ACT READING PRACTICE

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

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

• B. remembers the events that inspired him to partici- pate in a time trial at the Junior Nationals.

• C. contrasts the joy of winning competitions early in the season with his later struggles to succeed.

• D. chronicles his swimming career, from childhood through high school.

2. 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.

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

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

• B. demonstrate that, contrary to the narrator’s expectations, the meet was energetic.

• C. explain why the narrator’s coach paced at the sound of the horn.

• D. identify why the narrator felt a rush of energy before the race.

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

• F. speed up, blurring past and present events.

• G. rush past, forcing him to reflect in retrospect.

• H. move in slow motion, as did everything around him

• J. slow down, allowing him to reflect in real time.

5. The passage indicates that during the narrator’s swim at the time trial, he understood for the first time that:

• A. his goals would always be one step farther on.

• B. he had trained for this swim for over a year.

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

• D. swimming is a choice between the now and the later.

6. Based on the passage, the “end” the narrator mentions in line 80 most likely refers to his:

• F. final pursuit of fitness.

• G. last chance to qualify for Junior Nationals.

• H. memory of his final Friday night practice.

• J. ultimate realization that he had defeated the other competitors in the race.

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

• A. one long sprint in which swimmers attempted to improve their times.

• B. a meet advertised as a way to qualify for the Junior Nationals.

• C. a regional meet that featured only the 500-yard freestyle and 1,000-yard freestyle.

• D. an informal swimming event put together at the last minute.

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

• F. cheering boy, as he verbally criticizes the narrator’s efforts.

• G. cheering boy, as he shouts encouragement to the narrator

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

• J. narrator, as he angrily contemplates his response to the cheering boy.

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

• A. more productive.

• B. more liberating.

• C. less appealing.

• D. less competitive.

10. When the narrator heard “Jump!” in his mind while swimming (line 67), he was most likely remembering:

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

• G. his own shout as he leapt off the outdoor pool’s deck that fall.

• H. the cheers of the boy from the rival school.

• J. the abrupt start of his race that Sunday