The ACT® Reading Test rarely focuses on how authors construct their arguments. This could involve presenting facts chronologically, quoting from journals, or defining key concepts. While related to rhetorical effect, argument construction is all about how information is presented.
Example Question Phrasing
You might see questions like:
- How do the authors support their claims? Quotes? Publications? Defining key concepts?
- What's the author's writing style: sarcastic, flippant, literal, scientific?
- How do the authors (plural) present their claims? Chronologically, anchored in a stretch of time, similarly?
Optimal Technique to Solve
These questions often pop up between questions 28-30, where you're comparing passages. By then, you've usually reviewed each passage's context from questions 21-27. So, you can answer this using Process of Elimination and quick text skimming.
If these questions appear elsewhere, here's what to do:
- Solve it last. You'll have more context from the other questions.
- Check out the answer choices.
- Skim and scan for relevant details.
- Use Process of Elimination.
- You'll likely end up with the right answer.
Key Takeaways
- Argument construction questions are rare but important.
- They focus on how information is presented, not its effect.
- Solve these questions last for better context.
- Use Process of Elimination and quick skimming techniques.
- Practice identifying different presentation styles to improve your speed and accuracy.