ACT Preparation / Unit 16 ACT 1528 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Reading a Character
The idea
A question about a character is answered in three steps. First, gather the evidence: actions, words, thoughts, and how others respond to the character. Second, ask what that evidence shows consistently, not in one moment. Third, choose the description the evidence supports as a whole, and check that no line in the passage contradicts it.
In practice
Worked example: an invented passage shows Mr. Okafor arriving an hour early to open the community pool, quietly fixing a broken lane rope no one asked him to fix, and waving off a neighbor's thanks. The choices are proud, careless, dependable and modest, or impatient. The early arrivals and the unasked repair show dependability; waving off thanks shows modesty. Dependable and modest fits.
Where people slip
A single action can mislead. Waving off thanks, alone, might look rude; with the rest of the evidence, it reads as modesty.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for ACT Preparation