ACT
Practice Test 21

PROSE FICTION: Football Failures

A cold wind soothed the faces of the sweaty men huddled on the muddy field. The team stared at the goal line and focused on the game-ending, season-defining play in front of them. Dusty air filled their lungs with

Line 5 each deep heave they mustered. For almost two hours the men had battled their opponents on the barren football field. Joe, the center, could see the coach describing the play to a younger player. He was one of the grunts, a lineman, big and tall

10 and eager to push open gaps for the backs. The underclassman’s labored jog back to the huddle mirrored every man’s fatigue. The quarterback confirmed the play and articulated it to his team. Joe saw his mouth move but could

15 not hear the words; nonetheless, he knew his blocking assignment. The hiss of the crowd muffled all sound on the field. Suddenly, Joe picked a voice out of the din, and turned his attention to his good friend Mark. “This is it guys,” Mark was yelling. “We’ve been practicing

20 for four months this season and for three more years before that. It’s time we score and take home a win. Let’s get it done!” They all clasped hands to break the huddle and returned to their individual concentration. Time seemed to drag as the team marched back

25 to the line of scrimmage. Joe glared at his opponents, pleased by the heavy clouds of vapor billowing from their mouths. Exhaustion was written on their faces and in their twitchy movements on the line. He turned his head toward the place in which he wanted to force

30 a gap, then to the defensive end who stood fast with his hands on his knees, gaze fixed on the ground. Joe smiled inwardly; he knew his team had beaten the other with physical play and superior endurance. Time froze as he prepared to snap the ball.

35 Joe leaned over carefully and clutched the moist leather ball. His teammates cautiously took their places right and left, lining up as in countless practice drills, in perfect order. Like clockwork, too, was each man’s thorough examination of the opposing force, scanning

40 back and forth for a gap or a weak player, feeling the opponents’ stares in return. Joe felt the quarterback crouch behind him. The passer’s booming voice still did not register with Joe, but instinct told him what he needed to know. Three staccato hikes later, he snapped

45 the ball with speed and hurled himself towards the first defender. Joe felt the crunch of pads and brought his forearm under the other man’s shoulder pads. Lifting with his arms and legs, he threw the lesser player onto his back.

50 The meager lineman lay stunned for a moment, which greatly amused Joe, assuming the two yards he had sent his man back was more than enough to free the rusher to enter the endzone. This lucid moment lasted but a split second before Joe again lunged toward an upright

55 opponent. Joe turned abruptly at the sound of a whistle and strained to find the scoring rusher. Something was wrong. Joe’s teammates stood stunned, staring at the pile of defensive players who had fallen on their

60 running back. Referees began pulling men off the heap. With only a few men left on the ground, Joe could see the ball, still in the backfield, and in the arms of an opponent. He heard his coach from the sideline: “Fumble? Are you kidding me? I can’t believe you

65 guys!” His men had turned over possession of the ball, and time ran out on the game. “We had them beat, you know,” Mark hissed to Joe as they walked slowly off the field. “They were dead tired. We should have

70 won the game.” Their one chance was gone and now they had to endure the other team’s celebration on the field. Joe’s team never liked losing, but having come so close to a victory that day meant their last-minute defeat would be especially disappointing.

Joe would most likely agree with which of the following statements about the relationship between the players on his team?

  • Solution

    The best answer is C. The passage provides several interpersonal and physical examples of teammates working together for their goal of winning the game. Mark’s quotation is an example of encouragement. The narrator describes the role of linemen in pushing back the defense for the running back. The other answer choices are not supported by the passage.

Joe can most accurately be characterized as:

  • Solution

    The best answer is J. The passage gives details about the almost meditative quality of Joe’s preparation for the snap of the football. According to the passage, “instinct told him what he needed to know.” Engrossed is the quality of being deeply involved in something. The narrator uses rich descriptions of the rituals of the football play to emphasize the players’ dedication to the game.

Which of the following statements does NOT describe one of Joe’s reactions to the events of the final play of the game?

  • Solution

    The best answer is B. The passage discusses Joe’s surprise at the final outcome of the game. He first saw what had happened, before it truly sank in that the game had been lost. This correlates with answer choice A. The passage then goes on to state that “‘We had them beat, you know,’ Mark hissed to Joe as they walked slowly off the field.” This illustrates both commiseration with Mark, and that he may have been “trudging” off the field in walking slowly with his teammates. The only answer choice not supported by details in the passage is answer choice B. Nowhere in the passage does it state that Joe attacked his opponents following the game.

The main point of the first paragraph is that:

  • Solution

    The best answer is G. The first paragraph provides details on the setting that reinforce the intensity of the game so far. “A cold wind soothed the faces” indicates the faces are hurt or uncomfortable. The third sentence describes breathing dirty air. The word “muster” implies considerable effort on the part of the lungs. The phrases “gameending” and “season-defining” indicate the team is at a crucial moment in the game.

The main point of the last paragraph is that Joe feels:

  • Solution

    The best answer is D. The last sentence of the passage describes how the loss is particularly devastating because of how close Joe’s team came to winning on the final play. The other choices are not supported by the passage.

According to the passage, when Joe observes the opposing defensive line, Joe feels:

  • Solution

    The best answer is G. Details in paragraphs 4 and 5 describe Joe’s careful analysis of the defense made prior to the start of the play. The sentence “Joe glared at his opponents, pleased ...” is the best example to support answer choice G. The next sentence provides further evidence

Which of the following statements most accurately expresses Mark’s feelings after the loss?

  • Solution

    The best answer is D. Mark’s quotation from the last paragraph shows that the other team was more fatigued at the end of the game than was his team. The sentence “‘We should have won the game’” shows that Mark believed the team was prepared to win but failed.

It can logically be inferred from the passage that the reason the players join hands at the end of a huddle is because:

  • Solution

    The best answer is H. The last sentence of paragraph 3 describes the hand clasping, which immediately follows Mark’s statement of encouragement to his teammates. These two events come at the end of the huddle before the play. The purpose of the huddle is to establish the play and, hence, the upcoming roles of the individual players. The hand-clasping ritual seems to tie the team back together momentarily before they must break apart to perform their individual tasks during the play.

A reasonable conclusion Joe draws about his first block is that the block:

  • Solution

    The best answer is A. The passage describes Joe being pleased by the block and “assuming” it had sent his man back “more than enough to free the rusher to enter the endzone.” This best supports answer choice A.

According to the passage, the reason the final play of the game is crucial to the success of the entire season is that:

  • Solution

    The best answer is H. Mark’s quotation in paragraph 3 is an example of the magnitude of the game (and so, the final play) in the context of a season that includes “practicing for four months.” Mark even alludes to the success of the final play reflecting the quality of the team developed over four years.

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