WorksheetsACT READING PRACTICE
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 7mins
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
11. The author’s use of the words and phrases “thickets,” “stretching in every direction,” and “extensive forest” (lines 6–7) in Passage A most nearly serves to emphasize which of the following points?
A. The Tian Shan mountains are a challenge to navigate.
B. The apple varieties of Kazakhstan would be difficult for a botanist to catalog
C. The diversity of plant species in Kazakhstan is crucially important.
D. The magnitude of wild apples in Kazakhstan is stunning.
12. The author of Passage A most likely states that the wild apples growing in the Tian Shan looked like apples found at the local grocery store to support the point that:
F. many of the apples stocked in grocery stores are harvested in the Tian Shan.
G. in the Tian Shan, Vavilov had likely found the wild ancestors of the domesticated apple.
H. the wild apples growing in the Tian Shan are among the most popular varieties with consumers.
J. in the Tian Shan, Vavilov had found new apple varieties to introduce to food producers.
13. Passage A makes which of the following claims about plant species that are found in Kazakhstan?
A. Approximately 157 species of cultivated temperate fruits originated in Kazakhstan.
B. Ninety percent of all domesticated crops are either direct precursors or close wild relatives of plant species found in Kazakhstan.
C. Of the plant species found in Kazakhstan, ninety percent are species of apples.
D. Aside from apples, at least 157 plant species found in Kazakhstan are either direct precursors or close wild relatives of domesticated crops.
14. Passage B most strongly suggests that Vavilov was motivated to become an agricultural scientist primarily because he:
F. wanted to have one of his findings published.
G. aimed to work with a famous botanist.
H. wished to remedy a personal financial crisis.
J. hoped to help feed others.
15. The author of Passage B uses the phrase “whittle away” (line 80) to refer to the way that apple varieties have been:
A. gradually lost from nursery catalogs, farmers’ markets, and the American table.
B. modified by plant breeders, entomologists, and pathologists to meet specialized needs.
C. weeded out by scientists until only the few thousand most resilient varieties remained.
D. pared down in 1904 to the few varieties that nursery catalogs wanted to feature.
16. As it is used in lines 82–83, the phrase named and nurtured most nearly means:
F. nominated and encouraged.
G. identified and cultivated.
H. pointed to and groomed.
J. cited and fed.
17. In Passage B, it can most reasonably be inferred from the third paragraph (lines 74–79) that “centers of crop diversity” become crucially important when:
A. plant breeders would like to learn more about the plant species of central Asia.
B. problems with a cultivated crop require experts to research a new variety of the crop.
C. consumers would like more variety in grocery produce departments.
D. disputes among plant breeders, pathologists, and entomologists lead to a reduction in crop variety.
18. Which of the following statements best describes the difference in the tone of the two passages?
F. Passage A is defensive, whereas Passage B is dispassionate.
G. Passage A is solemn, whereas Passage B is optimistic.
H. Passage A is celebratory, whereas Passage B is cautionary
J. Passage A is accusatory, whereas Passage B is sentimental.
19. Compared to the author of Passage A, the author of Passage B provides more information about the:
A. reduction in the number of apple varieties in North America over the past four centuries.
B. methods Vavilov used to prove to other scientists that the apples growing in the Tian Shan are the ancestors of the modern apple.
C. number of apple varieties that are thriving in Kazakhstan today.
D. techniques used by researchers to determine the regions with the greatest genetic diversity in plants.
20. Passage A quotes Vavilov as saying “‘I could see with my own eyes that I had stumbled upon the centre of origin for the apple’” (lines 11–12). In Passage B this quote is directly:
F. invoked by the passage author as he imagines what Kazakhstan looked like centuries ago.
G. used to support an argument by USDA scientists.
H. paraphrased by Salova.
J. refuted by Bussey.
