ACT English: Topic Development (Drill 3)

Question 1. The writer is considering deleting the underlined sentence. Should it be kept or deleted?

• A) Kept, because it provides context about Edison that helps explain the AC/DC rivalry.
• B) Kept, because the paragraph discusses both Tesla and Edison equally.
• C) Deleted, because the detail about Edison's other inventions is unrelated to the paragraph's focus on Tesla and AC power. ✓
• D) Deleted, because Edison did not actually invent the phonograph.

Explanation: Choice C is correct. The paragraph is about Tesla's alternating current system and its impact on the world. The underlined sentence mentions Edison's opposition to AC, which is at least connected, but then pivots to list Edison's unrelated inventions (phonograph, motion picture camera). That pivot is the problem. The phonograph and motion pictures have nothing to do with the AC/DC debate or Tesla's legacy. The sentence introduces a tangent about Edison's other work that the paragraph never develops and doesn't need. Deleting it keeps the focus on Tesla's AC system and its lasting influence. Choice A argues the context about Edison is helpful, the opposition to AC part might be, but the other inventions are not. Choice B misreads the paragraph; it is about Tesla, with Edison appearing only as contrast. Choice D disputes a historical fact, which is never the right reason to delete on the ACT.

Question 2. The writer wants to add an opening sentence at [A] that effectively introduces the paragraph's main idea. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?

• A) Forests cover approximately thirty percent of Earth's land surface.
• B) Trees are among the longest-lived organisms on Earth, with some species surviving for thousands of years.
• C) A forest is far more than a collection of individual trees — it functions as an interconnected community. ✓
• D) Deforestation threatens biodiversity in tropical regions around the world.

Explanation: Choice C is correct. The paragraph describes how trees communicate chemically and through fungal networks, share nutrients, and coordinate defenses, a picture of the forest as a cooperative community rather than a collection of independent organisms. Choice C ("A forest is far more than a collection of individual trees; it functions as an interconnected community") directly frames that idea, making it the ideal opener for a paragraph that then demonstrates exactly what interconnected community behavior looks like. Choice A gives a global statistic about forest coverage, true but irrelevant to the communication theme. Choice B is about tree longevity, also unrelated to cooperation or communication. Choice D introduces deforestation threats, a different topic entirely that points the paragraph in the wrong direction.

Question 3. The writer is considering deleting the underlined sentence. Should it be kept or deleted?

• A) Kept, because it explains the economic chain of events that caused the unemployment described in the first sentence. ✓
• B) Kept, because the passage is specifically about the causes of the 1929 stock market crash.
• C) Deleted, because the paragraph is about suffering during the Depression, not about financial markets, as the paragraph presents the topic.
• D) Deleted, because the stock market crash is discussed in detail in a later paragraph.

Explanation: Choice A is correct. The paragraph presents a cause-and-effect sequence: the crash wiped out wealth → bank failures and spending collapse → industrial production halted → mass unemployment and human suffering. The underlined sentence is the causal link between the opening statistic (fifteen million unemployed) and the human consequences described in sentence 3 (breadlines, foreclosures). Without it, the paragraph leaps from the unemployment number to breadlines with no explanation of why. The underlined sentence provides the essential mechanism. Choice B misidentifies the paragraph's focus; it is about the Depression's human toll and causes, not a detailed analysis of why the crash happened. Choice C wrongly frames financial causation as off-topic, cause-and-effect is central to the paragraph's structure. Choice D invents a later paragraph that is not established by this excerpt.

Question 4. The writer wants to add a sentence at [A] that explains why the temperature difference matters for city residents. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?

• A) The term "urban heat island" was first used by researchers in the 1940s.
• B) Asphalt absorbs significantly more solar radiation than grass or bare soil.
• C) Many cities are also located near large bodies of water, which can moderate temperatures.
• D) During heat waves, this elevated temperature increases heat-related illness, strains electrical grids from air conditioning demand, and worsens air quality. ✓

Explanation: Choice D is correct. The question asks for a sentence explaining why the temperature difference matters for city residents. Choice D does exactly that; it lists concrete consequences: more heat illness, strained power grids, worse air quality. This gives readers a reason to care about the heat island effect and bridges the temperature description (sentence 2) to the city planners' response (sentence 4) by establishing what is at stake. Choice A introduces the term's history, not a consequence for residents. Choice B explains why asphalt absorbs heat, this elaborates on the cause of heat islands, not the consequences for people. Choice C about coastal water moderation introduces a moderating factor that partially contradicts the paragraph's argument rather than supporting it.

Question 5. The writer is considering deleting the underlined sentence. Should it be kept or deleted?

• A) Kept, because acknowledging limitations makes the paragraph more balanced and credible.
• B) Deleted, because it undermines the paragraph's argument in favor of apprenticeships without being developed or resolved. ✓
• C) Kept, because the rest of the paragraph addresses each of the limitations mentioned.
• D) Deleted, because apprenticeships are actually available in every professional field.

Explanation: Choice B is correct. The paragraph is a straightforward argument for the value of apprenticeships: they address a labor shortage, pay workers while they train, and lead to above-median salaries. The underlined sentence introduces two counterarguments (limited availability, employer preference for degrees) but then drops them entirely, the next sentence returns immediately to apprenticeship benefits without addressing either limitation. Dropping a counterargument without responding to it weakens rather than balances an argument. Deleting it keeps the paragraph focused and argumentatively coherent. Choice A argues that acknowledging limitations increases credibility, that can be true when the limitations are addressed and rebutted, but here they are simply stated and abandoned, which creates a logical gap. Choice C claims the rest of the paragraph addresses the limitations; it does not; sentence 4 is about high salaries, not about field availability or employer preferences. Choice D disputes a factual claim, which is the wrong basis for any ACT deletion decision.