ACT Reading | Passage Four Practice

The main point of this passage is to:

• 1. illustrate the importance of genetics in the formation of a baby’s brain.

• 1. illustrate the importance of stimulation and experience in the formation of a baby’s brain.

• 1. indicate the great need for conducting further research on babies’ brains.

• 1. compare the latest research on babies’ brains with similar research conducted fifteen years ago.

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The main point made in the second, third, and fourth paragraphs (lines 14–52) is that the structure of a baby’s brain:

• 5. is genetically determined before the child is born.

• 5. can be seen through positron-emission tomography.

• 5. can be altered through a process known as pruning.

• 5. is still developing after the child is born.

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According to the passage, one thing PET allows neurobiologists to do is:

• 1. observe activity in the frontal cortex of a baby’s brain.

• 1. determine the number of genes involved in the formation of a baby’s brain.

• 1. control the release of neurotransmitters in a baby’s auditory cortex.

• 1. restore microscopic connections in a baby’s brain.

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When she compares a baby’s brain to city neighborhoods, the author is most nearly illustrating her point that:

• 5. neurotransmitters are actually brain chemicals.

• 5. regions of the brain are awakened through experience.

• 5. the visual cortex allows a baby to recognize specific images.

• 5. a baby’s brain has about 1,000 trillion synapses.

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Which of the following would the author of the passage be LEAST likely to recommend as a way to strengthen the synapses of a baby’s brain?

• 1. Reading to a baby

• 1. Playing peekaboo with a baby

• 1. Teaching a baby with flashcards

• 1. Showing a baby how to distinguish red socks from blue blocks

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The last paragraph suggests that the formation of synapses occurs most rapidly:

• 5. during the first two months of a child’s life.

• 5. during the first nine months of a child’s life.

• 5. from the time a child is about six months old until that child is about ten years old.

• 5. from the time a child is about one year old until that child is well into adolescence.

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As it is used in line 30, the phrase something innate most nearly means:

• 1. a memory.

• 1. learned behavior.

• 1. physical immaturity.

• 1. an inherited trait.

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The fifth paragraph (lines 53–70) suggests that one of the main causes of pruning is:

• 5. a lack of stimulation.

• 5. an insufficient number of genes.

• 5. the use of flashcards.

• 5. the strengthening of synapses.

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When the author refers to “entrepreneurs preying on the anxieties of new parents” (lines 60–61), she is most likely suggesting that new parents should:

• 1. give their babies products such as flashcards only if they have examined these products carefully.

• 1. not be deceived by advertising that claims certain products will increase a baby’s intelligence.

• 1. not worry if their babies’ development is slightly behind that suggested by neurobiologists.

• 1. take their pediatrician’s advice before they listen to the advice given by other family members.

The passage states that, in terms of development, the average baby should be able to:

• 5. focus his or her eyes on an object at two months of age.

• 5. develop a “startle” reflex at about two months of age.

• 5. make logical connections between ideas at about four months of age.

• 5. form explicit memories at about nine months of age.

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