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A little about me and the purpose of this blog. I am a licensed high school teacher (Language Arts 6 - 12) in the state of Tennessee going on 13 years now.  I have 7 children and drive a school bus.  Love me or hate me, none of my students will tell you that I am a typical school teacher.  I, like many, believe that education is woefully equipped to keep pace with technology.  As a technology enthusiast and educator publishing on a crypto website, I am trying to do my small part to bridge this gap for as many people as I can.  Recently, the development of AI has created an accelerated urgency for education to take its head out of the sand and teach relevant skills in the classroom.  The resources, lessons, and philosophy I publish here, I use in my own classroom, and anyone (especially homeschoolers) can use this blog as a resource to supplement their own instruction.  If you are new to my blog, I suggest starting at the beginning as I will be structuring my lessons here the same way I would for my classroom.  Tips are appreciated.  Questions and feedback in the comments are welcome. So if you are a teacher, student, or homeschooler that is motivated to learn about, teach, or utilize all available technology in education (or know someone who is), I encourage you to give me a follow:  https://x.com/TheRealMrE09

And to view  my entire blog:  //https://www.publish0x.com/education-and-ai-resources-and-instruction

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English Lesson 6:  Using AI to Master Clear/Concise Questions

11.W.TTP.2 (Subpart d): Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic when writing informative/explanatory texts.  (yes, I know it's a writing standard, but you will see how it fits shortly.)

These questions are among the easiest on the test; however, many students will be at a disadvantage due to the way many Language Arts teachers have instructed students over the years.  

In an effort to get students to write proficiently, many teachers have taught their students that more is better when it comes to language.  They are taught such things as a paragraph must be at least 5 sentences; an essay must be 5 paragraphs; use big, fancy vocabulary words in sentences; etc.  

In most cases this leaves students writing things and using words that quite simply aren't necessary in order to write “enough” to make their teacher happy.  A student under the impression that more is better in terms of phrasing will miss every single Clear/Concise Question.

Because on the ACT, it is exactly the opposite. The ACT values the real world style of communication that prizes efficient, brief, and precise communication – the ability to say exactly what is needed and no more.  So on the ACT, you should always choose the shortest, correct answer.

The first important step is to recognize a Clear/Concise question when you see one.  Many questions on the test may ask a student if a phrase should be changed; they are not all Clear/Concise Questions.  Many of these questions may be asked to rephrase because there is an error that needs to be corrected.  So how to tell the difference?  Very simple.

When all of the options would be grammatically, syntactically correct, they want the shortest answer.  And when I say they want the shortest answer, I mean count the words!  If one option has three words and another has two, choose the two word option.  2<3.  If there is a one word option and also the option to OMIT, choose omit.  0<1.  

Let's look at an example:

The librarian organized the books neatly on the shelves in alphabetical order.

1. NO CHANGE
2. neatly on the shelves
3. in an orderly alphabetical arrangement
4. with precision

In this example, the answer is D.  The original phrase has 7 words.  Option B has 4 words.  Option C has 5 words.  Option D has 2. It's that simple.  2<4<5<7.  Easy peasey lemon squeezy. 

Let's look at the Omit option.

The mechanic repaired the car quickly to get it back on the road.

1. NO CHANGE
2. quickly
3. with speed and efficiency
4. OMIT the underlined portion

The answer is D.  0<1<4<8.  One important mental check when omitting is to verify that doing so would not create a sentence fragment.  Removing “quickly to get it back on the road” leaves it with “The mechanic repaired the car.”  This is a complete sentence, so we have double checked that the answer is, in fact, D.

Let's look at an example of a question that appears to be a Clear/Concise Question is, in fact not, and not recognizing that omitting a phrase would create a sentence fragment or some other grammatical or syntactical error.

Running late for the meeting, the manager quickly gathered her notes.

1. NO CHANGE
2. the manager quickly gather her notes
3. her notes was quickly gathered by the manager
4. OMIT the underlined portion

In this example, the original sentence is the only correct option.  This is a verb agreement problem, not a clear/concise problem.  The student following the advice for clear/concise questions may be tempted to select OMIT, but that would create a sentence fragment.  Also by choosing B, the student would create a verb agreement error.  One big hint that this is NOT a clear/concise problem is that both the original phrase and option B have the exact same amount of words.

On a Clear/Concise problem, there will be an answer that is definitively shorter.

One thing I would really like to make clear.  These exceptions are very rare; there may be only one or two out of 75, so if there is any doubt or if sorting out the question begins to take longer than 35 seconds, then stick with the main rule of selecting OMIT and moving along.

Now, time to set up your AI to create practice problems.  Believe it or not, getting Grok to create an exercise like this can be quite challenging.  I actually had to have the AI help me to write the prompt, and I had to use Deep Think many times; I have over 20 commands to Grok to get him to create the following prompt that I am about to share with you.  It is long, but do not be afraid to copy and paste the entire thing into an AI in order to create a clear/concise practice question generator.  I did this by attaching an exercise that I created myself (that took almost an hour to create), having Grok analyze it, and then making many modifications to his reactions.  This is a process that I will detail for you in a future article.  Stay tuned for that because the ability to take pre-existing material and have AI generate variations is priceless.  You can also do this with concepts that you may not even understand all that well yourself.  Anyways, here is the prompt to create a Clear/Concise practice generator:

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ACT English Clear/Concise Practice Problems with One Exception Question

Objective:

Create a set of 10 practice problems to help students prepare for the ACT English section, focusing on the "Clear/Concise" concept. These problems should test students’ ability to identify the clearest and most concise way to express an idea, emphasizing brevity and precision in writing. Each set must include exactly one "exception" question that appears to be a clear/concise question but actually tests grammatical correctness, with "OMIT" being an incorrect option due to creating a grammatical error.

Format:

• Each problem consists of a standalone sentence with an underlined portion.

• For odd-numbered problems (1, 3, 5, 7, 9), provide four answer choices labeled A, B, C, D, where:

• A is always "NO CHANGE."

• B, C, D are alternative options, one of which may occasionally be "OMIT the underlined portion" (see restrictions below).

• For even-numbered problems (2, 4, 6, 8, 10), provide four answer choices labeled F, G, H, J, where:

• F is always "NO CHANGE."

• G, H, J are alternative options, one of which may occasionally be "OMIT the underlined portion" (see restrictions below).

• Underline only the specific portion of the sentence that students are evaluating, ensuring clarity about what is being tested.

Guidelines for Standard Clear/Concise Questions (9 out of 10):

• OMIT Restriction: Include the "OMIT the underlined portion" option in only one or two problems per set of 10, excluding the exception question.

• Correct Answers: The majority of correct answers (at least 7 out of 9) should be either:

• NO CHANGE, if the underlined portion is already clear and concise.

• A shorter, more concise phrase that improves clarity or eliminates redundancy, wordiness, or unnecessary details.

• The remaining correct answers may occasionally be "OMIT" when the underlined portion is entirely unnecessary and its removal does not create a grammatical error.

• Distractors: The incorrect options should include:

• Wordy or redundant phrases.

• Less clear or overly elaborate alternatives.

• Options that change the meaning of the sentence or introduce errors.

Guidelines for the Exception Question (1 out of 10):

• Purpose: This question should appear to be a standard clear/concise question but actually tests grammatical correctness.

• Structure:

• The underlined portion, when omitted, must create a grammatical error (e.g., sentence fragment, subject-verb disagreement, or misplaced modifier).

• All alternative options (B, C, D or G, H, J) must introduce their own grammatical errors (e.g., subject-verb disagreement, incorrect verb tense, pronoun issues, or awkward phrasing).

• Only "NO CHANGE" must be grammatically correct.

• Placement: Randomly place this exception question within the set of 10 to prevent predictability.

• Options:

• Include "OMIT the underlined portion" as one of the options (e.g., D or J), but ensure it is incorrect because omitting would create a grammatical error.

• The other two options should contain subtle grammatical errors that make them incorrect.

Content:

• Vary sentence topics and structures to reflect the diversity of the ACT English section (e.g., science, history, personal interests, daily life).

• Ensure problems are challenging yet accessible, preparing students for the ACT without being discouraging.

• Focus on common "Clear/Concise" issues, such as redundancy, unnecessary modifiers, or overly complex phrasing, while incorporating one exception question per set that tests grammatical integrity.

Deliverables:

• Practice Problems: A numbered list of 10 sentences with underlined portions and their respective answer choices.

• Answer Key: A separate section listing the correct answer for each problem (e.g., "1. A, 2. G, 3. C").

• Reasoning: A detailed section explaining why each correct answer is the clearest and most concise option (or grammatically correct in the case of the exception question), and why the other choices are incorrect or less effective.

Additional Notes:

• Begin the practice set with a brief reminder: "For each question, select the option that makes the sentence clearest and most concise, avoiding redundancy and unnecessary details. Be aware that one question per set may test grammatical correctness instead."

• Proofread all sentences, options, and explanations for accuracy and clarity.

• Ensure the problems are engaging and relevant to students, enhancing their motivation to practice.

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EVERYTHING between the lines is the prompt.  I told you it was long!  Copy and paste the entire thing into the chat bar and then ask for as many sets as you need.  Happy Practicing!