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Practice Test 2 - ACT Science

20 questions. Answer them in any order, then submit to see your score and every explanation.

  1. Which of the following variables was kept constant in Study 2?
  2. A student investigates how water flows through a filtration apparatus. Figure 1 shows the setup, including tubing connections and the direction of flow (arrows). The student wants to collect the filtered water that exits the filter. According to Figure 1, which container should receive the filtered water?
  3. Consider the data point in Figure 1 where the resistance is 24 Ω and the current is 0.5 A. Does this data point support the equation V=I×RV = I \times R if the voltage was held at 12 V?
  4. According to Scientist 2, the identical oxygen isotope ratios of Earth and the Moon are best explained by the fact that:
  5. Based on Figure 1, the yield with Fertilizer B first exceeds the yield with Fertilizer A between which two application rates?
  6. A chemistry student studied how reaction temperature affects the rate of a reaction between magnesium and hydrochloric acid. She placed identical 2.0 cm magnesium strips into 50 mL of 1.0 M HCl in the same type of flask. The acid concentration and volume were kept constant. The flask was placed in water baths at 10∘10^\circC, 25∘25^\circC, and 40∘40^\circC. The student measured reaction rate by recording the time (s) for the magnesium to completely disappear. The experimenter manipulated blank and measured blank.
  7. The main difference between the hypotheses of Scientist 1 and Scientist 2 is that:
  8. An oceanography lab compared salinity measurements from two instruments. Table A shows salinity measured in practical salinity units (PSU) using a conductivity probe. Table B shows chloride concentration measured in g/L using a titration method at the same depths. Identify the primary difference in what is being measured and how.
  9. An engineer investigates why a phone battery seems to drain faster in cold weather. Scientist 1: Scientist 1 argues the main cause is slower chemical reaction rates in the battery at low temperature. They reason that ion movement and electrode reactions slow down, reducing the battery's ability to deliver current. Scientist 1 predicts that the phone may shut off early in the cold but recover some charge capacity when warmed. Scientist 2: Scientist 2 argues the main cause is increased internal resistance at low temperature. They claim the battery's voltage drops more under load, so the phone reaches its cutoff voltage sooner. Scientist 2 predicts that high-power tasks (camera flash, gaming) will cause especially rapid shutdowns in cold conditions. Scientist 3: Scientist 3 argues the apparent drain is mostly due to software estimation errors. They propose that the battery gauge algorithm is calibrated for typical temperatures, so it misreports state-of-charge in the cold. Scientist 3 predicts that measured battery energy (via lab instrumentation) will not decrease as much as the displayed percentage suggests. Both Scientist 1 and Scientist 2 would agree that:
  10. In an experiment to determine the effect of sound frequency on human reaction time, frequency was varied while keeping volume and task complexity constant. Reaction time was recorded. Which factor was controlled in this experiment?
  11. The uncut plasmid in Lane 1 is exactly 5,000 bp long. When treated with E1 alone (Lane 2), the result is still a single 5,000 bp band. Which of the following best explains this result?
  12. According to the results of Study 1, which launch angle produced the greatest horizontal distance?
  13. A student measures the time for a pendulum to complete one period using a phone app. The app reports 1.467 s. The instrument shown can measure to a precision of:
  14. Suppose the student wants to dissolve 10 g of Ce₂(SO₄)₃ in 100 g of water. According to Figure 1, to ensure all the solid dissolves, the temperature of the water must be:
  15. According to the results of Study 1, as the NaCl concentration increased from 0 mM/kg to 160 mM/kg, the germination rate of M. sativa seeds:
  16. A student measured the relationship between study time and quiz score for several students. Figure 1 shows a scatter plot of score versus study time. Which statement best describes the relationship in Figure 1?
  17. Based on Table 1, which concentration would Hydrologist 1 predict for a new well drilled into shale 800 m from the nearest irrigated field?
  18. Based on Figure 1, the solubility of KNO₃ at 50°C is closest to:
  19. Suppose the botanist performs a third study using soil with an NaCl concentration of 100 mM/kg and a pH of 6.5. Based on the results of Study 1, the germination rate would most likely be:
  20. Based on Table 1, the two alloys are closest in tensile strength at which carbon content?

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