WORDS ON A MISSION
B A
230 CHAPTER 13: Words on a mission 13 WORDS ON A MISSION
Sentences, paragraphs, passages are meant to be written with an objective in mind. The words WORDS ON we choose are supposed to effectively communicate these objectives. However, there are times when these words don’t do the job well enough. This is when the ACT sends us on a mission.
These missions might ask you to make a sentence: • More specific • More emphatic • More descriptive A MISSION • More focused • More coherent • Indicate an emotion • An effective conclusion • An effective introduction • An effective transition
These are noble missions to be on. By successfully accomplishing these missions you make the sentence a better citizen of the paragraph to which it belongs, become a better writer yourself, and inch closer to a perfect score.
Emphasize That!
1. Chen suggested they all take a break and go visit the Kunming lake. The lake was a part of the Summer Palace—a vast ensemble of lakes, palaces, and gardens in Beijing.
MISSION: The writer wants to convey the fact that the Kunming lake is an important part of the Summer Palace.
Does ‘a part of’ convey a sense of importance? No. Our mission is to replace the phrase ‘a part of’ with words that indicate importance, such as ‘significant’, ‘integral’, ‘central’, ‘salient’, ‘key’. Any of these words to describe would convey the writer’s intention: the B importance of the lake. Let’s rewrite the sentence using the word ‘integral’ and study the difference it makes to the sentence:
A CORRECT: Chen suggested they all take a break and go visit Kunming lake. The lake was integral to the Summer Palace—a vast ensemble of lakes, palaces, and gardens in Beijing.
• The sentence now indicates that the Kunming lake is an important—or an integral — part of the Summer palace. We have successfully completed our mission.
231 Not This But That
2. Tanvi and Albert visited “Ghost Street”, one of the most popular food streets in Beijing. The street was crowded with snake-like queues of people at different restaurants. The aromas wafting down the street got Albert excited.
MISSION: The writer wants to convey that the smell of the food made Albert extremely hungry—in other words, not excited but hungry.
Does getting ‘excited’ by the aromas wafting down the street indicate that Albert was hungry? No. Our mission is to replace the word ‘excited’ by a word, or a phrase, that indicates how the aromas of the street affected Albert . Try and picture Albert in a street that was filled with aromas of various foods. It’s easy to imagine Albert ’s stomach grumbling, isn’t it? Let’s rewrite the sentence in order to indicate that the aromas in the street made Albert hungry:
CORRECT: Tanvi and Albert visited “Ghost Street”, one of the most popular food streets in Beijing. The street was packed with snake-like queues of people at different restaurants. The aromas wafting down the street made Albert ’s stomach grumble.
• The sentence now indicates that the aromas wafting down the street made Albert hungry. We have successfully completed our mission.
Get Specific
3. Meanwhile, Claudius and Chen were engrossed in conversation; it turned out they both liked a lot of the same things.
MISSION: The writer wants to specify the things that both Claudius and Chen are fond of.
Does ‘a lot of the same things’ give you specific details? No. So our mission is to replace the phrase ‘a lot of the same things’ with specific examples. Here, something like ‘history, technology, and books’ would be far more specific than the phrase ‘a lot of things’. Let’s rewrite the sentence using these specific examples. The resulting sentence would be:
CORRECT: Meanwhile, Claudius and Chen were engrossed in conversation; it turned out they both liked history, technology, and books.
• The sentence now provides the reader with specific examples of the things that both Chen andClaudius are fond of. We have successfully completed our mission.
HISTORY
232 CHAPTER 13: Words on a mission
Vague Specific
Sports Football, Tennis, Cricket.
Lots of desserts Eclairs, tarts, cakes.
Social media apps Instagram, facebook, twitter
Fishing Equipment Bait, Hook, Fishing Rod
Stationery Pencils, Pens, Erasers
Standardized tests ACT, SAT, GRE, GMAT
Shades of colours Brown, Beige, Ochre
At some time At 4 pm today
More or less Three kilometers
Some social sciences History, Economics
Connect
4. Albert had always dreamt of going to the Great Wall of China. He was fascinated by its construction that had seen it through so many turbulent centuries. However, the winters in Beijing were always harsh, and the wall stretched across more than 6000 kilometres.
MISSION: The writer wants to connect the underlined portion of the last sentence of the paragraph to the firsthalf of the same sentence.
While the first half of the sentence provides information about the winters in Beijing, the second half of the sentence talks about the vastness of the wall. Our mission is to revise the second half of the sentence by establishing a relationship with the first half. In this case, the second half of the sentence needs to be a result of the information given in the first half of the sentence. If the winters in Beijing are harsh, it’s likely that the Great Wall of China would be covered in snow every winter. Let’s rewrite the sentence by altering the underlined portion to show that it’s a direct result of the first half of the sentence:
CORRECT: However, the winters in Beijing were always harsh, and the wall was covered in snow at this time of year.
• The second half of the sentence is now connected to the first half of the sentence where the wallbeing covered in snow is the result of the harsh winters in Beijing. • We have now successfully completed our mission.
233 11. Which choice accurately suggests that the consequences of scaling the steeper parts of the Great Wall of China without being physically prepared for it?
A. It would be impossible to come home without an aching body. B. Although the wall is steep, it’s a breeze to climb. C. Climbing the Great Wall of China needs a fair amount of practise. D. It takes a lot of endurance to scale something as steep as the Great Wall of China.
12. Which choice most effectively introduces a sentence about the gloom of harsh winters?
A. The winter chill seemed to seep into their bones and dampen Albert’s spirit. B. Albert went on long walks, wrapped comfortably in his grandmother’s shawl. C. Tanvi stayed home and baked pies, eager to put all the winter produce to good use. D. Claudius thought it was the longest winter he had ever experienced
→ Questions and missions on the ACT
These questions are easy to identify because they will generally start with ‘Given that all the choices are accurate, which one…’. Once identified, it is very important to keep two things in mind: All the choices are indeed accurate—this means that all the choices could accurately fit as well as 1. make sense in the sentence. None of them are false statements. Your mission is NOT to find the truth. Your mission is to answer the question. So, you must read the question very carefully—the mission and the answer lie in the question 2. itself.
If you don’t read these questions carefully, you are sure to get these questions wrong.
Make sure you’re answering the question and not ACT ! choosing the answer choice that you like the most or you think fits in the passage.
236 CHAPTER 13: Words on a mission
ACT EXAMPLE: GET SPECIFIC
The Summer Palace was nearly destroyed by foreign troops in the 19th century. Although most of it was burnt down, parts of it remained untouched by the fire.
Which choice gives us the most specific information about who tried to destroy the palace in the 19th century?
IDENTIFYING THE MISSION • The first step is to identify what the writer wants to do or wishes to change. Once you’ve identified the mission, the next step would be to find an option that accomplishes the mission. • In the given example, the writer wants to provide the readers with specific information about who destroyed the Summer Palace. The author wants to be precise and leave no room for ambiguity.
ACCOMPLISHING THE MISSION • We have to now think of an option that is more specific than ‘foriegn troops.’ Like previously discussed, specificity includes detail. An option that is more specific than ‘foreign troops’ is a troop belonging to a particular place. • Where could these troops come from? Perhaps from countries like Britain, Japan, Russia, America.
With this image in mind, let’s look at the list of options given by the ACT: A. NO CHANGE B. troops that didn’t belong to China C. British troops occupying Peking D. troops from Europe in China
EXPLANATION: • Options A, B, and D work in the sentence but do not provide specific details about the troop: they do not accomplish the mission. • Option C, on the other hand, provides us with precise information about the troops: the place they belonged to and the role they played in China.
ANSWER: Option C. The Summer Palace was nearly destroyed by British troops occupying Peking in the 19th century. Although most of it was burnt down, parts of it remained untouched by the fire.
237 ACT EXAMPLE: NOT THIS BUT THAT
Chen led the way, having visited the palace several times before. Tanvi and Albertfollowed her excitedly while Claudius marvelled at the architecture.
Which choice best indicates that Claudius was tired and no longer able to keep up with Tanvi and Albert?
IDENTIFYING THE MISSION • Here, the writer wants to convey that Claudius is tired and can no longer keep up with Tanvi and Albert . • We need to find an option that indicates exhaustion or weariness - not marvelling at the architecturebut exhausted by walking.
ACCOMPLISHING THE MISSION • If Claudius was tired, he would probably walk slowly, want to sit down, drag his feet. With this image in mind, let’s look at the list of options provided by the ACT:
With this image in mind, let’s look at the list of options given by the ACT: A. NO CHANGE B. trudged through the enormous garden. C. reminisced about the time he visited the lake with Horatio. D. captured all the sights with his camera.
EXPLANATION: • Options A, C, and D work in the sentence but do not convey that Claudius’s exhaustion. • To ‘trudge’ is to walk slowly or laboriously because someone is tired or exhausted. Thus, option B — ‘trudged through the enormous garden’— is the only option that accomplishes the mission.
ANSWER: Option B. Chen led the way, having visited the palace several times before. Tanvi and Albert followed her excitedly while Claudius trudged through the enormous garden.
238 CHAPTER 13: Words on a mission
ACT EXAMPLE: GIVE ME A REASON
Tanvi and Albert got into an argument about the site each wished to visit. Tanvi insisted that they have a picnic by the lake. The lake froze over every winter.
Given that all choices are accurate, which of the options best illustrates why Tanvi insisted on having a picnic by the lake?
IDENTIFYING THE MISSION • The writer wants us to find words that indicate why Tanvi wanted to have a picnic by the lake. Weneed to replace what’s given as the sentence currently ends with a fact related to the lake but one that deviates from the mission.
ACCOMPLISHING THE MISSION • Why would Tanvi insist on having a picnic by the lake? It’s probably because she is either fond of the lake or feels attached to it. Let’s see what the ACT gives us.
A. NO CHANGE B. Albert was carrying a hat and sunscreen even though it was the middle of winter. C. The lake was known for its boat rides and its healing waters. D. Tanvi’s grandfather had told her this lake was a special spot.
EXPLANATION: • Options A, B, and C make sense in the sentence, but none of them give us a reason why Tanvi insisted on having a picnic by the lake. • Option D gives us the right reason and thus accomplishes the mission.
ANSWER: Option D: Tanvi and Albert got into an argument about the site each wished to visit. Tanvi insisted that they have a picnic by the lake. Tanvi’s grandfather had told her this lake was a special spot.
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