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65 multiple-choice questions and 219 flashcards, written to the ACT blueprint. Every question carries a full rationale.
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ACT, Inc. ACT Test Description (public) — three non-math sections: 1) English (75 questions, 45 min) — usage/mechanics (punctuation, grammar, sentence structure) and rhetorical skills (strategy, organization, style); 2) Reading (40 questions, 35 min) — four passage types: prose fiction/literary narrative, social science, humanities, natural science; 3) Science (40 questions, 35 min) — data representation, research summaries, conflicting viewpoints (does NOT test factual science knowledge — tests scientific reasoning from given data). MCQs are original items per public ACT framework.
CoStudy's ACT English, Reading, & Science bank holds 284 items. Every multiple-choice question carries a written rationale explaining why the correct answer is correct and why each distractor is tempting but wrong.
A sample of 12 multiple-choice questions from the bank, with the full rationale shown.
Choose the version with correct parallel structure: 'She enjoys hiking, swimming, and _____.'
Answer: C — reading books
Parallel structure: list must match form. 'Hiking' and 'swimming' are gerunds, so third item should be 'reading' (also gerund). ACT English heavily tests parallelism.
ACT Science: A control group in an experiment is used to:
Answer: D — PROVIDE A BASELINE — same conditions except no exposure to the independent variable; isolates the IV's effect
Control isolates the variable of interest. Placebo control: control receives identical-looking but inert treatment. Blind experiments: subjects don't know group. Double-blind: experimenters don't either.
An ACT Reading question asks for the MAIN IDEA of a passage. Which approach is BEST?
Answer: A — Choose the answer that captures the overall point of the passage without being too narrow (focused on one detail) or too broad (overly general)
Main idea = scope-matching. Wrong answers are too narrow (a detail) or too broad (true but not specific to passage). Right answer summarizes passage's focus. ACT Reading rewards careful scope analysis.
The ACT English section includes "rhetorical skills" questions that ask:
Answer: C — About organization, style, word choice, and strategy — beyond pure grammar, focused on how language serves the writer's purpose and audience
C) Definition of rhetorical skills. A/B/D) Off task.
Which transition BEST fits: 'The experiment failed three times. _____, the team refused to give up.'
Answer: C — Nevertheless
'Failed' contrasted with 'refused to give up' signals contrast. 'Nevertheless' marks this opposition. 'Therefore' is cause-effect; 'Furthermore' adds; 'For example' illustrates; 'Similarly' compares.
Which sentence has the CORRECT verb tense? 'By the time the storm hit, the team _____ already evacuated.'
Answer: E — had
Past perfect ('had evacuated') describes an action completed BEFORE another past event ('storm hit'). Past-perfect/past-simple sequence is essential for indicating order in past time. Frequent ACT English tested skill.
ACT Reading: A passage's MAIN IDEA is typically:
Answer: A — The central argument/claim that organizes ALL paragraphs — usually inferable from intro + conclusion + topic sentences
Main idea is the unifying thesis. Reading comprehension questions test this directly. Strategy: identify topic sentences, look for repeated phrases, note conclusion's emphasis. Distinguish from supporting details.
ACT English: 'The team played their best.' Which is the correct subject-verb agreement?
Answer: C — The team played its best (collective noun typically singular in US English)
US English: collective nouns (team, jury, committee) typically take singular verb + singular pronoun ('its'). UK English often treats collective nouns as plural. ACT follows US convention.
The ACT Reading section provides four passages, typically drawn from:
Answer: A — Prose Fiction or Literary Narrative, Social Science, Humanities, and Natural Science — with paired passages possible in any genre
A) Standard ACT Reading genres. B/C/D) Each is too narrow.
ACT Reading: A passage contrasting two viewpoints is BEST organized by:
Answer: C — Either block (all of view 1, then all of view 2) or point-by-point (alternating viewpoints by topic) — both work for compare/contrast
Two valid compare/contrast structures. Block: clearer for short pieces. Point-by-point: clearer for many features. ACT might test recognizing organization patterns or which would best support a thesis.
ACT Reading: 'The narrator's PRIMARY purpose' is best determined by:
Answer: B — Looking at the WHOLE passage — what does the author achieve overall? Is it to inform, persuade, narrate, entertain, describe, etc.?
Primary purpose = the author's overall goal. Distinguishes from secondary purposes (which are subordinate). Strategy: ask 'why did the author write this?' Check intro and conclusion most carefully.
The ACT English section primarily tests:
Answer: A — Mastery of standard written English — grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, word usage, rhetorical strategy
A) ACT English scope. B/C/D) Off topic.
6 sample cards from the 219 in the bank.
Its vs it's?
Its: possessive. It's: 'it is' or 'it has.'
How to identify tone?
Look at word choice, examples chosen, sentence structure.
ACT Reading humanities passage: focus on?
Author's point of view, key ideas in arts/culture/philosophy.
'Apathetic'?
Indifferent; lacking interest.
Who vs whom?
Who: subject (he, she). Whom: object (him, her).
Time management on ACT?
Aim for 30 sec per English question, 1 min per Math, 50 sec per Reading, 50 sec per Science.
These samples are a small slice. The full bank runs flashcards, multiple choice and timed mock exams with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.
Open ACT English, Reading, & Science →
The ACT English, Reading, & Science bank holds 284 items: 65 multiple-choice questions, 219 flashcards. 18 of them are on this page to read free, with no signup.
Yes. Every multiple-choice item carries a written rationale that states the controlling principle behind the correct answer and then addresses each wrong option in turn — why it tempts and precisely where it fails. Knowing why the plausible answer was wrong is worth more than knowing which letter was right.
ACT, Inc. ACT Test Description (public) — three non-math sections: 1) English (75 questions, 45 min) — usage/mechanics (punctuation, grammar, sentence structure) and rhetorical skills (strategy, organization, style); 2) Reading (40 questions, 35 min) — four passage types: prose fiction/literary narrative, social science, humanities, natural science; 3) Science (40 questions, 35 min) — data representation, research summaries, conflicting viewpoints (does NOT test factual science knowledge — tests scientific reasoning from given data). MCQs are…
The samples on this page are free to read in full, rationales included, with no account. The complete 284-item bank, the timed mock exams and per-chapter progress tracking are part of CoStudy on the web and in the iOS app.
Last reviewed 2026-08-22. Banks are written against the certifying body's published exam outline and re-checked when that outline changes — exams get renumbered, retired and reweighted, and a bank written to a superseded outline teaches the wrong proportions. Figures that are re-indexed annually are deliberately not asserted as rules; the questions test the governing principle instead.
This bank is written against ACT's published exam material. Check ACT's test descriptions for the current outline, fees and eligibility rules — those change, and the certifying body is the only authority on them. CoStudy is not affiliated with ACT.