Integrate visual/quantitative information (graph, figure, table) with the text.
Read the graphic and the passage together, then use the data to sharpen or limit the claim.
Core Idea
In this unit, a table or figure is part of the evidence set. The right answer has to fit both the passage and the data.
Understanding
ACT Reading often uses natural-science informational passages with a table, figure, or chart to test whether you can move between prose and quantitative information. The passage may make a general claim, but the visual usually supplies the precision you need. Read the visual actively, then ask how the numbers sharpen, qualify, or limit the author's point.
Start with caption, headings, and units before you start interpreting the pattern. Reject any answer that fits only the prose or only the data. In this skill, both sources have to point in the same direction.
Step by Step
- Read the caption, headings, and units before interpreting the numbers.
- Identify the key comparison or trend in the visual.
- Match that pattern to the claim made in the passage.
- Reject any answer that fits only the prose or only the data, but not both.
Misconceptions
- Looking only at the largest number instead of the relevant change.
- Confusing final totals with amount of growth.
- Ignoring the category or time period named in the table.
Worked Example
Which choice is best supported by the passage and the table together? A natural-science passage explains that biologists testing pollinator-friendly field margins found increased bee activity after native wildflowers were planted, and it notes that the strongest gains appeared in sites closest to year-round water. A table shows average weekly bee visits before and after planting: dry upland fields rose from 18 to 24, shaded edge fields rose from 21 to 28, and riverside fields rose from 16 to 31.
Select an answer to see the explanation