ACT Reading Passage Types

Introduction to the Reading Test

ACT Reading Passage Types

Lesson by Kristin Fracchia

Magoosh Expert

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Lesson by Kristin Fracchia

Magoosh Expert

Summary

The ACT Reading section includes four passage types, and each one tends to produce predictable question patterns. Reading strategically means tracking the details the ACT asks about most often so you can locate answers faster and manage passage order based on your strengths.

The ACT Reading test has four passages, and the fiction passage often focuses on storyline, character development, relationships, tone, mood, and especially how dialogue reveals character.
Fiction can feel more ambiguous because of figurative language, so it can be smart to read the first paragraph and decide whether to do that passage immediately or save it for later.
Social science passages reward close attention to names attached to ideas, cause-and-effect relationships, comparisons, and sequence of events.
Humanities passages can sometimes resemble fiction, especially when written as memoir or first-person narrative, but they still center on facts and often require close attention to the author’s point of view, feelings, and relationships among ideas or events.
Natural science passages repeatedly test relationships, comparisons, sequence, and scientific laws, theories, rules, or definitions, so those features deserve extra focus while reading.
Passage order is flexible, and a strong strategy is to begin with the passage type that matches your strengths or interests in order to build confidence and use time more effectively.

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