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Test Prep ACT Test Exam
American College Testing: English, Math, Reading, Science, Writing (Page 34 )

Updated On: 1-Feb-2026
Page 34 of 209
PDF with 1039 Questions

DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered <x>. The question will present alternatives for the underlined part. In most cases, you are to choose the one that best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. If you think the original version is the best, choose "NO CHANGE".

The Gateway Arch

[§1] The skyline of St. Louis, Missouri, is fairly unremarkable, with one huge exception, the <1> Gateway Arch that stands on the banks of the Mississippi. Part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the Arch is a really cool monument <2> built to honor St. Louis' role as the gateway to the West.

[§2] Construction on the 630-foot high structure began, in 1961, <3> and was completed four years later in 1965. The monument includes an underground visitor center that explores westward expansion through galleries and a theater. Two passenger trams take visitors to the Observation Room and the Museum of Westward Expansion at the top.

[§3] In 1947, a group of interested citizens known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association held a nationwide competition to select a design for a new monument that would celebrate <4> the growth of the United States. Other U.S. monuments are spires, statues, or imposed buildings, <5> but the winner of this contest was a plan for a completely unique structure. The man that <6> submitted the winning design, Eero Saarinen, later became a famous architect. In designing the Arch, Saarinen wanted to "create a monument which would have lasting significance and would be a landmark of our time."

[§4] The Gateway Arch is a masterpiece of engineering, a monument even taller than the Great Pyramid in Egypt, and on its own way, <7> at least as majestic. The Gateway is an inverted catenary curve, the same shape that a heavy chain will form if suspended between two points. Covered from top to bottom with sleek stainless steel coating, <8> the Arch often reflects dazzling bursts of sunlight. In a beautiful display of symmetry, the height of the arch is the same as the distance between the legs at ground level.

<2>:

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. a structure that inspires amazement
  3. an amazing structure
  4. OMIT the underlined portion

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

This choice has the most appropriate and concise word choice. It could be omitted without ruining the sentence (choice D), but it would take out an idea central to the essay: that the monument is amazing.



DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered <x>. The question will present alternatives for the underlined part. In most cases, you are to choose the one that best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. If you think the original version is the best, choose "NO CHANGE".

The Gateway Arch

[§1] The skyline of St. Louis, Missouri, is fairly unremarkable, with one huge exception, the <1> Gateway Arch that stands on the banks of the Mississippi. Part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the Arch is a really cool monument <2> built to honor St. Louis' role as the gateway to the West.

[§2] Construction on the 630-foot high structure began, in 1961, <3> and was completed four years later in 1965. The monument includes an underground visitor center that explores westward expansion through galleries and a theater. Two passenger trams take visitors to the Observation Room and the Museum of Westward Expansion at the top.

[§3] In 1947, a group of interested citizens known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association held a nationwide competition to select a design for a new monument that would celebrate <4> the growth of the United States. Other U.S. monuments are spires, statues, or imposed buildings, <5> but the winner of this contest was a plan for a completely unique structure. The man that <6> submitted the winning design, Eero Saarinen, later became a famous architect. In designing the Arch, Saarinen wanted to "create a monument which would have lasting significance and would be a landmark of our time."

[§4] The Gateway Arch is a masterpiece of engineering, a monument even taller than the Great Pyramid in Egypt, and on its own way, <7> at least as majestic. The Gateway is an inverted catenary curve, the same shape that a heavy chain will form if suspended between two points. Covered from top to bottom with sleek stainless steel coating, <8> the Arch often reflects dazzling bursts of sunlight. In a beautiful display of symmetry, the height of the arch is the same as the distance between the legs at ground level.

<1>:

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. exception: the
  3. exception; the
  4. exception. The

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

The colon is the most correct punctuation mark here. Colons introduce s.



DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered <x>. The question will present alternatives for the underlined part. In most cases, you are to choose the one that best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. If you think the original version is the best, choose "NO CHANGE".

Bicycles

[§1] (1) Today, bicycles are so common that it's hard to believe they haven't always been around. (2) But two hundred years ago, bicycles weren't even existing, <1> and the first bicycle, invented in Germany in 1818, was nothing like our bicycles today ­ it was made of wood and didn't even have pedals. (3) Since then, however, numerous innovations and improvements in design have made the bicycle one of the most popular means of recreation and transportation around the world.

[§2] (4) In 1839, Kirkpatrick Macmillan a Scottish blacksmith, <2> dramatically improved upon the original bicycle design. (5) Macmillan's machine had tires with iron rims to keep them from getting worn down. (6) He also used foot-operated cranks similar to pedals so his bicycle could be ridden at a quick pace. <3> (7) It hadn't looked <4> much like a modern bicycle, though, because its back wheel was substantially larger than its front wheel. (8) In 1861, the French Michaux brothers took the evolution of the bicycle a step further by inventing an improved crank mechanism.

[§3] (9) Ten years later, James Starley, an English inventor, revolutionized bicycle design. (10) He, made <5> the front wheel many times larger than the back wheel, putting a gear on <6> the pedals to make the bicycle more efficient, and lightened the wheels by using wire spokes. (11) Although this bicycle was much lighter and less tiring to ride, it was still clumsy, extremely top-heavy, and ridden mostly for entertainment.

[§4] (12) It wasn't until 1874 that the first truly modern bicycle appeared on the scene. (13) Today their built, <7> used, and enjoyed all over the world. (14) H. J. Lawson, invented by another Englishman, <8> the "safety bicycle" would look familiar to today's cyclists. (15) This bicycle had equal sized wheels, which made it less prone to toppling over. (16) Lawson also attached a chain to the pedals to drive the rear wheel. (17) With these improvements, the bicycle became extremely popular and useful for transportation.

<2>:

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. Macmillan was a Scottish blacksmith
  3. Macmillan, a Scottish blacksmith,
  4. Macmillan, he was a Scottish blacksmith,

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

The phrase a Scottish blacksmith is relevant but nonessential information and needs to be set off by commas.



DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered <x>. The question will present alternatives for the underlined part. In most cases, you are to choose the one that best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. If you think the original version is the best, choose "NO CHANGE".

Bicycles

[§1] (1) Today, bicycles are so common that it's hard to believe they haven't always been around. (2) But two hundred years ago, bicycles weren't even existing, <1> and the first bicycle, invented in Germany in 1818, was nothing like our bicycles today ­ it was made of wood and didn't even have pedals. (3) Since then, however, numerous innovations and improvements in design have made the bicycle one of the most popular means of recreation and transportation around the world.

[§2] (4) In 1839, Kirkpatrick Macmillan a Scottish blacksmith, <2> dramatically improved upon the original bicycle design. (5) Macmillan's machine had tires with iron rims to keep them from getting worn down. (6) He also used foot-operated cranks similar to pedals so his bicycle could be ridden at a quick pace. <3> (7) It hadn't looked <4> much like a modern bicycle, though, because its back wheel was substantially larger than its front wheel. (8) In 1861, the French Michaux brothers took the evolution of the bicycle a step further by inventing an improved crank mechanism.

[§3] (9) Ten years later, James Starley, an English inventor, revolutionized bicycle design. (10) He, made <5> the front wheel many times larger than the back wheel, putting a gear on <6> the pedals to make the bicycle more efficient, and lightened the wheels by using wire spokes. (11) Although this bicycle was much lighter and less tiring to ride, it was still clumsy, extremely top-heavy, and ridden mostly for entertainment.

[§4] (12) It wasn't until 1874 that the first truly modern bicycle appeared on the scene. (13) Today their built, <7> used, and enjoyed all over the world. (14) H. J. Lawson, invented by another Englishman, <8> the "safety bicycle" would look familiar to today's cyclists. (15) This bicycle had equal sized wheels, which made it less prone to toppling over. (16) Lawson also attached a chain to the pedals to drive the rear wheel. (17) With these improvements, the bicycle became extremely popular and useful for transportation.

<3>:

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. could be rode quickly
  3. could have been ridden fast
  4. could ride at a quick pace

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

This is correct as is.



DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered <x>. The question will present alternatives for the underlined part. In most cases, you are to choose the one that best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. If you think the original version is the best, choose "NO CHANGE".

Bicycles

[§1] (1) Today, bicycles are so common that it's hard to believe they haven't always been around. (2) But two hundred years ago, bicycles weren't even existing, <1> and the first bicycle, invented in Germany in 1818, was nothing like our bicycles today ­ it was made of wood and didn't even have pedals. (3) Since then, however, numerous innovations and improvements in design have made the bicycle one of the most popular means of recreation and transportation around the world.

[§2] (4) In 1839, Kirkpatrick Macmillan a Scottish blacksmith, <2> dramatically improved upon the original bicycle design. (5) Macmillan's machine had tires with iron rims to keep them from getting worn down. (6) He also used foot-operated cranks similar to pedals so his bicycle could be ridden at a quick pace. <3> (7) It hadn't looked <4> much like a modern bicycle, though, because its back wheel was substantially larger than its front wheel. (8) In 1861, the French Michaux brothers took the evolution of the bicycle a step further by inventing an improved crank mechanism.

[§3] (9) Ten years later, James Starley, an English inventor, revolutionized bicycle design. (10) He, made <5> the front wheel many times larger than the back wheel, putting a gear on <6> the pedals to make the bicycle more efficient, and lightened the wheels by using wire spokes. (11) Although this bicycle was much lighter and less tiring to ride, it was still clumsy, extremely top-heavy, and ridden mostly for entertainment.

[§4] (12) It wasn't until 1874 that the first truly modern bicycle appeared on the scene. (13) Today their built, <7> used, and enjoyed all over the world. (14) H. J. Lawson, invented by another Englishman, <8> the "safety bicycle" would look familiar to today's cyclists. (15) This bicycle had equal sized wheels, which made it less prone to toppling over. (16) Lawson also attached a chain to the pedals to drive the rear wheel. (17) With these improvements, the bicycle became extremely popular and useful for transportation.

<4>:

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. looked not
  3. didn't look
  4. wasn't looking

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

The verb needs to be in the past tense.



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