Concision, style, and tone questions test your ability to write clearly and appropriately. The ACT rewards brevity and precision.
Concision
Eliminate Redundancy
- "advance forward" → "advance"
- "past history" → "history"
- "true fact" → "fact"
- "basic fundamentals" → "fundamentals"
Shorten Wordy Phrases
- "due to the fact that" → "because"
- "at this point in time" → "now"
- "in order to" → "to"
- "has the ability to" → "can"
ACT Rule
If two choices convey the same meaning, the shorter one is usually correct.
Style and Tone
Consistency
Match the style/tone of the surrounding passage. A formal essay shouldn't suddenly use slang.
Formality
Academic/formal: avoid contractions, colloquialisms. Narrative/informal: more relaxed language acceptable.
Practice Problems
- Revise: "The reason why she left was because she was tired."
- Which fits a formal essay: "The results were pretty good" or "The results were significant"?
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Key Takeaways
Shorter is better when meaning is preserved.
Eliminate redundancy and wordy phrases.
Match the tone of the passage.