Add, delete, and reorder questions make up 15 to 20 percent of the ACT English section, and unlike grammar questions, they are not testing rules — they are testing your editorial judgment. Add questions ask whether a new sentence should join the passage. Delete questions ask whether an existing sentence should be removed. Reorder questions ask whether a sentence or paragraph belongs in a different position. The two principles that guide every decision are unity (every sentence must relate directly to the paragraph's topic) and cohesion (ideas must flow logically from one sentence to the next).
Add, delete, and reorder questions make up 15 to 20 percent of the ACT English section, and unlike grammar questions, they are not testing rules — they are testing your editorial judgment. Add questions ask whether a new sentence should join the passage. Delete questions ask whether an existing sentence should be removed. Reorder questions ask whether a sentence or paragraph belongs in a different position. The two principles that guide every decision are unity (every sentence must relate directly to the paragraph's topic) and cohesion (ideas must flow logically from one sentence to the next).
Unity means every sentence in a paragraph relates directly to that paragraph's main topic. If a paragraph discusses tornado warning signs, a sentence about average rainfall in the Midwest breaks unity — the information might be true, but it does not serve the paragraph's purpose. Common unity violations include off-topic facts, information that belongs in a different paragraph, sudden tone shifts, redundancy, and interesting but irrelevant tangents.
To test unity, ask three questions: What is this paragraph about? Does this sentence directly relate? Would removing it improve the focus? If the answer to the third question is yes, the sentence likely needs to go.
Cohesion is how smoothly ideas connect from sentence to sentence. It is the invisible thread guiding readers through the writing. Strong cohesion relies on logical transitions (however, therefore, additionally), pronoun references with clear antecedents, repeated key terms that thread important concepts through the paragraph, parallel structure for related ideas, and chronological or logical order that matches the natural progression of events.
To test cohesion, ask: Can I follow the logic from one sentence to the next? Do ideas build on each other? Are connections explicit, or does the reader have to guess?
Add questions use stems like "The writer is considering adding the following sentence..." or "Which of the following sentences, if added here, would best..." Your job is to evaluate whether the proposed addition enhances unity and cohesion or disrupts them. Add the sentence if it fills a gap, provides needed evidence, improves transitions, or strengthens the argument. Reject it if it is off-topic, redundant, or breaks the flow.
Delete questions use stems like "The writer is considering deleting the underlined sentence. Should the sentence be deleted?" Answer choices are yes/no pairs, each with a reason. Apply the unity test: is the sentence off-topic? Redundant? Does it break the flow? If so, delete. If it provides essential context or fills a logical gap, keep it. The ACT generally prefers keeping sentences unless they have clear problems, so when a sentence seems neutral, lean toward keeping.
Reorder questions use stems like "For the sake of logic and cohesion, Sentence 3 should be placed..." These test whether you can identify the correct logical sequence. Look for chronological order (events in time), cause-effect (reasons leading to results), general-to-specific (broad claim followed by details), problem-solution (issue then resolution), or compare-contrast (similarities and differences). The correct position is the one where the sentence connects most logically to the sentences before and after it.
On the evening of May 22, 2011, a massive EF5 tornado tore through Joplin, Missouri, carving a path of destruction nearly a mile wide and six miles long. The storm killed 158 people, injured over 1,000, and leveled entire neighborhoods in a matter of minutes. The state of Missouri was admitted to the Union in 1821 as the twenty-fourth state. In the aftermath, emergency management experts studied the disaster to understand why so many residents failed to seek adequate shelter despite receiving advance warning.
The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for Joplin sixteen minutes before the funnel touched down — well above the national average of thirteen minutes. Yet many residents ignored the sirens, a phenomenon researchers call "warning fatigue." Frequent false alarms had conditioned people to treat tornado warnings as routine background noise rather than urgent calls to action. Others simply underestimated the storm's severity, assuming it would pass harmlessly as so many had before.
Since the Joplin disaster, emergency preparedness has improved dramatically. The National Weather Service now uses impact-based warnings that describe specific threats rather than issuing generic alerts. Communities have invested in reinforced safe rooms built to withstand winds exceeding 250 miles per hour. Schools and public buildings in tornado-prone regions conduct regular drills, and smartphone weather apps deliver location-specific alerts directly to residents. These measures have contributed to a steady decline in tornado fatalities nationwide.
Introduction and conclusion questions test whether you can identify the most effective opening and closing for a passage. You will see 2 to 3 of these per test. Introductions must engage the reader, establish the topic, and preview the direction of the argument. Conclusions must synthesize the main ideas, reinforce the thesis, and leave the reader with a sense of closure — without introducing new topics. These questions reward students who understand the structural role that openings and closings play in holding a passage together.
A strong introduction does three things: it hooks the reader's attention, establishes the topic, and previews the argument or direction the passage will take. On the ACT, introduction questions usually ask you to choose the best opening sentence or to add a thesis statement at the beginning of the passage.
When evaluating answer choices, eliminate any option that is too vague ("Many things have changed over the years"), too narrow (focuses on a detail from the middle of the passage rather than the overall argument), or off-topic (introduces a subject the passage does not discuss). The correct introduction will be specific enough to clearly signal the passage's focus while being broad enough to encompass everything that follows.
Circular openings — introductions that set up a return in the conclusion — are particularly effective. If the passage opens with a question, image, or scenario, the conclusion may circle back to it. The ACT sometimes tests this pattern directly, asking which conclusion best echoes the introduction.
[1] On July 20, 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong descended a ladder from the Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle and pressed his boot into the fine gray dust of the Sea of Tranquility. An estimated 600 million people — roughly one-fifth of the world's population — watched the grainy television broadcast as he spoke the now-famous words: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Buzz Aldrin joined him on the surface minutes later, and together they spent just over two hours collecting rock samples, planting an American flag, and conducting experiments.
The mission that carried Armstrong and Aldrin to the Moon was the culmination of a national effort unlike anything in peacetime history. President Kennedy had challenged the nation in 1961 to land a man on the Moon before the decade ended, and NASA responded by scaling up from a fledgling agency into a workforce of 400,000 engineers, scientists, and technicians. The Saturn V rocket they built stood 363 feet tall, generated 7.5 million pounds of thrust, and remains the most powerful machine ever flown.
Apollo 11's legacy extends well beyond the footprints left in lunar dust. Technologies developed for the program — from water purification systems to fire-resistant materials — found their way into hospitals, homes, and industries. More profoundly, the mission demonstrated that a seemingly impossible goal could be achieved through sustained commitment and collaboration. [8]
A strong conclusion synthesizes the passage's main ideas rather than merely summarizing them. It reinforces the thesis from a new angle, connects the argument to broader significance, or leaves the reader with a compelling final thought. It never introduces a new topic — any answer choice that brings up something not discussed in the passage is wrong.
On the ACT, conclusion questions ask you to choose the most effective closing sentence or to evaluate whether a proposed conclusion strengthens the passage. The correct answer will tie back to the thesis while adding a sense of finality. Watch for these patterns:
Synthesis conclusions pull together multiple threads from the passage into one cohesive statement: "Together, these innovations demonstrate that sustainable design and modern comfort are not competing goals."
Significance conclusions connect the passage's topic to a larger context: "This approach offers a model for cities worldwide grappling with the same challenges."
Circular conclusions return to an image, question, or scenario from the introduction, creating a satisfying sense of closure.
Eliminate any choice that: introduces new information, merely restates the thesis without adding anything, is too vague to connect to the specific passage, or contradicts the passage's argument.
Organization questions test whether you can arrange ideas in the most logical order. They make up 15 to 20 percent of the ACT English section and come in several forms: placing a sentence in the best position within a paragraph, arranging paragraphs in the most effective sequence, choosing effective topic sentences, selecting the best conclusion, or adding transition paragraphs between sections. The underlying skill is always the same: recognizing logical flow and knowing where each piece of information fits.
Sentence placement questions ask where a specific sentence belongs within a paragraph. The correct position is always the one where the sentence connects most logically to the sentences before and after it. Look for transition clues — words like "this," "these," "however," "furthermore," and "as a result" that link back to previous content. A sentence mentioning "this discovery" must follow a sentence that describes a discovery. A sentence beginning with "however" must follow a claim it contradicts.
Paragraph ordering questions ask you to arrange paragraphs in the most effective sequence. Identify the organizational pattern the passage uses: chronological (events in time order), cause-effect (reasons then results), problem-solution (issue then fix), general-to-specific (broad claim then supporting details), or compare-contrast (similarities and differences side by side). The introduction paragraph comes first and the conclusion paragraph comes last. For the body paragraphs, follow the pattern — a paragraph about background information comes before a paragraph about recent developments, and a paragraph about a problem comes before the paragraph offering a solution.
Topic sentences introduce a paragraph's main idea and connect it to the thesis. The correct topic sentence will preview the paragraph's content while linking to the passage's central argument. Conclusions must synthesize without introducing new topics. Transition paragraphs bridge two major sections by acknowledging what came before and previewing what comes next.
For sentence placement: Read the sentence carefully. Look for pronouns (this, these, it), transition words (however, therefore, furthermore), and references to specific concepts that must follow their introduction. Try the sentence in each proposed position and check whether the flow improves.
For paragraph ordering: Identify the organizational pattern (chronological, problem-solution, etc.). Find the introduction and conclusion first — these anchor the sequence. Then arrange the body paragraphs to follow the pattern logically.
For topic sentences: The correct choice must do two things simultaneously — connect to the thesis and preview the paragraph's content. If it only does one, it is wrong.
General principle: When in doubt, follow natural logic. Background before analysis. Problem before solution. Cause before effect. General before specific. If the passage tells a story, follow the timeline.
Transition questions test whether you can identify the logical relationship between ideas and choose the word or phrase that expresses that relationship clearly. You will see 3 to 5 of these per test, making them one of the most frequently tested rhetorical skills. The key insight is that every transition signals a specific type of connection — addition, contrast, cause-effect, illustration, or sequence — and the correct answer is always the one that matches the actual relationship between the sentences. Think of transitions as road signs for readers: they tell you whether the next sentence will continue in the same direction, make a U-turn, or take an exit ramp. Choose the wrong sign and you send the reader somewhere they do not want to go.
Every transition on the ACT falls into one of five categories. Identifying which category fits is the key to choosing the correct answer.
Addition — the second idea adds to or extends the first. Both sentences push in the same direction. The second sentence provides more evidence, another example, or an additional point that reinforces what came before. Signals: furthermore, moreover, additionally, also, in addition, similarly, likewise.
"The library offers free tutoring on weeknights. Additionally, it hosts weekend workshops on study skills." Both sentences describe services the library provides — the second adds to the first.
Contrast — the second idea contradicts, qualifies, or reverses the first. The sentences pull in opposite directions. What you expect after the first sentence is not what the second sentence delivers. Signals: however, nevertheless, nonetheless, on the other hand, in contrast, yet, still, conversely, despite this.
"The experiment was carefully designed. However, the results were inconclusive." The first sentence sets up an expectation of success; the second reverses it.
Cause-effect — the first idea causes or explains the second. There is a direct logical chain from one sentence to the next: because A happened, B followed. Signals: therefore, consequently, as a result, thus, hence, accordingly, for this reason, because of this.
"The road was covered in black ice. As a result, several vehicles lost control." The ice caused the accidents — the relationship is direct and causal.
Illustration — the second idea provides an example or clarification of the first. The first sentence makes a general claim, and the second makes it concrete. Signals: for example, for instance, specifically, in particular, to illustrate, namely.
"The museum features artifacts from many ancient civilizations. For example, one gallery contains a complete Egyptian sarcophagus dating to 1200 BCE." The sarcophagus is a specific instance of the general claim.
Sequence — the ideas follow a chronological or procedural order. The relationship is about timing or steps. Signals: first, then, next, finally, subsequently, meanwhile, previously, afterward.
"The team completed the foundation in March. Subsequently, they began framing the walls in April." The events follow a timeline.
The ACT uses several predictable tricks to make transition questions harder. Knowing these traps in advance gives you a significant edge.
Trap 1 — Contrast disguised as addition. The most common trap. The test places "furthermore" or "moreover" where the sentences actually disagree. Students pick the addition word because it sounds like it continues the thought, but the second sentence actually contradicts the first. Always check: do the sentences push in the same direction or opposite directions? If opposite, you need a contrast word.
"The restaurant received glowing reviews from food critics. Furthermore, customer satisfaction scores dropped by 30 percent." — This is wrong. The second sentence contradicts the first. You need "however" or "nevertheless," not "furthermore."
Trap 2 — Addition disguised as contrast. The reverse of Trap 1. The test offers "however" when the sentences actually agree. Students pick it because they sense a pause between the sentences, but a pause is not the same as a reversal.
"The new policy reduced energy costs by 15 percent. However, it also lowered carbon emissions significantly." — This is wrong. Both outcomes are positive and related. You need "additionally" or "moreover."
Trap 3 — Cause-effect where there is none. The test offers "therefore" or "as a result" when the sentences are related but do not have a direct causal relationship. Just because two things are connected does not mean one caused the other.
"Shakespeare wrote 37 plays. Therefore, he is widely studied in English classes." — Tempting, but his being studied is not a direct consequence of writing 37 plays. A better transition might be "Today," signaling a time shift to present-day relevance.
Trap 4 — Choosing the fanciest word. Students often pick "moreover" over "also" or "nevertheless" over "but" because the longer word sounds more academic. On the ACT, the correct transition is the one that accurately reflects the relationship, not the one that sounds most impressive. A simple "but" is correct when the relationship is simple contrast.