Victory for the ACT Student Text 15e

E NGLISH T EST M ECHANICS • 17

ANATOMY

DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain parts of the sentences have been underlined ƒ† —„‡”‡†Ǥ  –Š‡ ”‹‰Š–ǦŠƒ†…‘Ž—ǡ ›‘— ™‹ŽŽ ϐ‹† †‹ˆˆ‡”‡– ™ƒ›• ‘ˆ ™”‹–‹‰ ‡ƒ…Š underlined part; the original version is indicated by the “NO CHANGE” option. For each item, select the choice that best expresses the intended idea, is most acceptable in standard written English, or is most consistent with the overall tone and style of the passage. There are also items that ask about a section of the passage or the passage as a whole. These items do not refer to an underlined portion of the passage; these items are preceded by statements that are enclosed in boxes. Read the passage through once before you begin to answer the accompanying items. Finding the answers to certain items may depend on looking at material that appears several sentences beyond the item. So, be sure that you have read far enough ahead before you select your answer choice.

Ditch the Directions The directions for the English Test are fairly long, and it would take you a while to read them during the test. You’d be wasting valuable time that could be used to answer questions. By the time you get to the test, you’ll know what to do in the English Test, so skip the directions altogether. Coastal Polynyas in Antarctica Although you might not think it, the Antarctic waters are rich in nutrients. The lack of ice, combined with shallow coastal waters, provides the top layers of the ocean with 1 1.

A. NO CHANGE B. ice combined C. ice combined, D. ice—combined

1. (A) This ite tests punctuation. When you insert an aside or clarifying remark, you need to set off that material from the main part of the sentence, usually with commas—one at the start and one at the end of the material. The original sentence is correctly punctuated. 2. The writer is considering deleting the information in parentheses. If the writer removed this material, the essay would primarily lose: Ǥ ƒ –”ƒ•‹–‹‘ ˆ”‘ –Š‡ ϐ‹”•– ’ƒ”ƒ‰”ƒ’Š to the second paragraph. G. further examples of the animals that depend upon krill for food. Ǥ ƒ †‡ϐ‹‹–‹‘ ‘ˆ ƒ –‡” –Šƒ– ‹‰Š– „‡ unfamiliar to the reader. J. additional information about the climate of Antarctica. 2. (H) Why does the writer include the

added sunlight, so polynyas (large open areas of waters surrounded by sea ice) offer ideal conditions for phytoplankton blooms. Because the ice around polynyas is thin in the early spring when the long days begin, they are –Š‡ ϐ‹”•– ƒ”‡ƒ• –‘ ‰‡– •–”‘‰ •—Ž‹‰Š–Ǥ Š‡ open waters retain more heat, further thinning ice cover and leading to early, intense, and short-lived plankton blooms. These blooms 2 2

parenthetical material? The writer includes –Š‡ ’ƒ”‡–Š‡–‹…ƒŽ ƒ–‡”‹ƒŽ –‘ †‡ϔ‹‡ ƒ ‡› term that might otherwise be unfamiliar to the reader.