The ACT: The Language of the Test: List 1

When you see the word suggest on a standardized test, it usually means "to imply or to indirectly say something." You'll see this commonly used in questions about what a passage or author most strongly suggests.

To define a word is to give its meaning. Define can also mean to make something that is confusing a little clearer. On some parts of the ACT you will be asked to define specific words in reading passages.

When you describe something, you are using language to create a representation in the mind of your reader. You could describe an apple as "round" or "red," and you could describe a character's emotional state as "amused" or "angry." On the ACT, you may be asked to pick a word or phrase that best describes a character or event.

When something is relevant, it relates to the issue that you are discussing. Its opposite is irrelevant, "not important; not related to the topic at hand." Relevant details help support an argument, while irrelevant information is simply distracting.

Context refers to the surrounding textual "environment" where something (usually a word or phrase) is found. For example, you will only be asked for a word's meaning in the context of a particular passage. That means you should not rely on prior knowledge; instead, you need to figure out what the word means in the particular sentence or passage on the test.

An argument is a text or reading passage that advances a claim and supports that claim with evidence.

On the ACT, claim most likely refers to an author's main argument — what the writer is trying to persuade you to believe. There could be more than one claim in an argument, but the reading passages on the ACT will most likely have one central (or main) claim that is supported by different types of evidence.

When a writer builds an argument or makes a claim, he or she may also reference a counterclaim that makes an opposing point — and then offer evidence intended to persuade you that the counterclaim is not compelling or relies on faulty logic.

A counterargument is essentially the same as a counterclaim. For example, if you are arguing for year-round school, you may include a counterargument about how others think summer vacation is important. Then, you could refute that counterargument by explaining that many teenagers get in trouble over summer break.

Evidence is not just the stuff you collect at a crime scene. On standardized tests, textual evidence is information that supports an argument's central claim. It could take the form of examples, statistics, facts, etc. Sometimes you will answer a question, and the next question will ask you to identify the evidence that led you to that previous conclusion or answer.

Your perspective is your point of view; it's how you see something. On the ACT Reading Test, you may be asked to interpret a writer's perspective (or a narrator's perspective) on an issue.

When you have to choose between several things, we say that you have a bunch of options. Having options means having the freedom to pick one or the other. On the ACT, option is a word that will likely show up in the test direction. Each multiple choice question stem is followed by several options, and you have to choose the option that best answers the question.

Explicit points are made directly; you won't have to read between the lines to find them in a reading passage. If an ACT question asks you about what a writer has explicitly stated, you better head back to the passage to find it. It will be right there in front of you. Explicit is the opposite of implicit, meaning "implied."

Can you see the word imply in the word implicit? That can help you remember that implicit is an adjective to describe something that is not directly (or explicitly) stated. On the ACT, you may have to figure out the implicit message conveyed by a text or author.

A portion is a part or section of something. You will most likely see this word used on the SAT English Test to refer to a particular section of a passage that might need revision. Questions may refer to "the underlined portion" of the passage and ask you which revisions, if any, are necessary.

An intention is the result you mean to happen from an action you take. Other words that are related to intention are purpose and reason.

To indicate is to give a sign of something occurring. Large dark clouds can indicate that a rainstorm will start soon. Images of dark, threatening clouds and barren landscapes in a work of fiction may indicate the author is trying to create a threatening or eerie mood. Words related to indicate include signify, mean, and imply.

Answering reading comprehension questions often requires you to try to figure out what an author really means, even if he or she is not directly stating it. You may see the verb allude used to describe the way an author makes an indirect reference. For example, an author might refer to the "flood to end all floods" as a way to allude to the flood in the Book of Genesis. The author doesn't directly mention the Bible story, but he or she is alluding to it.

Even though you can see the word character inside characterize, this verb does not just apply to how an author describes or builds a fictional character. A writer could characterize anything. One writer might characterize a particular decade as turbulent, for example, while another might characterize her childhood as happy and carefree.

To summarize is to briefly retell something without interpreting it. If you are asked to identify the statement that best summarizes a passage, choose the one that captures the main ideas without adding personal opinions or irrelevant details.

When you are asked to analyze a reading passage, you are doing more than just trying to figure out what it is saying on the surface level. Analysis requires figuring out how the different parts of the passage relate to its overall message and how the passage might affect a reader.

The word purpose shows up often on standardized tests. When you are being asked about purpose, you are trying to get inside a writer's head — trying to figure out why he or she made certain decisions during the writing process. You are sometimes asked to identify a reading passage's overall purpose, or you could also be asked about the purpose of a single paragraph or word choice.

Think of a magnifying glass enlarging an image. That's what a writer does for a reader when he or she focuses on a particular idea; that idea becomes dominant. You might be asked to identify the main focus of a passage or determine how a writer's focus shifts over the course of a text.

On standardized tests, you will most likely see the word central before the word claim or the word idea. Central in this context means "main." If you are asked to identify an argument's central claim, then you are trying to figure out the main point the writer is trying to get across.

If you flip point of view around and take out of, you get viewpoint. Your point of view is your viewpoint, your perspective, the way you see things either physically or mentally. On the ACT, if you encounter the term point of view, it will most likely refer to a writer's mental stance on an issue. In an argument, the writer's point of view is usually evident in the central claim.