ACT Reading: Understand Comparisons and Analogies the Author Makes

Comparisons and analogies are tools authors use to explain difficult ideas by linking them to familiar ones. Questions ask: "The author compares X to Y in order to..." or "How is X similar to Y?" or "The analogy of X demonstrates that..." Your job is to find the comparison in the passage and understand what quality or behavior the author is highlighting. Most importantly, focus on why the author makes the comparison, not just what is being compared.

Example: If an author writes "Like a river carving through stone, persistence gradually wears down resistance," the comparison links a river to persistence. The author is emphasizing the quality of gradual, relentless change. A question asking what the analogy reveals about persistence would point to this gradualness and consistency. Don't get distracted by irrelevant facts about rivers; focus on the shared quality.

Mistake 1: Identifying the surface comparison but missing the author's purpose. You spot "river" and "persistence" but miss that the point is about gradual change. Re-read the surrounding sentences to understand why the comparison matters. Mistake 2: Choosing an answer that's true about one element but not the comparison itself. "Rivers flow downhill" is true, but if the question asks what the river comparison suggests, that answer is off-topic. Mistake 3: Using outside knowledge instead of the passage. Your general knowledge about rivers doesn't matter; the passage determines what quality of the river is being highlighted.

During practice, underline every comparison in a passage and write a one-sentence explanation of why the author makes it. This forces you to read comparisons strategically instead of surface-level.

Find a practice passage with at least two comparison or analogy questions. For each comparison you find, write: (1) What two things are being compared? (2) What quality of the first thing does the author emphasize? (3) Why does the author make this comparison (what idea does it support)? Answer these questions before looking at answer choices. If you can articulate these three points in one or two sentences, you'll recognize the correct answer immediately when you see it. Do this for three different comparisons across passages. You'll notice that correct answers restate what you wrote down, confirming the method works and building confidence.

Repeat on three more passages over one week. By the time you finish, comparison questions should feel routine because you have a systematic analysis method.

Comparison and analogy questions make up 10-15% of ACT Reading. They're harder than detail questions but often easier than inference questions because the comparison is explicitly stated. Students who develop a systematic approach to analyzing comparisons pick up 1 easy point on the reading section because they're less common and simpler to target with a method.

Use this three-point analysis framework on your next two practice tests. Track how many comparison questions you encounter and answer correctly. By test day, these should feel like routine questions you answer confidently.