[1] The term "Iron Man" has
many connotations, including references to a song, a comic book icon,
even a movie. [2] Yet only one definition of the term truly lives up to
its name: the Ironman Triathlon held annually in Hawaii1
a picturesque setting for a challenging race. [3] This grueling race
demands amazing physical prowess and the ability to swim, bike, and run a
marathon, all in less than 12 hours with no break. [4] Very few
individuals are up to the task.
Otherwise,3 Gordon Haller is a notable exception. Growing up in the 1950s, Haller developed an interest in many sports categorized as endurance athletics, and welcomed their4 grueling physical demands. As he pursued a degree in physics he drove a taxi to pay the bills, but competitive training proved5 his passion. So when he heard about the race in 1978, the first year it was held, he immediately signed up.
The race somewhat6 originated in an amusing way. The members of two popular sports clubs, the Mid-Pacific Road Runners of Honolulu, and the Waikiki Swim Club7 of Oahu, had a long-standing and good-natured debate going over who made better athletes: runners
Which of the following true statements, if added here, would most effectively and specifically emphasize Haller's achievement as described in this essay?
(A) Twelve other people also finished the race that day.
(B) There were points in the race when Haller thought he couldn't possibly finish.
(C) No women raced this year, but that was soon to change.
(D) Haller's amazing physical strength had enabled him to do what no one else in the past had accomplished.
Six months later, the researchers can be able to crack down the sprouted seeds to find out how far the rodents had carried them.
（A）NO CHANGE （B） have been able （C） were （D） could be
Correct Answer: C
Soon, I'm afraid, those of us, who return home late, will have to spend the evening double-parked in our cars.
（A）NO CHANGE （B） us who return home, late, （C） us who return home late, （D） us who return home late
Correct Answer: D
If the writer were to delete Sentence 4, the essay would primarily lose details that:
(F) emphasize how difficult the race truly is.(G) mourn how few athletes are able to visit Hawaii in order to compete in the race.(H) highlight that most athletes prefer the run to the swimming or biking components of the race.(J) suggest that women are not truly competitive in the race.
Correct Answer: F
More ACT English Exam Questions
- 1Studies indicate a fairly clear link between noise and stress, and experts believe there's a connection between noise and violence. Therefore, there's evidence that noise affects not only humans but animals as well.
- 2Dickinson's last twenty years of letters—many over 1,500 words in length—reveal the breadth and depth of one's connection to the world through a wide circle of correspondents.
- 3I could have them and their honey too as far as she was concerned. So, instead, I made the leap from bee-lover to beekeeper.
- 4If the writer were to delete Sentence 4, the essay would primarily lose details that:
- 5Some offerings are scrawled in pencil; others, are expertly typed.