ACT English Practice Test 20

An Island Speaks

For some, backpacking is the ultimate vacation. The wilderness has a way of cleansing the spirit. What was once a tedious, tiring activity, for me, is Q1 now an essential part of my summer recreation. My passion for backpacking took hold many years ago when I crossed paths with a hiker in the backcountry of Isle Royale National Park. Q2

The excitement in his eyes needless to say was Q3 infectious as he gazed out over Lake Superior. “By the shores of Gitche Gumee,/By the shining Big-Sea-Water,/Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,/Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.” He continued with more verses. “Have you read Longfellow’s Song of Hiawatha?” he asked, inquiring me. Q4

I had not. “Read it,” he replied, “and you have felt Q5 the passion that the native people had for this lake, this land. It was their lifeblood.” I understood what he meant. In the wilderness both physical and spiritual sustenance can be found, so every step along the trail brings you, closer to peace. Q1 My goal in backpacking is no longer the destination. However, like Q7 the people in Longfellow’s epic, I now seek harmony with the Earth through immersion in its scenic riches.

After many summers on the trail, I’ve established my preferred Q8 routine. I rise and retire with the sun. Sunrises and sunsets are time with Q9 calm reflection. After breakfast and before dinner, I slowly walk around the area near my tent, taking note of the plants, animals, and minerals that surround me. If I’m lucky, there is a creek, or a pond, Q10 to discover. Sometimes I find a fallen log or a huge boulder perfect for sitting upon and reflecting. In these times I surrender myself to the wilderness, allowing the sights, sounds, and smells to pass through me. Q11

Sometimes what I write in the wilderness is poetry, other time’s Q12 it’s prose. Years later I can look at my notepads to stir up vivid memories of my travels. This creative process has made backpacking more than immeasurably Q13 rewarding. The backcountry stimulates both my primal instincts and high levels of creativity.

Nowhere else do I feel as rawly human. When others snap Q14 photographs, I write. Therefore, Q15 a picture isn’t worth a thousand words. A journal of reflections imbued with nature’s spectacle is far more valuable.