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ACT Aspire Practice Questions (2026) — Free Sample Questions with Answers

6 free ACT Aspire questions from our 25-question bank, grouped by content domain. Each answer explains why the right option is right — and why every wrong option is wrong.

English (1)Mathematics (1)Reading (2)Science (2)
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English

Question 1

Choose the best word or phrase for the blank.

"Solar panels can lower a household's monthly electricity bill. ____ the cost of buying and installing them can be several thousand dollars."

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Answer: B

Therefore,: "Therefore" signals a result, but a high installation cost is not caused by lower bills.

However,: Correct. The second sentence presents a drawback that contrasts with the benefit in the first, so a contrast transition is needed.

For example,: The second sentence is not an example of lower bills; it introduces an opposing point.

Similarly,: "Similarly" signals a comparable idea, but a cost contrasts with a benefit.

Identify the logical relationship between sentences (contrast, cause, example, addition) before choosing a transition.

Mathematics

Question 2

A bag contains 4 red marbles and 6 blue marbles. Two marbles are drawn at random, one after the other, without replacement. What is the probability that both marbles are red?

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Answer: D

4/25: This is (4/10)², the probability with replacement; after one red is removed, only 3 of 9 remain red.

1/3: This is only the probability that the second marble is red given the first was red (3/9).

2/5: This is only the probability that the first marble is red (4/10).

2/15: Correct. P = (4/10) × (3/9) = 12/90 = 2/15.

Without replacement, multiply by the conditional probability: both the numerator and the denominator drop by one after each draw.

Reading

Question 3

On a summer afternoon, the center of a large city can be several degrees warmer than the surrounding countryside. Scientists call this effect an urban heat island. Dark surfaces such as asphalt roads and tar roofs absorb sunlight and release the stored heat slowly, keeping neighborhoods warm well into the night. Cities also have fewer trees and less open soil, so less water evaporates to cool the air. The consequences go beyond discomfort. Higher temperatures increase demand for air conditioning, which strains power grids, and prolonged heat poses health risks to older adults and people who work outdoors. Some cities have responded by painting roofs white, which reflects more sunlight, and by planting trees along streets. In one neighborhood study, blocks with dense tree cover measured noticeably cooler on summer afternoons than nearby blocks with little shade.

According to the passage, one reason city neighborhoods stay warm into the night is that

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Answer: D

air conditioners release large amounts of heat into the streets: The passage links air conditioning to strain on power grids, not to nighttime warmth.

tall buildings block cool winds coming from the countryside: Buildings and wind are never mentioned in the passage.

power plants near cities produce heat throughout the evening: The passage does not say power plants warm neighborhoods.

dark roads and roofs give off stored heat slowly after sunset: Correct. The passage states that dark surfaces absorb sunlight and release the heat slowly, keeping neighborhoods warm into the night.

For "according to the passage" questions, the answer is stated directly; reject choices that sound plausible but are not in the text.

Question 4

Nadia had assumed the old clock on her grandfather's shelf was simply broken, the way old things were. So when he lifted off its back panel and spread a cloth across the kitchen table, she expected the job to take ten minutes. Two hours later, the table was covered with gears no bigger than shirt buttons, each laid in a careful row. "You have to remember where everything came from," he said, not looking up. Nadia shifted in her chair. Her friends were at the pool, and her phone kept buzzing. Then her grandfather slid a tiny wheel toward her and asked her to hold it steady while he fitted a spring. Her hands shook at first, but when the spring clicked into place, she realized she had been holding her breath. By evening the clock was ticking again, slightly fast. Nadia found she didn't mind at all that they would have to open it up again tomorrow.

Which statement best expresses a central idea of the passage?

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Answer: B

Old objects are rarely worth the time it takes to repair them.: The passage ends with the clock working and Nadia glad to keep going, the opposite of this idea.

Taking part in patient, shared work can change how a person feels about it.: Correct. Nadia starts impatient and distracted, becomes absorbed once she helps, and ends up looking forward to continuing.

Time spent with friends matters more than time spent with family.: Nadia briefly thinks of her friends, but the story moves her toward valuing time with her grandfather.

Skilled repairs can only be learned by reading careful instructions.: Nadia learns by working beside her grandfather; no instructions are mentioned.

A central idea is supported by the whole passage, especially by how a character changes from beginning to end.

Science

Question 5

A seedling on a windowsill grew bending toward the window. Two students proposed explanations. Student 1: The seedling bends toward light. Student 2: The seedling bends toward warmth.

Which result would support Student 1's explanation but NOT Student 2's?

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Answer: A

In a room kept at one temperature, a seedling bends toward a cool LED lamp placed away from the window.: Correct. The plant bends toward light that gives off little heat, with temperature held constant, which fits Student 1 and contradicts Student 2.

In a completely dark room, a seedling bends toward a heater placed on one side of it.: Bending toward heat in the dark would support Student 2, not Student 1.

In a dark room kept at one temperature, a seedling grows straight upward without bending.: With neither light nor a heat difference, this result does not distinguish between the explanations.

On a sunny windowsill, a seedling bends toward the window, which is both warm and bright.: Light and warmth come from the same direction, so this result fits both explanations equally.

To tell two explanations apart, separate their variables: a test where only one factor differs can support one explanation and rule out the other.

Question 6

A student measured the maximum amount of dissolved oxygen that fresh water can hold at different temperatures. Water temperature (°C): 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 Dissolved oxygen (mg/L): 12.8, 11.3, 10.1, 9.1, 8.3

As the water temperature increased from 5°C to 25°C, the dissolved oxygen

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Answer: B

increased steadily: Every value in the table is lower than the one before it, so oxygen did not increase.

decreased steadily: Correct. Dissolved oxygen fell at each step, from 12.8 mg/L at 5°C to 8.3 mg/L at 25°C.

increased, then decreased: There is no rise anywhere in the data; the values fall throughout.

stayed about the same: The values drop by 4.5 mg/L in total, a substantial change.

To find a trend, compare each value with the one before it across the whole range of the independent variable.

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