ACT of the Day
ACT of the Day
Tuning In During the Twenties
[1]
Modern broadcasting began to develop after the First World War. Before
1920, radio was simply a useful way to send electrical signals ashore from a
ship at sea, or, from one "ham" operator to another.
1
(1) A. NO CHANGE
B. ship, at sea, or
C. ship at sea or;
D. ship at sea or
ACT of the Day
Tuning In During the Twenties
[1]
Modern broadcasting began to develop after the First World War. Before
1920, radio was simply a useful way to send electrical signals ashore from a
ship at sea, or, from one "ham" operator to another.
1
(1) A. NO CHANGE
B. ship, at sea, or
C. ship at sea or;
D. ship at sea or
1. The best answer is D, because the meaning of the sentence is clearest and the rhythm
of the sentence is smoothest with no punctuation separating the two adverbial phrases
"from a ship at sea" and "from one ‘ham' operator to another." All the other choices have
superfluous punctuation marks that cloud the meaning and interrupt the rhythm of the
sentence. In Choice A, the comma before the conjunction or is acceptable (but not
necessary) to separate the adverbial phrases, but the comma after or performs no useful
function here; the pair of commas do nothing but confuse the meaning of the sentence. In
Choice B, the pair of commas setting off the prepositional phrase at sea also pointlessly
interrupts the sentence, because there is no reason to set this phrase apart from the rest of
the sentence. Choice C misuses the semicolon; there is no need to use any mark of
punctuation after the conjunction or between the phrases, and to use a semicolon, which
customarily is used to mark a break in sentence flow greater than that marked by a comma,
creates both a needless and a needlessly great interruption.
ACT of the Day
The new technology associated with movies and airplanes was already
developing rapidly by the time soldiers started returning from European
trenches in 1918. The vast potential of the airwaves, therefore
had scarcely been touched.
(2) A. NO CHANGE
B. however,
C. also,
D. in fact,
2
ACT of the Day
The new technology associated with movies and airplanes was already
developing rapidly by the time soldiers started returning from European
trenches in 1918. The vast potential of the airwaves,
had scarcely been touched.
(2) A. NO CHANGE
B. however,
C. also,
D. in fact,
therefore
2
2. The best answer is B, because the transitional word
however is the only choice that logically connects the last
sentence in Paragraph 1 with the preceding sentence, and
that clearly expresses the idea that even with the new
technology, the vast potential of the airwaves had scarcely
been touched. The other choices create faulty logic. In
Choice A, the use of the word therefore is illogical because
the potential of the airwaves was not the result of the new
technology. Choice C is illogical because the potential of the
airwaves was not in addition to the new technology. In
Choice D, the use of the phrase in fact also creates an
illogical connection that would confuse the reader.
ACT of the Day
3
Then a vice president of Westinghouse, looking for a way to make the
transmission of radio signals more profitable,
strategy.
(3) A. NO CHANGE
B. but had a decision
C. deciding
D. yet decided
decided on a two-fold
3
ACT of the Day
3
Then a vice president of Westinghouse, looking for a way to make the
transmission of radio signals more profitable,
strategy.
(3) A. NO CHANGE
B. but had a decision
C. deciding
D. yet decided
decided on a two-fold
3
3. The best answer is A, because the use of the verb
decided results in a clear, complete, and logical
sentence. The other choices contain defects in sentence
structure. Choices B and D each add a coordinating
conjunction (but and yet, respectively) that distorts the
meaning of the sentence and creates faulty
subordination. Choice C creates a sentence fragment,
because using the present participle deciding (instead of
decided) deprives the sentence of a predicate.
ACT of the Day
2
First, he would entice an audience with daily programming of great
variety. 3 Second, he would sell this audience the radio receivers
plan succeeded
necessary to listen to this entertainment. 4 The
beyond anyone's expectations.
(4) A. NO CHANGE
B. successful planning was
C. success plan was
D. plans succeeding
4
ACT of the Day
2
First, he would entice an audience with daily programming of great
variety. 3 Second, he would sell this audience the radio receivers
plan succeeded
necessary to listen to this entertainment. 4 The
beyond anyone's expectations.
(4) A. NO CHANGE
B. successful planning was
C. success plan was
D. plans succeeding
4
4. The best answer is A, which clearly conveys the idea
that the vice president's plan was very successful. The
other choices contain defects in either style or sentence
structure. In Choice B, the intended meaning of the
sentence is distorted; the plan itself was successful, not
the act of planning. In Choice C, the word success is not
an adjective, yet it is improperly used as one. Choice D
results in a sentence fragment, because it proposes the
present participle succeeding instead of a predicate
form.
ACT of the Day
1 Then a vice president of Westinghouse, looking for a way to make the
transmission of radio signals more profitable, decided on a two-fold
strategy. 2 First, he would entice an audience with daily programming of
great variety. 3 Second, he would sell this audience the radio receivers
necessary to listen to this entertainment. 4
anyone's expectations. 5
(5) Which of the following sequences of
sentences will make Paragraph 2 most
logical?
A. NO CHANGE
B. 1, 4, 3, 2
C. 2, 1, 3, 4
D. 4, 1, 2, 3
The plan succeeded beyond
ACT of the Day
1 Then a vice president of Westinghouse, looking for a way to make the
transmission of radio signals more profitable, decided on a two-fold
strategy. 2 First, he would entice an audience with daily programming of
great variety. 3 Second, he would sell this audience the radio receivers
necessary to listen to this entertainment. 4
anyone's expectations. 5
(5) Which of the following sequences of
sentences will make Paragraph 2 most
logical?
A. NO CHANGE
B. 1, 4, 3, 2
C. 2, 1, 3, 4
D. 4, 1, 2, 3
The plan succeeded beyond
5. The best answer is A, because this places
the sentences in this paragraph in the most
logical order. The other choices create faulty
logic within the paragraph. With Choice B,
Sentence 4 is placed after Sentence 1, making
the events occur out of chronological order.
Choice C also arranges the sentences so that
the events do not occur in a chronological order.
Choice D is illogical because this sequence
suggests that the vice president's plan
succeeded before he had even conceived it.
ACT of the Day
The federal Radio Division in Washington, D.C., was created to license
stations,
because it had no power to regulate them.
6
(6) A. NO CHANGE
B. since
C. thus
D. but
ACT of the Day
The federal Radio Division in Washington, D.C., was created to license
stations,
because it had no power to regulate them.
6
(6) A. NO CHANGE
B. since
C. thus
D. but
6. The best answer is D, which uses the
coordinating conjunction but to logically connect
the two clauses in the sentence. The other
choices introduce defects in logic. Choices A
and B (because and since, respectively)
propose subordinating conjunctions that
suggest a cause-effect relationship between the
clauses that isn't supported by the essay. The
use of the adverb thus in Choice C creates a
comma splice as well as another logic problem:
the creation of the federal Radio Division did not
result in its lack of power to regulate.
ACT of the Day
The federal Radio Division in Washington, D.C., was created to license
stations, but it had no power to regulate them. Broadcasters multiplied
wildly, some helping themselves to the more desirable frequencies, others
increasing their transmission power at will. Chaos means things were
out of control.
7 (cont.)
(7) Which of the alternatives provides the most
logical and succinct conclusion for Paragraph 3?
A. NO CHANGE
B. Chaos reigned.
C. There were some problems.
D. The government was always in control.
7
ACT of the Day
The federal Radio Division in Washington, D.C., was created to license
stations, but it had no power to regulate them. Broadcasters multiplied
wildly, some helping themselves to the more desirable frequencies, others
increasing their transmission power at will. Chaos means things were
out of control
7 (cont.)
(7) Which of the alternatives provides the most
logical and succinct conclusion for Paragraph 3?
A. NO CHANGE
B. Chaos reigned.
C. There were some problems.
D. The government was always in control.
7
7. The best answer is B, which is the most logical
and succinct conclusion to the paragraph. "Chaos
reigned" clearly carries to conclusion the idea
expressed in the preceding two sentences (that is,
that the lack of regulation brought disorder and
confusion to the broadcasting industry). Choice B
also provides an effective transition from
Paragraph 3 to Paragraph 4. None of the other
choices logically and effectively conclude
Paragraph 3. Choice A changes the subject and
creates an irrelevancy by defining the word chaos.
By stating "There were some problems," Choice C
weakly concludes the paragraph with an
understatement. Choice D creates a kind of irony,
but this irony is not in keeping with the tone of the
essay.
ACT of the Day
4 Yet even in the midst of such anarchy, Some commercial possibilities
8
and organizations saw clearly of a medium whose regulation seemed
8 (cont.)
imminent.
(8) A. NO CHANGE
B. some saw clearly the commercial
possibilities and organizations
C. some organizations saw clearly the
commercial possibilities
D. organizations saw clearly
ACT of the Day
4 Yet even in the midst of such anarchy, Some commercial possibilities
8
and organizations saw clearly of a medium whose regulation seemed
8 (cont.)
imminent.
(8) A. NO CHANGE
B. some saw clearly the commercial
possibilities and organizations
C. some organizations saw clearly the
commercial possibilities
D. organizations saw clearly
8. The best answer is C, because it is the
only response that clearly expresses the
idea that, despite the anarchy in the
broadcasting industry, some organizations
saw commercial possibilities. The other
choices propose wordings that are either
ambiguous or contain defects in style or
sentence structure. Choice A contains a
misplaced modifier. The word organizations
can be modified by "in the midst of such
anarchy," but the phrase "some commercial
possibilities" cannot be. Choices B and D
are unclear and ambiguous.
ACT of the Day
In 1926, RCA paid the American Telephone & Telegraph Company one
million dollars for station WEAF in New York City—and NBC was born.
Years later the Radio Law of 1927 was enacted.
9
(9) A. NO CHANGE
B. A year later,
C. Factually,
D. In conclusion,
ACT of the Day
In 1926, RCA paid the American Telephone & Telegraph Company one
million dollars for station WEAF in New York City—and NBC was born.
Years later the Radio Law of 1927 was enacted.
9
(9) A. NO CHANGE
B. A year later,
C. Factually,
D. In conclusion,
9. The best answer is B, which proposes
the most logical transitional phrase to
connect this sentence with the preceding
one. The other choices are either illogical or
create poor transitions. Choice A would only
confuse the reader because the Radio Law
of 1927 did not occur "years later" it
occurred just one year later. Choice C does
not logically connect the two sentences.
Choice D is also illogical because a
conclusion is not being made at this point in
the essay.
ACT of the Day
It authorized it’s control for licensing and of policing the broadcasters.
10
(10) A. NO CHANGE
B. controlling
C. the control of
D. OMIT the underlined portion.
ACT of the Day
It authorized it’s control for licensing and of policing the broadcasters.
10
(10) A. NO CHANGE
B. controlling
C. the control of
D. OMIT the underlined portion.
10. The best answer is C, which provides
parallel construction within the sentence. In
Choice C, the coordinated phrases "of
licensing" and "of policing" are effectively
presented in parallel forms. None of the
other choices make these elements parallel.
Choices B and D both create faulty
parallelism by proposing the phrase
"licensing and of policing" as a compound
direct object of the sentence. Also, in
Choice A, the use of the contraction it's is
grammatically incorrect.
ACT of the Day
5
The RCA executives
who created the powerful NBC network were
11
right to see that sizable profits would come from this new medium.
(11) A. NO CHANGE
B. which
C. having
D. as
ACT of the Day
5
The RCA executives
who created the powerful NBC network were
11
right to see that sizable profits would come from this new medium.
(11) A. NO CHANGE
B. which
C. having
D. as
11. The best answer is A, which proposes
the correct relative pronoun to link the
subject of the sentence ("the RCA
executives") with the clause that describes
the subject ("who created the powerful NBC
network"). Choice B uses which, a relative
pronoun that is used to refer to things, not
persons. Choice C creates a gerund phrase
that would need to be set off by commas.
Choice D creates both faulty logic and faulty
subordination.
ACT of the Day
Even in 1930 for example
an hour's advertising on nationwide radio to
12
forty-seven cities cost $10,180.
(12) A. NO CHANGE
B. Even in 1930; for example
C. Even, in 1930 for example,
D. Even in 1930, for example,
ACT of the Day
Even in 1930 for example
an hour's advertising on nationwide radio to
12
forty-seven cities cost $10,180.
(12) A. NO CHANGE
B. Even in 1930; for example
C. Even, in 1930 for example,
D. Even in 1930, for example,
12. The best answer is D, which uses commas to set
off the parenthetical (nonessential) element for
example from the rest of the sentence. The other
choices either use no punctuation or use punctuation
incorrectly. Choice A creates confusion and ambiguity
by allowing the nonessential element to blend into the
sentence. Choice B uses a semicolon instead of a
comma and does not set off for example from the rest
of the sentence. Choice C does not correctly identify
the nonessential element in the sentence.
ACT of the Day
Advertising turned broadcasting into an industry, and the untapped potential
of the airwaves
began to be realized.
13
(13) A. NO CHANGE
B. begins realizing it.
C. began reality.
D. began it's realizing.
ACT of the Day
Advertising turned broadcasting into an industry, and the untapped potential
of the airwaves
began to be realized.
13
(13) A. NO CHANGE
B. begins realizing it.
C. began reality.
D. began it's realizing.
13. The best answer is A, because it proposes a
clear and idiomatic phrasing and a consistency of
verb tense in the sentence. The other choices have
defects in clarity, logic, and sentence structure.
Choice B makes the sentence unclear and creates a
tense shift--from the past tense (turned) to the
present tense (begins). Choice C results in a
sentence that has no logical meaning. Choice D is
unclear and illogical; also, it can be ruled out because
it uses the contraction it's incorrectly.
ACT of the Day
[1]
Modern broadcasting began to develop after the First World War.
Before 1920, radio was simply a useful way to send electrical signals
ashore from a ship at sea or from one "ham" operator to another. The
new technology associated with movies and airplanes was already
developing rapidly by the time soldiers started returning from European
trenches in 1918. The vast potential of the airwaves, however, had
scarcely been touched.
[2]
[1] Then a vice president of Westinghouse, looking for a way to make
the transmission of radio signals more profitable, decided on a two-fold
strategy. [2] First, he would entice an audience with daily programming of
great variety. [3] Second, he would sell this audience the radio receivers
necessary to listen to this entertainment. [4] The plan succeeded beyond
anyone's expectations.
ACT of the Day
[3]
The federal Radio Division in Washington, D.C., was created to license stations,
but it had no power to regulate them. Broadcasters multiplied wildly, some helping
themselves to the more desirable frequencies, others increasing their transmission
power at will. Chaos reigned.
[4]
Yet even in the midst of such anarchy, some organizations saw clearly the
commercial possibilities of a medium whose regulation seemed imminent. In 1926,
RCA paid the American Telephone & Telegraph Company one million dollars for
station WEAF in New York City—and NBC was born. A year later, the Radio Law of
1927 was enacted. It authorized the control of licensing and of policing the
broadcasters.
[5]
The RCA executives who created the powerful NBC network were right to see
that sizable profits would come from this new medium. Even in 1930, for example,
an hour's advertising on nationwide radio to forty-seven cities cost $10,180.
Advertising turned broadcasting into an industry, and the untapped potential of the
airwaves began to be realized.
ACT of the Day
(14) The writer wishes to add the following sentence to the essay:
Nowadays, no matter where you are, it's hard to be far from a radio.
If added, this sentence would best support and most logically be placed:
A. before the first sentence of Paragraph 2.
B. after the last sentence of Paragraph 2.
C. before the last sentence of Paragraph 3.
D. after the last sentence of Paragraph 4.
ACT of the Day
(14) The writer wishes to add the following sentence to the essay:
Nowadays, no matter where you are, it's hard to be far from a radio.
If added, this sentence would best support and most logically be placed:
A. before the first sentence of Paragraph 2.
B. after the last sentence of Paragraph 2.
C. before the last sentence of Paragraph 3.
D. after the last sentence of Paragraph 4.
14. The best answer is B, which logically places the new sentence at the end of Paragraph 2, where it supports
the idea that the vice president's "plan succeeded beyond anyone's expectation." The other choices create
organizational problems in the essay. Choice A places the sentence at the beginning of Paragraph 2, where it
would provide a poor transition from Paragraph 1 to Paragraph 2. The placement proposed by Choice C creates a
disruption in the flow of Paragraph 3. The new sentence does not support the information in that paragraph, which
focuses on the lack of regulation during the early years of broadcasting. The placement proposed by Choice D
creates a weak conclusion to Paragraph 4 because the new sentence does not logically follow the preceding
information, which focuses on the licensing and policing of broadcasters.
ACT of the Day
[1]
Modern broadcasting began to develop after the First World War.
Before 1920, radio was simply a useful way to send electrical signals
ashore from a ship at sea or from one "ham" operator to another. The
new technology associated with movies and airplanes was already
developing rapidly by the time soldiers started returning from European
trenches in 1918. The vast potential of the airwaves, however, had
scarcely been touched.
[2]
[1] Then a vice president of Westinghouse, looking for a way to make
the transmission of radio signals more profitable, decided on a two-fold
strategy. [2] First, he would entice an audience with daily programming of
great variety. [3] Second, he would sell this audience the radio receivers
necessary to listen to this entertainment. [4] The plan succeeded beyond
anyone's expectations.
ACT of the Day
[3]
The federal Radio Division in Washington, D.C., was created to license stations,
but it had no power to regulate them. Broadcasters multiplied wildly, some helping
themselves to the more desirable frequencies, others increasing their transmission
power at will. Chaos reigned.
[4]
Yet even in the midst of such anarchy, some organizations saw clearly the
commercial possibilities of a medium whose regulation seemed imminent. In 1926,
RCA paid the American Telephone & Telegraph Company one million dollars for
station WEAF in New York City—and NBC was born. A year later, the Radio Law of
1927 was enacted. It authorized the control of licensing and of policing the
broadcasters.
[5]
The RCA executives who created the powerful NBC network were right to see
that sizable profits would come from this new medium. Even in 1930, for example,
an hour's advertising on nationwide radio to forty-seven cities cost $10,180.
Advertising turned broadcasting into an industry, and the untapped potential of the
airwaves began to be realized.
ACT of the Day
(15) The writer has been asked to write an essay assessing the
development of modern technologies after the First World War. Would this
essay fulfill that assignment?
A. Yes; the writer focuses exclusively on the commercial possibilities of
radio.
B. Yes; the writer focuses on the need for federal regulation in the world of
broadcasting.
C. No; the writer focuses on the commercial possibilities of radio, just one
technology.
D. No; the writer focuses on the contrast between early radio and radio
broadcasting of today.
ACT of the Day
(15) The writer has been asked to write an essay assessing the
development of modern technologies after the First World War. Would this
essay fulfill that assignment?
A. Yes; the writer focuses exclusively on the commercial possibilities of
radio.
B. Yes; the writer focuses on the need for federal regulation in the world of
broadcasting.
C. No; the writer focuses on the commercial possibilities of radio, just one
technology.
D. No; the writer focuses on the contrast between early radio and radio
broadcasting of today.
15. The best answer is C, which clearly states that the essay has not fulfilled the assignment, because it has a focus that is
more narrow and specific than "assessing the development of modern technologies after the First World War." Choice A is
illogical because while it says, yes, the writer has fulfilled the assignment, it also states the opposite by saying that the
essay is exclusively about radio. Choice B does not even mention the development of technologies. Choice D describes a
contrast between early radio and radio of today, a subject that is not addressed in this essay.