ACT science practice test 10

The resistance (R) of a conductor is the extent to which it opposes the flow
of electricity. Resistance depends not only on the conductor's resistivity (ρ) but
also on the conductor's length (L) and cross-sectional area (A). The resistivity
of a conductor is a physical property of the material that varies with
temperature.
A research team designing a new appliance was researching the best
type of wire to use in a particular circuit. The most important consideration was
the wire's resistance. The team studied the resistance of wires made from four
metals—gold (Au), aluminum (Al), tungsten (W), and iron (Fe). Two lengths
and two gauges (diameters) of each type of wire were tested at 20°C. The
results are recorded in the following table.

Note: area of circle = πr2

Table 1
1. Of the wires tested, resistance increases for any given material as which
parameter is decreased?
A. Length
B. Cross-sectional area
C. Resistivity
D. Gauge

2. Given the data in the table, which of the following best expresses resistance
in terms of resistivity (ρ), cross-sectional area (A), and length (L)?

F.

G.
H. ρAL

J.

3. Which of the following wires would have the highest resistance?

A. A 1-cm aluminum wire with a cross-sectional area of 0.33 mm2
B. A 2-cm aluminum wire with a cross-sectional area of 0.33 mm2
C. A 1-cm tungsten wire with a cross-sectional area of 0.33 mm2
D. A 2-cm tungsten wire with a cross-sectional area of 0.33 mm2
4. According to the information given, which of the following statements is (are)
correct?
10-gauge wire has a larger diameter than 16-gauge wire.
Gold has a higher resistivity than tungsten.
Aluminum conducts electricity better than iron.
F. I only
G. II only
H. III only
J. I and III only

5. Which of the following graphs best represents the relationship between the
resistivity of a tungsten wire and its length?

A.

B.
C.

D.

6. If the length of the wires were increased to 4 cm, what could be expected in
terms of resistance?
F. Resistance would increase, but only with a 10 gauge wire.
G. Resistance would decrease, but only with a 16 gauge wire.
H. Resistance would not change because 2 cm is the maximum length that
affects resistance.
J. Resistance would increase on both the 10 and 16 gauge wires.

How does evolution occur? Two views are presented here.

Scientist 1
Evolution occurs by natural selection. Random mutations are continually
occurring in a species as it propagates. A number of these mutations result in
traits that help the species adapt to environmental changes. Because these
mutant traits are advantageous, the members of the species who possess
them tend to survive and pass on their genes more often than those who do
not have these traits. Therefore, the percentage of the population with an
advantageous trait increases over time. Long necks evolved in giraffes by
natural selection. The ancestors of giraffes had necks of various sizes;
however, their average neck length was much shorter than the average neck
length of modern-day giraffes. Since the food supply was limited, the
individuals with necks on the long range of the spectrum had access to more
food (the leaves of trees) and therefore were more likely to survive and pass
on their traits than individuals with shorter necks. Therefore, the proportion of
the individuals with long necks was slightly greater in each subsequent
generation.
Scientist 2
Evolution occurs by the inheritance of acquired characteristics.
Characteristics that are acquired by an individual member of a species during
its lifetime are passed on to its offspring. Therefore, each generation's traits
are partially accounted for by all the changes that occurred in the individuals of
the previous generation. This includes changes that occurred as a result of
accidents, changes in the environment, overuse of muscles, etc. The evolution
of long necks of giraffes is an example. Ancestors of giraffes had short necks
and consequently had to stretch their necks to reach the leaves of trees that
were their main source of food. This repeated stretching of their necks caused
them to elongate slightly. This trait was passed on, so that the individuals of
the next generation had slightly longer necks. Each subsequent generation
also stretched their necks to feed; therefore, each generation had slightly
longer necks than the previous generation.
1. Both scientists agree that:
A. the environment affects evolution.
B. the individuals of a generation have identical traits.
C. acquired characteristics are inherited.
D. random mutations occur.

2. How would the two hypotheses be affected if it were found that all of the
offspring of an individual with a missing leg due to an accident were born with a
missing leg?
F. It would support Scientist 1’s hypothesis, because it is an example of
random mutations occurring within a species.
G. It would refute Scientist 1’s hypothesis, because it is an example of random
mutations occurring within a species.
H. It would support Scientist 2’s hypothesis, because it is an example of an
acquired characteristic being passed on to the next generation.
J. It would support Scientist 2’s hypothesis, because it is an example of
random mutations occurring within a species.

3. Which of the following characteristics can be inherited according to Scientist

2?
Fur color
Bodily scars resulting from a fight with another animal
Poor vision
A. I only
B. II only
C. I and III only
D. I, II, and III

4. Scientist 1 believes that the evolution of the long neck of the giraffe:
F. is an advantageous trait that resulted from overuse of neck muscles over
many generations.
G. is an advantageous trait that resulted from a random mutation.
H. is an advantageous trait that resulted from a mutation that occurred in
response to a change in the environment.
J. is a disadvantageous trait that resulted from a random mutation.

5. The fundamental point of disagreement between the two scientists is

whether:
A. giraffes’ ancestors had short necks.
B. evolved traits come from random mutations or from the previous generation.
C. the environment affects the evolution of a species.
D. the extinction of a species could be the result of random mutations.

6. Suppose evidence was found that suggested that before the discovery of
fire, human skin lacked the nerve endings necessary to detect extreme heat.
Which of the following pieces of information, if true, would most seriously
weaken the hypothesis of Scientist 2?
F. Human skin is capable of generating nerve endings with new functions
during life.
G. The total number of nerve endings in the skin of a human is determined at
birth and remains constant until death.
H. An excess of nerve endings that are sensitive to extreme heat is a relatively
common human mutation.
J. No evidence exists to suggest that an excess of nerve endings that are
sensitive to heat could be acquired through mutation.

7. The average height of a full-grown person today is significantly greater than

was the average height of a full-grown person 1,000 years ago. If it was proven
that the increase in average height was due only to evolutionary changes, how
would Scientist 1 most likely explain this increase?
A. People genetically prone to growing taller have been more likely to produce
offspring over the last 1,000 years.
B. Over the last 1,000 years, improvements in nutrition and medicine have led
to greater average growth over a person’s lifetime, and this growth has been
passed from one generation to the next.
C. Increased height is not a trait that can be acquired through mutation.
D. Measurements of average height were less accurate 1,000 years ago than
they are today.

Answers and Explanations

1. Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
Category: Figure Interpretation
Difficulty: Medium
Getting to the Answer: According to the table, decreasing the cross-sectional
area of a given wire always increases resistance, so (B) is correct. Choice C is
incorrect because resistivity, displayed in the second column, is constant for
each material and thus cannot be responsible for variations in resistance for
any given material. Gauge varies inversely with cross-sectional area, so D is
incorrect.

2. Correct Answer: G
Explanation:
Category: Patterns
Difficulty: High
Getting to the Answer: Because resistance varies inversely with
cross-sectional area A, as discussed in the previous explanation, the correct
answer to this question must place A in the denominator. The only choice that
does so is (G).

3. Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
Category: Patterns
Difficulty: Medium
Getting to the Answer: Compare the choices two at a time. The wires in A and
B are made of the same material and have the same cross-sectional area; only
their length is different. Doubling the length doubles the resistance, so B would
have a higher resistance than A. By similar reasoning, (D) would have a higher
resistance than C. The only difference between B and (D) is the material. Even
though the research team didn't test wire with a 0.33 mm2 cross-sectional area,
Table 1 shows that tungsten wire has higher levels of resistance than
aluminum wire across all factors.

4. Correct Answer: J
Explanation:
Category: Scientific Reasoning
Difficulty: Medium
Getting to the Answer: The larger circle represents 10-gauge wire; its diameter
is 2.59 mm. The smaller circle has a diameter of only 1.29 mm, but it
represents 16-gauge wire, so Statement I is true, and you can eliminate G and
H without even checking Statements II or III. To check Statement III, the table
shows that the resistance of an iron (Fe) wire is much higher than that of an
aluminum (Al) wire with the same length and cross-sectional area. The first
sentence of paragraph 1 defined the resistance of a conductor as "the extent to
which it opposes the flow of electricity." Because iron has a higher resistance
than aluminum, iron must not conduct electricity as well. Therefore, Statement
III is true, and (J) is correct.

5. Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
Category: Patterns
Difficulty: Medium
Getting to the Answer: The data indicate that the resistivity of a material
doesn't change when wire length changes. Therefore, the graph of resistivity
versus length for tungsten (or any other) wire is a horizontal line.

6. Correct Answer: J
Explanation:
Category: Patterns
Difficulty: Medium
Getting to the Answer: Refer to Table 1 to see the effect that wire length has on
resistance. Regardless of wire gauge, resistance increases for each material
when length is increased. Choice (J) is correct.
1. Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
Category: Scientific Reasoning
Difficulty: Medium
Getting to the Answer: To answer this question, you have to refer to the
examples presented by the scientists to find a point of agreement. Both use
the example of giraffes to show how scarcity of food and the need to reach
higher and higher branches led to the evolution of long necks; thus, they both
agree that environment affects evolution.

2. Correct Answer: H
Explanation:
Category: Scientific Reasoning
Difficulty: Medium
Getting to the Answer: This Principle question requires that you figure out how
new evidence affects the two hypotheses. To answer it, all you have to
consider are the hypotheses of the two scientists. Scientist 2 believes that
characteristics acquired by an individual over a lifetime are passed on to its
offspring, a theory that would be supported by this finding.

3. Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
Category: Scientific Reasoning
Difficulty: Medium
Getting to the Answer: This question requires some reasoning. Scientist 2
states that all of the changes that occur in an individual's life can be passed on
to offspring. Because he believes that any characteristic can undergo change,
he must also believe that any characteristic can be inherited.

4. Correct Answer: G
Explanation:
Category: Scientific Reasoning
Difficulty: Medium
Getting to the Answer: You don't need any information other than the
hypothesis of Scientist 1 to answer this question. He believes that random
mutations continually occur within a species as it propagates and that
advantageous mutations, such as long necks on giraffes, help the species
adapt to environmental changes and thus become more prevalent within the
species. This is what (G) states.

5. Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
Category: Scientific Reasoning
Difficulty: Low
Getting to the Answer: Here, you don't need any information other than the
hypotheses of the two scientists. The crux of their disagreement is over how
evolution occurs—whether through random mutations or through the
inheritance of acquired characteristics.

6. Correct Answer: G
Explanation:
Category: Scientific Reasoning
Difficulty: High
Getting to the Answer: Recall that Scientist 2 states that evolution occurs
through the inheritance of acquired characteristics. In order to account for
humans possessing nerve endings now that were not present before the
discovery of fire, Scientist 2 would have to believe that new nerve endings
could be acquired during a single lifetime. Choice (G) directly contradicts this
idea and would therefore refute the hypothesis.

7. Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
Category: Scientific Reasoning
Difficulty: Medium
Getting to the Answer: Recall that Scientist 1 explains that evolution occurs as
a result of random mutation, while Scientist 2 credits the inheritance of
acquired characteristics. Choice B can then be eliminated, because it is related
to the explanation of the wrong scientist. Choice C would actually refute
Scientist 1's hypothesis, and D is irrelevant. Only (A) provides a valid
explanation for the increase in average height based on the random mutations
described by Scientist 1.
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