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After a few weeks, Mark observed a cotton-like substance in some of his L-alanine samples. He was sure that these weren’t L-alanine crystals. After spending some time in the library, he found that the amino acid L-alanine, is prone to bacterial attack. He hypothesized that bacteria were eat- ing his samples and that the cotton-like substance was a bacterial byproduct. He prepared 20 new L-alanine samples. All of the samples were 40% supersaturated in 2 g of water at room tempera- ture. Mark took great care to keep his samples sterile. He used water that had been passed through a 0.22 µm filter and treated by UV rays. Mark was able to obtain crystals from 15 out of 20 solutions. 6. The goal of Mark’s research was: f. to eliminate bacteria from his samples. g. to determine why L-alanine didn’t crystallize. h. to heat his samples without damaging them. j. to grow and analyze the crystals of two amino acids. 7. According to the passage above, what best supports the statement, “40% supersaturation is sufficient for glycine crystal growth at room temperature.” a. L-alanine is prone to bacterial attack. b. When Mark increased the supersaturation to 50%, he obtained crystals. c. Crystals formed in 40% supersaturated samples, prepared using filtered and treated water. d. Filtering water causes crystallization in all samples. 8. If filtering water through a 0.22 µm filter, without UV treatment, were enough to eliminate the bacter- ial attack problem, what could be said about the bacteria in Mark’s samples? f. They are too large to pass through a 0.22 µm filter. g. They are too small to pass through a 0.22 µm filter. h. After passing through a 0.22 µm filter, the L-alanine stops being a food source for the bacteria. j. After passing through a 0.22 µm filter, the bacteria stops being a food source for L-alanine. 9. It can be inferred from the passage that UV treatment is used to: a. increase supersaturation in solutions of amino acids. b. cause skin cancer in tanning salons. c. kill microorganisms. d. filter solutions of amino acids. 10. Mark’s hypothesis that he wasn’t obtaining crystals because bacteria were feeding on his samples: f. was probably correct. g. was probably incorrect. h. was not formed in accordance with the scientific method. j. could not be tested. – ACT SCIENCE REASONING TEST PRACTICE– 254 Passage III IS PLUTO A PLANET? Scientist 1 Based on perturbations in Neptune’s orbit, the search for a ninth planet was conducted, and Pluto was discovered in 1930. Pluto orbits the Sun just as the other eight planets do, and it has a moon, Charon, and a stable orbit. Based on its distance from the Sun, Pluto should be grouped with the planets known as gas giants. In addition, Pluto, like the planet Mercury, has little or no atmosphere. Pluto is definitely not a comet because it does not have a tail like a comet when it is near the Sun. Pluto is also not an asteroid, although its density is closer to an asteroid than to any of the other planets. Pluto is a planet because it has been classified as one for more than sixty years since its dis- covery. Scientist 2 Pluto should no longer be classified as a planet based on new evidence that has come to light in the last few years. When Pluto was first discovered, nothing was known about its orbit or its com- position. Pluto has an orbit that is not in the same plane as the other planets (i.e., it is tilted) and its orbit is more eccentric, or elongated than any other planet’s orbit. Pluto orbits the Sun in the outer solar system, and so should be similar in size and composition to the gas giants, but it is not. Pluto lacks rings that all other gas giants possess. Also, Pluto’s moon is larger than any other moon relative to its parent planet. In recent years, new objects have been found which belong to the Kuiper Belt, a region of small solid icy bodies that orbit the Sun beyond the orbit of Neptune and Pluto. A large object called Quaoar has recently been discovered which has a density nearly iden- tical to Pluto, Charon, and Triton. Based on these facts, I conclude that Pluto is a Kuiper Belt object. 11. Scientist 1 states that “Based on its distance from the Sun, Pluto should be grouped with the planets knows as gas giants.” Which of the following statements made by Scientist 2 opposes Scientist 1’s belief that Pluto is a gas planet? a. Pluto’s moon is larger than any other moon relative to its parent planet. b. A large object called Quaoar has recently been discovered which has a density nearly identical to Pluto, Charon, and Triton. c. Pluto has an orbit that is not in the same plane as the other planets (i.e., it is tilted) and its orbit is more eccentric, or elongated than any other planet’s orbit. d. Pluto lacks rings that all other gas giants possess. – ACT SCIENCE REASONING TEST PRACTICE– 255 12. What do both scientists agree upon? f. Pluto is like Mercury. g. Pluto is a Kuiper Belt Object. h. Pluto orbits the sun. j. Charon is a planet. 13. Which of the following are reasons why Scientist 2 believes Pluto should NOT be classified as a planet? I. Pluto has no atmosphere. II. Pluto is similar in composition to Quaoar. III. Pluto has the most eccentric orbit of all the planets. IV. Pluto’s orbit is not in the same plane as the orbits of the other planets. a. II and III only b. I, III, and IV c. III and IV only d. II, III, and IV 14. Based on composition and density, Pluto is a: f. Kuiper Belt Object. g. Earth-like planet. h. comet. j. gas giant planet. 15. Based on the information presented by Scientist 2, what is a possible origin for Neptune’s moon, Tr ito n? a. Triton is a natural moon of Neptune. b. Triton is a captured Kuiper Belt Object. c. Triton is a captured asteroid. d. Triton is a captured comet. – ACT SCIENCE REASONING TEST PRACTICE– 256  Pretest Answers and Explanations Passage I 1. d. As seen in Table 1, the deer population decreased over time, but not at a constant rate. 2. g. The greatest difference between the numbers of population among the choices is from 1960–1975 which was 23. All other choices were less than 23. 3. d. If you look at the top row of Table 1, you see that the wolf population increased in the first 10 years from 52 to 75. From 1965 the wolf population decreased from 75 down to 45 in 1975, and finally increased again in 1980. 4. h. The bar graph shows nothing about the effects of hunting (choice f) nor does it show any other ani- mals besides deer and wolves (choice j). Only choice h is an appropriate title for the bar graph. 5. b. A major forest fire, the decrease in habitat, as well increased hunting could all explain the sharp decline in the deer population. Just because the wolf population also decreased is not enough to indi- cate a cause for the decrease in deer. Passage II 6. j. The goal of the project is stated in the first sentence of the passage. Eliminating bacteria (choice f) and determining why L-alanine didn’t crystallize (choice g) sidetracked Mark for a while, but his goal remained unchanged. While not overheating the samples is probably a good idea (choice h), there was no mention of it in the passage, and it wasn’t the ultimate goal of the experiment. 7. c. The statement is best supported by the fact that Mark eventually did get crystals at that supersatu- ration. Choice a is true, but unrelated to the statements under quotation marks. Choices b and d are not true. 8. f. Filtration separates particles by size. Water molecules are small enough to pass through the filter, but the bacteria are too large. 9. c. UV was used to sterilize the solutions, to rid them of bacteria, also known as microorganisms. Choice a is incorrect because there was no mention of the UV when Mark tried making the supersatu- ration higher, and there was no mention of supersaturation when he treated the solutions with the UV. Choice b was not mentioned in the text. Choice d is not correct because while the UV and filtration were used for the same purpose (getting rid of L-alanine munching bacteria), there was no mention that these two methods were connected. 10. f. Before adopting the technique to eliminate bacteria, the student didn’t get any crystals. Once he reduced the possibility of bacterial attack, he obtained crystals in most of the samples. Passage III 11. d. Only the statement “Pluto lacks rings that all other gas giants possess,” opposes the statement made by Scientist 1. 12. h. If you read both passages carefully, only one fact appears in both. Scientist 1 states, “Pluto orbits the Sun just as the other eight planets do,” and Scientist 2 states,“Pluto orbits the Sun in the outer solar system.” – ACT SCIENCE REASONING TEST PRACTICE– 257 13. d. According to Scientist 2, the factors that separate Pluto are its different density, composition, and orbital characteristics, which are more like those of the Kuiper Belt Objects than the planets. 14. f. Pluto, Charon, and Neptune’s moon Triton all have densities and compositions similar to the newly discovered object Quaoar. This infers that they are all bodies originally from the Kuiper Belt. 15. b. Triton’s similar density and composition to Quaoar are evidence that indicate that it is an object that was captured by Neptune’s gravity at some point in the early formation of the solar system.  Lessons and Practice Questions Types of Scientific Reasoning Test Questions The science component of the ACT is a test in reasoning. You will do well if you hone your skills in: ■ recognizing a pattern in scientific data. ■ understanding and analyzing scientific material. ■ interpreting graphs, charts, tables, and diagrams. ■ summarizing observations of an experiment. ■ making generalizations. ■ making comparisons. ■ supporting a generalization or hypothesis. ■ predicting behavior given a pattern or trend. ■ making inferences based on the information provided. ■ drawing conclusions based on the information provided. The following lessons will help you master these skills, so that even if you have never taken physics, you will be able to answer a physics question correctly, just by carefully reading the passage. While it’s a good idea to get comfortable with a basic science vocabulary, memorizing your science text- book and every equation in it will not necessarily help you. To prepare for this exam, you shouldn’t study, you should practice, practice, practice. This means, review as many examples as you come across, and take as many practice tests as you can get your hands on. Make sure that after scoring your practice tests, you go back to the questions you answered incorrectly or to the questions you were unsure about. Read science-related arti- cles in newspapers and technical journals. Think about the charts, graphs, and diagrams you come across, even if they are not science related. This way you will get used to dealing with unfamiliar technical terms and inter- preting graphical information. Sound good? Let’s begin. – ACT SCIENCE REASONING TEST PRACTICE– 258 DATA REPRESENTATION Graphics are a concise and organized way of presenting information. Once you realize that all graphics have some common basic elements, it will not matter whether the information presented in them is in the area of biology, chemistry, earth and space science, physics, or even bubble gum sales. Consider the following train schedule: A.M. A.M. A.M. A.M. P.M. P.M. P.M. P.M. Congers Station 12:21 3:20 6:19 9:19 12:19 3:19 6:19 9:19 New City 12:32 3:30 6:30 9:30 12:30 3:30 6:30 9:30 Valley Cottage 12:39 3:37 6:37 9:37 12:37 3:37 6:37 9:37 Nyack 12:48 3:45 6:46 9:46 12:46 3:46 6:46 9:46 West Nyack 12:53 3:53 6:54 9:54 12:54 3:54 6:54 9:54 Bardonia 1:06 4:03 7:05 10:05 1:05 4:05 7:05 10:05 By looking at the table, you can determine: ■ the times the trains leave Congers Station (12:21 A.M., 3:20 A.M., 6:19 A.M., 9:19 A.M., 12:19 P.M., 3:19 P. M., 6:19 P.M., and 9:19 P.M.). ■ the times they get to West Nyack (12:53 A.M., 3:53 A.M., 6:54 A.M., 9:54 P.M., 12:54 P.M., 3:54 P.M., 6:54 P.M., and 9:54 P.M.). ■ how often the trains run (about every 3 hours). ■ how long it takes the train to get from New City to Valley Cottage (7 minutes). Imagine how many lines of text would be required to describe this schedule without using a table, and how much more confusing and complicated it would be for a passenger to get the basic information in the examples above. The point is that tables, graphs, charts, figures, and diagrams are useful and without realiz- ing it, you analyze graphical information on a daily basis. The only difference between these everyday encounters of graphical information and the ACT is that on this test the information in the graphics will be of a scientific nature and you may run into words or con- cepts you have never heard of before. But just because you don’t know what a diffusion coefficient, a refrac- tive index, or a stem cell is, it doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to analyze graphical information in which these unfamiliar concepts are mentioned. Did you need to know where Bardonia is to analyze the train sched- ule above? No. All you did was realize that each row (horizontal) listed the times at which the trains arrive at that station, and that each column (vertical) listed the times at which one train that left Congers Station would arrive at other stations on the way to Bardonia. You see? You don’t need an amazing science vocabulary to do well on the ACT. In fact, using informa- tion not presented in the exam question could harm you, since test instructions tell you to only use what you are given. Going back to our train schedule example, if you happen to live on the Bardonia line, you may know that the trains on that line leave every 30 minutes (not every 3 hours) during the day. But if the schedule were – ACT SCIENCE REASONING TEST PRACTICE– 259 . Station 12:21 3: 20 6:19 9:19 12:19 3: 19 6:19 9:19 New City 12 :32 3: 30 6 :30 9 :30 12 :30 3: 30 6 :30 9 :30 Valley Cottage 12 :39 3: 37 6 :37 9 :37 12 :37 3: 37 6 :37 9 :37 Nyack 12:48 3: 45 6:46 9:46 12:46 3: 46 6:46. A.M., 3: 20 A.M., 6:19 A.M., 9:19 A.M., 12:19 P.M., 3: 19 P. M., 6:19 P.M., and 9:19 P.M.). ■ the times they get to West Nyack (12: 53 A.M., 3: 53 A.M., 6:54 A.M., 9:54 P.M., 12:54 P.M., 3: 54 P.M.,. 9 :37 Nyack 12:48 3: 45 6:46 9:46 12:46 3: 46 6:46 9:46 West Nyack 12: 53 3: 53 6:54 9:54 12:54 3: 54 6:54 9:54 Bardonia 1:06 4: 03 7:05 10:05 1:05 4:05 7:05 10:05 By looking at the table, you can determine: ■ the