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ACT Exam Questions
Page 1 of 26
1.
Read the passage then answer the following question.
The author states that hepatitis C is the leading cause of:
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Liver transplants
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Lung cancer
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Blindness
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Heart failure
In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the author states that hepatitis C is one of the leading causes of liver transplants.
From the passage: The study estimates that around 3.2 million Americans are chronically infected with hepatitis C and reveals that it is the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States.
2.
Choose the option that represents the best way to write the underlined portion of the sentence below.
The town is located near Clarksdale, Mississippi which is considered the birthplace of the blues.
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Clarksdale, Mississippi,
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No change
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Clarksdale Mississippi
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Clarksdale Mississippi;
The town is located near Clarksdale, Mississippi, which is considered the birthplace of the blues.
Commas are used between a city and a state, and also following the state in a sentence.
3.
Choose the option that represents the best way to write the underlined portion of the sentence below.
As a child, I was never good at climbing trees; I was too afraid of falling and breaking a bone.
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No change
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climbing trees:
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climbing trees
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climbing, trees
As a child, I was never good at climbing trees; I was too afraid of falling and breaking a bone.
This sentence consists of two independent clauses. Independent clauses are joined by using a semicolon.
4.
Read the passage, and then answer the following question.
John Gorrie experimented with refrigeration because:
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He believed diseases could be treated by cooling the rooms of patients
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He and his family were tired of being hot in the summers
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He had a plan to design an air conditioner that would make him wealthy
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He wanted to open a business and knew that cool air would attract more shoppers
In the steamy weather of Apalachicola, Florida, Dr. John Gorrie came to believe that tropical diseases like yellow fever could be cured by cooling the rooms of patients. Gorrie suspended ice in a basin from the ceilings in sick rooms, knowing that cooler air is heavier and would therefore flow downward toward the patients.
In the final sentences of the second paragraph, the author of this passage states that Dr. Gorrie experimented with refrigeration because he was convinced it would help his sick patients get better.
5.
Choose the option that represents the best way to write the underlined portion of the sentence below.
The woman to whom you were speaking is a well-known writer.
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No change
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The woman to who
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The woman to which
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The woman what
The woman to whom you were speaking is a well-known writer.
In this case, the relative pronoun "whom" is the object (receiving the action), therefore the objective case must be used.
6.
Choose the option that represents the best way to write the underlined portion of the sentence below.
I recently reconnected with my old friend, and he is glad to hear from me again.
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he was glad
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No change
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he are glad
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he will be glad
I recently reconnected with my old friend, and he was glad to hear from me again.
Multiple verbs in one sentence should be in the same tense, unless there is a logical reason for them to be in different tenses.
7.
Find the Lowest Common Multiple of 9, 6 and 12.
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36
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48
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72
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24
Correct answer: 36
The multiples of the numbers are:
9 - 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54
6 - 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54
12- 12, 24, 36, 48
The lowest common multiple of all three numbers is 36.
8.
The surface area of a square-based pyramid whose base area is 64 square inches is 144 square inches. Find the volume of the pyramid.
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64 cubic inches
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85 cubic inches
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128 cubic inches
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256 cubic inches
Correct answer: 64 cubic inches
The surface area = lateral area + base area.
Lateral area = 144 − 64 = 80 square inches.
Since the pyramid is square-based, the lateral area is composed of 4 slant triangles whose area is 80 ÷ 4 = 20 square inches.
The slant height of each triangle = (20 × 2)/8 = 5 inches.
The slant height of the triangle, 1/2 the side of the square and the perpendicular height of the pyramid form a right triangle, with the hypotenuse being the slant height of the triangle.
The perpendicular height of the pyramid = √(5² − 4²) = 3 inches.
The volume of the pyramid = 1/3 of base area × height = 1/3 × 64 × 3 = 64 cubic inches.
9.
Choose the option that represents the best way to write the underlined portion of the sentence below.
A famous writer speaking at the college commencement next spring.
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will be speaking
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No change
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is speak
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speak
A famous writer will be speaking at the college commencement next spring.
As it is written, the sentence is a fragment. Additional words need to be added to make the fragment a complete sentence.
10.
Read the passage, and then answer the following question.
Other than Alabama, where else does the Cahaba River lily grow?
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South Carolina
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Indiana
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Oklahoma
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Mississippi
Although it grows in Georgia and South Carolina as well, there is one location along the Cahaba River, Hargrove Shoals, which is home to the largest concentration of the lily in the world.
In the second sentence of the passage, the author states that the Cahaba River lily also grows in Georgia and South Carolina.
11.
Read the passage, and then answer the following question.
Which of the following is used as a natural remedy for heartburn?
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Ginger tea
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Ginger in pill form
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Candied ginger
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Raw ginger root
Ginger tea in particular has been acclaimed as an effective natural heartburn remedy.
In the first sentence of the fourth paragraph, the author states that ginger tea is an effective natural remedy for heartburn. Ginger is a useful natural remedy for many other ailments as well.
12.
Read the passage then answer the following question.
The main point of the passage can be best summarized as:
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People at risk for hepatitis C should be tested regularly
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Thousands of people die of liver failure each year
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Numerous advances have been made in medical testing in recent years
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Liver transplants are risky
The author began the passage by stating that studies encourage adults to be tested for hepatitis C and multiple statements in the passage support that point.
13.
Simplify 2/4 of 8, decreased by 5(2 ÷ 2 1/2).
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0
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-4/5
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4/5
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3/5
Correct answer: 0
(2/4 of 8) − 5(2 ÷ 2 1/2) = 4 − 5(2 × 2/5) = 4 − 4 = 0
14.
The mode of the following data is 47. Find the mean, expressed as a whole number.
44, 45, 47, 40, 39, 55, t, 44, 47
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45
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47
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44
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46
Correct answer: 45
Since the mode is 47, and 44 and 47 both appear twice, the variable t must be 47.
Mean = (44 + 45 + 47 + 40 + 39 + 55 + 47 + 44 + 47) ÷ 9 = 408 ÷ 9 = 45.3.
45.3 rounds down to 45.
15.
Choose the option that represents the best way to write the underlined portion of the sentence below.
The person whom rear-ended my car should have to pay for the damages.
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who
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No change
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whoever
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whose
The person who rear-ended my car should have to pay for the damages.
The subject, "person" is singular. Therefore, the singular form of the verb "who" must be used. In this case, "who" is the correct usage.
16.
Choose the option that represents the best way to write the underlined portion of the sentence below.
It's often difficult for me to make up my mind when there are to many choices.
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too many choices
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No change
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two many choices
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too choices
It's often difficult for me to make up my mind when there are too many choices.
The words "to, two, and too" are often confused. "To" is usually used as a preposition, while "too" can indicate too many of something, or also. In this case, "too many choices" is the correct usage.
17.
Simplify 6a³b/4ab².
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3a²/2b
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3a³b²/2
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3a²/b
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3a⁴b³/2
Correct answer: 3a²/2b
Using the quotient law of exponents, we have:
6a³b/4ab² = 6/4 × a^(3 − 1) × b^(1 − 2) = 3a²/2b.
18.
Write the following number in decimal form:
56.41 × 10^-4.
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0.005641
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564,100
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56,410,000
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0.05641
Correct answer: 0.005641
To change 56.41 × 10^-4 to decimal form, we move the decimal point 4 steps to the left (due to the negative sign on the power of 10).
Hence, 56.41 × 10⁻⁴ = 0.005641
19.
Read the passage then answer the following question.
How does the author view the swimming ability of polar bears?
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The author maintains that polar bears are excellent, natural swimmers
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The author maintains that polar bears find swimming difficult because of their heavy fur
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The author maintains that polar bears have become swimmers relatively recently in their history
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The author maintains that polar bears are faster at walking than they are at swimming
The author maintains that polar bears are excellent, natural swimmers.
From the passage: ...swimming comes more naturally to polar bears than land navigation. In fact, polar bears are excellent swimmers and have an average swimming speed of 6 mph, whereas their average walking speed is a much slower 3.5 mph.
20.
Read the passage, and then answer the following question.
All of the following are true about Crater Lake, except:
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It is located in a desert environment
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It is known for its brilliant blue color
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It is unusually deep
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It was formed as the result of a volcanic eruption
Located in south-central Oregon, Crater Lake is arguably the most striking site in that part of the country.
The second sentence of the passage states that Crater Lake is located in south-central Oregon, which is in the Pacific Northwest and is not a desert environment.