There are two general types of questions on ACT reading tests. Referring test questions pose questions about material explicitly stated in a passage. These questions require students to locate and interpret details in appropriately complex passages. Reasoning test questions assess proficiency at making appropriate inferences, demonstrating a critical understanding of the text, and determining the specific meanings of difficult, unfamiliar, or ambiguous words based on the context. These questions require students to determine main idea, author’s point of view, cause and effect, and meaning of complex words as well as make comparisons and draw inferences.
Referring Questions
Supporting Details:
Multiple Choice
The passage indicates that the first chocolate bar was made by the:
A.
Mexicans.
B.
Spanish.
C.
British*
D.
Americans
Short Answer
According to the passage where did/when did ______________ occur?
Based on the passage ____________ happened for what reasons?
Reasoning Questions
Main Idea:
Multiple Choice
Which of the following statements best summarizes the author’s view of the commons?
A.
The commons provided an ideal place for settlers to build farms.
B.
The commons ultimately led to a significant burden on village economies.
C.
The commons benefitted villagers by providing an area for livestock.*
D.
The commons led to overgrazing and eventually an enclosure movement.
Short Answer
Briefly summarize the author’s view of _________________
What is the main idea expressed in paragraph ________?
What is the main purpose/function of the _____ paragraph in the passage?
Point of View
Multiple Choice
The attitude of the author of the passage toward Malcolm X is apparently one of
A.
Anger
B.
Ambivalence
C.
Disapproval
D.
Respect
Short Answer
Based on the passage, explain the author’s attitude toward ________________
According to the passage, explain the speaker’s point of view regarding__________________
Why does the author state _________________ in line ___?
How does the line _____ advance the speaker’s/narrator’s argument in the passage?

Cause and Effect:
Multiple Choice
The passage implies that the number of commons in Europe diminished primarily because of:
A.
Dissatisfaction on the part of villagers.
B.
Displacement of the population of rural homeless.
C.
Increased production by farmers , villagers, and tribal members.
D.
Greed on the part of landowners and corporations.*
Short Answer
According to the passage, what was the primary cause of _________________?
According to the passage, what happened to change the ________________?
According to the passage, ________________ occurred because____________________________
Vocabulary:
Multiple Choice
As it is used in line 12, the word incarnation most nearly means:
A.
Import
B.
Version*
C.
Area
D.
Relationship
Short Answer
As it is used in line____, what does the word ______________ mean?
Comparison
Multiple Choice
The main difference between today’s land in the public domain and the traditional commons described in the passage is that:
A.
Land in the public domain is locally controlled, while the commons were controlled by a central government
B.
Land in the public domain includes both wild and semi-wild areas, while the commons included only farmland.
C.
The commons were under the control of a local government, while land in the public domain is controlled by a central government.*
D.
The commons were available for use without limits or controls, while land in the public domain is carefully managed to avoid overuse.
Short Answer
What does the passage indicate are the main differences between _______________ and _________________?
According to the passage, how are ___________________ and _____________________ similar/different?
Inference/Generalization
Multiple Choice
From the passage, one can reasonably infer that the Nation of Islam is responsible for Malcolm X’s assassination because:
A.
X broke with the group politically and philosophically*
B.
X gave a controversial speech after Kennedy’s assassination
C.
X visited Mecca in 1964
D.
X began to write an autobiography
Short Answer
Based on the passage, what can you reasonably infer about the cause/effect of __________________
What details in the passage allow you to reasonably infer that __________________

There are two general types of questions on ACT reading tests. Referring test questions pose questions about material explicitly stated in a passage. These questions require students to locate and interpret details in appropriately complex passages. Reasoning test questions assess proficiency at making appropriate inferences, demonstrating a critical understanding of the text, and determining the specific meanings of difficult, unfamiliar, or ambiguous words based on the context. These questions require students to determine main idea, author’s point of view, cause and effect, and meaning of complex words as well as make comparisons and draw inferences.
Referring Questions
Supporting Details:
According to the passage, where did/when did ______________ occur?
According to the passage, who did ___________?
Based on the passage, ____________ happened for what reasons?
Reasoning Questions
Main Idea:
Based on the passage, briefly summarize the author’s view of _________________
What is the main idea expressed in paragraph ________?
What is the main purpose/function of paragraph _____ in the passage?
Point of View
Based on the passage, explain the author’s attitude toward ________________
According to the passage, explain the speaker’s point of view regarding__________________
Why does the author state _________________ in line ___?
How does the line _____ advance the speaker’s/narrator’s argument in the passage?
Cause and Effect:
According to the passage, what was the primary cause of _________________?
According to the passage, what happened to change the ________________?
According to the passage, ________________ why did __________________ happen?
Vocabulary:
Short Answer
As it is used in line____, what does the word ______________ mean?
Explain the meaning of the word _____________ in line ____
Comparison
What does the passage indicate are the main differences between _______________ and _________________?
According to the passage, how are ___________________ and _____________________ similar/different?
Inference/Generalization
Short Answer
Based on the passage, what can you reasonably infer about the cause/effect of __________________
What details in the passage allow you to reasonably infer that __________________


Select a Good Text
If you are shooting for ACT test like parameters, you’ll need a 750 word secondary source text, but this level of match is not necessary or recommended for daily instruction. For frequent reading activities just use a solid, reasonably complex and content-based text of around a page (300-500 words). Any rich secondary (typically not just the textbook) or primary source that you think will move student understanding of an important concept in your class will work well.

Make a Few Basic Adjustments to the Text
All EXPLORE, PLAN, or ACT reading passages will include a one sentence descriptor that precedes the text, and line markers from the beginning to the end of the text. These simple steps are critical. A single sentence descriptor such as, The following selection which presents a plea for Virginia to join the war against the
British is an excerpt from Patrick Henry’s Speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1775 provides all students an entry into the text and a frame of reference for reading . Marking the text by line allows you to ask questions about small portions of the passage and gets students practice at finding key parts of the text quickly.
To adjust text to meet this criteria there is no need to run new copies of your go to texts; you can quickly write a one sentence descriptor on the board that students must read before diving in, and ask students to mark 5,10, 15 etc. along the left margin of their text prior to beginning reading.

CCR Reading Skill Questions
ACT Reading questions will always fall within one of the following 7 categories: Supporting Details, Main
Idea, Point of View, Cause and Effect, Vocabulary, Comparison, or Inference/Generalization. The Supporting
Details questions usually require students to simply reference the text, that is go find the answer virtually word for word in the passage. All of the other question types require students to reason their way to the correct answer based on the text but not directly stated in the text. Students need practice at both reference and reasoning questions, so consider how you can adapt the questions you already have for a given text to reflect both kinds of questions (reference and reason). Also, help students understand the differences among Main
Idea, Cause and Effect, Inference and Point of View questions by using these words frequently in class discussions as well as for reading passages. Here is a very good source for explaining these reasoning skills: http://testprep.about.com/od/tipsfortesting/a/Main_Idea.htm

Question Format
All EXPLORE, PLAN, and ACT reading assessments are comprised of multiple-choice questions with four answer options (ABCD or FGHJ). The correct answer and the three distracters are similar in grammatical structure and length, and the distracters are reasonable but incorrect answers (not obviously wrong). You may have good texts that include multiple choice questions in this format or may wish to write some for your text which can be time consuming. Another option so your students can get frequent practice with CCR reading skills is to use short answer questions that focus on these same CCR skills but are easier to write. These stems
(on the back of this page) should help you adjust questions about texts that you use in class discussions or as independent work toward CCR reading skills.