The ACT: The Language of the Test: List 3

If a word choice or example reflects a particular idea, it supports or agrees with that idea. Thinking about how a mirror reflects an image may help you remember the meaning of this word. Another meaning of reflect is to think about something deeply; a writing passage may offer an author's reflections on a certain topic.

On the ACT Reading Test, you will often need to try to figure out an author's purpose. Those types of questions will have answer options beginning with verbs with either positive or negative connotations. To criticize is to be critical, to pick something apart and to identify its weak points. This is definitely a verb with a negative connotation. If an author is out to criticize, chances are he or she is using strong, harsh language.

Don't confuse the words critique and criticize. If a writer critiques something, he or she reviews it. Unlike criticize, which has a negative connotation, critique is neutral. You could critique a movie and only point out its wonderful qualities. Or, you could critique something and point out its negative features.

To demonstrate is to show. The purpose of a passage could be to demonstrate a concept or a character trait, for example. Another word that is used in a similar way is illustrate.

When you see the word illustrate on the ACT, don't think about fine art; think about how a writer "paints a picture" with words instead. A specific example could illustrate an abstract concept, for instance, or a graph of data could illustrate a scientist's conclusion. Illustrate in this sense is used almost like convey.

When you confirm something, you prove it to be true. For example, the results of an experiment could confirm a scientist's hypothesis. You can remember this word by remembering how you have to confirm a doctor's appointment by saying, "Yes, I'll be there." Confirming has to do with establishing or validating.

Just like it sounds, clarify means to "make clear." You may see this word at the beginning of answer options on the Reading Test. For example, you may be asked to infer the purpose of a statement from a passage, and one of the answer options could begin, "to clarify..." Language that is used to clarify is usually easy to understand and explanatory in tone.

This word has multiple meanings that could show up on the ACT. If the test mentions an argument's or passage's one and only conclusion, it is probably referring to the final paragraph of the passage. If you see this word in its plural form, conclusions, it usually indicates the logical positions or opinions you can draw from an argument.

To disagree is to have a different opinion than someone else. People can disagree about a particular issue and passages disagree when they come to opposite conclusions. You may be asked to read passages that disagree, and to identify the sides in the debate, and to decide which side would agree or disagree with a certain statement.

A dispute can be a disagreement or a fight, but it is also used as a verb meaning "to reject or take exception to." To dispute something is to go against it, to act in opposition to it. To effectively dispute a claim, you should have evidence on your side that supports your stance or perspective on an issue. On the ACT the presence of dispute typically indicates a difference of opinion, as do words like refute and oppose.

When you use evidence to support the truth or value of something, you validate it.

To introduce is to present something for the first time. On the ACT, this word may refer to the first few paragraphs of a passage, where the main ideas are raised for the first time, establishing what the passage is about. Over the course of a passage, new ideas or characters may be introduced. The way things are introduced can be a clue as to how the author feels about the subject being introduced.

An explanation seeks to take an idea and make it easier to understand. An explanation can start with things you know your reader understands, and relate those ideas to the difficult ones you are trying to explain.

When something is accurate, it is correct. The ACT Reading Test may ask you to decide which sentence could most improve a passage. But you don't need to evaluate whether the information in each sentence is true; you're just considering the effects that adding each sentence would have on the passage. For this reason, the test instructions will assure you that "all the choices are accurate."

When you approximate something, you make an educated guess about its size or amount. An approximate number is one that is close to the real value, but may not be exact. On the ACT Math Test and Science Test, you may be asked to give approximate answers, which means you will be expected to round. A question might ask something like "Approximately how many times greater is quantity X than quantity Y."

When you accomplish something, you achieve it. A question on the ACT Reading Test might ask you how an author accomplishes his or her purpose. This word is related to accomplishments, or things that you have achieved in your life.

Information refers to the facts and data we have on a topic. Information is not limited to words or descriptions, but can also be taken from statistics, graphs, and charts. On the ACT, information can be presented to you in any of its many forms, and you will have to use and interpret that information. Resist the temptation to rely on background knowledge — the test will provide you with the information you need to answer the questions.

A fact is a piece of information about something that actually took place. Facts can be used to support a theory about something in the world, as a type of evidence. On the ACT, you may be asked to identify facts in a reading passage that support a specific conclusion you have drawn or to support a central claim in an argument.

Factors are things that matter in what you are considering. You may also see the word factor used to mean "cause." For example, you may be asked to identify one of the factors that contributed to a specific outcome.

When something doesn't stay the same, we say that it varies. To vary is to change. In a science experiment, the quantity that varies, or changes, is called a variable.

Psychics claim to predict the future, which means they say they can tell you what is going to happen in advance, before it actually happens. We predict that you will see the word predict on the ACT Reading Test, most likely in an answer option.

On the ACT you will examine the similarities and differences between two ideas or two passages, and when you do this, you compare them.

Likely is one of those words test writers love to use, including ACT test writers. It usually shows up in the expression most likely. For example, you may see a question like "On which of the following points would the authors of both passages most likely agree?" You can't talk to the authors and definitely find out the answer, so you are expected to make an educated guess based on the evidence in the passages.

A paragraph is a few sentences about one particular aspect of the general topic in a reading passage. You can easily spot a paragraph, because it is usually indented. Questions on the ACT Reading Test may refer to a particular paragraph in a passage or ask you to look at specific lines within a paragraph.

When you include something, you incorporate it into a larger something. You may be asked why an author most likely chose to include certain details in his or her argument; it will be your job to infer why that decision was made. The opposite of include is exclude, which means rule out or prevent from joining.