Preparing for the SAT and ACT 
                             
          
          
         A comprehensive study guide for 
           •  SAT English, Reading, and Writing Tests 
           •  ACT English, Reading, and Writing Tests 
           •  SAT Literature Subject Test 
          
         Includes: 
           •  Answer Keys 
           •  Reproducible Answer Sheets 
                                    
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
           Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston 
           All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, 
           electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, 
           without permission in writing from the publisher. 
           Teachers using ELEMENTS OF LANGUAGE or ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE may photocopy scoring 
           rubrics and blackline masters in complete pages in sufficient quantities for classroom use only and not for 
           resale. 
           ELEMENTS OF LANGUAGE, ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE, HOLT, HRW, and the "Owl Design" 
           are trademarks licensed to Holt, Rinehart and Winston, registered in the United States of America and/or other 
           jurisdictions. 
           Printed in the United States of America 
            If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Holt, Rinehart and Winston 
            retains title to the materials and they may not be resold.  Resale of examination copies is strictly 
            prohibited. 
            
            Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any 
            portion of it, into electronic format. 
            
           1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 023 09 08 07 
           Original content Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor. 
                                            ii              Preparing for the SAT and ACT 
              Contents 
             About This Book ................................................................................................................. 1 
             TEACHER’S GUIDE: Helping Your Students Prepare for College Admissions ................... 2 
             The College Admissions Process ..................................................................................................... 3 
             STUDENT ACTIVITY: College Admissions Preparation Checklist .......................................... 5 
             Comparing the SAT and the ACT ....................................................................................................... 6 
             STUDENT ACTIVITY: Choosing Between the SAT and the ACT ............................................... 7 
             TEACHER’S GUIDE: Helping Your Students Achieve Their Best Performance 
             on College Admissions Tests......................................................................................................... 8 
             Three Keys to Test Preparation ......................................................................................................... 9 
               
             Part I: Preparing for the SAT ................................................................................ 10 
             TEACHER’S GUIDE: Breaking Down the SAT Reasoning Test........................................... 11 
             Critical Reading: An Overview.................................................................................................12 
             Critical Reading: Sentence Completion..................................................................................13 
              Understanding Sentence-Completion Items ......................................................................................13 
              Analyzing Sentence-Completion Items.............................................................................................14 
              Strategies for Answering Sentence-Completion Items......................................................................16 
              Sentence Completion: Practice.......................................................................................................17 
               
              Understanding Passage-Based Reading Questions............................................................................20 
              Analyzing Passage-Based Reading Questions...................................................................................21 
              Strategies for Answering Passage-Based Questions..........................................................................25 
              Passage-Based Reading: Practice...................................................................................................26 
               
             The Writing Section: An Overview..........................................................................................41 
              Understanding the SAT Essay...........................................................................................................42 
                The SAT Scoring Guide....................................................................................................................43 
              Analyzing the SAT Essay..................................................................................................................45 
              Strategies for Responding to the SAT Prompt...................................................................................55 
              The Essay: Practice..........................................................................................................................57 
               
              Understanding Multiple-Choice Writing Items.................................................................................63 
              Analyzing Sentence-Error Identification Items.................................................................................65 
              Strategies for Responding to Sentence-Error Identification Items ....................................................67 
              Identifying Sentence Errors: Practice............................................................................................68 
               
              Analyzing Sentence-Improvement Items...........................................................................................70 
              Strategies for Responding to Sentence-Improvement Items..............................................................72 
              Improving Sentence: Practice.........................................................................................................73 
               
             Original content Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor. 
                                                     iii                 Preparing for the SAT and ACT 
            Contents 
            Understanding Paragraph-Improvement Items..................................................................................78 
            Analyzing Paragraph-Improvement Items.........................................................................................79 
            Strategies for Responding to Paragraph-Improvement Items............................................................81 
            Improving Paragraphs: Practice....................................................................................................82 
             
           Part II: The SAT Literature Subject Test...................................................85 
           TEACHER’S GUIDE: Breaking Down the SAT Literature Subject Test............................... 86 
            Understanding the SAT Literature Subject Test................................................................................87 
            Analyzing the SAT Literature Subject Test.......................................................................................88 
            Strategies for Responding to the Test Items......................................................................................90 
            Practice Test.....................................................................................................................................91 
             
           Part III: Preparing for the ACT..................................................................... 109 
           TEACHER’S GUIDE: Breaking Down the ACT......................................................................110 
           Preparing for the ACT Assessment English Test................................................................111 
            Understanding the ACT Assessment English Test..........................................................................111 
            Analyzing the ACT Assessment English Test.................................................................................112 
            Strategies for Responding to ACT Assessment English Test Items................................................115 
            The ACT Assessment English Test: Practice..............................................................................116 
           Preparing for the ACT Assessment Reading Test: An Overview.......................................128 
            Understanding The ACT Assessment Reading Test........................................................................129 
            Analyzing the ACT Assessment Reading Test................................................................................130 
            Strategies for Responding to ACT Assessment Reading Test Items...............................................134 
            The ACT Assessment Reading Test: Practice.............................................................................135 
           Preparing for the ACT Assessment Writing Test.................................................................147 
            Understanding the ACT Assessment Writing Test..........................................................................147 
              The ACT Six-Point Holistic Scoring Rubric..................................................................................148 
            Analyzing the ACT Assessment Writing Test.................................................................................150 
            Strategies for Responding to the ACT Assessment Writing Test....................................................159 
            The ACT Assessment Writing Test: Practice..............................................................................160 
            
           Answer Key.............................................................................................................................168 
           Answer Sheets........................................................................................................................171 
            SAT and SAT Literature Subject Test Answer Sheet......................................................................171 
            ACT Answer Sheet..........................................................................................................................172 
           Original content Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor. 
                                            iv              Preparing for the SAT and ACT