ACT
Reminder
§ If two choices are the same, they’re usually both wrong
§ Look for NOT/FALSE in the questions wording
§ Read UL portion and check for errors
§ READ questions CLOSE, look for NOT
§ Meanwhile = same
ENGLISH
§ Subject, verb, and/or complete thought for complete sentence
§ Watch for dependent clauses must be with independent.
§ Commas, dashes: separate nonessential info (can be removed for conciseness)
§ Colon: receding colon must be complete sentence introducing
§ Misusage of punctuation - Ex: Tears, of Endearment
§ Colons introduce – shouldn’t be separate
§ Introductory modifier: describe 1st noun following comma separated from subject
§ Focus on MAIN IDEA – Ex: the sun warned its Denver home ( home doesn’t belong to the sun – correct answer: the sun warned that it’s Denver home)
§ 3s Strategy (short, strict, simple)
§ Only adjectives describe nouns
§ Plug in choices for UL portions
§ Maintain parallelism throughout text and verb tense
§ Present: have taken Past: have took
§ Look at surrounding text for sentence placement and watch for keywords
§ Use main/idea of each paragraph
§ Look out for Transition Words
§ Verb Tense: he’d grew – past perfect and simple past
§ Should always be followed by past participle form instead of simple past tense
§ One note per paragraph and evaluating choices inserting it into 4 possible locations
§ Connect choices with details from paragraphs
§ Locate idea mentioned in question stem – details to make inferences
§ 1) find main idea
§ 2) (specific) don’t fall for detail traps a correct detail is too narrow to be a main idea
§ Use surrounding text - follow location of question
§ Keep + or – in mind for answers
§ Scam for keywords from question stem in passage (go back)
§ Pay attention to transitions or rhetorical questions/phrases that signal purpose in function Ex: “or is it”
§ Analyze surrounding text receding or following for context to make predictions
§ Beyond lines cited
§ Make sure choices in FUNCTION connect to MAIN/IDEA purpose
§ Go through passage to keywords/detail to verify and compare
§ Choices much match main idea/purpose
§ Don’t settle for specific details go with bigger picture
§ Authors Purpose!
§ “The passage indicates” <- signal to go back to locate keyword in question stem in passage (go back)
§ “The author includes ____ in order to” understand overall purpose/main idea (go back if you don’t)
§ Use scratch paper for one note per paragraph analyzing purpose of each
§ Make sure details support idea/purpose in question stem
§ Be cautious characterizing details in text
§ Make sure you research where keyword in question stem was first mention then draw conclusions
§ Subject/object forms (try to memorize charts)
§ Singular or plural – must stay consistent
§ Contractions
§ Possessive pronouns
§ Verb agreement make sure verb matches subject
§ Verb Tense – make sure verb matches time it took place and is CONSISTENT with other surrounding verbs
§ Pairs of commas = nonessential info
§ Bracket out prepositional phrases and remove to find subject
§ Saving for [her daughters college education] – subject: saving
§ Make sure pronoun is singular or plural
§ ID if noun is subject or object
§ Pronoun must match noun its replacing
§ Ex: she beat times out of “five men” whom – five men is the object
§ Players converted squares on their cards. Always check if noun and pronoun match
§ Function
§ Search for keyword in stem for context
§ Plug in choices for vocab
§ Avoid choices with specific details
§ Check surrounding text
§ Check error of UL portion
§ Ambiguous pronouns (error)
§ Antecedent: precedes pronoun Ex: Sarah lost her keys
- Sarah is antecedent of subject pronoun her
- Make sure there is a logical antecedent
- “She bought old new towels, and those were retired to the rag bin” – those = old towels
- Old towels use clues to ID accurate /logical antecedent
§ Matching antecedent
§ Memorize these steps: look for clues/keywords in question (ID what you’re saying), research answer in passage (always go back), predict before looking at choices, use guess as a guide to eliminate, and focus on author’s purpose
§ Be able to identify question type
§ Global Questions: Use knowledge of passage as a whole – main idea and primary/purpose
§ Detail: specific details from passage go back (most common) locate keywords in stem
§ Inference asks about a detail you can infer from passage’
§ Locate stem in passage
§ Only evidence supporting question stem
§ Check surrounding text – “assumptions”
§ Function: asks why reader talks about something and how it relates to overall purpose
§ Keywords in stem for context
§ Vocab-in-context asks about
§ Make a prediction before choosing and plug in to check choices
Currently at page 5 of attachment
Verb Tense
Receding colon must be complete sentence introducing
The correct answer should apply to the MAIN IDEA
MATH
Vertical Transverse = (y-k) ^2/ a^2 – (x-h) ^2/b^2 = 1
Horizontal Transverse = (x-h) ^2/a^2 – (y-h) ^2/b^2 = 1
(a^2 controls either the vertical or horizontal opening of hyperbola)
Vertex co-vertex