The ACT: The Language of the Test: List 5

The word abstract comes up a lot in academic language. It can be used as an adjective to describe a concept or idea — like innocence or envy — or it can be used as a noun to refer to a short summary of an academic or scientific article.

Previous means "just before." If test instructions on the ACT refer to the "previous question," you need to look at the question just before the one you're now working on. Most likely, you will have to use some decisions you made in answering the last question to help you choose the answer to the question you are thinking about now.

To identify something is to name it or recognize it. The ACT English Test will ask you to identify the changes necessary to improve ungrammatical or awkward sentences. On the Reading Test, you might need to identify the tone or purpose of a passage or to identify specific evidence an author uses to support a claim.

An assumption is something taken to be true, a belief. Sometimes assumptions are stated by an author and sometimes you have to infer them.

To be distinct is to be separate or different from something else. Your twin cousins might look alike, but their personalities are totally distinct. On a standardized test, you might be asked to identify ways two ideas or things are different — in other words, how they are distinct.

When you decide what something means, you interpret it. You might interpret a character's actions to reveal something significant about her personality, or you might interpret the data from a scientific experiment to decide whether or not your hypothesis was accurate.

When you establish something in writing, you make it clear. A writer can establish tone, perspective, facts, and more. For example, you might notice that a writer uses the word "we" in a passage to establish a sense of community or togetherness.

Any detail or feature of something can be called a trait. Traits are things that separate or distinguish one thing from another, and objects or animals can also be grouped by traits they have in common. When you read a literary work, you will likely see descriptions of a character's physical traits or personality traits.

A theory is an explanation. It should include evidence and be backed by an authority. Scientific theories develop from careful observation and testing over the course of years by different people; they are well established and widely accepted. In non-scientific contexts, theory usually refers to a general hypothesis or explanation that doesn't have to be confirmed by any outside sources.

The word development on the ACT will most likely refer to the development of ideas over the course of a reading passage. Typically, an author can't persuade you of his or her opinion in one sentence. Instead, he or she builds — or develops — an argument through logical reasoning and evidence.

The verb favor means to prefer something, to like one thing more than another. A good way to remember this meaning of favor is that it makes up most of the word favorite (think of favoring as choosing your favorite). One author might favor a particular solution to a problem, while another argues in favor of a different solution.

Influence means "to have an effect on." On a standardized test, you may need to think about how one thing acts upon another. What is the influence of A on B? Does A strengthen the effect of B or does A weaken the effect of B? Since influence is a general word to describe all kinds of interactions, you could see it on many different sections of the ACT.

Accompanying means "going along with" or "being a part of." On the ACT, particularly on the Science Test, you may see reading passages with accompanying graphics (tables, charts, graphs, etc.).

Data usually refers to numbers. On standardized tests, you are most likely going to have to interpret data in the form of some type of informational graphic (e.g., a graph, a table, or a chart).

A graph is a visual aid that organizes data or information. It could be a line graph or a bar graph, or even a pie chart. Regardless of the type of graph you encounter, you will likely be asked to draw conclusions about the data it presents.

A table is a set of facts or numbers displayed in columns and rows. Think of the tables you have to complete when writing a lab report; that's the type of table you will most likely need to make sense of on the ACT.

In reading passages on the ACT, you may need to identify the function (or purpose) a certain paragraph serves in the passage as a whole. For example, the paragraph may provide support for the main claim of the argument, or it may provide a counterargument to be later refuted. You may also see the word function on the ACT Math Test.

Something significant is important or meaningful. It's a word to cue you to take notice.

When something is hypothetical, it is not real or hasn't actually happened. A hypothetical situation is one that you imagine, but that hasn't actually happened yet. In a scientific context, the opposite of hypothetical is empirical, meaning real and testable.

A principle is a statement that is accepted as true and used for a purpose, sometimes to make an argument more convincing. A scientist must adhere to scientific principles when performing an experiment.

A stance is an attitude or a position on an issue of some kind. Stances can be political or personal. On the ACT Reading Test, you may need to identify the stances, or opinions, expressed in various reading passages.

To mention is to reference or bring up something. When you mention something you won't necessarily be going into great detail, but you are talking about it. Knowing the answer to why something was mentioned can be very helpful when answering questions on the reading passages.

Evoke means "to call to mind" and is often used when something triggers an emotional response in a person. When something is evoked, it is brought to the forefront of the reader's mind or emotions. A tragic narrative may evoke feelings of pity, while a story about childhood evokes nostalgia.

On standardized test, you will often be asked to find patterns: patterns in the way an argument develops or in the types of evidence supporting a claim. On the Science Test and Math Test, you may be asked to evaluate patterns in sets of data.

When we call something supplementary, we mean it is playing a supporting role. Supplementary evidence goes along with the main piece of evidence but it is not the star of the show. A visual aid, like a graph or chart, that is paired with a passage is supplementary material.

To portray is to describe using words, in writing or verbally. To portray someone is to describe them in such a way that the reader is left with a general sense based on specific incidents or details. When you are analyzing literary narratives, you might need to evaluate how an author has portrayed a character.

Empirical means "based on fact, observation and testing," and its opposite is hypothetical or theoretical (which means "thought about but not real or tested"). If something is without empirical support, it means it is not a fact (yet).

A flag is a piece of cloth, but to people who respect it, it is symbolic of so much more: it means freedom and hope. Symbolic language is the use of one thing (a symbol) to stand for something else (usually an abstract concept). Symbolic language occurs frequently in literary writing.

When you back a statement up with evidence, you substantiate your claim. Reading passages can be filled with claims, some of which will be substantiated with evidence and some of which will not be, and the ACT questions can ask you to tell the difference and to identify the statements that serve to substantiate a certain claim.

To speak figuratively is to replace the strict meaning of a word or passage with a metaphorical meaning. For example, a path could figuratively represent an important choice in your life. The opposite of figurative is literal, where you would be talking about a real path. Literary texts frequently make use of figurative language, but you can find it in all types of writing.