Clarity & Concision
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ACT English › Clarity & Concision
Jessica decided to rearrange her living room furniture. She moved the couch closer to the television in order to enhance the viewing experience.
to make the viewing experience better
NO CHANGE
to enhance the viewing experience
so that it enhances the viewing experience
Explanation
This question tests your ability to identify and eliminate wordy, redundant phrases. The underlined phrase 'in order to enhance the viewing experience' contains the unnecessarily wordy construction 'in order to,' which can be simplified to just 'to.' Choice D eliminates this wordiness while maintaining the same meaning. Choices B and C use different phrasing but are wordier than necessary. When you see phrases like 'in order to,' check if the simpler 'to' works equally well.
Which choice provides the most concise and effective definition?
specializing in the repairing and restoring of stringed instruments.
whose specialty involves repairing and restoring stringed instruments.
NO CHANGE
who specializes in the repair of stringed instruments and also their restoration.
Explanation
This is a conciseness question. Choice A (NO CHANGE: who specializes in the repair and restoration of stringed instruments) is correct—most direct and clear. Choice B adds redundant "and also their restoration" ("repair and restoration" already covers both). Choice C uses wordier construction ("whose specialty involves" vs. "who specializes"). Choice D uses awkward gerunds ("the repairing and restoring"). Pro tip: Choose the clearest, most direct phrasing that doesn't sacrifice meaning.
Which of the answer choices below makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
NO CHANGE
rendering Darrow into a very wealthy millionaire.
making Darrow a millionaire!
causing Darrow to be a millionaire in terms of money.
Explanation
The correct answer is A (NO CHANGE — making Darrow a millionaire). F is clean, concise, and tonally appropriate — the participial phrase 'making Darrow a millionaire' efficiently conveys the financial outcome without excess or distortion. G adds an exclamation point, which is inappropriate for the passage's measured, journalistic tone — the essay is a critical historical narrative about injustice, not a celebration of Darrow's wealth. Exclamation points are almost always wrong on the ACT unless the passage is clearly informal or celebratory. H ('rendering Darrow into a very wealthy millionaire') is redundant on two levels: 'millionaire' already implies wealth, making 'very wealthy' unnecessary; and 'rendering into' is an awkward idiom — we 'make' or 'render' someone something, not 'render into.' J ('causing Darrow to be a millionaire in terms of money') is severely redundant — 'a millionaire' is by definition defined in terms of money, making the appended phrase completely pointless. On conciseness questions, the ACT rewards precision and economy of language. Any answer that adds words without adding meaning is wrong. Pro tip: if two answer choices convey the same information, the shorter one is almost always correct.
For a history project, Maya interviewed her grandfather about the small grocery store he ran in the 1970s. He described writing prices by hand, greeting regular customers by name, and stocking produce from nearby farms. Maya wants her report to sound straightforward and professional, so she revises one sentence for concision. Which choice is the clearest and most concise?
In her draft, Maya wrote that her grandfather “kept careful records of sales and expenses,” and she noted that he often frequently stayed late to balance the ledger.
on many occasions frequently
often
NO CHANGE
DELETE the underlined portion.
Explanation
This question assesses concision by identifying redundant adverbs that convey the same meaning. The underlined 'often frequently' is repetitive since both words mean occurring many times, so combining them adds unnecessary length. Choice B, 'often,' is the clearest and most concise, preserving the intended frequency without duplication. Choice C expands the redundancy with 'on many occasions frequently,' and D removes the adverb entirely, which could alter the emphasis on regularity. Choice A retains the original wordiness. When you see paired synonyms in concision questions, choose the single word that captures the essence to keep writing straightforward.
The weather forecast predicted rainy weather conditions for the weekend.
conditions of rain
rain
rainy conditions
NO CHANGE
Explanation
This question focuses on eliminating redundant descriptive phrases. The phrase 'rainy weather conditions' is redundant because 'rain' already describes a weather condition. Choice C provides the most concise expression. Choice B maintains some redundancy, and choice D is unnecessarily complex. When you encounter descriptive phrases, check whether the main term already encompasses the descriptive category.
The students were asked to write an essay at this point in time on the novel they just finished reading.
currently
NO CHANGE
now
at this time
Explanation
This question tests elimination of unnecessarily complex temporal phrases. The phrase 'at this point in time' is a wordy way to express 'now.' Choice C provides the most concise option. Choices B and D offer middle-ground solutions but aren't as efficient as 'now.' When you encounter elaborate time expressions, consider whether simpler temporal words achieve the same meaning more efficiently.
While reviewing a short story, a writer noticed that one paragraph repeated information about the main character’s fear of thunderstorms. The writer decided to keep the first mention because it explained why the character avoided camping. The second mention added no new detail, so the writer planned to delete it out of the draft.
Which choice is the clearest and most concise?
remove it out
NO CHANGE
take it out of it
delete it
Explanation
This question addresses redundant verb phrases where multiple words unnecessarily repeat the same action. The phrase 'delete it out' is redundant because 'delete' already means to remove completely. The correct choice is simply 'delete it,' which expresses the action concisely. Choices C and D add more unnecessary words. When you see verb phrases with extra prepositions or particles that don't add meaning (like 'out' with 'delete' or 'up' with 'finish'), choose the simpler version.
The instructions for the assignment were not clear and confusing to many students.
confusing
NO CHANGE
not clear
unclear and confusing
Explanation
This question tests recognition of redundant negative constructions that express the same concept twice. The phrase 'not clear and confusing' is redundant because both parts express the same idea - if something is 'not clear,' it is by definition 'confusing.' Choice C eliminates this redundancy by using just 'confusing.' Choice B maintains some redundancy, and choice D is less precise. When you see negative constructions paired with related adjectives, check whether they're saying the same thing.
The author wrote a novel that was based on real events that happened in the past.
based on historical events
based on real past events
NO CHANGE
based on past events
Explanation
This question tests elimination of wordy phrases that can be expressed more concisely. The phrase 'based on real events that happened in the past' is unnecessarily wordy because events that 'happened' are inherently 'in the past,' and 'real events' in historical context typically refers to 'historical events.' Choice B provides the most concise expression. Choices C and D maintain some wordiness. Look for opportunities to combine concepts into more precise, concise terms.
The lecture was filled with numerous descriptions of the artist's techniques.
NO CHANGE
full of descriptions
filled with descriptions
full of many descriptions
Explanation
This question targets unnecessarily specific quantification that doesn't add meaningful information. The phrase 'filled with numerous descriptions' uses 'numerous' unnecessarily because 'filled with' already suggests a substantial quantity. Choice D maintains the meaning while eliminating the unnecessary quantifier. Choices B and C maintain some wordiness. When quantity is already implied by the context or other words, additional quantifiers may be redundant.