ACT rhetorical skills: add, delete, purpose, placement and wordiness
Rhetorical skills questions on ACT English ask you to edit like the writer: whether to add or delete a sentence, which choice best meets a stated goal, where a sentence belongs, and which wording is clearest without repeating itself. They fall under two ACT reporting categories, Production of Writing (38–43% of the English section) and Knowledge of Language (18–23%). Read the question first, because it tells you the goal, then judge every choice against the paragraph's main point rather than against what sounds good on its own.
Where it shows up on the ACT
| Enhanced ACT | |
|---|---|
| Section | English |
| Length | 50 questions (40 scored) in 35 minutes, about 42 seconds each |
| Reporting category | Production of Writing, plus Knowledge of Language for wordiness and tone |
| Share of the section | Production of Writing 38–43% and Knowledge of Language 18–23% of English |
| In the Composite | Yes. The Composite averages English, Math and Reading. |
In the 40 scored English questions of ACT's 2025–26 practice test, we counted 5 add, delete or keep questions, 3 "best accomplishes the goal" questions, 2 on where a sentence belongs, 2 on introductions and conclusions, 4 asking for the least redundant choice and 2 on tone. Source: ACT, Preparing for the ACT 2025–2026, pp. 6–10: what each section covers and its reporting categories.
What the questions ask you to do
- Decide whether to add, keep or delete a sentence or phrase, and pick the reason that explains why.
- Say what the essay would lose if an underlined detail were deleted.
- Choose the detail or wording that best does what the question asks, such as emphasize a point or show a contrast.
- Place a new sentence where it fits the paragraph's order of ideas.
- Pick the opening or closing sentence that leads into, or wraps up, the paragraph.
- Choose the least redundant wording and the one that keeps the essay's tone.
Question wordings and what to check
Wordings from the scored questions of ACT's 2025–26 practice test, shortened, with the check that answers each one.
| The question says | Check |
|---|---|
| Should the writer make this addition? | Does it stay on the paragraph's topic? The reason has to be true too. |
| If the writer were to delete…, the essay would lose | What job does that detail do in its sentence? |
| The writer wants to emphasize… Which choice | Which choice does exactly that goal, not just a related one? |
| Where should this sentence be placed? | What does the new sentence refer back to? Put it right after that. |
| Which choice is least redundant? | Cut words that repeat an idea already in the sentence. |
| Which choice maintains the essay's tone? | Match the formality of the sentences around it. |
Common mistakes
Wrong answer choices are often built around these.
- Adding a sentence because it's true or interesting. On the ACT, a true sentence that drifts from the paragraph's point is a No.
- Picking Yes or No correctly but with the wrong reason. Both halves of the answer have to be right.
- Choosing a detail that's related to the goal but doesn't do it. If the goal is to show the nests are unusual, a detail about their size alone may not do that.
- Keeping extra words that repeat an idea, such as "at 6:00 a.m. in the morning." The shortest clear version is usually right.
- Placing a new sentence by topic instead of by reference. If it says "this method," it goes after the sentence that names the method.
- Switching to slang or a much more formal voice than the rest of the essay.
3 example questions with answers
Written by Ashore in the style of the enhanced ACT. They aren't official ACT questions. Try each one before you open the answer.
Question 1 · Easy
During the summer, the island ferry leaves the dock at 6:00 a.m. in the morning and returns before noon.
Which choice is least redundant in context?
- ANO CHANGE
- Bat 6:00 a.m.
- Cearly at 6:00 a.m. in the morning
- Dat the early morning hour of 6:00 a.m.
Show the answer
B. The abbreviation a.m. already means morning, so "in the morning" and "early morning hour" repeat it. The plain time says everything once.
Question 2 · Medium
Every Saturday, Mr. Okafor opens each of his eight hives to check that the queen is laying eggs and that no pests have moved in. He lifts out one frame at a time and looks for eggs, larvae and the small beetles that can ruin a hive. [?]
At the point marked [?], the writer is considering adding the following true statement: Honey from some regions is much darker than honey from others. Should the writer make this addition?
- FYes, because it explains why the hives need to be checked every week.
- GYes, because it gives readers an interesting fact about honey.
- HNo, because it shifts the focus from inspecting the hives to the color of honey.
- JNo, because it contradicts the claim that the hives are healthy.
Show the answer
H. The paragraph is about how Okafor inspects his hives. The color of honey from different regions is true but off topic, so the answer is No, and the reason has to name that shift. The sentence doesn't explain the weekly checks, and nothing in it contradicts the paragraph.
Question 3 · Hard
In 1952, Rosa Ramírez planted forty apple trees on a hillside her neighbors called worthless, a slope so rocky that two borrowed plows broke on it. Seventy years later, her grandchildren ship apples to six states.
If the writer were to delete the underlined portion (adjusting the punctuation as needed), the essay would primarily lose:
- Aa description that shows why the neighbors thought the land was worthless.
- Ba detail suggesting that Ramírez was skilled at repairing farm equipment.
- Can explanation of how the orchard became profitable.
- Da comparison between Ramírez's orchard and her neighbors' farms.
Show the answer
A. The underlined phrase describes the hillside right after the word worthless, and the rocks that broke two plows show why people thought so. The passage never says Ramírez fixed the plows, the phrase says nothing about profit, and it doesn't compare her land with the neighbors' farms.
More ACT English guides
- Punctuation rules
- Sentence structure
- Grammar and usage rules
- Transitions
- ACT score calculator: questions right in each section to a 1–36 score and Composite.
- SAT vs ACT: which test fits you better.
- All ACT guides and free tools
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Practice test 1
Example
27
Composite
(28 + 26 + 27) ÷ 3
- English28
- Math26
- Reading27
- ScienceOptional, not in the Composite25