ACT For Dummies
John Wiley & Sons Inc (Verlag)
978-1-119-61264-3 (ISBN)
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Slay the ACT monster with this trusted and friendly guide to maximizing your test score, minimizing your fear, and acing your way into the college of your dreams. This updated edition schools you in winning study strategies and drills you to examination day perfection with exercises and practice problems that help you improve your performance, and become a lean, mean, test-crushing machine.
Complete with updated math coverage to align with recent test changes, ACT For Dummies provides access to a companion website featuring three full-length practice tests, math flashcards, and real-time feedback on your performance. You’ll also find advice on how to shine in the optional essay test with tips on how to build your argument and improve your writing, as well as insider knowledge of how scoring works.
Techniques and best practices for maximizing your score
Strategies to stay focused and manage your time
Tips on navigating the college admissions process
Advice for parents on helping you succeed
No excuses! Get your ACT together today and say a confident, anxiety-free hello to college success tomorrow!
Lisa Zimmer Hatch, MA, and Scott A. Hatch, JD, have been helping students succeed on standardized tests since 1987. They have written curricula and numerous test-prep guides, and have taught internationally through their online forums, live lectures, DVDs, and study programs.
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 3
Where to Go from Here 4
Figuring Out How Long All This Studying Will Take 5
Part 1: Coming to Terms with Reality: An Overview of the ACT 7
Chapter 1: Getting Your ACT Together: ACT 101 9
What to Take to the ACT 10
What Not to Take to the ACT 11
What to Do If You Have Special Circumstances 11
Guessing for Points to Maximize Your Score 12
Your Number’s Up: Scoring on the ACT 12
What the ACT Expects You to Know 13
Repeating the Test for a Better Score 14
Chapter 2: Succeeding on the ACT 17
Surviving the ACT with Four Stress-Busters 17
Inhaling deeply 17
Stretching a little 18
Thinking positive thoughts 18
Practicing POE 18
Avoiding a Few Dumb Mistakes That Can Mess Up Your ACT 18
Losing concentration 19
Panicking over time 19
Messing up on the answer grid 19
Rubbernecking 19
Cheating 20
Worrying about previous sections 20
Worrying about the hard problems 20
Forgetting to double-check 20
Chapter 3: Surviving the College Admissions Process 21
What’s the Main Thing Colleges Look For? 21
How Do Higher ACT Scores Increase My Scholarship Chances? 22
Do Schools Care Whether I Repeat the ACT? 22
What Classes Should I Take in High School? 22
How Helpful Are Sports and Charity? 23
What Should I Say on the College Essay? 23
What Will They Ask Me in the Interview and What Should I Say? 23
How Do I Decide Which School is Best for Me? 24
What’s the Biggest Mistake Most Students Make in College Planning? 24
How Do I Make My Final Decision? 25
Part 2: Serving Your “Sentence”: The English Test 27
Chapter 4: Mastering the English Test 29
Figuring Out What the English Questions Want You to Know 29
Seeing is Believing: The Test’s Format 30
The passages 30
The question types 30
Their Pain, Your Gain: Looking Out for Traps That Others Fall into 32
Chapter 5: Getting a Grip on Grammar and Usage 35
Reviewing the Parts of Speech 36
Getting in the action with verbs 36
Identifying the culprit with nouns 37
Avoiding repeating yourself with pronouns 37
Defining nouns with adjectives 37
Clarifying the questions with adverbs 38
Joining together with conjunctions and prepositions 38
Piecing Together the Parts of a Sentence 38
Subjects and predicates 38
Phrases and clauses 39
Keeping Track of Punctuation Rules for Every Occasion 39
Periods and question marks 39
Semicolons 40
Colons 40
Commas 40
Dashes 42
Apostrophes 43
Chapter 6: Spotting Usage Errors and Ripping through Rhetorical Questions 45
Spotting Questions That Test Standard English Conventions 45
Properly placing punctuation marks 45
Picking up on pronoun errors 48
Forming possessives 49
Evaluating verbs 50
Calling out sentence fragments 51
Identifying problems with parallelism 51
Recognizing misplaced modifiers 51
Checking for Proper Production of Writing 52
Eliminating superfluous words 53
Completing the mission 54
Determining the function of a deletion 54
Pondering an addition 54
Creating smooth transitions 55
Organizing and positioning elements 56
Seeing the big picture 56
Sticking to appropriate vocabulary and standard expressions 57
Chapter 7: It’s Not What You Say but How You Say It: English Practice Questions 59
Part 3: Don’t Count Yourself Out: The Math Test 65
Chapter 8: Number Nuts and Bolts 67
The Wonderful World of Numbers 67
Keeping it real: Types of numbers 68
Lining things up along the number line 69
Understanding absolute value 69
Getting familiar with prime numbers and factorization 69
Minor Surgery: Basic Math Operations 70
Adding and subtracting 70
Multiplying and dividing 70
Working with odds/evens and positives/negatives 71
Focusing on Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages 71
Converting fractions, decimals, and percentages 72
Working with fractions 72
Pondering percentages 74
Eyeing Ratios and Proportions 75
Ratios 75
Proportions 76
Covering Your Bases: Exponents 77
Smooth Operator: Order of Operations 78
Dealing with Average, Median, Mode, and More 78
Doing better than average on averages 78
Weighing in on weighted averages 79
Mastering medians 80
Managing modes 80
Getting ready for range 80
Abracadabra: Elementary Algebra 80
Variables 101 81
Solving simple equations 81
Adding and subtracting expressions 82
Multiplying and dividing expressions 83
Curses! FOILed again 83
Extracting by factoring 84
Solving a system of equations 86
Chapter 9: Getting into Shapes: Geometry and Trig Review 89
Toeing the Line 89
Analyzing Angles 90
Triangle Trauma 92
Classifying triangles 92
Sizing up triangles 93
Zeroing in on similar triangles 94
Figuring out area and perimeter 95
Going Greek: The Pythagorean theorem 95
Taking the shortcut: Pythagorean triples and other common side ratios 96
Thanks 4 Nothing: A Quick Look at Quadrilaterals 98
Missing Parrots and Other Polly-Gones (Or Should We Say “Polygons”?) 100
Measuring up polygons 101
Solving for volume 101
Running Around in Circles 102
Trying Your Hand at Trigonometry 107
Introducing trigonometric functions 108
Circumventing the unit circle 110
Measuring in radians 111
Graphing trig functions on a coordinate plane 112
Applying the Law of Sines and Law of Cosines 114
Chapter 10: Algebra and Other Sleeping Aids 117
Suffering Inequalities 117
Using Your Imagination: Complex Numbers 118
Too Hip to Be Square: Roots and Radicals 119
Adding and subtracting radicals 120
Multiplying and dividing radicals 120
Working from the inside out 121
Thinking Exponentially: Logarithms 121
Log rules 122
Natural logarithms 122
Barely Functioning with Functions 122
Taking a Flight on the Coordinate Plane 123
Defining the coordinate plane 123
Knowing which formulas you need to guide your flight 124
Graphing more functions 126
Evaluating graphs of functions 130
Picking Your Way through Percent Increase, Probability, Permutations, and Combinations 132
Managing the ups and downs 132
Practicing probability 133
Calculating outcomes and orderings 135
Setting Up Sequences 138
Managing Matrices 138
Chapter 11: Numb and Number: Acing the Mathematics Test 141
What You See is What You Get: The Format and Breakdown of the Math Test 141
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder: What Isn’t on the Math Test 142
Getting into the Grind: The Approach 143
Translating English into Math 144
Time Flies When You’re Having Fun: Timing Tips 145
Skim for your favorite questions 145
Backsolve when the answers are actual values 146
Plug in values for variables 147
Kindly refrain from showing off everything you know 148
Put aside two minutes to fill in the remaining ovals 148
Do’s, Don’ts, and Darns: What to Do and Not Do on the Math Test 148
Do get the lead out 148
Don’t start working until you’ve read the entire problem 149
Do reread the problem with your answer inserted 149
Don’t strike out over a difficult question early on 149
Chapter 12: More Fun than a Root Canal: Mathematics Practice Questions 151
Part 4: Time to Read the Riot ACT: The Reading Test 159
Chapter 13: This, Too, Shall Pass(age): Sailing through the Reading Test 161
Facing 40 Questions: The Reading Test 161
Timing 162
Scoring 162
Getting Prepared: Reading Strategies 162
Preview the passages 162
Decide on an approach 163
Skim the passage effectively 163
Identifying Reading Question Types 164
Big picture questions 165
Direct statement questions 165
Inference questions 166
Figuring Out Reading Question Formats 166
Vocabulary in context 167
Most nearly means 167
Exception questions 167
Approaching Comparative Passages 168
Tips and Traps 168
Chapter 14: Where Are SparkNotes When You Need Them? Reading Practice Questions 171
Part 5: Studying Brain Defects in Laboratory Rats: The Science Test 177
Chapter 15: From Frankenstein to Einstein: Excelling on the Science Test 179
Too Graphic for Words: The Science Test’s Format 179
Passage format 180
Question quirks 180
Just the Facts: Data Analysis 182
Approaching data interpretation with as little pain as possible 183
Reading tables, graphs, and diagrams 185
Examining Experimental Procedures 186
Identifying the study’s purpose 186
Following the experimental design and making valid conclusions 186
Warring Factions: Conflicting Viewpoints 188
Devising your plan of attack 188
Working through the conflict to find the right answer: Question styles 189
Chapter 16: Faking Atomic Ache Won’t Get You out of This: Science Practice Questions 191
Passage 191
Initial Analysis 193
Questions 193
Part 6: Writing Rightly: The Optional Writing Test 199
Chapter 17: Excelling on Your Essay: The Writing Test Review 201
What to Expect From the ACT Writing Test 201
Making the Grade: How the ACT Folks Score Your Essay 202
Examining the Prompt and Creating a Thesis 202
Putting Up Your Dukes: Defending Your Perspective 204
Throwing a Good First Punch: The Hook 204
The Proof is in the Pudding: Defending Yourself 205
Using specific examples 205
Mixing things up with a variety of examples 206
Forming logical arguments 206
Hamburger Writing: Organizing Your Essay 208
The top bun: Introduction 208
The three meats: Example paragraphs 208
The lettuce, tomato, and special sauce: Transitions 209
The bottom bun: Conclusion 210
Wielding the Red Pen: Editing and Proofing 210
Using the touch method to look for spelling mistakes and ghost words 210
Calling all action verbs: Be descriptive 210
Avoiding problems with punk-tu-a-tion: Punctuate properly 211
Handwriting check: Write legibly 211
Writing Don’ts 211
Writing before you think 211
Panicking about time 211
Referring to the perspectives by number 212
Sticking to the status quo 212
Using words you don’t know 212
Being overly critical of yourself 212
Writing like you speak 213
Repeating yourself over and over again 213
Failing to edit your essay 213
Reviewing Some Example Essays and Their Scores 213
1 — 1 is the loneliest number: How not to be a 1 214
2 — 2 little 2 late: Steering clear of coming in second 214
3 — Still finding yourself on the wrong side of the tracks 214
4 — Reaching 4 a better score 215
5 — Shining brightly: A 5-star winner 216
6 — Unlocking the code to a perfect score 217
Chapter 18: Practicing Promptly with Practice Prompts: Essay Practice Questions 219
Writing Prompt 1 219
Writing Prompt 2 221
Part 7: Putting It All Together with Three Full-Length Practice ACTs 223
Chapter 19: Practice Exam 1 225
Answer Sheet 226
Chapter 20: Practice Exam 1: Answers and Explanations 273
English Test 273
Mathematics Test 283
Reading Test 296
Science Test 303
Writing Test 308
Sample response 309
Score One for Your Side: The Scoring Guide 309
Answer Key for Practice Exam 1 311
Chapter 21: Practice Exam 2 313
Answer Sheet 314
Chapter 22: Practice Exam 2: Answers and Explanations 355
English Test 355
Mathematics Test 366
Reading Test 379
Science Test 386
Writing Test 395
Sample response 395
Answer Key for Practice Exam 2397
Chapter 23: Practice Exam 3 399
Answer Sheet400
Chapter 24: Practice Exam 3: Answers and Explanations 445
English Test 445
Mathematics Test 455
Reading Test 473
Science Test 481
Writing Test 488
Sample response 488
Answer Key for Practice Exam 3 489
Part 8: The Part of Tens 491
Chapter 25: Ten Wrong Rumors about the ACT 493
You Can’t Study for the ACT 493
Different States Have Different ACTs 493
The ACT Has a Passing Score 494
The ACT Tests IQ 494
You Can’t Use a Calculator on the ACT 494
You Should Never Guess on the ACT 494
The ACT is Easier Than the SAT 495
Selective Colleges Prefer the SAT to the ACT 495
You Have to Write an Essay 495
You Shouldn’t Take Both the SAT and the ACT 495
Chapter 26: Attention, Parents! Ten Ways You Can Help Your Student Succeed on the ACT 497
Give Him Awesome Test-Prep Materials 497
Encourage Her to Study 497
Supply Him with a Good Study Environment 498
Take Practice Tests with Her 498
Model Good Grammar for Him 498
Help Her Memorize Math Formulas 498
Encourage Him to Read 498
Explore Colleges with Her 498
Get Him to the Test Site on Time 499
Help Her Keep a Proper Perspective 499
Index 501
| Erscheinungsdatum | 21.03.2020 |
|---|---|
| Verlagsort | New York |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 218 x 276 mm |
| Gewicht | 954 g |
| Themenwelt | Sozialwissenschaften ► Pädagogik ► Erwachsenenbildung |
| ISBN-10 | 1-119-61264-0 / 1119612640 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-119-61264-3 / 9781119612643 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
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