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ACT English 2.13 Passage Drill 183 Views


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ACT English: Passage Drill 2, Problem 13. How would you correct the underlined portion from the passage?

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:03

Here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by

00:06

hydrophobia. A great excuse for skipping a bath.

00:14

Check out the following passage and answer the question below.

00:26

How would you correct the following underlined portion from the passage? Does it need correcting?

00:38

Here, we're looking for the word or phrase that helps the writer clearly describe the

00:42

kind of water that most cats detest:

00:45

...the odious water of bathtubs.

00:48

Choice (B) suggests the phrase "in fact," but the phrase doesn't mesh with this sentence.

00:53

"In fact" is a transition, meaning that it's used to help the reader progress from one

00:58

idea to the next. This particular transition is often used when an author wants to refute

01:03

a previous idea. One might say something like, "Some people think cats love tub water; in

01:10

fact, cats loathe it with every ounce of their beings."

01:15

This isn't what the author is going for, though, so we'll eliminate choice (B).

01:19

Choice (C) is incorrect as well. The word "actually" often serves the same purpose as

01:23

"in fact" by helping an author contrast a previously stated idea. Someone might say,

01:29

"Eddy thinks I'm his friend; actually, I'm bent on his demise." But that person is probably

01:36

reading too much Edgar Allen Poe.

01:41

In any case, we're sure that (C) is wrong, and we can move on from here.

01:44

Choice (D) suggests the phrase "at most," which means "not more than." We might say,

01:49

"The miniature potbelly pig was at most 100 pounds."

01:52

Why might we say that? Whatever, we can say what we want.

01:56

This phrase does nothing to help the writer get his or her point across, so we'll nix

02:00

choice (D). The correct answer is (A). The phrase "at

02:03

least" can mean more exactly. Here, it helps the author specify that cats hate tub water,

02:09

not every drop of water in the world.

02:12

If cats hated all water, they'd be a pretty dehydrated species.

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