Occasionally, the ACT will ask you to judge how a paragraph’s style affects its meaning. Here, “style” means the overall feel of the writing. Consider these two sentences:
Style 1
The azure ocean above the earth clashed gloriously with the kaleidoscope of color against the horizon, embellishing the natural world with a dazzling celebration of the end of the day.
Style 2
The blues of the sky met the multicolored clouds of the horizon to create a beautiful sunset.
Both sentences are grammatically correct, and both communicate the same basic idea.
The difference is the feel they create. That feel is called rhetorical style (or just style).
Take another look at Style 1:
The azure ocean above the earth clashed gloriously with the kaleidoscope of color against the horizon, embellishing the natural world with a dazzling celebration of the end of the day.
This sentence is flowery. It uses figurative language and vivid imagery.
Now look again at Style 2:
The blues of the sky met the multicolored clouds of the horizon to create a beautiful sunset.
This version is straightforward. It still shows admiration for the scene, but it does so in a simpler, more direct way.
Now imagine an ACT passage written entirely in Style 2. If the test asked whether the Style 1 sentence would be a good replacement for an underlined sentence in that passage, the answer would be no. It would feel out of place.
Remember: A passage’s style should stay consistent throughout.
Style 1 and Style 2 are just examples. If you had to name them, Style 1 might be called “Flowery” or “Epic,” while Style 2 might be called “Straightforward” or “Literal.” Here are some other styles you might see in ACT passages:
Authors choose a style that best communicates their message. On the ACT, your job is to recognize that the style of a passage should remain consistent.
Consider the following passage.
In 2003, NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida and sent into orbit around the Sun, trailing slightly behind the Earth but gradually drifting away from it. From this prime position, the telescope could easily study infrared radiation originating from sources many billions of light-years away, completely free from the influence of Earth’s atmosphere. In addition, the spacecraft was equipped with a supply of ultracold helium. When cooled to −271°C by the helium, Spitzer became well suited to studying wavelengths across the infrared range.
Dubbed “NASA’s Great Observatory for Infrared Astronomy,” the Spitzer Space Telescope was designed to investigate four major topics: the early universe, giant planets, and brown dwarfs, the planet-forming debris disks surrounding newly formed stars, and the extremely bright regions found at the centers of some galaxies. [A] The most important of these was an arrangement of four array detectors named the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC).
At Point [A], which of the following sentences would match the tone of the rest of the passage and accentuate technological progress as embodied by the telescope?
A. In order to accomplish this, the telescope was affixed with a triad of apparati.
B. To do this, the telescope was fitted with three cutting-edge instruments.
C. To solve these goals, the telescope had three special parts.
D. A triumvirate of whimsical contraptions gave the telescope the prowess to accomplish those goals.
Let’s evaluate each option. The question gives you two goals:
Option A. This is acceptable, but not the best. It somewhat matches the formal tone, but it’s overly wordy. “Triad of apparati” sounds like it’s trying too hard to sound impressive, and the passage doesn’t use inflated wording like that.
Option B. This is the best match. The tone is clear and matter-of-fact, like the rest of the passage. It also uses “cutting-edge,” which directly emphasizes technological progress.
Option C. This doesn’t fit well because it’s too simplistic compared to the rest of the passage. The passage uses technical language, but this choice uses vague phrases like “special parts” and awkward wording like “solve these goals.” It also doesn’t highlight technological progress.
Option D. This emphasizes advancement, but the style is far too dramatic for the passage. Phrases like “triumvirate of whimsical contraptions” and “prowess” are much too flowery for the passage’s objective tone.
Do you know which answer is correct?
Answer: B. To do this, the telescope was fitted with three cutting-edge instruments.
To answer this question type, compare the style of each answer choice to the style of the passage. This takes a little time, but it’s reliable.
Here’s a useful way to think about it:
The difference between getting these questions right and wrong is often about 15 seconds.
Many students miss these questions because they rush. That’s understandable: most ACT English questions don’t feel like “real questions.” They often just present options, and you pick what sounds correct.
Style questions work differently. You have to slow down enough to identify what the question is asking you to match.
As you can see in the question above, there isn’t a traditional question. You’re given options and asked to choose.
Because these questions are short, it’s easy to jump straight to the answer choices.
Style questions are different. For example:
This kind of prompt usually has more to unpack.
On style questions, use this strategy in this order:
These questions often take longer than most ACT English questions, so plan to spend extra time.
Unless you have a photographic memory, you’ll probably need to read the question 2-3 times. As you read, look for clues: specific words that tell you what to look for in the answer choices or in the passage.
Next, do something that many students avoid: annotate the clues in the question.
Don’t underline. Use marks that stand out - circles, boxes, brackets, or parentheses.
In practice, students tend to notice and remember what they circle or box more than what they underline.
Here’s an example:
The marked clues in the image above guide your choice.
If you don’t mark the clues, it’s easier to forget what you’re looking for. Then the ACT can pull you toward an option that “sounds good” instead of the option that actually answers the question.
Even if other answers sound more elegant or entertaining, the correct choice is the one that matches the passage and does what the question asks (for example, including a phrase like “and as yet only” if that’s the specific requirement).
When students first try this strategy, they sometimes resist because they aren’t used to annotating. If they’ve done fine without it, why change?
Short answer: annotating helps organize your thoughts.
Annotating isn’t extra work for its own sake. It’s a quick way to keep the question’s requirements in front of you while you evaluate the options.
Some students worry that annotating will slow them down. That’s a reasonable concern.
But remember: this is the ACT, not a document you need to keep pristine. Write on it. Mark it up. Your annotations should be quick and noticeable, not neat.
A rough, uneven oval works just as well as a perfect circle. Make the mark and move on. It may take a little extra time, but it can significantly improve your accuracy on these questions.
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