ACT Exam Questions & Answers 2026 (21–30)

Q21Adapted from <em>Looking Backward: 2000 to 1887 </em>by Edward Bellamy (1888)<br/><br/>I first saw the light in the city of Boston in the year 1857. "What" you say "eighteen fifty-seven? That is an odd slip. He means nineteen fifty-seven, of course." I beg pardon, but there is no mistake. It was about four in the afternoon of December the 26th, one day after Christmas, in the year 1857, not 1957, that I first breathed the east wind of Boston, which, I assure the reader, was at that remote period marked by the same penetrating quality characterizing it in the present year of grace, 2000.<br/><br/>These statements seem so absurd on their face, especially when I add that I am a young man apparently of about thirty years of age, that no person can be blamed for refusing to read another word of what promises to be a mere imposition upon his credulity. Nevertheless I earnestly assure the reader that no imposition is intended, and will undertake if he shall follow me a few pages to entirely convince him of this. If I may, then, provisionally assume, with the pledge of justifying the assumption, that I know better than the reader when I was born, I will go on with my narrative.<br/><br/>Which of the following would be an acceptable replacement for the underlined phrase?

• Afor the time being
• Badequately
• Ccurrently
• Dquickly

Q22The Gateway Arch -<br/><br/>[1]<br/>The skyline of St. Louis, Missouri, is fairly unremarkable, with one huge exception, the &lt;1&gt; Gateway Arch that stands on the banks of the Mississippi. Part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the Arch is a really cool monument &lt;2&gt; built to honor St. Louis' role as the gateway to the West.<br/><br/>[2]<br/>Construction on the 630-foot high structure began, in 1961, &lt;3&gt; and was completed four years later in 1965. The monument includes an underground visitor center that explores westward expansion through galleries and a theater. Two passenger trams take visitors to the Observation Room and the Museum of Westward Expansion at the top.<br/><br/>[3]<br/>In 1947, a group of interested citizens known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association held a nationwide competition to select a design for a new monument that would celebrate &lt;4&gt; the growth of the United States. Other U.S. monuments are spires, statues, or imposed buildings, &lt;5&gt; but the winner of this contest was a plan for a completely unique structure. The man that &lt;6&gt; submitted the winning design, Eero Saarinen, later became a famous architect. In designing the Arch, Saarinen wanted to create a monument which would have lasting significance and would be a landmark of our time.<br/><br/>[4]<br/>The Gateway Arch is a masterpiece of engineering, a monument even taller than the Great Pyramid in Egypt, and on its own way, &lt;7&gt; at least as majestic.<br/><br/>The Gateway is an inverted catenary curve, the same shape that a heavy chain will form if suspended between two points. Covered from top to bottom with sleek stainless steel coating, &lt;8&gt; the Arch often reflects dazzling bursts of sunlight. In a beautiful display of symmetry, the height of the arch is the same as the distance between the legs at ground level.&lt;2&gt;:

• AOMIT the underlined portion
• BNO CHANGE
• Ca structure that inspires amazement
• Dan amazing structure

Q23Which choice most strongly suggests that the experience in Haiti was a positive one for the writer?<br/><br/>Haiti<br/><br/>[1]<br/>Although my friends and family were skeptical of whether &lt;1&gt; I would be safe, I boarded the plane in New York boldly &lt;2&gt;and flew to Haiti. My college roommate had agreed to take medical supplies to a rural clinic where his brother was a physician, and I agreed to go and help.<br/><br/>[2]<br/>When me and my roommate &lt;3&gt;landed at the airport in the capital Port au Prince, the chaos inside the airport was frightening. Dozens of men approached us while gesturing to our luggage, and yelling at us in Creole. They wanted us to select their taxis. I was thrilled &lt;4&gt;when my roommate smiled at someone who called our names through the crowd.<br/><br/>[3]<br/>Papi, our designated transporter, was a Haitian man in his early twenties who works &lt;5&gt;for the physician. He warmly welcomed us to his country, and seemed to have a great sense of humor.&lt;6&gt; He laughed nonstop during our ride through the capital city. Once we were on the open highway, Papi taught us basic Creole greetings to pass the time during our excessively long four-hour commute. &lt;7&gt;<br/><br/>[4]<br/>The mountainous town where we would spend the week was beautiful, and I immediately fell in love with the place and its people. The views rocked! &lt;8&gt;Even though I could not fluently speak Creole, I made the most of my time with the land and its inhabitants. Several daily tasks kept me busy that week. The medical clinic was a modest two-room building, and their &lt;9&gt;staff needed help reorganizing the supply pantry. I removed, counted, sorted, and restocked supplies, &lt;10&gt;before adding the additional resources we brought from the United States. After I cleaned and organized the supply pantry, I assisted a visiting nutritionist with distributing vitamins to the locals. &lt;11&gt;<br/><br/>[5]<br/>Each evening, two dozen young children would sit on the porch where my roommate and I stayed. They laughed constantly, they &lt;12&gt;always found joy in the simplest of things. They did teach &lt;13&gt;us to count in Creole and read children’s stories to us in French. They invited us to kick balls with them and chase yard chickens. Even though they did not have many toys, the children entertained one another with conversation, laughter and storytelling.<br/><br/>[6]<br/>When it was time to leave Haiti and return to New York, I was sad to say goodbye. Although my roommate and I delivered medical supplies to their community, the people gave us memories that will last the rest of our lives.&lt;14&gt;<br/><br/>Which choice most strongly suggests that the experience in Haiti was a positive one for the writer?

• AI was sad
• BMemories that will last
• CThey laughed constantly
• DThrilled when my roommate smiled

Q24The bayou was quiet, except for the sounds of insects, water and the occasional alligator. Jim was cleaning his blade, which he had recently used to dispatch one of the undead. His partner Bill and him had come out to the bayou for their nightly patrol and they had found a nest of the undead by an old abandoned dock.<br/><br/><strong>"Hey, Bill!," he shouted gleefully</strong>, mindless of whether the noise would attract more undead. "Where'd you go, man?"A noise to his left had startled him. He turned quick and saw the man who had been closest to him than a brother for the past six months walking slowly toward him.<br/><br/>"Whew," he said: "there you are." He went back to cleaning his blade. "I thought one of those things had got 'cha."Standing in the dark, the light of the moon did not reach his partners face. The sudden silence caused Jim to look up again. "What's the matter with you, Bill?"It was only when the thing that was once Bill stepped into the light and Jim saw the fresh bite on it's newly dead face that he realized what the matter was.<br/><br/>Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded portion of the passage. If the bolded portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

• A"Hey, Bill," he shouted gleefully!
• BNO CHANGE
• C"Hey, Bill!" he shouted gleefully
• D"Hey, Bill," he shouted gleefully

Q25Wilma Rudolph -<br/><br/>[1]<br/>Wilma Rudolph was born a premature child in 1940, in Clarksville, Tennessee. Weighing &lt;1&gt; only four-and-a-half pounds. Wilma's mother did her best to care for her daughter, but the Rudolphs were very poor, and the local hospital would not care for Wilma. During her childhood, Wilma contracted measles, mumps, scarlet fever, chicken pox, pneumonia, and later, polio, a crippling disease which at that time had no cure. At the age of four, she was told she would never walk again.<br/><br/>[2]<br/>But Wilma's mother refused to give up. She found an African American medical college fifty miles away that would give Wilma the care she needs. &lt;2&gt;<br/><br/>Although it was difficult to make the trip, Mrs. Rudolph took Wilma to the college twice a week. After two years of treatment, Wilma could walk with a brace. With her family's help, Wilma was able to walk normally without the aid of a crutch or brace by age twelve.<br/><br/>[3]<br/>But simply walking wasn't enough for Wilma, who wanted to be &lt;3&gt; an athlete. She decided to play basketball, and for three years, she practiced with the team but didn't play in a single game. Then, in her sophomore year of high school, Wilma became a starting guard. For scoring she broke the state records &lt;4&gt; and led her team to the state championship. At the age of sixteen, she traveled to Melbourne, Australia, to run track events in the 1956 Olympics. She earned a bronze medal as part of a relay team.<br/><br/>[4]<br/>After the high school from which she graduated, &lt;5&gt;Wilma was awarded a full scholarship to Tennessee State University, and her track career went into high gear. Before she earned her degree in education, she took a year off from her studies to compete all over the world. In 1960, Wilma's career as a runner reached its apex. She set a world record in the 200-meter race at the Olympic trials, &lt;6&gt; at the Olympics in Rome, she won the 100-meters, the 200-meters, and ran the anchor leg on the winning 4ֳ—100-meter relay team.<br/><br/>[5]<br/>Wilma was proudest of a different kind of victory, in conclusion. &lt;7&gt; When she returned from her triumphs in Rome, and she insisted that the homecoming parade held in her honor not be a segregated event. This parade was the first racially integrated event ever held in Clarksville. Wilma continued to participate in protests until Clarksville's segregation laws were finally changed. &lt;8&gt;&lt;7&gt;:

• ANO CHANGE
• Bas a result
• Ctherefore
• Dhowever

Q26Solve for <em>z</em>: <img src="asset:assets/questions/fc642e7f3060db7a.gif">.

• A<img src="asset:assets/questions/018eca34e71ae357.gif">
• B10
• C<img src="asset:assets/questions/772b0d68f00cea1a.gif">
• D–10
• ENo solution

Q27Which of the following is equivalent to <img src="asset:assets/questions/21fbf500c15568a8.gif">

• A<img src="asset:assets/questions/230a9867787d18d9.gif">
• B<img src="asset:assets/questions/502942bfede0e7cf.gif">
• C<img src="asset:assets/questions/ba7eae0952bd8a56.gif">
• D<img src="asset:assets/questions/0999098ac3d9374a.gif">
• E<img src="asset:assets/questions/13a7c08cbad44c6b.gif">

Q28What is the area of the shaded sector shown? <br/><br/><img src="asset:assets/questions/c4960e181ea30eec.png">

• A<img src="asset:assets/questions/3c69b8879bf7b138.gif">
• B<img src="asset:assets/questions/12f846529f017b32.gif">
• C<img src="asset:assets/questions/d61d4dc02a170b94.gif">
• D<img src="asset:assets/questions/8916e40a068aebeb.gif">
• E<img src="asset:assets/questions/afe99acf7ee02f45.gif">

Q29Find the volume of a sphere whose diameter is <tex>\displaystyle 4</tex>.

• A<tex>64\pi</tex>
• B<tex>\frac{32}{3}\pi</tex>
• C<tex>256\pi</tex>
• D<tex>\frac{256}{3}\pi</tex>
• E<tex>\frac{64}{3}\pi</tex>

Q30Gabriella wants to make a model to determine how quickly an oven will heat up to a specified temperature. She sets the oven at 450 degrees. After two minutes, the temperature in the oven is 100 degrees. After four minutes, the temperature is 130 degrees, and after six minutes, the temperature is 160 degrees. <br/><br/>Which kind of function would best model this data?

• ALinear and exponential models would both work
• BLinear
• CNeither a linear or exponential model. You need a different type of model for temperature data
• DExponential