steps to acing the ACT, but you will also need to be able to integrate knowledge and ideas and combine what you read from multiple sources into a synthesized response. The Reading portion of the ACT may ask you to analyze the argument in multiple passages. You may be asked to integrate information from a chart or graphic with information presented in a text. Be prepared to identify and compare arguments in multiple texts and in mixed-information formats (e.g., texts and charts or graphics).

Arguments

An argument is a claim made by an author that may be disputed by some readers. It’s not an argument if everyone agrees. Sometimes the argument isn’t explicitly stated, and the reader must infer what position the author is taking with regard to a topic. This is easier to do if you can find the main claim and evaluate the evidence and reasoning the writer uses to support that claim.

Finding the Main Claim

The main claim is the main argument being made by the author. What is the author’s position with regard to the topic they are writing about? This is their claim. The main claim is usually introduced in the first paragraph of the text, with subsequent paragraphs being used to help support or explain that claim. Sometimes it is stated explicitly, but the main claim may also be implied so that the reader has to infer what the author’s position is. Look at the introductory paragraph and, more specifically, the thesis statement to find the main claim.

Finding Support for the Claim

Arguments aren’t very effective if there’s no support to back them up. Support, or evidence, is needed to help prove that the claim made is accurate or worthy of consideration by the reader. Support for the claim is usually found in the body paragraphs. The amount of support or the number of reasons given in a text may vary, so the quantity is not as important as the quality of that support. Questionable sources, vague references, and the author’s opinion disguised as “fact” will not help support the claim effectively.

Fact and Opinion

A fact is something that can be proven through objective evidence; an opinion is based on assumptions or beliefs that not everyone may hold to be true. When making an argument, writers may include their opinion, likely evident in their claim. But to prove their argument as valid and worthy of consideration, they must use facts. Where those facts come from and how they are presented to the reader must also be considered. Questionable sources (my uncle Mike) or vague references (one study) are not necessarily reliable sources of fact. Facts from experts in the field, people with direct knowledge or experience (Dr. Collins, a researcher at MIT), and references to reputable, recognizable sources (One study out of Stanford suggests) come across as more trustworthy and less likely to be opinion disguised as fact.

Logical Reasoning

Readers are more apt to agree with an argument an author makes if it makes logical, reasonable sense. Presenting “facts” that use false reasoning weakens an argument and turns the reader away from an author’s position. If things make logical sense, if the argument is reasonable and the support is rational, readers are more likely to agree with the author’s position.

Analyzing Multiple Texts

As you integrate knowledge and ideas, you may be asked to do so by considering more than one text from more than one author or voice. Analyzing multiple texts means being able to identify the claim, support, structure, and purpose of each and often comparing and contrasting them.

Connecting Elements of Two Passages

As you analyze two texts, what connections can you make between them? These might be presenting similar ideas, referencing similar people, or using similar relationships to make connections between different parts of the text. While there may be similarities, you can also make connections between passages by noticing their differences. For example, one passage may be in support of reducing the highway speed limit to 50 mph while the other passage may be in opposition to that idea. You are still making connections between the two passages, but are doing so by noticing the differences between them.

Using Two Passages to Draw Conclusions

Another type of question may ask you to use two passages to draw conclusions about the argument being made in each. What can you infer based on the information and evidence provided in each? The process is the same as drawing conclusions from a single text, but in using two passages to draw conclusions, you must first identify the arguments and claims made in each before synthesizing them to draw conclusions from both.

Comparing Two Passages

When you analyze multiple texts, you may be asked to compare them in terms of their structure, purpose, and perspective. Are they organized in the same way? If not, what are the differences? Are they written with the same purpose? It may be that while both passages are organized as problem/solution texts, they offer different solutions. Do the authors of each passage have the same perspective on the topic? Is one arguing in favor of an idea and the other against it? Are they both offering potential solutions but based on different interpretations of the problem? These are the types of things to consider during the comparison.

Structure

The structure refers to the organizational pattern of a text. When you are comparing two passages, don’t just count the paragraphs or look at the length, consider the actual organizational pattern of each and see if they are the same or similar or if they are different. Remember that even if the structure is the same, the purpose might be different.

Purpose

The purpose is the “why” and two passages may have similar purposes or they may have very different purposes. First, determine the purpose of each and then compare them. Both passages may have been written to persuade the reader, but do they persuade the reader of the same thing? Do they share the same perspective?

Perspective

The perspective, or position or point of view, may be similar between passages, but it may also differ. Evaluate the perspective of each, including the evidence and support used, the diction and potential bias of each as you compare them.

Analyzing Multiple Information Types

Information can be presented in a wide variety of ways. While much of the Reading portion of the test is based on passages and texts, some questions may ask you to analyze alternative types of information, including graphs, tables, diagrams, or images. This means that you must understand how to “read” these other types of “texts.” Quantitative evidence based on numerical data may be presented in a graph or a chart rather than a passage of text. Understanding how to interpret these kinds of graphics is important.

Finding and Interpreting Information

You may be asked to find and interpret information in some formats that move beyond paragraphs of text. Information may be presented in the form of bar charts, line graphs, tables, or pictographs, and you will need to be able to find and interpret the information within them.

Comparing Information in Each

In addition to finding information in a mixed-information format, you may be asked to compare it to other information, often from a passage of text. This means that you must be able to interpret what it means. Often, you will be asked to compare the information presented in a text passage with that presented in a table or graph, so understanding how to read each type of text is important.

Drawing Conclusions from a Combination of Information Types

Once you have found, interpreted, and compared the information from multiple text types, you may be asked to draw conclusions based on what you have found. Just as you would draw conclusions from a passage of text, you can apply the same principles to draw conclusions from other text types to infer meaning.