ACT Compass ESL Practice Test - Question List

46. The Electoral College of the U.S.
Did you know that the President and the Vice President aren’t elected by (1) popular vote in the U.S.? Essentially, every four years, it isn’t the American people who elect the rulers of our nation. Instead, when a registered voter casts his or her vote for President and Vice President, he or she also votes for an unknown “elector”, or voting member, who will cast a ballot in a separate election that ultimately will choose the president. Thus, by voting for a Democrat presidential candidate, for example, a voter is really voting for a member of the Electoral College who is expected--but not required--to vote along (2) party lines, too.
You might be thinking, “Then, why do we vote?” Historically, before the (3) advent of television and radio, the Electoral College was established to avoid unfairness. People who lived in bigger cities, where there tends to be a more concentrated, greater population, had more of an advantage of knowing about the candidates compared to those who lived in more rural, secluded areas.
The electors, which are chosen by popular vote, are divided up among each state and the District of Columbia. The amount of voting members in each state is equal to the number of members of Congress. In total, there are 538 electors: 435 representatives and 100 senators, plus the three (4) constituents from the District of Columbia.
In almost every state electors are selected on a "winner-take-all" basis. To be more precise, the candidate for elector that wins the most votes in a state becomes elector for that state. During an election, each elector is required to cast one vote for President and another vote for Vice President. The presidential candidate that receives the majority of electoral votes (270 out of 538) for the offices of President or Vice President is elected to that (5) office.



The word “advent”, bolded after the (3) in paragraph 2, is synonymous with

47. The Electoral College of the U.S.
Did you know that the President and the Vice President aren’t elected by (1) popular vote in the U.S.? Essentially, every four years, it isn’t the American people who elect the rulers of our nation. Instead, when a registered voter casts his or her vote for President and Vice President, he or she also votes for an unknown “elector”, or voting member, who will cast a ballot in a separate election that ultimately will choose the president. Thus, by voting for a Democrat presidential candidate, for example, a voter is really voting for a member of the Electoral College who is expected--but not required--to vote along (2) party lines, too.
You might be thinking, “Then, why do we vote?” Historically, before the (3) advent of television and radio, the Electoral College was established to avoid unfairness. People who lived in bigger cities, where there tends to be a more concentrated, greater population, had more of an advantage of knowing about the candidates compared to those who lived in more rural, secluded areas.
The electors, which are chosen by popular vote, are divided up among each state and the District of Columbia. The amount of voting members in each state is equal to the number of members of Congress. In total, there are 538 electors: 435 representatives and 100 senators, plus the three (4) constituents from the District of Columbia.
In almost every state electors are selected on a "winner-take-all" basis. To be more precise, the candidate for elector that wins the most votes in a state becomes elector for that state. During an election, each elector is required to cast one vote for President and another vote for Vice President. The presidential candidate that receives the majority of electoral votes (270 out of 538) for the offices of President or Vice President is elected to that (5) office.



The word “popular”, bolded after the (1) in paragraph 1, can best be described as

48. The Electoral College of the U.S.
Did you know that the President and the Vice President aren’t elected by (1) popular vote in the U.S.? Essentially, every four years, it isn’t the American people who elect the rulers of our nation. Instead, when a registered voter casts his or her vote for President and Vice President, he or she also votes for an unknown “elector”, or voting member, who will cast a ballot in a separate election that ultimately will choose the president. Thus, by voting for a Democrat presidential candidate, for example, a voter is really voting for a member of the Electoral College who is expected--but not required--to vote along (2) party lines, too.
You might be thinking, “Then, why do we vote?” Historically, before the (3) advent of television and radio, the Electoral College was established to avoid unfairness. People who lived in bigger cities, where there tends to be a more concentrated, greater population, had more of an advantage of knowing about the candidates compared to those who lived in more rural, secluded areas.
The electors, which are chosen by popular vote, are divided up among each state and the District of Columbia. The amount of voting members in each state is equal to the number of members of Congress. In total, there are 538 electors: 435 representatives and 100 senators, plus the three (4) constituents from the District of Columbia.
In almost every state electors are selected on a "winner-take-all" basis. To be more precise, the candidate for elector that wins the most votes in a state becomes elector for that state. During an election, each elector is required to cast one vote for President and another vote for Vice President. The presidential candidate that receives the majority of electoral votes (270 out of 538) for the offices of President or Vice President is elected to that (5) office.



According to the author, what is the different between popular vote and electoral vote?

49. Immigration Laws in the U.S.
The “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act” is a law that was introduced in the state of Arizona in 2010. This law is similar to the existing federal (1) legislation that requires all aliens, or U.S. non-citizens, over 14 years old, who stay in the U.S. for more than 30 days, to register with the U.S. government. An (2) alien must also carry his/her registration documents with him/her at all times. In addition to the existing federal law, Arizona made it a requirement that its state’s law enforcement officers make an attempt to identify an individual’s immigration status during detention, arrest, or a “lawful contact”. The term “lawful contact” refers to an officer’s obligation to approach someone that he or she believes is an illegal immigrant.
The “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act”, also known as Arizona Senate Bill (SB) 1070, has caused national and international (3) controversy on the topic of immigration, and especially illegal immigration from south of the U.S. border. Opponents believe that the law forces officers to racially profile people, or judge them based on whether or not they look Latino. Challengers of this law want to (4) ban it, because they believe it forces policemen and policewomen to racially discriminate against people who are not from a European or African background. However, advocates of the law deny that it allows the use of race as the exclusive basis for investigating immigration status.
The law has since been modified with the goal of addressing some of the concerns of the opponents. However, despite the protests in opposition to the law from around the country, polling has shown that there is an overall support for the law in Arizona and in other states. And passage of the modified version of the law has (5) provoked other states to consider implementing similar immigration laws.



The word “ban”, bolded after the (4) in the second paragraph, is closest in meaning to

50. The History of Foods from the New World
Imagine tomato soup without tomatoes or chili cheese fries without potatoes. Now, think about going to the movie theater to see a Hollywood feature, but neither popcorn nor chocolate are sold at the refreshment stand. What a flavorless world! Many of the most popular foods in the world have essential ingredients that have their origin in what is known as the New World. These fruits and vegetables weren’t introduced to Europe until the 16^th century.
The tomato, for example, was used as an ornamental plant when it arrived for the first time in Europe, because it was thought to be poisonous. Its earliest use in a recipe was published in Italy in the late-17^th century. However tomatoes and corn were already the base for (1) dishes across Latin America for many centuries by the time the Spanish (2) colonists arrived there in the late-15^th century.
The potato was a (3) staple food for the Incans, who inhabited the Andes region of South America. They (4) dehydrated potatoes to stockpile food supplies. Cacao (the plant that is used to make chocolate) was very important for the Aztecs and the Mayans who lived in what is now known as Mexico. The cacao plant’s seeds were used as money and as a key ingredient in diverse sauces. They also ground up the seeds to make a drink in which they mixed hot water and chili powder. This is similar to our hot chocolate but unsweetened and with a bite.
Avocadoes, guava fruit, papayas, pineapples, and passion fruit (also known as maracuyá in Spanish) are some other examples of fruits that come from the Americas, and that today are known throughout the world. So, the next time you sit down at the table to eat your spaghetti, remember the (5) course the tomatoes in your sauce might have taken, from decorative centerpiece to your plate.



The word “dishes”, bolded after the (1) in paragraph 2, can best be defined as