Way too interesting

    When talking about the ACT, people often try to console teenagers by saying that the reading passages are selected because the test writers believe that these topics interest us. After taking the ACT, I think that these passages may in fact be too interesting for us to read. The Discussion about the Bessemer and open-hearth methods for producing steel was absolutely riveting. Colvin and Juthe deserve a Pulitzer, a Cadlecott, and a Newbery. My first reaction to reading this piece was that I am not worthy to read this. It was simply beautiful. The eloquent metaphor "The action is exactly similar to what happens in a firebox under a forced draft," simply tugs at my heart strings. If the ACT cannot read bubble 12 of the ACT reading section due to the tear stain, blame this metaphor. Every high-school student knows exactly what happens in a firebox under a forced draft so we completely understand this metaphor and can relate to passion that these authors have for the elegant process of "charging molten pig iron into a huge, brick-lined pot called the Bessemer converter." Additionally, the connotation of the word "pig" implies bacon which is often cooked on a stainless steel pan. Whoa. At this point, I had to take a five-minute break because the author of this piece melted my brain like molten pig iron. I had plenty of time because 35 minutes is a really long time for one section of a test. No one every complains about the ACT time limit. I came back from my break refreshed but was unprepared for the next awe-inspiring piece-A little girl's magical journey with her cow. At first she is playing with her cow but she looses Bessie in the labyrinth of a prairie. We feel her suffering and agony as the 30 seconds it takes for her to spot her camouflaged and compact black-and-white spotted behemoth of an animal seem to go on forever. The relief and joy I felt when this girl, whose name is way too important for me to remember, is similar to the joy that I find when I find a paper clip on the floor. It was not only beautiful. It was cathartic. At this point, I was too emotional overwhelmed to continue taking the test. The test that could possible determine my future was not as important as my desire to convey my emotional turmoil due to the emotional roller coaster as a result of the ACT reading. It is not right to make these passages so beautiful and interesting. The passages must be checked in order to make sure that they don't improperly affect the students psyche as these cathartic passages may cause students to break down with emotion and fail the ACT.