Mastering ACT Sentence Placement Questions
Key Analytical Tools for Success: Discover the importance of transitions, pronouns, and paragraph structure in determining the correct placement of sentences.
Sentence Placement Questions are common on ACT English. Test-takers frequently struggle with these questions, primarily because they do not understand the exact criteria for choosing one answer over another.
As on so many other question types, many test-takers rely on intuition, which is not a reliable strategy. Yet, even those who understand the target skill often lack specific tactics for effectively applying that skill to find the correct answer quickly.
This article provides all the information needed to master Sentence Placement Questions on the ACT.
Identifying Sentence Placement Questions
It is simple to identify Sentence Placement Questions. This question type either proposes adding a new sentence to the passage or refers you to a sentence already in the passage. The question then asks where in the passage this sentence should be placed.
Solving Sentence Placement Questions: Focus on Logic
When test-takers get Sentence Placement Questions wrong, they often focus on the wrong issues. They base their choices on subjective opinions, such as how the paragraph “flows” when they plug in the various answer choices. Instead, it is best to base answers on objective rules and specific tactics.
The correct standard for Placement Questions is logic. The wording of these questions emphasizes this key criteria.
To succeed on Sentence Placement Questions, focus on the logical relationships formed by the given placements in the answer choices. Avoid being distracted by irrelevant criteria like style, tone, grammar, or the ambiguous concept of "flow."
Below, I introduce you to five tools of analysis to use when judging whether the placements in the answer choices are logical. These tactics are listed in the order of most frequently useful to least frequently useful.
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