English

What is the FIRST question to ask when ACT English asks you to add, keep, revise, or delete a sentence?

Ask 'What is the purpose of this paragraph/passage?' Relevance is judged against that purpose. Material that does not advance the stated focus should be deleted, even if it is true or interesting. Example: in a paragraph about HOW a glacier forms, a sentence about a famous mountaineer is irrelevant and should be cut.

A paragraph explains why bees pollinate flowers. A sentence reads: 'Honey is also delicious on toast.' Keep or delete?

Delete. The paragraph's purpose is pollination; the appeal of honey on toast is off-topic and breaks focus. Truth or interest does not justify keeping irrelevant material.

On 'should the writer make this addition?' questions, what makes 'YES' the wrong answer even when the new sentence is well written?

A well-written sentence is still wrong to add if it is irrelevant, redundant, or interrupts the logical flow. ACT rewards relevance and focus over quality of prose in isolation. Always check: does it serve THIS paragraph's purpose?

How do you identify the rhetorical PURPOSE of a sentence (e.g., to define, illustrate, emphasize)?

Look at what the sentence DOES for the surrounding text: a definition restates a term in plain words; an illustration gives a concrete example; an emphasis repeats or intensifies a key point. Example: 'For instance, the 1906 quake leveled blocks' illustrates (gives an example of) a preceding claim about earthquake damage.

A question asks which sentence best ILLUSTRATES a claim. The claim is 'The library is heavily used.' Which detail illustrates it?

Choose a concrete, specific example that demonstrates the claim: 'Over 2,000 patrons visit each week.' Vague restatements ('The library is popular') or unrelated facts ('The library was built in 1920') do not illustrate. Illustration = concrete supporting detail.