ACT Exam Questions & Answers 2026 (11–20)

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a step in analyzing an individual text?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Identify the author's background.. The eight steps involved in analyzing a text are 1. Read each text very carefully; 2. Identify the type of text; 3. Identify the topic of the text; 4. Identify the purpose of the text; 5. Identify the author's main idea or argument; 6. Identify the reasons and evidence the author uses to support or explain the main idea; 7. Clarify any unknowns about the text; 8. Ask questions about the text and think critically about it.

Question 2

The Northern Cities Vowel Shift and Speakers That Adopt It

“The Northern Cities Vowel Shift” is not adopted by all speakers that live in the geographic regions where it is in progress. Studies (1) illustrate that it is mostly European Americans who show evidence of taking on the shift; however, there is little to no research indicating that speakers of African American Vernacular English employ the shift in their speech. Canadians that share proximity to the Great Lakes with speakers that live in the United States also show no evidence of adopting the shift.

This shift, also called “The Northern Cities Shift” (NCS), is a (2) linguistic phenomenon that occurs in the northern geographic area of the United States known as the Inland North, which includes such cities as Rochester, Buffalo, Detroit, and Chicago. Although prominent among some urban inhabitants of the region, NCS is not considered the standard. (3) Linguists describe one change that occurs in speakers of NCS in which the vowel in milk (4) “shifts” down and back (the tongue is lowered and travels back) from a short “i” to a short “e” that could be represented as melk.

William Labov, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, is one of the largest contributors to research on the subject of the NCS. His theory is that the shift possibly started when speakers from different (5) language varieties were brought together in the early 1800’s when the Erie Canal was being constructed. People from the East Coast moved to the Great Lakes region, and their dialects mixed resulting in an ongoing shift.

However, not all speakers of the Great Lakes region participate in this linguistic variation.According to paragraphs 2 and 3, all of the following statements are true of the Northern Cities Vowel Shift EXCEPT:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

One change that occurs in speakers of NCS is that the vowel in milk “shifts” up and to the front.. One change that occurs in speakers of NCS is that the vowel in milk “shifts” DOWN and BACK, according to the second paragraph.

Question 3

Some scientists theorize that treatable human bleeding disorders are caused by abnormalities in the amplification process and are characterized by a Factor 9 deficiency. This hypothesis would be most strengthened if it were true that:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Factor 11 deficiencies are fatal to humans.. The hypothesis concerns the point during the clotting process at which abnormalities arise, resulting in bleeding disorders. Scientists theorize that this happens during the amplification stage—that is, after the initial process has begun and when the process needs to be reinforced by the additional activation of factors listed in Table 1. Because Factor 11 is introduced only during amplification and plays no role in the initial process, choice B strengthens this hypothesis by making it less likely that these treatable abnormalities arise in the initial steps of clotting. Fatal deficiencies in Factor 11 (which directly activates Factor 9 during amplification) would make it plausible that the treatable abnormalities in question are related to amplification problems concerning Factor 9.

Choice A is incorrect, because it deals with a possible result of bleeding disorders instead of supporting a hypothesis regarding their cause.

Choice C is incorrect. It explains why the amplification stage is necessary for clotting, but not why bleeding disorders are caused by deficiencies in the amplification stage as opposed to earlier in the clotting process.

Choice D is incorrect, as it merely restates information already contained in Table 1.

Question 4

Amino acids, when strung together in extensive chains, serve as the building blocks of muscles and proteins. At around 37ºC, these amino acid chains allow the body to carry out both macroscopic processes, like moving arms and legs, and microscopic processes, like increasing the rate of chemical reactions.

A special class of proteins called enzymes assists in combining reactants to produce products by speeding up the rate of a reaction in one of three ways.

The first way enzymes increase reaction rate is by lowering the activation energy of a reaction. This is done by balancing positively charged amino acids with negatively charged amino acids, creating an electrically neutral environment. This process is called electrostatic interaction.

Another way enzymes increase reaction rate is through the use of non-charged amino acids, such as valine and isoleucine, in a process called Van der Waals interactions. In Van der Waals interactions, the non-charged amino acids become temporarily polarized, similar to the permanent polarity of positively and negatively charged amino acids. This interaction brings non-charged amino acids together to stabilize the reactants.

The final way enzymes increase reaction rates is by sharing the electrons in its hydrogen atoms with nitrogen, oxygen, or fluorine on the reactant molecules to trap them at the active site. The active site is the part of an enzyme where molecules bind and undergo a chemical reaction.

Enzymes are designed to work in specific parts of the body depending on their functions. For example, an enzyme in the stomach responsible for breaking down food would work most effectively at low pH while an enzyme in the small intestine responsible for absorbing food would work most effectively at high pH. Some enzymes, such as those that function in the blood, work best at intermediate pH. Some enzymes function better at lower temperatures while others require higher temperatures. All enzymes have exponential relationships between their rates of reactions and both pH and temperature, meaning that they function best in narrow pH and temperature windows. Graphs of four enzymes and their rates of reaction at various pH levels and temperature are presented below.

According to the passage, one way an enzyme increases the rate of reaction is by ________.

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

lowering the activation energy. The passage states that one way an enzyme increases reaction rate is by lowering the activation energy of a reaction.

Question 5

A constant among the trials in this experiment is:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

the 30-minute incubation time.. The 30-minute incubation time is constant for every trial at every temperature. The temperature is the independent variable, the sample absorbance at 530 nm is the dependent variable, and the color of each sample at the end of the experiment is also, in a sense, the dependent variable because it is related to the measured absorbance; as such, Choices A, B, and D can be respectively ruled out.

Question 6

The study results indicate that definite but substandard math capability is most probably exhibited by:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

some lobe other than the temporal and parietal lobes of sleep-deprived people.. The table in Study 2 indicates that during the math-based questions, neither the temporal lobe nor the parietal lobe was active. However, Study 1 indicates that even after 30 hours of continuous wakefulness, the very sleep-deprived subjects exhibited some math proficiency; while the proficiency quotient certainly declined, it did not fall to 0. This suggests the likelihood that in sleep-deprived people, some math capability—albeit a diminished one—is exhibited by some area of the brain other than the temporal and parietal lobes.

Choice A is incorrect, because Table 1 shows that both of these lobes are inactive in sleep-deprived people working out math problems.

Choices C and D are incorrect. Table 1 shows that the temporal lobe of rested people is not active while working on math problems, and while the parietal lobe is active in this situation, nothing indicates that the math capability of this lobe in these circumstances is substandard.

Question 7

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.

Her brother a prominent businessman supported her financially.

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Her brother, a prominent businessman,. Commas can be used before and after non-essential phrases. These parenthetical expressions can be set aside and not change the meaning of a sentence. The fact that Rankin’s brother was a prominent businessman is not essential to his financial support. Therefore, that phrase can be set off by commas.

Question 8

Communist rule in Poland ended in 1989 and the following year proved disastrous for the Polish economy. Prices rapidly ballooned while incomes dropped. Attempting to find a solution, the Balcerowicz Plan was implemented by Polish officials. The plan liberalized the economy by abolishing price controls, exposing markets to international competition, and it discontinued most industrial subsidies. In the time of the years following these efforts, economic growth has increased steady.

After years of negotiations and economic and political reforms, Poland became a member of The European Union on May 1, 2004. Soon after, Polish officials voted in favor for laws that would eventually mend the unemployment problem in Poland significantly. In fact, the unemployment rate improved for the first time in five years immediately following Poland's membership. The involvement of Poland in the Eastern Bloc is currently greater than the Czech Republic. The passage of two policies regarding energy credits from foreign countries provide evidence of the emergence of Poland in the global economy.

Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded portion of the passage. If the bolded portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Polish officials implemented the Balcerowicz Plan. A modifier that begins a sentence must modify the element immediately following it. In this case, the modifier is the gerund phrase "Attempting to find a solution," but the element immediately following it is "the Balcerowicz Plan." Logically speaking, the Polish officials were the ones attempting to find a solution, not the Balcerowicz Plan, so the element immediately following "Attempting to find a solution" must be "Polish officials" and not "the Balcerowicz Plan." The correct was to phrase the sentence is "Attempting to find a solution, Polish officials implemented the Balcerowicz Plan."

Question 9

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

The novel was a long rambling mess that often confuse readers.

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

The novel was a long rambling mess that often confused readers.. The use of "confuse" is incorrect, as it is a present tense, plural verb. As the subject of the sentence, "novel," is singular, and the main verb of the sentence, "was," is in past tense, so "confuse" should take on a past tense, singular form. The only answer choice featuring such a form is "The novel was a long rambling mess that often confused readers."

Question 10

J.K. Rowling

[1]
While many people may get frustrated with train delays, Joanne Rowling turned her experience into a life-changing story. She began writing about a young wizard while delayed at a Manchester station stop, and brought Harry Potter to life <1>over the next five years. The Philosopher’s Stone was the first of seven children’s books published under her pen name J. K. The Harry Potter series has sold over 447 million copies worldwide and been translated into seventy-three languages, including Latin and Ancient Greek.<2>

[2]
When the Philosopher’s Stone was published <3>in 1997, the book industry had given up on young readers. It’s <4>first edition was a mere 500 books, and most copies were sent to public libraries across England. By the time Rowling’s seventh Harry Potter novel was published in 2007, Rowling had already become the woman who put a new face on children’s literacy. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, the final installation, has <5>a word count of nearly 1.1 million words, and sold 11 million copies in the first 24 hours of its release.<6>

[3]
Today, Rowling spends much <7>of her time working with her foundation, Lumos, which is named after a spell in the Potter series that brought light into darkness. <8>She founded <9>the nonprofit organization after seeing a photograph of a child in a caged bed who appeared to be screaming through its chain links. Rowling was overcome by the image that she <10>vowed to use her money and popularity to raise awareness of the 8 million children who live in such institutions globally. According to research, over 80% of orphaned children have living relatives which <11>cannot care for them because of poverty or disability. The staff at Lumos equip families with necessary resources to provide for their children rather than leaving them institutionalized. Lumos’ long-term goal is the closure of every orphanage around the world, by returning all children to live with its <12>families, either biological or adoptive.

[4]
Rowling once said, “Happiness can be found in the darkest places if one only remembers to turn on the light”. <13>J. K. Rowling has created happiness for millions of children through make- believe stories of triumph and real-life stories of hope.<15>

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Its. When the Philosopher’s Stone was published <3>in 1997, the book industry had given up on young readers. It’s <4>first edition was a mere 500 books, and most copies were sent to public libraries across England. By the time Rowling’s seventh Harry Potter novel was published in 2007, Rowling had already become the woman who put a new face on children’s literacy. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, the final installation, has <5>a word count of nearly 1.1 million words, and sold 11 million copies in the first 24 hours of its release.<6>

A. NO CHANGE

B. It is

C. Its’

D. Its

D is the correct answer because of possessive pronouns. Its is the correct form of the third person singular possessive pronoun. A is incorrect because it is the contraction for “it is.” B is incorrect because the sentence does not require the third person singular with the “to be” verb. C is incorrect because the apostrophe is unnecessary.

ACT Exam Questions & Answers 2026 (11–20)

More ACT practice questions

Free practice here. Timed mocks when you are ready.