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ACT English 3.4 Passage Drill 198 Views


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Description:

ACT English: Passage Drill 3, Problem 4. Which choice describes the location of the subject correctly?

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:03

Here’s your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by low pressure.

00:07

So, really, there’s nothing to worry about here.

00:26

How would you correct this underlined segment from the passage, if at all?

00:30

from overhead?

00:31

And here are the potential answers...

00:36

This question requires us to know the location from which this spinning column of low-pressure

00:41

air is stirring up the water. Don’t worry; we don’t have to be Bill Nye the Science

00:45

guy to figure it out.

00:48

All we have to do is take a good look at the context in which the underlined portion appears.

00:54

For instance, choice (B) is ridiculous and insults our intelligence.

00:59

If the phrase “from above you” replaced the underlined portion, it would imply that

01:03

tornadic waterspouts tend to form directly over people.

01:06

Thankfully for swimming enthusiasts across the globe, this isn’t true.

01:10

Otherwise, there’d probably be legends of raining humans, instead of fish and frogs.

01:16

Choice (D) kinda gets across the right idea. Air pressure does come from above, because

01:20

it’s...like...air. However, there’s no need to qualify the statement with the fact

01:24

that it doesn’t come from below.

01:26

Even if we didn’t pay attention in Earth Science, most of us are pretty clear on the

01:29

fact that the sky is above the ocean.

01:31

Ultimately, (D) is too wordy, and there's no time for excess verbiage when it's raining frogs.

01:37

This narrows down the options to (A) and (C), which offer “overhead” and “up above,” respectively.

01:43

Out of the two, “overhead” is the best choice because it’s more specific.

01:47

“Up above” could mean anywhere higher in the sky,

01:51

while "overhead" indicates that the air is stirring directly above the water.

01:57

If it can rain fish and frogs, can it rain stinging jellyfish?

02:01

Let’s hope not.

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