ACT science practice test 4

How did life on Earth originate? Two differing views are presented.
Hypothesis 1
In 1953, a graduate student attempted to recreate the conditions of
primeval Earth in a sealed glass apparatus that he filled with methane,
ammonia, hydrogen, and water. Sparks were released into the glass to
simulate lightning, and heat was applied to the water. The result was the
formation of organic compounds, known as amino acids, which are the building
blocks of proteins. Since that time, others have shown how DNA may have
been synthesized under various conditions as well. RNA, which is DNA's
partner in the translation of genetic information into protein products, has been
found to have the ability to reproduce itself under certain conditions. Thus, the
origins of life are to be found in the "primordial soup" of the ancient earth that
provided conditions for the simplest forms of organic matter to form and
develop increasingly sophisticated means of organization. With the ability of
compounds to make copies of themselves comes the opportunity for evolution
by the mechanisms of heredity and mutation.
Hypothesis 2
Previous assumptions about the makeup of the "primordial soup" are
inaccurate. It is not at all clear that methane and ammonia were present on the
primeval earth or that conditions were as favorable as in the graduate student's
experiment. The ability of RNA to reproduce itself is also limited to particular
conditions that the primeval earth is unlikely to have provided. There is a
possibility that, given enough time, random events could alone have resulted in
the development of entire single-celled organisms, but some have likened that
possibility to the chance that a tornado whirling through a junkyard could result
in the formation of a 747 jetliner. During much of the time when the "primordial
soup" was to have existed, Earth was a regular target of meteors that kept
oceans boiling and the atmosphere inhospitable to organic development.
Clearly much more research is needed before this theory can be widely
accepted.
1. Which of the following statements about the conditions on primeval Earth
could be used to support Hypothesis 2?
A. Atmospheric conditions were too unstable to support the gases essential to
the theories of the "primordial soup."
B. Organic molecules were able to thrive under primeval Earth conditions.
C. The origin of life began in the "primordial soup."
D. The atmosphere contained methane, ammonia, hydrogen, and water.

2. To accept Hypothesis 1, one must assume that:

F. Earth was bombarded by meteors during that time period.
G. the conditions in the glass were analogous to the conditions on primeval
Earth.
H. proteins are the building blocks of amino acids.
J. Earth lacked hydrogen in the atmosphere.

3. Which of the following shows how, according to Hypothesis 1, the building

blocks of life were formed?
A. Methane + Ammonia + Hydrogen + Water → Primordial Soup → Amino
Acids
B. Meteors → Primordial Soup → Amino Acids
C. Amino Acids → Primordial Soup → DNA → Methane + Ammonia +
Hydrogen + Water
D. Primordial Soup → proteins → Amino Acids

Will Earth experience another ice age? Two differing views are presented.
Hypothesis 1
Scientists have long speculated whether glaciation will ever take place
again. Given that glaciation is an unusual event, it is highly unlikely that such a
phenomenon will ever repeat itself. Glaciation usually takes place under
periods of extremely cool temperatures. However, it appears that the
temperature on Earth has been milder and more stable than at any other
period. In fact, it would take a 5?C drop in the average surface temperature in
order for glaciation to occur. In addition, there would have to be a significant
increase in precipitation.
Hypothesis 2
Although Earth has not experienced glaciation in a long time, the event, no
matter how rare, can occur if the right conditions are met. Two factors that are
critical to the growth of glaciers are precipitation and temperature. There are a
number of areas, specifically land masses in the polar regions, that are
currently cold enough to produce glaciers but do not have sufficient snowfall to
develop glacier systems. However, if enough events occur simultaneously,
they could bring on an ice age. For instance, if there is an increase in the level
of snowfall in the winter in these polar regions, this could eventually lead to
glaciation. On the other hand, the level of pollution in the atmosphere is also
sufficient to gradually cool Earth. Under these conditions, it is quite clear that
glaciation is only a matter of the right combination of events at the right time.
1. Which of the following discoveries would most clearly favor Hypothesis 2?
A. Canada has more snowfall this year than any other year.
B. When snow falls, it sticks to the ground.
C. The more pollution in the air, the more the temperature drops.
D. Earth's bodies of waters are becoming more polluted.

2. Which of the following statements is the strongest argument a supporter of

Hypothesis 2 would use to counter Hypothesis 1?
F. The temperature around polar regions fluctuates.
G. The precipitation rate has been increasing in the Swiss Alps.
H. Just because ideal conditions are rare does not mean they will not occur in
the future.
J. The temperature in the North Pole has gone up 2°C.

3. If Hypothesis 2 is correct and glaciation can take place in the future, what
regions would be most affected?
I. Heavily polluted regions
II. Polar regions
III. Humid regions
A. I only
B. II only
C. I and II only
D. II and III only

4. According to Hypothesis 2, what conditions could cause glaciation?

F. Low levels of pollution leading to high precipitation.
G. High levels of pollution leading to a blanketing effect that blocks out the sun
and decreases the temperature dramatically.
H. A lack of snowfall and low temperatures.
J. A 5°C drop in the average surface temperature.

Answers and Explanations

1. Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
A To do this, we must understand the argument. What's the main point of
Hypothesis 2? The debater believes that the chance of RNA reproducing as
the graduate student described is extremely small. Look for an answer choice
that supports this argument. Choice (A) states that conditions in the
atmosphere were too unstable to support the necessary gases. Does this
statement support Hypothesis 2? Yes. How? Because it weakens Hypothesis
1. So choice (A) is correct. Choices (B), (C), and (D) are wrong because they
support Hypothesis 1.

2. Correct Answer: G
Explanation:
G What does Scientist 1 believe? That the experiment shows how the first
organic compounds were made. Is choice (F) an assumption in this argument?
No. It refers to Hypothesis 2. What about choice (G)? Yes. The scientist
assumed that the experiment mimicked the conditions of primeval Earth. So
choice (G) is correct. Choice (H) states that proteins are the building blocks of
amino acids. That's wrong; as stated in Hypothesis 1, amino acids are the
building blocks of proteins. So get rid of choice (H). Choice (J) is incorrect
because Earth had to have hydrogen in order to form organic compounds.

3. Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
A What does Hypothesis 1 say about amino acids? The passage tells us that
amino acids are the building blocks of life, so let's start with the answer choices
that list amino acids last. We can quickly eliminate choice (C). We can also
eliminate choice (B) because the meteor theory was part of Hypothesis 2, not
Hypothesis 1. And we're down to choices (A) and (D). We can also find in the
passage that amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, so amino acids
should be before proteins in the list. So by POE and understanding the
passage, we arrive at the correct answer, choice (A).

1. Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
C We are looking for an answer that supports Hypothesis 2. Hypothesis 2
states that an increase in precipitation or an increase in pollution would lead to
a significant drop in temperature. Choice (A) states that there is more snow in
Canada this year, but we don't know if that's enough snow for glaciation. So we
can eliminate it. Let's look at choice (B). If snow didn't stick to the ground,
would there be an ice age? Choice (B) is silly; eliminate it. What about choice
(C)? If there is a drop in temperature for every increase in the pollution rate,
could that lead to glaciation? Yes. Let's look at choice (D). If the water became
more polluted, would that necessarily lead to the next ice age? We're not sure.
The passage states that pollution in the air, not necessarily in the water, leads
to a decrease in temperature. So the correct answer is choice (C).

2. Correct Answer: H
Explanation:
H For this question we're looking for an answer that could disprove Hypothesis
1. What is the main point of Hypothesis 1? The debater says that it is highly
unlikely that Earth will experience another ice age. Why? Because he believes
that the necessary conditions will not be met in the future. What is the best way
to disprove this point? Just indicate that the conditions could change in the
future and then the chance for glaciation could increase. Which choice states
that? Choice (H). Now let's look at choice (F). A fluctuation in temperature
would not necessarily mean that the temperature was low enough for
glaciation to occur. We therefore can eliminate this choice. Even if there was
more snowfall in the Swiss Alps, we are not given an indication of how long it
lasted. So you can get rid of choice (G). Now, if the temperature went up 5°C in
the North Pole, it would be warmer, not colder, so choice (J) is out. So the
correct answer is choice (H).

3. Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
C Let's start with Statement II, because it appears in the most answer choices.
Based on the passage, would glaciation take place in polar regions? The
passage tells us that polar regions would be one of the first locations in which
glaciation would take place. Now that you can eliminate answer choices that
don't include Statement II, you can eliminate choice (A). What about heavily
polluted regions? Yes. The passage refers to the other possible cause of a
temperature drop-pollution. We can eliminate choices (B) and (D) because
they don't include Statement II. Therefore, choice (C) must be correct.

4. Correct Answer: G
Explanation:
G According to Hypothesis 2, there are two conditions that are critical to
glaciation: temperature and precipitation. Choice (F) is incorrect because
pollution doesn't cause precipitation. Choice (G) sounds good because it
states that pollution leads to a major drop in temperature (it has one of the
conditions). What about choice (H)? You can eliminate choice (H) because
glaciation needs both low temperatures and high precipitation. Choice (J)
supports Hypothesis 1, not Hypothesis 2, so we can eliminate it. The best
answer is choice (G).
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