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ACT English Help: Clarity And Concision

Review real example questions for Clarity And Concision in ACT English.

Question 1 / 10

0 of 10 answered

To complete the assignment, students must return back their completed forms by the due date.

All questions

Question 1

To complete the assignment, students must return back their completed forms by the due date.

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. return again
  3. bring back
  4. return (correct answer)

Explanation: This question tests redundancy created by an unnecessary particle. The verb 'return' already means to give or send something back, so adding 'back' repeats information the verb carries, making the plain 'return' correct. Keeping the original 'return back' leaves that redundancy in place, and 'return again' is worse: it wrongly suggests the students are handing the forms in a second time. 'Bring back' is not redundant but changes the meaning, implying the forms are carried to the students' own location rather than submitted. When a verb already contains a direction — return, revert, repeat, rise, descend — delete any added directional word instead of swapping in a different verb.

Question 2

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?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. take it out of it
  3. remove it out
  4. delete it (correct answer)

Explanation: This question tests redundancy created by an extra particle after a verb. 'Delete' already means to remove something completely, so 'out' repeats the idea, and the concise 'delete it' is correct — the phrase 'of the draft' that follows already tells us where it is being removed from. Keeping the original 'delete it out' leaves the redundancy, and 'remove it out' commits the same error with a different verb. 'Take it out of it' is wordy and confusing, because the pronoun 'it' would then have to refer to two different things in one short phrase. Test any verb-plus-particle pair by deleting the particle: if the meaning does not change, the particle was padding.

Question 3

A local newspaper profiled a community garden that donates vegetables to a nearby pantry. Volunteers meet on Saturdays to weed, water, and harvest. The article explained that the garden's compost pile reduces food waste by turning scraps into soil. It also noted that the garden is located in a place that used to be an empty lot.

Which choice is the clearest and most concise?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. is in the place of a location
  3. is situated in a location
  4. is located (correct answer)

Explanation: This question is about redundancy in phrases about position. 'Located' already tells you that something sits somewhere, so 'in a place' adds nothing, and the concise 'is located' carries the whole idea by itself. The rule is that a modifier which only restates the meaning of the word it follows is deadweight, and the ACT wants it cut. 'Is situated in a location' stacks two position words on top of each other, and 'is in the place of a location' is even more padded while saying no more. Learn to spot the family of empty fillers built on 'in a place' and 'in a location,' and delete them unless they genuinely add new information.

Question 4

The instructor asked the students to repeat again the exercise for clarity.

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. repeat once more
  3. do again
  4. repeat (correct answer)

Explanation: This item tests redundancy, which happens when extra words repeat meaning the verb already carries. 'Repeat' by itself means to do something a second time, so the single word 'repeat' is the right choice. Leaving the original 'repeat again' states the idea of doing it over twice, and 'repeat once more' commits the same error with different words. The wording 'do again' escapes the redundancy but trades a precise verb for a vaguer two-word phrase, so it is still the weaker option. When the choices differ mainly in length and all are grammatical, pick the shortest one that preserves the full meaning.

Question 5

At a workshop on personal finance, the speaker encouraged students to track spending for one month. She suggested writing down every purchase, even small ones, to see patterns. Then she explained how to set a realistic savings goal and adjust habits gradually. In her handout, one tip advised students to make a decision about a specific amount to save each week.

Which choice is the clearest and most concise?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. reach a decision‑making conclusion
  3. come to a decision
  4. decide (correct answer)

Explanation: This item tests concision, specifically the habit of burying a verb inside a noun phrase. English lets you say 'make a decision' or simply 'decide,' and when a single verb carries the identical meaning, the single verb is the better answer; the original 'make a decision' spreads one action across three words for no gain. 'Come to a decision' has the same problem, and 'reach a decision-making conclusion' is worse still, since 'decision-making' and 'conclusion' restate each other on top of the wordy frame. Nothing in the sentence needs the extra words, because the tip is about the act of deciding, not about a process leading up to it. When a choice offers a verb hidden in a noun ('make a decision,' 'give consideration to,' 'reach an agreement'), look for the plain verb form and pick it unless the meaning actually changes.

Question 6

The artist's new piece was unique in its own way, drawing attention from critics worldwide.

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. distinctively unique
  3. unique (correct answer)
  4. uniquely individual

Explanation: This item tests redundancy around absolute adjectives. 'Unique' already means one of a kind, so it cannot be qualified, intensified, or limited to a particular 'way' — the bare word 'unique' says everything the sentence needs about the artist's piece. The original 'unique in its own way' tacks on a qualifier that adds no information, 'distinctively unique' repeats the idea of standing apart twice, and 'uniquely individual' pairs two words that mean the same thing. Absolute adjectives like unique, essential, complete, perfect, and identical resist modification for exactly this reason. When you see an absolute word propped up by an intensifier or a hedging phrase, test whether the extra words change the meaning; if they don't, strip them.

Question 7

The conference was postponed due to the fact that the speaker was ill.

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. as a result of
  3. owing to
  4. because (correct answer)

Explanation: This item tests concision in expressions of cause. The relationship between the postponement and the speaker's illness is simple causation, and 'because' expresses it in one word, so 'due to the fact that' is an inflated way of saying nothing more. 'As a result of' and 'owing to' are both acceptable English, but they are longer than needed and, unlike 'because,' they read awkwardly before a full clause with its own subject and verb ('the speaker was ill'). Recognizing this pattern also helps you catch cousins like 'for the reason that' and 'in light of the fact that.' When choices differ mainly in length and all express the same relationship, pick the shortest one that still fits the grammar of what follows.

Question 8

In a newsletter about campus safety, the principal explained the new sign-in procedure for visitors. Anyone entering during school hours must show identification and receive a temporary badge. The principal emphasized that the rule applies even to parents dropping off lunch. The procedure is intended to ensure the safety and security of students and staff.

Which choice is the clearest and most concise?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. ensure safety and overall protection
  3. ensure safety (correct answer)
  4. ensure safe security measures

Explanation: This item tests redundant word pairs, the habit of yoking two near-synonyms together for weight. In the context of protecting students and staff from harm, 'safety' and 'security' cover the same ground, so 'ensure safety' says all the original 'ensure the safety and security' does, in fewer words. 'Ensure safety and overall protection' swaps one synonym for another and keeps the duplication, and 'ensure safe security measures' compounds the problem by using both roots as modifiers of a vague noun. Institutional writing is full of these pairs, which is exactly why the test uses them. When two nouns in a choice would give a reader the same picture, keep one and cut the other unless each carries a distinct meaning the sentence needs.

Question 9

For a chemistry demonstration, the teacher mixed vinegar and baking soda in a flask and quickly placed a balloon over the opening. As the reaction produced carbon dioxide, the balloon expanded. Students recorded observations and then discussed how gas production relates to pressure. The teacher reminded them to write observations in a way that is objective rather than using opinions.

Which choice most effectively expresses the idea?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. in an objective manner of way
  3. objectively (correct answer)
  4. with objectivity being used

Explanation: The rule being tested is that a phrase shaped like 'in a way that is + adjective' can almost always be replaced by the matching single adverb. Here 'in a way that is objective' describes how students should write, so the one-word adverb 'objectively' says the same thing with no loss of meaning and no added bulk. The version reading 'in an objective manner of way' piles 'manner' and 'way' on top of each other, and 'with objectivity being used' turns a simple adverb into a noun plus a limp passive tag. Keeping the original 'in a way that is objective' leaves the padding in place, which is the flaw the question is pointing at. When a choice offers a plain adverb in place of a multi-word description of how something is done, take the adverb unless it changes the meaning.

Question 10

For an economics project, a group of students tracked how often people used cash versus cards at a school event. They stood near the entrance and tallied each purchase at the concession table. Afterward, they compared their counts and discussed possible reasons for the pattern. The students decided to make a prediction in advance before collecting data next time.

Which choice is the clearest and most concise?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. formulate a prediction going forward
  3. make an advance prediction beforehand
  4. predict (correct answer)

Explanation: This question tests redundancy, specifically time words that repeat what a verb already means. A prediction is by definition made ahead of the event, and the sentence already ends with 'before collecting data next time,' so the single verb 'predict' carries the whole meaning cleanly. Keeping the original 'make a prediction in advance' repeats the idea of earliness twice, 'make an advance prediction beforehand' repeats it three times, and 'formulate a prediction going forward' swaps in a longer verb plus a vague filler phrase. All the longer versions are grammatical, which is what makes them tempting. When choices differ mainly in length and one is a single verb that says it all, the shortest version that preserves the meaning wins.