Tip #31 to Get a Top ACT English Reading Science Score (page 2)

You've read the paragraphs quickly, not to memorize them, and if they are very difficult, not even to understand them, just to get the gist of what the experiment is generally about. You've glanced at the tables and graphs. Next, do the questions. The most common ACT Science question asks you to find a value or a fact on a table or graph. And usually the question tells you exactly which table or graph to look back at!

Example Problems

Let's practice the first type of ACT Science question: finding a value on a graph or table.

1. Based on the average reaction times used in Study 2, compared with the corresponding temperature for oxygen, carbon dioxide has a temperature at a given average reaction time that is
   1. always lower
   2. always the same
   3. always higher
   4. sometimes lower and sometimes higher



2. In Experiment 1, the effusion time of the gas was the time required for the gas to reach 20% concentration in region 2. The effusion time for the gas was
   6. less than 9 s
   7. between 9 and 12 s
   8. between 12 and 15 s
   10. greater than 15 s



3. According to Figure 1, a rabbit footprint found 0.6 cm deep in wet loam soil would indicate that the rabbit weighed which of the following?
   1. 2.5 lb
   2. 3.5 lb
   3. 4.5 lb
   4. 5.5 lb



4. Based on the results of Experiment 2, if an engineer needs an insulation that retains over 90 percent heat, which of the following should she choose?
   6. Rayon
   7. Wool
   8. Vinyl
   10. Fiberglass

Answers

1. C   Don't get intimidated. If a question sounds complicated, just reread it and do whatever seems obvious. That's the key to ACT Science questions. So the question asks how the temperatures of oxygen and carbon dioxide compare. The dashed line, which represents carbon dioxide, is always higher than the solid line, which represents oxygen. So the temperatures for carbon dioxide are always higher than the temps for oxygen.
2. F   The chart shows that at 9 s it reached 29.7%. So it reached 20% before 9 seconds. Notice that you don't even need to know what the table is all about to get the question right!
3. C   The graph shows that at 0.6 cm, weight is between 4 and 5 lb. Notice that only one answer is in this range. That's how they roll. They don't try to confuse you; they just want to see if you can avoid intimidation and read the graph.
4. J   Circle the key words in the question if you feel confused. We want to retain heat, so look at the heat retention row on the table.\ Fiberglass is the only one above 90%. Your eye might see the 0.91 for rayon in the linear expansion row first, but make sure to answer the question, which specifically asks for heat retention.

Go to: Tip #32