ACT Preparation / Unit 5 ACT 0421 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Did the Passage Meet Its Goal?
The idea
A goal question is answered in three steps. First, restate the goal exactly, noting its key verb, such as explain, compare, argue or describe, and its object. Second, summarize in one sentence what the passage mostly does. Third, compare: yes only if the passage's main work matches both the verb and the object; then choose the reason that names what the passage actually does.
In practice
Worked example: suppose the writer's goal was to compare two ways of heating a home. The passage describes how a heat pump works, in detail, and mentions furnaces once, in its final sentence. The verb is compare and the object is two methods, but the passage mostly explains one. Answer: no, because it focuses on a single method rather than comparing two. The choice "Yes, because it explains how a heat pump works" names something true and still fails the goal.
Where people slip
In the example, the tempting wrong reason was a true statement about the passage. True is not enough; the reason must address the goal.
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