ACT READING PRACTICE

Front

The narrator of the passage can best be described as a swimmer who primarily:

Back

recalls the swim of his life and the factors that motivated him during that swim.

Front

Which of the following events mentioned in the passage happened first chronologically? F. The narrator stood on the blocks at the Sunday time trial his senior year. G. The narrator leapt out over the diving well in late September H. The narrator swam the 500-yard freestyle in the high school regional meet as a senior J. The narrator heard a boy from a rival school cheering.

Back

The narrator leapt out over the diving well in late September

Front

The narrator describes the natatorium as being nearly empty of spectators the day of his race in order to:

Back

illustrate that the perfect racing conditions the narrator had hoped for weren’t likely to occur.

Front

The narrator indicates that when he swam the 1,000-yard freestyle in the time trials, the world, for a moment, seemed to:

Back

slow down, allowing him to reflect in real time.

Front

During the narrator’s swim at the time trial, he understood for the first time that:

Back

the swim was an event that was important to him alone.

Front

Based on the passage, the “end” the narrator mentions in line 80 most likely refers to his: final pursuit of fitness, last chance to qualify for Junior Nationals, memory of his final Friday night practice, ultimate realization that he had defeated the other competitors in the race.

Back

last chance to qualify for Junior Nationals.

Front

The narrator of the passage characterizes the time trial in Houston as:

Back

an informal swimming event put together at the last minute.

Front

The statement “That’s where you’re going, now hurry up” (lines 35–36) can most directly be attributed to the:

Back

narrator, as he speculates about what the cheering boy meant when the boy pointed at the pool.

Front

For the narrator, compared to practicing in the outdoor pool, practicing in the indoor pool is:

Back

less appealing.

Front

When the narrator heard “Jump!” in his mind while swimming, he was most likely remembering:

Back

his teammate’s command the day the narrator caught the flag line.