ACT
Practice Test 25

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PROSE FICTION: The Lessons of Wilderness Living

Members of modern society are fortunate to enjoy many conveniences once unheard of or reserved for the elite. Imagine, if you can, only one day without running water. It strains the mind to think of all the daily rituals

Line 5 one would have to change if the tap suddenly went dry. People today take electricity for granted, too. Lately, I’ve realized that while reliance on modern technology can improve the efficiency and quality of life, it also keeps people from learning meaningful lessons

10 about living with the earth. The conservation ethics that I gained this summer while working at a hunting lodge I could not have learned elsewhere. The lodge is located on a massive, little known lake in northern Canada, closer to the Arctic Circle than

15 it is to the U.S. border. Every spring, the lodge reopens to welcome scores of dedicated anglers itching to dip a line in the nearby pristine creeks. By summer, the small lodge fills to capacity with eager hunters. On the guided treks, these men and women primarily chase

20 migratory birds and caribou, but I have seen plenty of other unique game come back to the lodge kitchen for preparation. Every hunter agrees that what one finds at the lodge is a truly luxurious hunting experience. Many people are surprised to find the lodge is totally

25 self-sufficient, with the exception of the food staples it receives by small airplane. For a whole season, I was “off the grid,” totally dependent on the lodge to provide me with heat, light, water, and sanitation. When I asked the owner why he built his

30 modern-looking log lodge so far beyond the reach of civilization, he replied, “I didn’t really like hunting anywhere the sewer line ran.” Or electricity or telephone or the water main, I thought to myself. The boss is a peculiar man, but I see why he had no reservations

35 about setting up shop so deep in the wilderness. He had learned to love it years ago when he was an elite mountain soldier in the army. He always mentioned that life wasn’t as difficult in the sub-arctic wilderness as people think. Of course, he had a lodge to run, and

40 not everyone was as hardy as he. His creative solutions to the lack of infrastructure are impressive. The first necessity of employees and guests is clean water for cooking, eating, and washing. A nearby creek feeds a large pump that draws the water through a

45 particulate filter and into a large holding tank. A much smaller pipe takes some of this water through a series of purification devices. Inside, every sink has three taps: two blue and one red. Guests are used to the blue ones, drinkable hot and cold water, but the red one

50 always requires an explanation. My contribution over the summer was to design a sign for each sink explaining the ways one could use the unpurified water from the red tap that came directly from the holding tank. Showering and cleaning are the most important uses,

55 but “red” water is also useful for the garden or to give to the dogs. The roof of the lodge is layered with solar cells to take advantage of the bright, clear summer sky. On average, the 10-room lodge can generate the

60 same amount of power as a conventional two-bedroom apartment uses. Naturally, this poses challenges. The biggest conservation measure I could see was total lack of electronics, with the exception of the computer in the back office, which I’ve never seen turned on. The

65 ceiling of every room has a large skylight, eliminating the need for electric light during the day. At night, a limited set of high-efficiency fluorescent bulbs illuminates the corridors and public spaces. Staff is equipped with flashlights for use in closets, outside, or in other

70 unlit spaces. Interestingly, the low lighting seems to foster an “early to bed, early to rise” mentality among the guests, who always rave about how rested they feel after a week’s stay. Guests and staff alike stay warm with heavy

75 woolen blankets, or, as my boss once quipped, “personal insulating devices.” A full-circle fireplace in the center heats the main space. Smoke floats up the chimney while the heavy stainless steel hood reflects heat to all corners of the room. When guests close their

80 room doors at night, they can barely hear the high speed electric impellers that draw warmth from the fire into the rooms. The lodge is a model of efficiency in an oftenunforgiving territory. My summer there taught me to

85 budget more carefully my consumption of water and power. It is such discipline that will be necessary in the future when costs of these commodities might be so high that civilization can no longer take their abundance for granted.

Which of the following disadvantages of modern utilities is best supported by the details in the passage?

  • Solution

    The best answer is D. The first paragraph discusses the fact that people today are “fortunate to enjoy many conveniences once unheard of or reserved for the elite,” and then goes on to declare that people take water and electricity for granted. These details best support answer choice D. Answer choice A may appear to be correct; however, the passages states the it is “in the future” when the prices of these commodities will be so high that people can no longer take their quantity and use for granted.

One can reasonably infer from the passage that a person who were to drink from a red tap would most likely:

  • Solution

    The best answer is J. The passage indicates that water from the blue tap is “drinkable hot and cold water,” while water from the red tap is “unpurified” and not meant for consumption by humans. If the water from the red tap is unpurified and not drinkable, it makes the most sense that those who drank it would run the risk of falling ill from waterborne pathogens – answer choice J. Answer choice G may appear to be correct; however, water with added chlorine and fluoride is water that has been puri- fied. As indicated by the passage, water from the red tap is not purified.

Given the way he is presented in the passage, the boss of the lodge can best be described as:

  • Solution

    The best answer is C. In the passage, the author states that “The boss is a peculiar man,” and that “His creative solutions to the lack of most kinds of outside assistance are impressive.” This indicates that the boss is both eccentric and enterprising. The other answer choices are beyond the scope of the passage and not supported by descriptions of the boss of the lodge.

The narrator’s comment about “luxurious” hunts (lines 22–23) refers to trips that:

  • Solution

    The best answer is H. The passage states that though the hunters often return with “migratory birds and caribou,” the narrator has seen “plenty of other unique game come back to the lodge kitchen for preparation.” This indicates that an unusual variety of game exists in the woods surrounding the lodge, answer choice H. Answer choices F, G, and J are all statements made without supporting details to back them up present in the passage.

The second and third paragraphs suggest that, if not for the need to host a variety of guests, the boss would prefer:

  • Solution

    The best answer is B. The second paragraph discusses the many hunters who voyage to the lodge every summer, and the fact that the lodge is almost totally self-sufficient. The third paragraph discusses the boss’ desire to situate himself so deeply into the wilderness and his hardiness. These facts all support answer choice B. Answer choices A and C are incorrect because they indicate that the boss would like a more modern, less remote hunting lodge, when he clearly enjoys being beyond the reach of civilization. Answer choice D is beyond the scope of the passage; nowhere in the passage is a wilderness skills training facility mentioned.

Which of the following conclusions about the relationship between the narrator and the boss is best supported by the details in the passage?

  • Solution

    The best answer is F. In the passage, the narrator asks the boss what the rationale is behind constructing his lodge so far out in the wilderness, and the narrator continues on to describe the boss as a “peculiar man.” These statements indicate that the narrator does not fully comprehend the extreme isolation of the lodge. The narrator goes on to describe the boss as having impressive “creative solutions to the lack of most kinds of outside assistance.” This implies that the narrator respects the resourcefulness, or ingenuity, of the boss. These facts best correlate with answer choice F.

What does the narrator suggest is a central characteristic of modern society’s water and power consumption?

  • Solution

    The best answer is C. Modern society’s consumption of water and power is described as being taken for granted and presumed. This implies that society does not value water and power as much as they should, nor do they take conservation efforts that they could. “Exorbitance” means “excessiveness and wastefulness,” which makes the most sense in the context of the passage.

As it is used in line 27, the word grid most likely means:

  • Solution

    The best answer is H. The author follows his statement that he was “off the grid” with the fact that he was fully dependent on the lodge to give him “heat, light, water, and sanitation.” All of these provisions are components of utility systems—answer choice H. Therefore, though the word “grid” could refer to any of the answer choices, answer choice H makes the most sense in the context of the passage.

The boss would most likely agree with which of the following characterizations of his lodge?

  • Solution

    The best answer is B. Throughout the passage, the lodge is described as being extremely rustic. However, it is mentioned that a computer is present in the back office, and that at night “a limited set of high-efficiency fluorescent bulbs illuminates the corridors and public spaces.” This best corresponds with answer choice B; even though the lodge is rustic and has a wilderness charm, some modern conveniences help it remain habitable.

It is most reasonable to infer from the passage that the creeks near the lodge are pristine because:

  • Solution

    The best answer is H. The passage discusses the fact that the lodge is situated “deep in the wilderness,” “far beyond the reach of civilization.” The fact that the lodge is far from civilization correlates best with answer choice H, which states that civilization is not present to alter or pollute the rivers. Answer choice F is incorrect because the passage indicates neither the quantity of fish in the creeks, nor the effect that would have on the cleanliness of the creeks. Likewise, answer choice J is incorrect because the types of fish caught in the creek are not mentioned. Although answer choice G is mentioned in the passage, its relevance to the cleanliness of the creeks is not drawn and therefore is incorrect.

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