Instructions
How much time should you spend on each passage?
6 minutes
Unlike any other section of the ACT, what is unique about the order of the questions within each passage of the science test?
Questions are ordered by increasing difficulty within each passage.
The visuals are the main focus of the questions in this section.
Data Representation
True or False: Answer ALL questions on the ACT, even if you have to guess.
True. You are much better off guessing than leaving an answer blank because there is no penalty for wrong answers on the ACT.
Roseola is an infant skin disease that is characterized by a high fever for 3 to 5 days and a red rash (appearing once the fever has subsided) that lasts for approximately 48 hours. According to Table 1, the virus that causes roseola is contagious for:
A. 1–3 days.
B. 2–5 days.
C. 5–7 days.
D. 8–10 days.
The correct answer is C. According to Table 1, roseola is contagious from the “onset of fever” until the “rash is gone.” The question states that the fever lasts for 3 to 5 days, and, after that, a rash appears that lasts for 48 hours, or 2 more days. Determine the contagious period by adding the 2 days that the rash lasts to both 3 and 5. So, the contagious period for roseola can be anywhere from 3 + 2 = 5 days to 5 + 2 = 7 days, or 5-7 days.
How much time do you have to read 7 passages and answer 40 questions?
35 minutes
Where are answers often hidden on the research summary passages?
In the blurbs (text).
You will have to read and understand 2 or 3 experiments and their results. This passage type will often ask you to answer hypothetical change and motivation questions.
Research Summaries
How long is too long to spend on any one question on the ACT?
A minute. If you have spent that long on one question and still don't have an answer, move on.
Based on Table 1, which of the following is the most common symptom of skin disease?
A. Scabs
B. Mouth sores
C. Fever
D. Rash
The correct answer is D. The symptoms listed in Table 1 include sores, fever, and rash, and rash appears most often. Therefore, answer choice D is correct.
Name 2 strategies mentioned in class that might help on the ACT Science test.
Take brief notes on conflicting viewpoints, underline/circle/mark the visual or text, start with the questions, use process of elimination, look for trends, pay attention to locators.
You should approach this passage the same way you would approach a Reading Test passage.
Conflicting Viewpoints
True or False: If a question looks complicated, it probably is. Don't even waste time skimming the material.
False. Some complicated questions ARE complicated, but many just LOOK complicated.
According to Table 1 and Table 2, the viral infection that takes the least amount of time to produce any symptoms is:
A. chicken pox.
B. croup.
C. influenza.
D. viral sore throat.
The correct answer is C. The passage defines the incubation period as the “average time that elapses between exposure to a virus and the appearance of symptoms.” Therefore, the question is asking you to look at incubation periods. According to Table 2, influenza has an incubation period of 1–2 days, the shortest time period listed in the incubation period column, so answer choice C is correct.
Why is it important to remember/know the instructions to the Science Reasoning Test?
Because the instructions never change. Time is valuable on the ACT, and knowing the instructions in advance will save you time.
Based on your error logs, name two of the common errors people make on the science section of the ACT.
Misreading the visuals
Not understanding a trend
Not understanding the setup of the experiment
Misreading the passage
Not knowing a science fact
Careless error
Not understanding the point of view
Not understanding the differences and similarities in the points of view
The types of questions you will answer in this passage are unlike in the other 2 passages. The types of questions you will answer are Detail, Inference, and Comparison.
Conflicting Viewpoints
When you are unsure of how to answer a question, you may want to use the _______________ method, where you look at the answer choices and get rid of wrong answers until there is only one answer left.
elimination
Which of the following would most likely reduce the contagious period of the virus that causes chicken pox?
A cream that dries out the sores
B. Pain relievers that quickly reduce high fevers
C. Medicine that encourages scratching
D. An ointment that moistens the sores
The correct answer is A. According to Table 1, the contagious period for chicken pox ends when “all sores have scabbed over.” Therefore, the contagious period for chicken pox is most likely to be reduced if the sores dry up and scab over more quickly. Answer choice A best accomplishes this.
True or False: You'll probably need a calculator to answer some of the questions on this portion of the test (but you won't have access to one)
False: You will not need a calculator to answer any of the questions on this portion of the test.
List three possible steps to follow when tackling the Conflicting Viewpoints.
Read Introduction
Glance at Visual
Read 1st and last sentences of Scientist 1/Student 1/Theory 1
Read 1st and last sentences of Scientist 2/Student 2/Theory 2
Go to ?s
These tend to be the most straightforward, least complicated passages on the Science Reasoning Test.
Data Representation
____________ guessing means you work to eliminate answers, always getting rid of two choices for each question. You then guess between the remaining choices and have a 50 percent chance of getting the correct answer.
Educated
The HIV virus causes a progressive infection that damages the immune system. Which of the following is most likely true of the HIV virus?
A. The HIV virus has one of the shortest contagious periods of any known virus.
B. The HIV virus attacks the cells of the immune system.
C. The incubation period of the HIV virus is similar to those of respiratory viruses.
D. The incubation period of the HIV virus is shorter than most.
The correct answer is B. The passage states that all of the skin infections in Table 1 are caused by viruses that attack the cells that line the skin. The passage goes on to say that all of the respiratory viruses in Table 2 are caused by viruses that attack cells that line the respiratory tract. In other words, a virus attacks the cells that correspond to the part of the body that will be damaged by the disease. Therefore, if HIV damages the immune system, then you can assume that the virus attacks the cells of the immune system, answer choice B. The other answer choices are not supported by the passage.