ACT English 2.13 Passage Drill

kind of water that most cats detest:

...the odious water of bathtubs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

reading too much Edgar Allen Poe.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

not every drop of water in the world.

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