ACT Science Practice

59ACT Science tests are a little like olives; either you love them or you hate them. Yes, skeptical readers, there are some students out there who love the ACT Science test. The nice thing, though, is that no matter where you fall on this love/hate spectrum, you absolutely can learn to at least like the ACT Science test a little more; you just have to get used to it. And this only comes with practice. Specifically, practicing with ACT questions because the ACT Science test is unlike anything youve ever seen. So before we get to the practice questions, here are some of the top strategies that will help you get more cozy with the ACT Science test and be fully prepared for it. ACT Science Practice Tips Take Practice ACT Science Tests The ACT Science test is unique. Unlike the English or Math sections, you can’t do effective preparation for it simply by studying, say, grammar rules or geometry formulas. Heck, you can’t even really prepare for it by studying science. This sounds rather ironic, but it is true. The ACT Science test is far more a test of scientific reasoning and data analysis than a test of science content. So the most effective preparation for the ACT is to do lots of ACT Science questions. We have passages for you to practice with on Magoosh. You can also find five full-length tests in The Real ACT Prep Guide and official practice passages and a full-length test for free on the ACT Student website. Take Timed Practice Tests Once you develop a familiarity with the ACT Science test, it is crucial that you practice doing tests under timed conditions. There are generally 6 passages on the Science test and a 35-minute time limit, meaning you have a little less than 6 minutes per passage. Some passages will take you more or less time than others, but time yourself to see if you are able to work at this approximate pace. If you are not, don’t get discouraged; this may just mean you need to focus on doing only 5 of the passages, or even ). Experiment 2 On rare occasions, patients have severe allergic reactions to a compound that is found in both Drug Combination A and Drug Combination B. Â  In these cases, a second-line treatment must be used. A second study was conducted to determine which of several drug combinations would be the best second-line drug to recommend for use in Papua New Guinea. Table 1 shows the treatment response to the second-line drug combinations. Table 1 ACT Science Practice: Medium 1. According to Figure 1, the percentage of P. falciparum patients with parasites remaining in their blood on Day 1% for patients treated with Drug Combination B. 0% for both drug combinations. 2. Recurrences of P. vivax malaria are known to be caused by hypnozoites, a form of the malaria parasite that can go dormant in the patient’s liver for up to two weeks, that remain alive following the initial treatment. Based on the data in Figure 1, which of the following conclusions is most likely to be true? Drug Combination A eliminates hypnozoites in all patients, but Drug Combination B eliminates hypnozoites only in some patients. Drug Combination B eliminates all hypnozoites, but Drug Combination A eliminates hypnozoites only in some patients. Drug Combination B eliminates all hypnozoites in all patients, but Drug Combination A does not eliminate any hypnozoites. Neither treatment kills hypnozoites. 3. Suppose a patient is brought to the clinic with a life-threatening case of P. falciparum malaria. As the patient’s condition is deteriorating quickly, it is essential that they be given the treatment that eliminates parasites from their blood within 7 days. Based on the data from Experiments 1 and 2, which treatment should they be given? Drug Combination A Drug Combination D Drug Combination E Drug Combination B ACT Science Practice: Medium Answers and Explanations Ready to check your answers? Here we go. Whether you got all of the questions right (congrats!), or you missed one (or a few), be sure to read the following explanations. ACT Study Tip: Even if you get the right answer on practice problems, check the explanation to make sure that your logic holds. Sometimes we get the right answer by accident but dont expect to get this lucky on test day! Make sure that you know why you get answers right and wrong. 1. a 1% for patients treated with Drug Combination A, 12% for patients treated with Drug Combination B. To find this answer, look at Figure 1 and make sure you are looking at the P. falciparum graph. We want to know the percentage of patients with parasites in their blood on Day 1 on the horizontal axis and check the vertical axis value (the percentage of patients with parasites) of each line at Day 14. For Drug Combination A (the solid line) the line is at 1% and for Drug Combination B (the dotted line) it is at 12%, so our answer is (A). 2. b Drug Combination B eliminates all hypnozoites, while Drug Combination A eliminates hypnozoites only in some patients. In Experiment 1, all P. vivax patients on Drug Combination B were successfully treated and remained free of parasites through the end of the study, but some patients who were treated with Drug Combination A experienced a recurrence, as we can tell from the data for Days 28 and 42 of the study. If recurrences are caused by surviving hypnozoites, this means that Drug Combination A leaves behind living hypnozoites in some patients. Our answer is (B). 3. c Drug Combination E This question requires us to compare data between the two different experiments and two different figures. We need to examine the percentage of patients that remained infected with P. falciparum parasites on Day 7 for each of the four different drug combinations listed in the answer choices. On Day 7, approximately 12% of the patients treated with Drug Combination A remained infected and 30% of patients treated with Drug Combination B remained infected. The chart in Experiment 2 tells us how many patients were free of parasites, not infected, so be careful to note this difference. 51% of P. falciparum patients treated with Drug Combination D were free of parasites, but 100% of P. falciparum patients treated with Drug Combination E were free of parasites, making (C) our answer. How did you do? Even if you felt challenged by these questions, it’s important to become familiar with the types of problems that you will be asked in the ACT Science section. Using good strategies and completing more ACT science practice questions will help you become more comfortable with the section and more likely to work your way to a good ACT score!