ACT Compass ESL Practice Test - Question List

41. 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 passage, why was the Electoral College established in the first place?

42. Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

43. 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 context, the word “party”, bolded after the (2) in the first paragraph, is closest in meaning to

44. Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.

Because of the preemptive strike, Japan was able to carry out its plans for Southwest Asia and the Indonesian Archipelago.

45. 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 “office”, bolded after the (5) in the fourth paragraph, is closest in meaning to