ACT-Test – American College Testing: English, Math, Reading, Science, Writing

DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered . 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".

Rio de Janeiro

[§1] Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is a fantastic place to visit. It’s alarming <1> that Rio is called the “Wonderful City.” Beaches, mountains, and forests await its visitors, who can tour for days and still not experience everything the city has to offer. When I visit, I always have a great time with my boyfriend. <2> At the end of a busy day exploring nature, gloomy <3> travelers can unwind at one of the beachfront hotspots for coconut water and live samba music.

[§2] Rio’s most famed attractions are Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer statue. However, <4> these destinations welcome over 2.8 million international tourists each year.

Sugarloaf Mountain is located in the city’s south zone right near to the vast Atlantic Ocean. <5> Its peak is at 1300 feet, and accessible by two cable cars that take less than five minutes to arrive. Visitors enjoy 360-degree panoramic views of Rio, and can shop or dine at several locations on the mountain.

[§3] (1) Christ the Redeemer stands on the Corcovado Mountain, recently named one of the new seven wonders of the world. (2) With arms outstretched, the concrete Christ was built between 1922 and 1931, to resemble embracing the people of Rio. (3) Millions of tourists recreate the attraction by taking photos on its pedestal with their own arms outstretched. (4) The statue’s pedestal is over 26 feet high, while the statue itself is nearly 100 feet <6>

[§4] There are so many amazing sites to see! <7> Fort Copacabana is a military base and history museum that sits at the south end of Copacabana beach and divides the neighborhood from Ipanema. Visitors explored <8> galleries filled with original military memorabilia from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. There are also exhibits featuring indigenous artwork from some of Brazil’s 2000 native tribes. These relics are important for Brazilian history, and tourists are nevertheless blown away <9> at their historical significance.

[§5] Another great place to visit, and for learning about Brazilian history <10> is the Botanical Gardens, built in 1808 by King John VI of Portugal. Children especially enjoy this 346-acre park, which is home to 6500 species of plants and trees and 140 species of birds. Kid-friendly areas are designated for picnics and games, and monkeys that roam the grounds often entertain children by swinging from tree to tree or rummaging for leftover food in the park’s trash bins. <11>

[§6] After a busy day of sightseeing Rio’s natural settings, because <12> tourists sit at beachfront drink stands and enjoy coconut water sipped from the fruit. Local musicians wander the sands playing Brazilian samba music each night. The sounds of tamborims, surdos, and agogos delight visitors, who, dance <13> all night long to the sounds <14> under the Copacabana moonlight.

<3>:

DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered . 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".

Building a Cork Boat

[§1] As a young boy, John Pollack dreamed of building a full-size boat made entirely of bottle corks. [A] At the age of thirty-four, Pollack sailed his dream down the Douro River in Portugal. It all began as Pollack is likely to point out <1>, with a single cork.

[§2] To amass the staggering number of corks needed to construct the boat, 165,231 in all, Pollack convinced the staff, of several restaurants <2> in Washington, DC, to donate discarded corks for his cause. [B] Pollack eventually received cork donations from a cork-importing company <3> based in Portugal.

[§3] Constructing the boat introduced a challenge of another variety. Pollack finally tried <4> gluing the corks together to create stackable logs, but he soon realized that this strategy was too time-consuming. [C] He calculated that it would have taken him and one other person more then a year’s <5> worth of eight-hour days to glue all the corks needed for the boat.

[§4] Piles of corks threatened to take over Pollack’s apartment. <6> He used a foam template to assemble a group of corks into a pretty interesting <7> shape. He then fastened each cluster of corks with multiple rubber bands and encased each cluster in fishnet. To bind clusters together and shaping <8> them into flexible columns proved to be both efficient and architecturally sound. Dozens of friends expedited this proper <9> process by volunteering to help with the construction of the boat.

[§5] The completed cork boat, which resembled a Viking ship, was more impressive than Pollack had ever imagined. [D] In his childhood imagination, he had saw himself <10> floating the boat in his neighbor's swimming pool. But at a length of twenty-two feet, <11> Pollack’s masterpiece was best suited with <12> a grand voyage. In 2002, the company that <13> had donated thousands of corks to Pollack’s project sponsored the vessel’s launch in Portugal. There, during the boat’s successful journey on the Douro River, in the country of Portugal, <14> Pollack’s dream was fully realized.

<14>:

DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered . 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".

Planet Earth’s Windiest Observatory

[§1] Step outside into blowing snow, freezing fog, 45 mph winds with hurricane-force gusts, and a −50° Fahrenheit windchill. Welcome to a typical January day at the

Mount Washington Observatory. [A] Weather conditions at this facility, which sits atop its <1> namesake’s 6,288-foot peak in New Hampshire, has earned <2> the location the nickname “Home of the World’s Worst Weather.”

[§2] [B] Though somewhat diminutive compared to other mountains, (Colorado’s Pikes Peak, <3> for example, is more than twice its height), Mount Washington is the tallest peak in the Presidential Range. <4> The peak stands at the confluence of three major storm tracks, and its steep slopes force <5> rising winds to accelerate. In fact, scientists in 1934 recorded a surface wind speed (of 231 mph): <6> one of the fastest ever recorded.

[§3] In one study, researchers used a laser beam and advanced optical techniques to measure winds. The observatory also keeps detailed weather records that scientists have used to track climate trends and weather patterns. The <7> observatory has also advanced scientists’ understanding of clouds, of ice physics, <8> and the atmosphere.

[§4] To conduct all this research, staff are on-site year-round. Observers, who work <9> several twelve-hour shifts over the course of a week. To change personnel in winter, though, <10> crews ascend the mountain in a vehicle, gripping <11> the snow using revolving tracks similar to those on a military tank. Observers go outside every hour to gather data, which they send to the

National Weather Service. [C]

[§5] Though isolated, the Mount Washington Observatory offers weather enthusiasts many ways to get involved. The observatory takes volunteers and accepts interns, who assist with research. The <12> bold can take part in educational trips to the summit in winter. [D] For those who are planning to make a trip to Mount Washington, <13> the observatory has a website with live video feeds of the summit.

<1>: