OFFICIAL ACT Form E26 · 2020

Reading

40 questions ~9 min recommended

⏱ 00:00

Score

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=== Atop the Mound ===
...(excerpt from the essay by William Least Heat-Moon)...

=== The History of Money ===
...(excerpt from the book by Jack Weatherford)...

=== The Tension of Modern Bunraku ===
...(excerpt from the article by Theodora Skipitares)...

=== ... ===
...

1. The point of view from which the passage is told can best be described as that of a first person narrator who:

A. is uncomfortable when he must traverse a large section of unfamiliar prairie.

B. has an experience that leads to a deeper appreciation of the prairie.

C. visits the prairie in order to experience life as early settlers might have.

D. has traded arduous hikes in the woods for leisurely walks in the prairie.

2. How does the narrator see the power of the wider prairie differing, if at all, from the power of Jacobs’ Mound?

F. The prairie’s power comes from its apparent limitlessness; the power of Jacobs’ Mound comes from its hold on the imagination.

G. The prairie’s power comes from its unpopulousness; the power of Jacobs’ Mound comes from its size.

H. The prairie’s power comes from its flat terrain; the power of Jacobs’ Mound comes from its height.

J. Both places derive power from their size.

3. The main idea of the sixth paragraph (lines 60–69) is that:

A. few people other than the narrator have visited the summit of Jacobs’ Mound.

B. the air at the top of Jacobs’ Mound is noticeably different from the air at the bottom.

C. Jacobs’ Mound gives the impression of being away from civilization.

D. the summit of Jacobs’ Mound exists in a special place between the earth and the sky.

4. Based on the passage, which of the following can most reasonably be inferred about the narrator?

F. He traveled to the area specifically to climb Jacobs’ Mound.

G. He has already climbed Independence Rock and Pompey’s Pillar.

H. He prefers open, unpopulated areas to crowded urban areas.

J. He believes urban development is annoying but necessary.

5. As it is used in line 23, the phrase petrified sea refers to:

A. Jacobs’ Mound.

B. the sky.

C. the prairie.

D. the highway.

6. According to the narrator, focusing on a distant goal while walking in the prairie is not recommended because:

F. distant objects often move in and out of sight.

G. there is the potential to miss small objects nearby.

H. walkers need to be aware of their immediate surroundings.

J. doing so makes progress difficult to measure.

7. When Jacobs’ Mound disappears from the narrator’s sight, he shifts his focus to:

A. clouds in the sky.

B. rocks and patches of grass.

C. fences and highways.

D. birds flying overhead.

8. According to the narrator, what is the main difference between walking in wooded areas and walking in the prairie?

F. Wooded areas provide walkers with comforting enclosures that the prairie lacks.

G. It takes longer to navigate wooded areas than it does to navigate the prairie.

H. The flora and fauna are more diverse on the prairie than in the woods.

J. The sun is much stronger on the prairie than in the woods.

9. Which of the following statements best expresses how the narrator first feels when he reaches the summit of Jacobs’ Mound?

A. He is triumphant that he has reached a place few other people have been.

B. He is somewhat surprised that the summit is not as large as he had believed it would be.

C. He is overwhelmed by the brightness of the sun and the smell of the grass.

D. He is pleased to see thrushes nesting on the mound.

10. The narrator most likely includes the William Quayle anecdote at the end of the passage to:

F. reveal the extent of his amazement that he has finally reached the summit of Jacobs’ Mound.

G. help illustrate why he was drawn to Jacobs’ Mound in the first place.

H. give an example of the type of person who once lived on the prairie.

J. further convey his sense of wonder at the sheer size of the prairie.

11. The main idea of the passage is that:

A. the system of coins and trade created by Lydians radically transformed commerce.

B. the development of currency can be traced chronologically from 640 BC to 560 BC.

C. money was invented when Croesus became king of Lydia.

D. the coins minted in Lydia are the first gold coins known to exist.

12. According to the passage, one outcome of stamping Lydian coins with the emblem of a lion’s head was that the coins:

F. became easier to distinguish from currency used in the common marketplace.

G. were no longer clearly marked as property of the king.

H. varied more in size and weight.

J. became flatter and more circular.

13. What is the 'innovative new system' referred to in line 71?

A. The sale of goods by a producer to a merchant and then to a consumer.

B. The sale of goods over long distances.

C. The use of scales in the marketplace for business transactions.

D. The sale of many types of goods in one marketplace.

14. The author most likely uses the term overgrown city-state (lines 5–6) in order to:

F. emphasize the importance of Lydia.

G. indicate the rapid growth of Sardis.

H. make the point that Lydia was small.

J. identify the government structure of Lydia.

15. The passage states that when Croesus ascended the throne, Lydia was already:

A. celebrated in myths.

B. past the peak of its political power.

C. at war with Sardis.

D. in a firm economic position.

16. As it is used in line 15, the word accords most nearly means:

F. confines.

G. assigns.

H. owes.

J. measures.

17. According to the passage, which of the following is true of electrum?

A. It is naturally occurring.

B. It was worth more than gold under Croesus’s rule.

C. It is easier to stamp than silver or gold.

D. It is heavier than silver.

18. Which of the following cause-effect relationships is referred to in the passage?

F. Instituting scales in the marketplace led to greater honesty in transactions.

G. Introducing standardized coins into commerce made it more inclusive of a wide range of people.

H. Stamping designs on coins initially led some buyers to confuse coins with jewelry.

J. Lydia’s conquering of neighboring countries allowed Lydia to replace their monetary systems.

19. In the passage, wood is mentioned as an example of a:

A. material that coins were made of prior to the reign of Croesus.

B. material from which Croesus first made coins.

C. daily necessity of life during the reign of Croesus.

D. precious material Lydia imported for use by the wealthy class.

20. Which of the following statements best paraphrases the last sentence of the passage?

F. Lydia played a minor role in ancient history, in spite of its rulers’ attempts to achieve glory.

G. The world before Lydia and the one after Lydia are vastly different, due to the greed of Croesus.

H. Despite its size and historical status, Lydia has had an enormous influence on the world.

J. The kings of Lydia made decisions about commerce that relegated their kingdom to a minor role in history.

21. The author of Passage A suggests that changes in Bunraku that occurred in the early 1700s led to which of the following effects?

A. They made Bunraku more popular in countries beyond Japan.

B. They differentiated Bunraku from the puppetry of other countries.

C. They created the illusion that Bunraku puppets moved and talked on their own.

D. They brought about a shift in the kinds of stories that were recounted in Bunraku theater.

22. One main function of the last paragraph of PassageA (lines 30–42) is to:

F. explain the author’s perspective on the Japanese methods used to create puppets.

G. suggest that puppets are inevitably unrealistic in their appearance.

H. describe a shortcoming in the author’s early understanding of Bunraku.

J. assert that the complexity of Bunraku comes from its depiction of a flat surface of reality.

23. In PassageA, how does the author explain her interest in Bunraku?

A. She indicates that she had always felt a connection to Bunraku.

B. She suggests that her own experimentation with puppet performances led her to Bunraku.

C. She states that she had always appreciated the long history of Bunraku.

D. She describes how performances at Japan Society inspired her to explore Bunraku.

24. The author of PassageA identifies Bunraku theater as combining what three fragments of Western theater?

F. Puppet, manipulator, and musician

G. Music, auxiliary stage, and puppet

H. Narrator, puppet, and text

J. Text, music, and puppet

25. In Passage B, how does the statement that “Awaji dramas, like their Bunraku counterparts, often concern the furthest outdistricts of human emotion” (lines 61–63) figure into the author’s discussion?

A. It is a generalization the author mentions but does not discuss further in the passage.

B. It is an assertion the author makes to emphasize the disparity between the intensity of the story and the stillness of the puppets’ faces.

C. It is a widely held assumption the author mentions as part of her claim that most people fail to see the hidden strength of Japanese puppetry.

D. It is an opinion the author supports with several examples of Japanese puppetry from the 1700s to today.

26. It can reasonably be inferred from PassageB that the chanter is often considered the star of Awaji theater mainly because the:

F. chanter’s dynamic singing conveys the intensity and drama of the story.

G. chanter occupies the stage along with the puppets and interacts with them.

H. chanter’s responsibilities include directing and coordinating the other puppeteers.

J. chanter composes the text that ultimately gives meaning to the puppets’ gestures.

27. In the first paragraph of PassageB (lines 43−58), the author provides the example of the weeping woman most likely to:

A. suggest that the Awaji Puppet Theatre Company focuses on plays that are sad.

B. indicate that the Awaji Puppet Theatre Company has existed for five centuries.

C. emphasize the range of emotions that Awaji puppets are visibly able to express.

D. explain the artistic precision that makes the Awaji puppets’ gestures seem realistic.

28. Regarding the perspectives from which the passage authors write, the two passages are:

F. similar; both authors indicate that they are writing from the perspective of a spectator of puppet theater.

G. similar; both authors indicate that they are writing from the perspective of a practitioner of puppet theater.

H. different; the author of PassageA writes from the perspective of a practitioner of puppet theater and the author of PassageB from that of a spectator.

J. different; the author of PassageA writes from the perspective of a spectator of puppet theater and the author of PassageB from that of a practitioner.

29. Which of the following statements regarding the gender of the puppeteers in Japanese theater can most reasonably be inferred from the passages?

A. Traditionally, the performers have been male.

B. Women began taking part in performances in the early 1700s.

C. Japanese theater is unique in that it has always incorporated both male and female performers.

D. Men hold the puppets, but women speak and sing.

30. The passages are similar in that both authors reach the conclusion that the form of Japanese puppetry they discuss:

F. reached the height of its popularity in Japan in the 1700s.

G. is difficult to fully appreciate without years of study.

H. derives strength from its balance of realism and artificiality.

J. is at its best when used to tell complex fictional stories.

31. One main purpose of the passage is to:

A. contrast the structure of a hyena’s brain with the structure of a human’s brain.

B. argue that studies of hyenas have revealed more about brain function than have studies of primates.

C. discuss what the study of hyenas has revealed about the evolution of social intelligence.

D. compare the evolutionary histories of the four species in the hyena family.

32. The author cites brain imaging studies in the fifth paragraph (lines 24–29) primarily to support the passage’s point that:

F. the frontal cortex is the center of social intelligence.

G. most of a human’s extra neurons are located in frontal cortex.

H. the majority of research on the social brain hypothesis is focused on primates.

J. it’s possible to reconstruct the three-dimension structure of the hyena brain from a CT scan of a skull.

33. When the author states that hyenas 'follow the same rules as primates' (line 83), he most likely means that:

A. the hyena’s diet closely resembles that of primates.

B. primates and hyenas who live in large groups have large frontal cortices.

C. primates and hyenas tend to form long-term alliances with other species.

D. the structure of the hyena skull is identical to that of the primate skull.

34. Based on the passage, Holekamp’s research most directly challenges which of the following arguments made by some primatologists?

F. Primates with a high social rank have more babies than do high-ranking members of other animal species.

G. Primates are the only animals that live in large groups.

H. Primates are favored by natural selection because they are better equipped to locate patchy sources of food.

J. Primates are the only animals worth studying for social brain hypothesis research.

35. According to the passage, when Holekamp and her colleagues analyzed hyena skulls, they determined that:

A. subtle differences in hyena skulls enable hyenas to recognize fellow clan members.

B. hyenas with larger skulls tend to have a smaller frontal cortex.

C. the structure of the hyena brain varies among the different hyena species.

D. the structure of the hyena brain has changed little over the centuries.

36. The author speculates that primates may be pushed to live in large groups due in part to:

F. territory disputes with hyenas.

G. an innate desire to stay close to their relatives.

H. the presence of predators.

J. a lack of suitable shelter.

37. In the passage, the author discusses female baboons primarily to illustrate how:

A. female primates have higher social intelligence than do male primates.

B. limited sources of food cause animals to be aggressive toward one another.

C. primates learn the hierarchy of their social group from their mothers.

D. increased social intelligence can give animals an evolutionary advantage.

38. Which of the following theories about the evolution of the human brain is presented in the passage?

F. During the early stages in the evolution of the human brain, growth in the frontal cortex was inhibited by the structure of the skull.

G. After developing the ability to produce sophisticated thought, the human brain began to produce extra neurons.

H. Because natural selection favors social intelligence, the human frontal cortex began to increase in size.

J. Humans first developed a frontal cortex when they began to form long-term alliances to better compete with rivals.

39. According to the passage, when does a spotted hyena first learn its place in the hierarchy of its clan?

A. While participating in its first fight over prey.

B. While living in the communal den.

C. When patrolling the clan’s territory for the first time.

D. Shortly after leaving the communal den.

40. According to the passage, compared to other species of hyenas, spotted hyenas:

F. are more likely to be carnivores.

G. are less likely to be territorial.

H. have smaller frontal cortices.

J. live in more complex societies.

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