ACT English practice test 3
The following paragraphs may or may not be in the
most logical order. Each paragraph is numbered,
and question 9 will ask you to choose where
Paragraph 2 should most logically be placed.
[1]
The golden age of television means many
things to many people, but to the small band of
actors, writers, and directors who would rise
1
to prominence in the late 50s and early 60s,
without a doubt it meant the televisions shows such
as Playhouse 90, on which many of them worked for
2
the first live time.
[2]
Despite the undeniable risks of live
performances—or perhaps because of—the results
rank among the greatest achievements in American 3. The writer is considering deleting the
entertainment. Many of its productions were later
remade, both for television and film,
including Requiem for a Heavyweight, Judgment at A. Kept, because it provides context for the
Nuremberg, and Days of Wine and
Roses. Many critics maintain none of the
remakes could match the brilliance and electricity of
the live performances displayed in Playhouse 90.
1. Which of the following alternatives to the
underlined word would be LEAST
acceptable?
A. fame
B. projection
C. stardom
D. greatness
2. The best placement for the underlined
word would be:
F. where it is now.
G. before the word actors.
H. before the word doubt.
J. before the word television.
preceding sentence. Should the sentence be
kept or deleted?
reference to remakes in the next sentence.
B. Kept, because it is crucial to
understanding why Playhouse 90 was a
success.
C. Deleted, because it does not match the
objective tone of the essay.
D. Deleted, because it contains information
that has already been provided in the essay.
 [3]
4. Which choice would most clearly indicate
that the actors, writers, and directors
[1] Each week, a new "teleplay" was created
became extremely skilled?
from scratch—written, cast, rehearsed, and
F. memorizing their lines.
performed. [2]Playhouse 90 was truly a remarkable
G. honing their craft.
training ground for the young talents. [3] Such future
H. constructing the set.
luminaries as Rod Serling, Sidney Lumet, Paddy
J. skimming the want-ads.
Chayefsky, Marlon Brando, and Patricia Neal
4
worked long hours reading scripts. [4] In some 5. Which of the following order of sentences
cases, when there were problems with the censors, will make the paragraph most logical?
A. NO CHANGE
it would have to be created twice. B. 1, 2, 4, 3
C. 2, 1, 4, 3
[4] D. 2, 3, 1, 4

6. Given that all choices are true, which one

Due to the frantic pace, accidents happened most effectively introduces this paragraph?
6
frequently. David Niven once revealed that, during F. NO CHANGE
G. The ratings for Playhouse 90 were
an early show, he inadvertently locked his costume
unimpressive.
in his dressing room two minutes before air time. As
H. Broadway has produced many famous
the announcer read the opening credits, the sound
actors as well.
of axes splintering the door to Niven's dressing
J. Playhouse 90 ran on CBS from 1956 to
room could be heard in the background. 1961.

7. The writer is considering deleting the

preceding sentence. If the writer were to
make this deletion, the essay would primarily
lose a statement that:
A. explains the organization of the last
paragraph.
B. adds a much needed touch of humor to
the essay.
C. explains how one accident was resolved.
D. adds nothing, since the information is
provided elsewhere in the essay.
8. Questions below asks about the preceding passage as a whole.
Suppose that one of the writer's goals had been to write a brief essay describing an influential
program in television's history. Would this essay fulfill that goal?
F. Yes, because it explains that many future stars underwent valuable training working on
Playhouse 90.
G. Yes, because it mentions that Playhouse 90 had the greatest number of viewers in its time slot.
H. No, because it fails to mention any future stars by name.
J. No, because even though many future stars received their start on Playhouse 90, few ever
returned to television.

9. Questions below asks about the preceding passage as a whole.

For the sake of the logic and coherence of this essay, Paragraph 2 should be placed:
A. where it is now.
B. before Paragraph 1.
C. after Paragraph 3.
D. after Paragraph 4.

Answers and Explanations

1. Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
B Cross off LEAST, and use POE. Fame, stardom, and greatness can all work the same way as
prominence in the context of the sentence. Projection does not mean the same thing and is the
correct answer.

2. Correct Answer: J
Explanation:
J Try out each answer choice. Live television is the intended meaning.

3. Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
A Evaluate the reasons given in the answers. The reason given in (A) could be true, but you have to
read through the third paragraph to be able to judge. That makes this a good question to do later. In
fact, the proposed clause does provide necessary context for the information given in the second
and third sentences of the second paragraph.

4. Correct Answer: G
Explanation:
G Identify the purpose in the question. The correct choice must convey extreme skill. Honing their
craft does just that, while all of the other choices contain no specific mention of skill.

5. Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
D Use POE. Sentences 2 and 3 should go back to back, with sentence 3 providing a list of the
young talents mentioned in sentence 2. Eliminate (B) and (C), and compare the difference between
(A) and (D). Sentence 1 should precede sentence 4, so (D) is correct.

6. Correct Answer: F
Explanation:
F Identify the purpose in the question. The correct choice must introduce the paragraph. Finish
reading the paragraph, and then return to the question. Since the topic involves problems with the
live broadcast, (F) is the best introduction.

7. Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
C To crack this type of strategy question, use POE to consider which choice correctly describes the
sentence to be deleted. Choice (C) is the best description.

8. Correct Answer: F
Explanation:
F Identify the purpose in the question and connect to the best reason among the answers. Choices
(G), (H), and (J) offer reasons that do not support the purpose well, nor describe the content of the
essay accurately.

9. Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
D If you didn't see the warning at the beginning of the passage, you may have found the flow of the
essay jarring. Even if you didn't, always use POE with order of paragraph questions. Look for topic
and concluding sentences to make the flow of ideas consistent. The topic sentence of paragraph 2
makes a good transition after the discussion of accidents in paragraph 4.
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