Each ACT & SAT has a Reading section comprised of passages on topics, such as the business model of The Grateful Dead or the migration patterns of the gray squirrel. Here is a glimpse into some random trivia gained from reading the ACT & SAT.
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Helping people frequently makes you live longer.
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Salt can form bridges.
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Kangaroos have handedness, meaning they can be left-handed or right-handed like humans.
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People’s use of sarcasm correlates with their level of creativity.
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Plowing at night can greatly reduce the number of weeds in a field.
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All eels seem to originate from the same place: the Sargasso Sea.
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Underwater puppetry is an artistic form.
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Groves of poplar trees can be used to purify contaminated water sources.
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In the third century, the Greek geographer Eratosthenes figured out the circumference of the Earth, using the sun and camels.
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A banana is botanically considered a berry.
When doing ACT or SAT Test Prep, many students strongly dislike the Reading sections, declaring the topics uninteresting or just a general dislike for reading. I like to approach the ACT & SAT reading sections with curiosity and encourage test prep students to do so as well. Someone somewhere decided to study the way plankton move through water or why a plant might camouflage itself, and it’s worth taking the time to see why.