Medium ACT Parallelism Practice Questions

Concept Explanation

Parallelism is the grammatical requirement that items in a list, series, or comparison must follow the same structural form to ensure clarity and balance. When you encounter Medium ACT Parallelism Practice Questions, you are being tested on your ability to recognize when verbs, nouns, or phrases do not match their counterparts in a sentence. For instance, if a sentence begins a list with gerunds (words ending in -ing), every subsequent item in that list must also be a gerund. This consistency helps the reader follow the logic of the sentence without being tripped up by shifts in tense or part of speech.

On the ACT English section, parallelism often appears in three specific contexts: lists of three or more items, binary pairs connected by conjunctions like "and" or "or," and comparisons using "than" or "as." If you are preparing for the exam, you might also find it helpful to review ACT Sentence Structure Practice Questions with Answers to see how parallelism fits into broader syntax rules. A common error involves mixing an infinitive, such as "to run," with a simple noun or a gerund like "swimming." According to Purdue OWL, maintaining parallel structure is essential for professional and academic writing because it improves readability and emphasizes the relationship between ideas.

To identify these errors on the ACT, locate the conjunction (and, but, or) or the comparison marker (than, as). Check the word or phrase immediately before the marker and ensure the word or phrase after it is in the exact same format. If the first item is an adjective, the second must be an adjective. If the first is a prepositional phrase, the second must be a prepositional phrase. For more comprehensive practice across all English topics, you can explore the ACT Prep hub or use the AI Question Generator to create custom drills.

Solved Examples

1. Example 1: The chef enjoyed chopping vegetables, sautéing onions, and to grill steaks.
   1. Identify the list: "chopping," "sautéing," and "to grill."
   2. Check the pattern: The first two items are gerunds (-ing).
   3. Correct the error: Change "to grill" to "grilling" to match the pattern.
   4. Result: The chef enjoyed chopping vegetables, sautéing onions, and grilling steaks.
2. Example 2: Success in college depends not only on hard work but also one must be persistent.
   1. Identify the correlative conjunction: "not only... but also."
   2. Check the pattern: After "not only" is a noun phrase ("hard work").
   3. Correct the error: The phrase after "but also" must be a noun phrase. Change "one must be persistent" to "persistence."
   4. Result: Success in college depends not only on hard work but also persistence.
3. Example 3: It is often easier to write a rough draft than revising a final paper.
   1. Identify the comparison: "easier to write... than revising."
   2. Check the pattern: The first part uses an infinitive ("to write").
   3. Correct the error: Change "revising" to the infinitive "to revise."
   4. Result: It is often easier to write a rough draft than to revise a final paper.

Practice Questions

1. The documentary explored the history of the ruins, the culture of the people, and how the climate changed over time.

2. To stay healthy, the doctor recommended that Marcus eat more fiber, drink more water, and should exercise daily.

3. The new software is not only more efficient than the old version but also it costs less.

4. The professor’s lecture was clear, concise, and informative to the students.

5. Hiking through the woods is often more peaceful than to walk through a busy city park.

6. The interns were responsible for filing paperwork, answering the phones, and the organization of the supply closet.

7. Whether we go to the beach or staying at home, I just want to relax this weekend.

8. The athlete spent her morning running laps, lifting weights, and she practiced her free throws.

9. The hotel room was neither clean nor was it quiet during our stay.

10. Most critics agree that the novel is better written than it is plotted.

Answers & Explanations

1. The climate change: The list consists of noun phrases ("the history of...", "the culture of..."). To maintain parallelism, the third item should also be a noun phrase like "the change in climate."
2. Exercise: The list follows the pattern "eat...", "drink..." (base verbs). "Should exercise" adds an unnecessary modal verb; it should simply be "exercise."
3. Less expensive: The phrase "not only" is followed by an adjective ("more efficient"). Therefore, "but also" should be followed by an adjective like "less expensive" or "cheaper."
4. Informative: The sentence uses a list of single adjectives ("clear," "concise"). Adding "to the students" makes the third item a phrase, breaking the pattern. It should just be "informative."
5. Walking: The comparison starts with a gerund ("Hiking"). To match, the comparison must end with a gerund ("walking") rather than an infinitive ("to walk").
6. Organizing: The first two items are gerund phrases ("filing paperwork," "answering the phones"). The third should be "organizing the supply closet."
7. Stay: The structure "Whether we [verb]... or [verb]" requires matching verb forms. Since "go" is the base form, the second verb should be "stay."
8. Practicing: The list uses gerunds ("running," "lifting"). "She practiced" introduces a new subject and a past-tense verb, which breaks the flow. It should be "practicing."
9. Quiet: The correlative conjunction "neither... nor" connects two adjectives here. Since "clean" is an adjective, the second part should simply be "quiet."
10. Plotted: The comparison is between two past participles describing the novel: "written" and "plotted." Adding "it is" creates an unnecessary clause.

1. Which of the following sentences uses correct parallel structure?

• AShe likes to swim, to hike, and taking photos.
• BShe likes swimming, hiking, and taking photos.
• CShe likes to swim, hiking, and to take photos.
• DShe likes swimming, to hike, and takes photos.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common parallelism error on the ACT?

The most frequent error occurs in lists where one item is a different part of speech than the others, such as mixing a gerund with an infinitive. Students often fail to notice the shift because the sentence still makes sense logically, even if it is grammatically inconsistent.

Do I always need to repeat the word "to" in a list of infinitives?

No, you can either include "to" before every verb in the list (to run, to jump, and to play) or include it only before the first verb (to run, jump, and play). The key is to be consistent; you should not use it for the first and third items but omit it for the second.

How does parallelism relate to other ACT English topics?

Parallelism is closely tied to ACT Subject Verb Agreement Practice Questions with Answers and ACT Punctuation Practice Questions with Answers because it affects the overall flow and structural integrity of a sentence. Proper punctuation, like commas in a series, is necessary to separate the parallel elements correctly.

Are correlative conjunctions always tested for parallelism?

Yes, pairs like "either/or," "neither/nor," and "not only/but also" are high-priority targets for parallelism questions on the ACT. Whatever grammatical structure follows the first part of the pair must be mirrored exactly after the second part of the pair.

Can parallelism errors occur in comparisons?

Absolutely, comparisons using "than" or "as" must compare similar things in similar forms. For example, you should compare an action to an action (Running is better than walking) or a noun to a noun (My car is faster than your car), rather than mixing forms.

How can I practice this specific skill more effectively?

Focus on identifying the "and" or "or" in a sentence and then underlining the items being connected to see if they match. Using tools like the AI Exam Simulator can help you see these questions in the context of a full-length practice test.