ACT ACT English ACT American College Testing: English Section Online Training
ACT ACT English Online Training
The questions for ACT English were last updated at May 11,2025.
- Exam Code: ACT English
- Exam Name: ACT American College Testing: English Section
- Certification Provider: ACT
- Latest update: May 11,2025
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".
Science Fiction
[§1] One of the most famous novels of all time, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, marked not only the highpoint of a young woman’s literary career. But <1> also the beginning of a brand-new genre of literature begins science fiction. <2> In her remarkable tale, Shelley explores what might happen if a scientific possibility C the ability to restore life to the dead C were to become a reality. This exploration of how what-might-be would affect our world is the essence of science fiction.
[§2] What Shelley began, H. G. Wells perfected in dozens of science fiction works including The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds. While Shelley’s Frankenstein created a living creature from the body parts of the dead, Wells’ characters traveled through time; created half-animal, half-human creatures; made themselves invisible; and having been attacked by Martians. <3> In all of his novels, Wells; like Shelly <4> used scientific possibilities to analyze and often criticize his own society. War of the Worlds, for example, is a thinly disguised attack on the British colonialism of his time.
[§3] Science fiction flourished in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s with “pulp” magazines that for the masses churned out science fiction stories. <5> Meanwhile, in Europe, science fiction writers were using science fiction to help bring about political change. Yevgeny Zamyatin’s classic novel We, for example, is against <6> the Soviet Union’s Communist agenda.
[§4] Today, science fiction writers around the world continue to explore possibilities C possibilities that are fast becoming realities. Much of what science fiction writers only dreamed of a century ago, such as cloning and space travel, have already come to pass.
What is ahead? How will we handle these and other upcoming advances? Let us hope that science fiction writers are wrong, for all too often, characters in science fiction stories, like they’re <7> forefather Victor Frankenstein, are unable to handle <8> the responsibility of having so much power over nature.
<1>:
- A . NO CHANGE
- B . career; but,
- C . career, but
- D . career, and
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".
Science Fiction
[§1] One of the most famous novels of all time, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, marked not only the highpoint of a young woman’s literary career. But <1> also the beginning of a brand-new genre of literature begins science fiction. <2> In her remarkable tale, Shelley explores what might happen if a scientific possibility C the ability to restore life to the dead C were to become a reality. This exploration of how what-might-be would affect our world is the essence of science fiction.
[§2] What Shelley began, H. G. Wells perfected in dozens of science fiction works including The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds. While Shelley’s Frankenstein created a living creature from the body parts of the dead, Wells’ characters traveled through time; created half-animal, half-human creatures; made themselves invisible; and having been attacked by Martians. <3> In all of his novels, Wells; like Shelly <4> used scientific possibilities to analyze and often criticize his own society. War of the Worlds, for example, is a thinly disguised attack on the British colonialism of his time.
[§3] Science fiction flourished in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s with “pulp” magazines that for the masses churned out science fiction stories. <5> Meanwhile, in Europe, science fiction writers were using science fiction to help bring about political change. Yevgeny Zamyatin’s classic novel We, for example, is against <6> the Soviet Union’s Communist agenda.
[§4] Today, science fiction writers around the world continue to explore possibilities C possibilities that are fast becoming realities. Much of what science fiction writers only dreamed of a century ago, such as cloning and space travel, have already come to pass.
What is ahead? How will we handle these and other upcoming advances? Let us hope that science fiction writers are wrong, for all too often, characters in science fiction stories, like they’re <7> forefather Victor Frankenstein, are unable to handle <8> the responsibility of having so much power over nature.
<2>:
- A . NO CHANGE
- B . literature: science fiction
- C . literature, that was, science fiction
- D . literature (science fiction)
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".
Science Fiction
[§1] One of the most famous novels of all time, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, marked not only the highpoint of a young woman’s literary career. But <1> also the beginning of a brand-new genre of literature begins science fiction. <2> In her remarkable tale, Shelley explores what might happen if a scientific possibility C the ability to restore life to the dead C were to become a reality. This exploration of how what-might-be would affect our world is the essence of science fiction.
[§2] What Shelley began, H. G. Wells perfected in dozens of science fiction works including The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds. While Shelley’s Frankenstein created a living creature from the body parts of the dead, Wells’ characters traveled through time; created half-animal, half-human creatures; made themselves invisible; and having been attacked by Martians. <3> In all of his novels, Wells; like Shelly <4> used scientific possibilities to analyze and often criticize his own society. War of the Worlds, for example, is a thinly disguised attack on the British colonialism of his time.
[§3] Science fiction flourished in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s with “pulp” magazines that for the masses churned out science fiction stories. <5> Meanwhile, in Europe, science fiction writers were using science fiction to help bring about political change. Yevgeny Zamyatin’s classic novel We, for example, is against <6> the Soviet Union’s Communist agenda.
[§4] Today, science fiction writers around the world continue to explore possibilities C possibilities that are fast becoming realities. Much of what science fiction writers only dreamed of a century ago, such as cloning and space travel, have already come to pass.
What is ahead? How will we handle these and other upcoming advances? Let us hope that science fiction writers are wrong, for all too often, characters in science fiction stories, like they’re <7> forefather Victor Frankenstein, are unable to handle <8> the responsibility of having so much power over nature.
<3>:
- A . NO CHANGE
- B . are attacked by Martians.
- C . faced attacks from Martians.
- D . being attacked by Martians.
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".
Science Fiction
[§1] One of the most famous novels of all time, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, marked not only the highpoint of a young woman’s literary career. But <1> also the beginning of a brand-new genre of literature begins science fiction. <2> In her remarkable tale, Shelley explores what might happen if a scientific possibility C the ability to restore life to the dead C were to become a reality. This exploration of how what-might-be would affect our world is the essence of science fiction.
[§2] What Shelley began, H. G. Wells perfected in dozens of science fiction works including The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds. While Shelley’s Frankenstein created a living creature from the body parts of the dead, Wells’ characters traveled through time; created half-animal, half-human creatures; made themselves invisible; and having been attacked by Martians. <3> In all of his novels, Wells; like Shelly <4> used scientific possibilities to analyze and often criticize his own society. War of the Worlds, for example, is a thinly disguised attack on the British colonialism of his time.
[§3] Science fiction flourished in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s with “pulp” magazines that for the masses churned out science fiction stories. <5> Meanwhile, in Europe, science fiction writers were using science fiction to help bring about political change. Yevgeny Zamyatin’s classic novel We, for example, is against <6> the Soviet Union’s Communist agenda.
[§4] Today, science fiction writers around the world continue to explore possibilities C possibilities that are fast becoming realities. Much of what science fiction writers only dreamed of a century ago, such as cloning and space travel, have already come to pass.
What is ahead? How will we handle these and other upcoming advances? Let us hope that science fiction writers are wrong, for all too often, characters in science fiction stories, like they’re <7> forefather Victor Frankenstein, are unable to handle <8> the responsibility of having so much power over nature.
<4>:
- A . NO CHANGE
- B . Wells like Shelley,
- C . Wells who was like Shelley
- D . Wells, like Shelley,
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".
Science Fiction
[§1] One of the most famous novels of all time, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, marked not only the highpoint of a young woman’s literary career. But <1> also the beginning of a brand-new genre of literature begins science fiction. <2> In her remarkable tale, Shelley explores what might happen if a scientific possibility C the ability to restore life to the dead C were to become a reality. This exploration of how what-might-be would affect our world is the essence of science fiction.
[§2] What Shelley began, H. G. Wells perfected in dozens of science fiction works including The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds. While Shelley’s Frankenstein created a living creature from the body parts of the dead, Wells’ characters traveled through time; created half-animal, half-human creatures; made themselves invisible; and having been attacked by Martians. <3> In all of his novels, Wells; like Shelly <4> used scientific possibilities to analyze and often criticize his own society. War of the Worlds, for example, is a thinly disguised attack on the British colonialism of his time.
[§3] Science fiction flourished in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s with “pulp” magazines that for the masses churned out science fiction stories. <5> Meanwhile, in Europe, science fiction writers were using science fiction to help bring about political change. Yevgeny Zamyatin’s classic novel We, for example, is against <6> the Soviet Union’s Communist agenda.
[§4] Today, science fiction writers around the world continue to explore possibilities C possibilities that are fast becoming realities. Much of what science fiction writers only dreamed of a century ago, such as cloning and space travel, have already come to pass.
What is ahead? How will we handle these and other upcoming advances? Let us hope that science fiction writers are wrong, for all too often, characters in science fiction stories, like they’re <7> forefather Victor Frankenstein, are unable to handle <8> the responsibility of having so much power over nature.
<5>:
- A . NO CHANGE
- B . magazines that churned out for the masses science fiction stories
- C . magazines, that, churned out science fiction stories, for the masses
- D . magazines that churned out science fiction stories for the masses
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".
Science Fiction
[§1] One of the most famous novels of all time, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, marked not only the highpoint of a young woman’s literary career. But <1> also the beginning of a brand-new genre of literature begins science fiction. <2> In her remarkable tale, Shelley explores what might happen if a scientific possibility C the ability to restore life to the dead C were to become a reality. This exploration of how what-might-be would affect our world is the essence of science fiction.
[§2] What Shelley began, H. G. Wells perfected in dozens of science fiction works including The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds. While Shelley’s Frankenstein created a living creature from the body parts of the dead, Wells’ characters traveled through time; created half-animal, half-human creatures; made themselves invisible; and having been attacked by Martians. <3> In all of his novels, Wells; like Shelly <4> used scientific possibilities to analyze and often criticize his own society. War of the Worlds, for example, is a thinly disguised attack on the British colonialism of his time.
[§3] Science fiction flourished in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s with “pulp” magazines that for the masses churned out science fiction stories. <5> Meanwhile, in Europe, science fiction writers were using science fiction to help bring about political change. Yevgeny Zamyatin’s classic novel We, for example, is against <6> the Soviet Union’s Communist agenda.
[§4] Today, science fiction writers around the world continue to explore possibilities C possibilities that are fast becoming realities. Much of what science fiction writers only dreamed of a century ago, such as cloning and space travel, have already come to pass.
What is ahead? How will we handle these and other upcoming advances? Let us hope that science fiction writers are wrong, for all too often, characters in science fiction stories, like they’re <7> forefather Victor Frankenstein, are unable to handle <8> the responsibility of having so much power over nature.
The writer wishes to use a much stronger word or phrase to convey this idea. <6>
Which of the following choices achieves that purpose and maintains the tone of the essay?
- A . criticizes
- B . takes to task
- C . is a scathing indictment of
- D . rips apart
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".
Science Fiction
[§1] One of the most famous novels of all time, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, marked not only the highpoint of a young woman’s literary career. But <1> also the beginning of a brand-new genre of literature begins science fiction. <2> In her remarkable tale, Shelley explores what might happen if a scientific possibility C the ability to restore life to the dead C were to become a reality. This exploration of how what-might-be would affect our world is the essence of science fiction.
[§2] What Shelley began, H. G. Wells perfected in dozens of science fiction works including The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds. While Shelley’s Frankenstein created a living creature from the body parts of the dead, Wells’ characters traveled through time; created half-animal, half-human creatures; made themselves invisible; and having been attacked by Martians. <3> In all of his novels, Wells; like Shelly <4> used scientific possibilities to analyze and often criticize his own society. War of the Worlds, for example, is a thinly disguised attack on the British colonialism of his time.
[§3] Science fiction flourished in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s with “pulp” magazines that for the masses churned out science fiction stories. <5> Meanwhile, in Europe, science fiction writers were using science fiction to help bring about political change. Yevgeny Zamyatin’s classic novel We, for example, is against <6> the Soviet Union’s Communist agenda.
[§4] Today, science fiction writers around the world continue to explore possibilities C possibilities that are fast becoming realities. Much of what science fiction writers only dreamed of a century ago, such as cloning and space travel, have already come to pass.
What is ahead? How will we handle these and other upcoming advances? Let us hope that science fiction writers are wrong, for all too often, characters in science fiction stories, like they’re <7> forefather Victor Frankenstein, are unable to handle <8> the responsibility of having so much power over nature.
<7>: A. NO CHANGE
B. there are
C. their
D. whose
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".
Science Fiction
[§1] One of the most famous novels of all time, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, marked not only the highpoint of a young woman’s literary career. But <1> also the beginning of a brand-new genre of literature begins science fiction. <2> In her remarkable tale, Shelley explores what might happen if a scientific possibility C the ability to restore life to the dead C were to become a reality. This exploration of how what-might-be would affect our world is the essence of science fiction.
[§2] What Shelley began, H. G. Wells perfected in dozens of science fiction works including The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds. While Shelley’s Frankenstein created a living creature from the body parts of the dead, Wells’ characters traveled through time; created half-animal, half-human creatures; made themselves invisible; and having been attacked by Martians. <3> In all of his novels, Wells; like Shelly <4> used scientific possibilities to analyze and often criticize his own society. War of the Worlds, for example, is a thinly disguised attack on the British colonialism of his time.
[§3] Science fiction flourished in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s with “pulp” magazines that for the masses churned out science fiction stories. <5> Meanwhile, in Europe, science fiction writers were using science fiction to help bring about political change. Yevgeny Zamyatin’s classic novel We, for example, is against <6> the Soviet Union’s Communist agenda.
[§4] Today, science fiction writers around the world continue to explore possibilities C possibilities that are fast becoming realities. Much of what science fiction writers only dreamed of a century ago, such as cloning and space travel, have already come to pass.
What is ahead? How will we handle these and other upcoming advances? Let us hope that science fiction writers are wrong, for all too often, characters in science fiction stories, like they’re <7> forefather Victor Frankenstein, are unable to handle <8> the responsibility of having so much power over nature.
<8>:
- A . NO CHANGE
- B . handling bad
- C . do not handle well
- D . are badly handling
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".
Science Fiction
[§1] One of the most famous novels of all time, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, marked not only the highpoint of a young woman’s literary career. But <1> also the beginning of a brand-new genre of literature begins science fiction. <2> In her remarkable tale, Shelley explores what might happen if a scientific possibility C the ability to restore life to the dead C were to become a reality. This exploration of how what-might-be would affect our world is the essence of science fiction.
[§2] What Shelley began, H. G. Wells perfected in dozens of science fiction works including The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds. While Shelley’s Frankenstein created a living creature from the body parts of the dead, Wells’ characters traveled through time; created half-animal, half-human creatures; made themselves invisible; and having been attacked by Martians. <3> In all of his novels, Wells; like Shelly <4> used scientific possibilities to analyze and often criticize his own society. War of the Worlds, for example, is a thinly disguised attack on the British colonialism of his time.
[§3] Science fiction flourished in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s with “pulp” magazines that for the masses churned out science fiction stories. <5> Meanwhile, in Europe, science fiction writers were using science fiction to help bring about political change. Yevgeny Zamyatin’s classic novel We, for example, is against <6> the Soviet Union’s Communist agenda.
[§4] Today, science fiction writers around the world continue to explore possibilities C possibilities that are fast becoming realities. Much of what science fiction writers only dreamed of a century ago, such as cloning and space travel, have already come to pass.
What is ahead? How will we handle these and other upcoming advances? Let us hope that science fiction writers are wrong, for all too often, characters in science fiction stories, like they’re <7> forefather Victor Frankenstein, are unable to handle <8> the responsibility of having so much power over nature.
Which of the following revisions would most improve paragraph 4?
- A . Adding a sentence about the issues today’s science fiction writers are addressing.
- B . Adding a quotation from Frankenstein.
- C . Adding a brief summary of Mary Shelley’s life.
- D . Answering the questions in the paragraph.
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".
Science Fiction
[§1] One of the most famous novels of all time, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, marked not only the highpoint of a young woman’s literary career. But <1> also the beginning of a brand-new genre of literature begins science fiction. <2> In her remarkable tale, Shelley explores what might happen if a scientific possibility C the ability to restore life to the dead C were to become a reality. This exploration of how what-might-be would affect our world is the essence of science fiction.
[§2] What Shelley began, H. G. Wells perfected in dozens of science fiction works including The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds. While Shelley’s Frankenstein created a living creature from the body parts of the dead, Wells’ characters traveled through time; created half-animal, half-human creatures; made themselves invisible; and having been attacked by Martians. <3> In all of his novels, Wells; like Shelly <4> used scientific possibilities to analyze and often criticize his own society. War of the Worlds, for example, is a thinly disguised attack on the British colonialism of his time.
[§3] Science fiction flourished in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s with “pulp” magazines that for the masses churned out science fiction stories. <5> Meanwhile, in Europe, science fiction writers were using science fiction to help bring about political change. Yevgeny Zamyatin’s classic novel We, for example, is against <6> the Soviet Union’s Communist agenda.
[§4] Today, science fiction writers around the world continue to explore possibilities C possibilities that are fast becoming realities. Much of what science fiction writers only dreamed of a century ago, such as cloning and space travel, have already come to pass.
What is ahead? How will we handle these and other upcoming advances? Let us hope that science fiction writers are wrong, for all too often, characters in science fiction stories, like they’re <7> forefather Victor Frankenstein, are unable to handle <8> the responsibility of having so much power over nature.
The writer wishes to add a brief summary of the plot of Frankenstein.
The most logical place for this addition would be:
- A . to add it to the end of paragraph 1
- B . to create a new paragraph between paragraphs 1 and 2
- C . to add it after the third sentence in paragraph 1
- D . to create a new paragraph between paragraphs 2 and 3