ACT Review
Parenthetical Elements
What is a parenthetical element, anyway?
https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat/sat-reading-writing-practice/new-sat-w
riting-grammar/v/nonrestrictive-parenthetical-basic
1. Social media, admittedly seems like a rather inconsequential topic for the board of
directors’ meeting tomorrow.
a. NO CHANGE
b. Social media, admittedly, seems
c. Social media admittedly, seems
d. Social media admittedly seems
2. Many students, at Middleton Valley High School take their lunch break away from
campus, usually stopping at one of the nearby fast food restaurants.
a. NO CHANGE
b. students at Middleton Valley High School,
c. Students at, Middleton Valley High School,
d. Students at Middleton Valley High School
3. A month later, his son Tim, made the varsity baseball team after training vigorously all
summer.
a. NO CHANGE
b. later, his son, Tim,
c. later, his son, Tim
d. later his son Tim,
4. My grandmother however; has no pets because she has an allergy to all types of animal
hair.
a. NO CHANGE
b. grandmother; however,
c. grandmother, however,
d. grandmother, however
5. The following year, 1558, Mary died in an influenza epidemic, and Elizabeth, then
twenty-four, assumed the throne of England.
a. NO CHANGE
b. 1558, and
c. 1558;
d. 1558
6. Neither one, in my opinion possessed the leadership skills or the commitment necessary
to be the club president.
a. NO CHANGE
b. Neither one, in my opinion,
c. Neither one in my opinion;
d. Neither one in my opinion,
7. Ballads can be long or short, but most rely on varying verses that alternate with an
unchanging refrain or, chorus, to tell a story.
a. NO CHANGE
b. refrain, or chorus, to
c. refrain, or chorus to,
d. refrain, or chorus to
8. Three of us kids excitedly took our places in line for the roller coaster, but Ray, being too
young to ride had to settle for an ice cream with Mom instead.
a. NO CHANGE
b. Ray, being too young to ride,
c. Ray, being too young, to ride
d. Ray being too young to ride,
9. The names we had picked out in advance–Shadow, Scamp, and Skip, didn’t seem to fit
once we met the puppies in person.
a. NO CHANGE
b. Skip–
c. Skip:
d. Skip
10. These days, with information so easily available via the Internet; it’s easy to forget that
library card catalogs were once the starting point for research projects.
a. NO CHANGE
b. Internet, its
c. Internet; its
d. Internet, it’s
11. These adherents of Sikhism, millions of whom live in the Punjab region of the Indian
subcontinent–classify service in three forms: physical service, mental service, and
material service.
a. NO CHANGE
b. Sikhism–
c. Sikhism;
d. Sikhism
12. Mrs. Zervoudakis, our next-door neighbor for many years never shared the recipe for her
delicious baklava, preferring to keep it a family secret.
a. NO CHANGE
b. neighbor, for many years,
c. neighbor for many years,
d. neighbor, for many years
13. Franco Corelli, revered by opera lovers, appeared regularly with the Metropolitan Opera
between 1961 and 1975.
a. NO CHANGE
b. Corelli, revered by opera lovers
c. Corelli revered by opera lovers,
d. Corelli revered by opera lovers
14. In 1946, British mathematician, Alan Turing presented a paper on what is now regarded
as the first stored-program computer.
a. NO CHANGE
b. mathematician Alan Turing,
c. mathematician, Alan Turing,
d. mathematician Alan Turing
15. Approximately 300 crew members from the U.S. Navy cruiser Indianapolis were rescued
at sea after their ship went down on July 30, 1945.
a. NO CHANGE
b. cruiser, Indianapolis;
c. cruiser Indianapolis,
d. cruiser, Indianapolis
16. The continued usage of several English words, coined in the early seventeenth century,
can be directly attributed to the influence of Shakespeare’s works on the spoken
language.
a. NO CHANGE
b. words, coined in the early seventeenth century
c. words coined in the early seventeenth century,
d. words coined in the early seventeenth century
17. On the first day of class, the professor emphasized that those students, who fall behind
early in the semester, would have a hard time getting through the course.
a. NO CHANGE
b. students who fall behind, early in the semester,
c. students who fall behind early in the semester,
d. students who fall behind early in the semester
18. It took longer, though for me to realize that Spark needed quite a bit of training, as well
as love and affection.
a. NO CHANGE
b. took, longer though,
c. took longer though,
d. took longer, though,
19. Although Graham died in 1991, her namesake: the Martha Graham Dance
Company–continues to serve as an innovative force in the world of contemporary dance.
a. NO CHANGE
b. namesake,
c. namesake–
d. namesake
20. My siblings and I spent our summers at our grandparents’ farm, where Grandpa’s firefly
hunting expeditions kept us up long past our bedtimes.
a. NO CHANGE
b. kept us up long, past,
c. kept us up, long past,
d. kept us up, long, past
21. Although parents found the code hard to distinguish, emotions and acronyms became a
prevalent or, popular, language among texting and instant-messaging teenagers.
a. NO CHANGE
b. prevalent, or popular, language
c. prevalent or popular,
d. prevalent or popular language
22. On the few occasions Missy ate vegetables, she liked them roasted or fried rather, then
in the raw form her brother preferred.
a. NO CHANGE
b. fried, rather then
c. fried rather than
d. fried rather, than
23. After his knee gave out during the last lap, Jake was motivated to finish the race by the
teammates, who ran alongside him, to the finish line.
a. NO CHANGE
b. teammates who, ran alongside him
c. teammates, who ran alongside, him
d. teammates who ran alongside him
24. The dog seemed shy, like Jenna, herself but his tail burst into motion every time she
came into view.
a. NO CHANGE
b. Jenna, herself,
c. Jenna herself,
d. Jenna herself
25. Where Nicholas excelled at math and science, his younger brother Freddie preferred
subjects that involved extensive reading and writing such as, history and English.
a. NO CHANGE
b. writing; such as, history;
c. writing, such as history
d. writing such as history
26. Along with fellow, magician, Roy Horn, Siegfried performed for over a decade at the
Mirage resort in Las Vegas.
a. NO CHANGE
b. fellow magician,
c. fellow, magician
d. fellow magician
27. In the same year, 1971, three artists of diverse ethnic backgrounds received national
awards for their contributions to performance art, gaining large strides in the
diversification of the medium.
a. NO CHANGE
b. 1971, and
c. 1971;
d. 1971
28. Dozens of people, many of them hikers in the national park reported seeing large bear
pawprints, hearing deep growling, and finding grizzly droppings along one of the major
trails.
a. NO CHANGE
b. people–many of them hikers in the national park–
c. people; most of them hikers in the national park,
d. people most of them having hiked in the national park
29. Civil engineer, Joseph Bazalgette was chosen to design the London underground
sewage system.
a. NO CHANGE
b. engineer–Joseph Bazalgette
c. engineer Joseph Bazalgette,
d. engineer Joseph Bazalgette
30. At the university gym, students can volunteer for say, five hours of work at the reception
desk per week, and in return, they receive a few hours of fitness class privileges.
a. NO CHANGE
b. volunteer for, say
c. volunteer, for say,
d. volunteer for, say,
31. Even though my cousin, now the president of a major accounting firm struggled with
math in school, she didn’t give up on herself and was determined to earn a dual degree
in mathematics and business.
a. NO CHANGE
b. president, of a major accounting firm,
c. president of a major accounting firm,
d. president, of a major accounting firm
32. Harper Lee published her novel To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960 after a group of friends
gave her a sum of money to support her work as a full-time writer.
a. NO CHANGE
b. her, novel To Kill a Mockingbird, in 1960,
c. her, novel, To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960,
d. her novel: To Kill a Mockingbird, in 1960