ACT Preparation / Unit 4 ACT 0314 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Moving the Key Idea to the End
The idea
When a question asks which version best emphasizes an idea, work in three steps. First, name the idea the question or the paragraph points to. Second, find where that idea sits in each choice. Third, prefer the version that places it at the end, with context and conditions moved earlier, as long as the grammar and the meaning hold.
In practice
Worked example: the paragraph argues that the new library changed the town. Choice one: "The library changed the town, according to residents surveyed last spring." Choice two: "According to residents surveyed last spring, the library changed the town." The point is the change, and choice two ends on it, so choice two stresses the right idea.
Where people slip
Emphasis serves the paragraph, not the sentence alone. In a paragraph about the survey itself, the same sentence would be ordered to end on the residents.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Unlocks
- Nothing yet depends on this.
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