Best Concluding Sentence
Question
A paragraph has discussed how the festival doubled in attendance, expanded to three days, and added music alongside food. Which best concludes the paragraph?
Answer choices
- Tickets for next year are already on sale.
- Several food trucks have applied to participate next year.
- The mayor attended the closing ceremony.
- In just five years, what began as a small block party has become a regional event.
D Correct answer: D) In just five years, what began as a small block party has become a regional event.
The paragraph has described the festival's growth in attendance, length, and scope. The conclusion should generalize that trajectory: "what began as a small block party has become a regional event." The other options introduce new specifics rather than wrapping up.
The other options either introduce a grammatical error or change the intended meaning. The ACT consistently rewards the most concise, grammatically correct option.
Read the sentence with each option substituted in. The version that preserves meaning while obeying the underlying rule is the correct answer; on the ACT, that is almost always the shortest option that still works.
The underlying rule
A concluding sentence should summarize the trajectory the paragraph has just described. Specific facts (tickets, the mayor, food trucks) belong in the body; the conclusion should generalize.
Why each wrong answer is wrong
- A) Tickets for next year are already on sale.: This option introduces a new specific fact rather than summarizing the trajectory the paragraph has already established.
- B) Several food trucks have applied to participate next year.: This option introduces a new specific fact rather than summarizing the trajectory the paragraph has already established.
- C) The mayor attended the closing ceremony.: This option introduces a new specific fact rather than summarizing the trajectory the paragraph has already established.
Study tip
Concluding sentences should generalize, not specify. If an option introduces a new fact, it is probably wrong. Look instead for an option that pulls together what the paragraph has already shown.
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