ACT English: Conciseness and Redundancy (Drill 1)

Question 1. Which choice is most concise and avoids redundancy?

• A) No Change (of the end result)
• B) DELETE the underlined portion (ending the sentence with "outcome") ✓
• C) of the final conclusion
• D) that resulted at the end

Explanation: Choice B is correct. "Outcome," "end result," and "final outcome" all mean the same thing, the phrase "of the end result" simply repeats what "outcome" already says. Deleting it gives the clean sentence "The final outcome surprised everyone on the research team," which is complete and clear. Choice A keeps the redundancy ("final outcome of the end result" says "end" twice in different words). Choice C replaces one redundancy with another, "final conclusion" has the same problem as "final outcome." Choice D ("that resulted at the end") is wordier than the original and still redundant.

Question 2. Which choice is most concise and avoids redundancy?

• A) No Change (for the purpose of discussing)
• B) in order that they could discuss
• C) with the intention of having a discussion about
• D) to discuss ✓

Explanation: Choice D is correct. "For the purpose of discussing" is a classic wordy construction; it uses five words to say what a single infinitive ("to discuss") accomplishes. "The committee met to discuss the proposed changes" is direct, complete, and appropriately concise. On the ACT, "for the purpose of [verb]-ing" should almost always be replaced with "to [verb]." Choice A keeps the bloated phrase. Choice B ("in order that they could discuss") is also wordy, "in order to discuss" would be acceptable, but this version is longer than the original. Choice C ("with the intention of having a discussion about") is even wordier than the original, adding more redundancy rather than less.

Question 3. Which choice is most concise and avoids redundancy?

• A) No Change (their expense reports) ✓
• B) their own personal expense reports
• C) the expense reports that belong to each employee individually
• D) their expense documentation and reports

Explanation: Choice A (No Change) is correct. "Their expense reports" is already concise and complete; there is nothing to cut without losing meaning. Not every underlined phrase is a problem to fix. Choice B adds "own personal," both of which are redundant with "their"; "their own personal" says the same thing three times. Choice C expands a three-word phrase into a ten-word clause with no added meaning. Choice D adds "documentation and", redundant because expense reports are already a form of documentation, and adding it creates an awkward, wordy phrase. On the ACT, when a phrase is already tight, "No Change" is the right answer.

Question 4. Which choice is most concise and avoids redundancy?

• A) No Change (which is a race that covers a distance of 26.2 miles,)
• B) a 26.2-mile race, ✓
• C) which is known to be a race of 26.2 miles in total distance,
• D) a race covering a total distance of exactly 26.2 miles,

Explanation: Choice B is correct. The wordy clause "which is a race that covers a distance of 26.2 miles" can be compressed into the tight appositive "a 26.2-mile race", four words instead of twelve, with no loss of meaning. "Which is a race that covers a distance of" is a bloated construction where every element can be compressed or cut: "which is" becomes nothing, "a race that covers a distance of" becomes just the hyphenated adjective "26.2-mile." Choice A keeps the twelve-word clause when four will do. Choice C adds even more words ("known to be," "in total distance"). Choice D keeps the wordy structure and adds the unnecessary word "exactly," which is also implied by the precise number 26.2.

Question 5. Which choice is most concise and avoids redundancy?

• A) No Change (The fact that the bridge was built in 1887 means that)
• B) Built in 1887, the bridge ✓
• C) The bridge, having been constructed in the year 1887,
• D) Due to the fact that it was built in the year 1887, the bridge

Explanation: Choice B is correct. "The fact that... means that" is a wordy construction sometimes called "throat-clearing"; it delays the actual subject and verb with unnecessary framing. The participial phrase "Built in 1887" conveys the same information in three words, and the sentence becomes "Built in 1887, the bridge now requires significant structural reinforcement." Direct, clear, and tight. Choice A keeps the bloated thirteen-word opener when three words will do. Choice C uses "having been constructed," a passive construction that is both wordier and more formal than necessary, plus "in the year" is redundant with the year number itself. Choice D uses "Due to the fact that," another classic wordy construction, "because" would be the concise version, and even that is unnecessary here.