Victory for the ACT Student Text 15e

44 • E NGLISH

The overall organization of the passage can best be described as: F. chronological development. G. explanation of two sides of an issue. H. generalization of a statement with illustrations. J. posing a question and then answering it. Item #6 is based on the following essay, which is a response to an assignment to write about a chore for which you are responsible and why you like or dislike doing the chore. [1] Each year, my family plants a vegetable garden. Both my parents work, and with this, it is the job of the children to tend the garden. [2] Work starts several weeks before the growing season actually begins. We put little pots of soil containing seeds that must sprout before they are planted outdoors on the sun porch. Then, my father prepares the ground with a rototiller. When the danger of frost is past, it is time to plant. [3] ‘” –Š‡ ϐ‹”•– ˆ‡™ ™‡‡•ǡ ™‡ ™ƒ–‡” –Š‡ seed beds regularly and pull weeds by hand. Once the plants are established, the leaves of the good plants block the sunlight so ™‡‡†•…ƒǯ– ‰”‘™Ǥ ‘™‡˜‡”ǡ –Š‡”‡ ƒ”‡ ‘–Š‡” jobs such as staking tomatoes and tending to running vines. [4] Then the blossoms appear and are pollinated by bees and other insects. As small vegetables appear, the blossoms drop off. They continue to grow and later in the summer begin to ripen. Up to this point, tending the garden has been a chore, but now it becomes a pleasure. Each afternoon, we pick the ripe ones and wash them so that they are ready for cooking. I suppose that I feel proud that I have helped to feed my family. I have to admit that my greatest enjoyment is the taste of the freshly picked vegetables.

Items #7–12 are based on the following essay, which is a response to an ƒ••‹‰‡– –‘ ™”‹–‡ ƒ„‘—– ƒ •‹‰‹ϐ‹…ƒ– activity or experience from the summer vacation. [1] On my vacation to Alaska, I took a trip to Porcupine. In 1905, Porcupine was a thriving town of 2,000 people, retail stores, ƒ† ƒ ’‘•– ‘ˆϐ‹…‡Ǥ ƒ”†Ž› ƒ› ‘ˆ –Š‡ –‘™ remains today, but there is still gold there, and our guide showed us how to pan for ‰‘Ž†Ǥ –ǯ• ‡ƒ•› –‘ Ž‡ƒ” Š‘™ǡ ƒ† ƒ›‘‡ 7 can do it. [2] The technique of panning depends ‘ –Š‡ ™‡‹‰Š– ‘ˆ ‰‘Ž†Ǥ –ǯ• ƒ„‘—– ʹͲ –‹‡• heavier than water, so the gold stays at the bottom of a stream and gets caught in the •ƒ† ‹ •Ž‘™ǦϐŽ‘™‹‰ ™ƒ–‡” ƒ”‘—† „‡†• and along the edge of the stream. It can also get stuck in small crevices of rock and even wedged into pieces of wood. 9 [3] ‘— ‡‡† –‘ ϐ‹† ™Š‡”‡ –Š‡ ‰‘Ž† ‹•Ǥ Š‡”‡ǯ• ‘ •‡•‡ ‹ ’ƒ‹‰ ˆ‘” ‰‘Ž† ‹ ƒ •–”‡ƒ ™Š‡”‡ –Š‡”‡ ‹•ǯ– ƒ›ǡ •‘ ‰‘ –‘ a stream where people have found gold before. Then concentrate on those areas that are most likely to trap the little bits of gold. [4] Keep moving the pan until about half the original material has been carried away. Lift the pan out of the water, tilt it toward –Š‡ •‹†‡ ™‹–Š –Š‡ ”‹ˆϐŽ‡• ȋ–Š‡ •ƒŽŽ ”‹†‰‡•Ȍǡ 10 and swirl until the water is gone. Repeat this process until nearly all thematerial is gone. [5] To start panning, put a few handfuls of material into your gold pan. Then submerge the pan in the water of the stream. Hold the pan under the surface and move it in a circular motion so that the lighter material sloshes over the edge. You have to be careful ‘– –‘ „‡ –‘‘ ƒ‰‰”‡••‹˜‡ ‘” ›‘—ǯŽŽ •‡† ›‘—” gold downstream along with the silt and other debris. [6] Use a small stream of water suction pipette (or even a spray bottle with a concentrated setting on the nozzle) to sort

Use POE In questions like #6, read each answer choice, check whether it is accurate, and cross off incorrect answers as you go. Remember also to focus on the passage as a whole, not individual paragraphs or techniques.

6.