Author Technique on ACT English Passage Strategy

Author Technique on ACT English Passage Strategy SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Author technique is a specific type of reading comprehension question that appears frequently on the ACT English section. Author technique questions require you to analyze a specific sentence and determine if it fulfills an author's stated purpose. Read this article for a thorough explanation of author technique and guidance on how to figure out author technique questions. In this post, I'll do the following: Define author technique questions. Provide examples from real ACTs. Offer detailed strategies for correctly answering these questions. What Is Author Technique on ACT English? Author technique questions ask you to determine if a sentence or phrase fulfills the author's stated purpose. Each author technique question is constructed in the same way. Knowing the basic construction of author technique questions will allow you to easily identify them and use the same efficient process for correctly answering them. General Construction of Author Technique Questions Author technique questions are phrased in this way: Which one would best fulfill (some stated purpose)? A portion of a sentence will be underlined, and you have to determine if the given phrase or the other answer choices will best fulfill the purpose given in the question. This type of question requires you to analyze phrases and determine whether they would satisfy the stated goal. Now, let's look at examples of author technique questions from actual ACTs. Real Examples of Author Technique Questions Here are examples of author technique questions from the ACT English section. Example #1 By nightfall a controlled inferno roars in the kiln. The writer would like to indicate that at this point thefire is extremely intense. Given that all the choices aretrue, which one best accomplishes the writer’s goal? F. NO CHANGE G. the fire is stronger than everH. there is more heat being producedJ. a kind of intense blaze takes place Example #2 As the potter takes bricks away to create an opening into the oven, an expanding view of gleaming shapes rewards the artist for months of hard work. The writer would like to suggest the potter’s cautiouspace and sense of anticipation in opening the kiln. Given that all the choices are true, which one bestaccomplishes the writer’s goal? F. NO CHANGEG. removes bricks by handH. removes one brick at a timeJ. experiences great anticipation and removes bricks Example #3 Dickinson stayed in contact with correspondents for many years. Given that all of the choices are true, which one bestdevelops the paragraph’s focus on the roles that lettersplayed in Emily Dickinson’s life? A. NO CHANGE B. Her personal interests also included keen observationof the natural world around her. C. Though she produced volumes of letters, none were shared publicly until after her death. D. She enjoyed hearing their news and reflecting with them on political events. Now, let's go through the process to correctly answer these questions. Follow these steps! Strategy for Author Technique Questions #1: Determine What the Question is Asking Here's our first example question again. Example #1 By nightfall a controlled inferno roars in the kiln. The writer would like to indicate that at this point thefire is extremely intense. Given that all the choices aretrue, which one best accomplishes the writer’s goal? F. NO CHANGE G. the fire is stronger than everH. there is more heat being producedJ. a kind of intense blaze takes place The question is asking which answer choice does the best job of indicating that the fire is extremely intense. The correct answer choice will make it obvious to the readerthat the fire is extremely intense. #2: Check the Answer Choices to See if They Acomplish the Intended Goal For our example, go through each answer choice and determine if it indicates that the fire is extremely intense. The answer choice has to match the goal as closely as possible. The fire can’t be somewhat intense. We’re looking for extremely intense. First, look at the original sentence. Does â€Å"a controlled inferno roars† accomplish the goal of showing that the fire is extremely intense? Yes. An inferno is a large, intense fire. And the verb â€Å"roars† further indicates that the fire is extremely intense. However, go through the rest of the answer choices quickly just to make sure there isn’t a better answer. Answer choice G, â€Å"the fire is stronger than ever,† indicates that the fire is more intense than before, but it doesn’t directly state that the fire is extremely intense. Answer choice H, â€Å"there is more heat being produced,† does not even reference the intensity of the fire. Answer choice J, â€Å"a kind of intense blaze takes place,† is the trap answer. It has the word â€Å"intense† in the phrase, but we’re looking for a phrase that shows that the fire is extremely intense. A â€Å"kind of intense† fire is not extremely intense. #3: Eliminate Wrong Answer Choices Usually, it’s easier to eliminate the obviously wrong answer choices first before eventually arriving at the right answer. For our example, H could be eliminated right away since there isn't even a reference to the fire. Then, after looking more closely at the other answer choices, you should be able to eliminate G and J. #4: Consider the Tone and Conciseness of the Answer Choices Not only should the answer choice fulfill the purpose of the author, but the resulting sentence should be grammatically correct and match the essay’s tone. Typically, sentences in ACT English are moderately formal. They’re not extremely formal or very casual. Also, the ACT stresses that sentences should be as concise as possible. For our example, we didn’t really need to consider tone and conciseness, but if you were considering answer choice F, â€Å"a kind of intense blaze takes place†, itsconstructionmakes the phrase sound awkward and wordy. You could convey the same meaning more succinctly. #5: Select the Correct Answer In our example, we are left with answer choice F, NO CHANGE. Going through all of these steps should take roughly 15-30 seconds. We'll go through this process again with another question from a real ACT. Another Actual ACT English Example Try to figure out the answer to the following author technique question. At one point, Emily sent a draft of her poem â€Å"Safe in TheirAlabaster Chambers† to Susan, who read the poem. Given that all the choices are true, which one wouldmost clearly describe an interaction between Susan andEmily during Emily’s writing process? A. NO CHANGE B. liked the poem tremendously. C. considered and thought about the poem. D. praised the poem but suggested revisions. First, we determine what the question is asking. We need to choose a phrase that suggests interaction between Susan and Emily during Emily’s writing process. Therefore, if a phrase doesn’t show interaction between the two, it can be eliminated. The original phrase, â€Å"read the poem," doesn't show interaction. If Susan â€Å"liked the poem tremendously," that doesn't show interaction between them either, so we can eliminate B. If Susan â€Å"considered and thought about the poem," that doesn't demonstrate any interaction so answer choice C can be eliminated as well. However, if Susan â€Å"praised the poem but suggested revisions†, that does describe an interaction during the writing process. If she â€Å"suggested revisions,† Susan told Emily how to change the poem to make it better. That's an interaction during the writing process. The answer is D. Quick Review of General Strategies for Author Technique Questions #1: Determine What the Question Is Asking #2: Go Through the Answer Choices to See if the Phrase Fulfills the Stated Purpose #3: Eliminate Wrong Answer Choices #4: Consider the Conciseness, Tone, and Formality of Answer Choices, if Need Be. What's Next? If you haven't done so already, I strongly suggest that you check out these articles on the best way to approach ACT English passages and five critical concepts to ace ACT English. Both posts provide you with extremely helpful strategies that will allow you to maximize your ACT English score. For those of you looking to improve your ACT English grammar skills, you may want to read up on punctuation on the ACT. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Statement of purpose essay

Statement of purpose essay Statement of purpose essay A statement of purpose essay is exactly what it claims to be-a statement of your purpose in life. What is it that you want to achieve by choosing a particular course or college? And how will this help you to fulfill your purpose? Before starting to write a statement of purpose essay it is essential for you to do some soul searching. What kind of a person are you? Are you driven by a strong drive to help the poor and needy? Then this would be an adequate reason for looking for admission in to a social work course. Also, you can read:http://.com/blog/law-school-personal-statement Short is sweet The golden rule is that if you can say it in six words, dont use twenty. Ensure that what you say is relevant and interesting. If it is not-dont say it-this is one time when silence really proves golden. Tips for success Write on an aspect of life that you have knowledge and interest in. Enjoyment while writing ensures reading enjoyment. If you are a practical down to earth person-use your power of observation to reinforce your central point. If you are more bent towards the why of things then look at the esoteric aspects Make your writing style unique and gripping. Do not repeat points or incidents as this can bore the reader who will quickly loose interest Illustrate your statement of purpose essaywith your past experience and achievements that have left you better equipped to fulfill your goal in life. Examine how future plans and long term goals will get realized if you are given a chance in your chosen college. Motivate the admissions committee to read through your statement of purpose essayby weaving a human interest story around it. Mention specific incidents in which you made a difference. Do not just list your qualities without narrating what helped you to discover your purpose in life. Ensure that your statement of purpose essay has a proper structure with the introductory paragraph stating your purpose and following paragraphs highlighting the logical steps you undertook to reaffirm your purpose. The concluding paragraph should leave the admissions committee feeling that you are the logical choice for admission. Ensure that your statement of purpose essay sounds enthusiastic and positive. Do this by zeroing in on your winning qualities and playing down your negative points. Additional topics: Informative Essay Writing Drama Coursework Help Media Studies Coursework Case Study Analysis Critical Thinking Essay