ACT science practice test 6

When an object floats in a liquid, a portion of the object remains above the
liquid's surface, while the remaining portion is submerged.
Seven objects with different specific gravities, ratios of the densities of
these objects to the density of water at a given temperature, were placed in
containers of 4 different liquids. Table 1 lists the objects and their specific
gravities at 20°C.

Table 1
Object Specific gravity
A 0.200
B 0.300
C 0.400
D 0.500
E 0.600
F 0.700
G 0.800
Table 2 lists the 4 liquids and their specific gravities at 20°C.

Table 2
Liquid Specific gravity
Benzene 0.86
Butane 0.94
Water 1.00
Bromine 2.90
Figure 1 shows, for each liquid, a graph of the fraction of each object
submerged below the liquid's surface versus the object's specific gravity.

Figure 1
1. Based on Figure 1, for each liquid, as an object's specific gravity decreased,
the percentage of the object submerged below the liquid's surface:
A. increased only.
B. decreased only.
C. varied, but with no general trend.
D. remained the same.

2. Based on Table 1 and Figure 1, the percentage of Object B submerged

below the surface of the bromine was closest to which of the following values?
F. 10
G. 20
H. 30
J. 40

3. A cube is composed of a material with a specific gravity of 0.700 at 20°C.

Each side of the cube is 10 cm long. The cube floats in a container of benzene.
Based on Figure 1, what volume of the cube, in cm3, will be submerged below
the surface of the benzene?
A. 200 cm3
B. 400 cm3
C. 800 cm3
D. 1000 cm3

4. Suppose an object with a specific gravity of 1.00 floats in a container of

water, and both the object and the water are at 20°C. If the temperatures of
both the object and the water are raised to 85°C, and if the object neither
expands nor contracts with the increase in temperature, will the object be more
likely sink or remain afloat?
F. Remain afloat, because the water will become denser than the object.
G. Remain afloat, because the water will become less dense than the object.
H. Sink, because the water will become denser than the object.
J. Sink, because the water will become less dense than the object.

5. What is the meaning of the value for the specific gravity of bromine that is
given in Table 2 if the density of water at 20°C is 1 g/ cm3 ?
A. One cm3 of bromine has a mass of 2.90 g.
B. One cm3 of bromine has a volume of 2.90 g.
C. One g of bromine has a mass of 2.90 cm3.
D. One g of bromine has a volume of 2.90 cm3.
 Ceruloplasmin is a copper-carrying protein in the blood. When in the
presence of copper ions (Cu2+), each ceruloplasmin molecule will bind with
Cu2+. Copper chelators are used to remove excess copper in the blood
because they can bind with and remove Cu2+ from ceruloplasmin.
Ceruloplasmin bound to Cu2+ strongly absorbs light at a wavelength of 560
nanometers (nm), but unbound ceruloplasmin and unbound Cu2+ do not. Three
experiments were done using a spectrophotometer (a device that measures a
solution's absorbance of light) to study the removal of Cu2+ from ceruloplasmin
by copper chelators.
Experiment 1
Several solutions (Solutions A-G) were made all with an initial unbound
ceruloplasmin concentration of 1 mole per liter (M), but each with a different
initial unbound Cu2+ concentration. The solutions were incubated at 37°C for 60
min. A test tube containing a sample of Solution A was placed in a
spectrophotometer. The spectrophotometer was adjusted such that the
absorbance reading measured at 560 nm for Solution A at 37°C was 0.00. The
absorbance at 560 nm of each of Solutions B-G at 37°C was then measured
(see Table 1).

Experiment 2
For each of 4 trials, 0.1 mL of solution that contained 100 millimoles of 1 of
4 copper chelators was added to 1 mL of solution F. The absorbance at 560
nm was then monitored at 37°C over the next 60 minutes (see Figure 1).
 Figure 1
Experiment 3
The TTM trial in Experiment 2 was repeated twice, except that one trial
was carried out at 20°C and the other trial was carried out at 35°C (see Figure
2).

Figure 2
1. When a spectrophotometer is used, a solution called a blank is first placed
in the spectrophotometer to establish a baseline value against which other
solutions will be measured. Which of the solutions served as the blank?
F. Solution G
G. Solution D
H. Solution B
J. Solution A

2. In each trial of Experiments 2 and 3, how many absorbance measurements

were recorded?
A. 5 measurements
B. 10 measurements
C. 13 measurements
D. 18 measurements

3. Based on the experiment, as the concentration of Cu2+ bound to

ceruloplasmin in a solution increases, the absorbance:
F. increases only.
G. decreases only.
H. varies, but with no general trend.
J. remains constant.

4. Based on the results of Experiments 2 and 3, the average rate of change in

the absorbance during the TETA trial was closest to that observed during the
trial with what other copper chelator and at what temperature?
A. TTM at 20°C
B. TTM at 35°C
C. Dimercaprol at 25°C
D. Dimercaprol at 37°C

5. Suppose that in Experiment 1, 20 mL of Solution B had been mixed with 20

mL of Solution D after the solutions were incubated. If the absorbance of a
sample of the resulting solution had been measured at 37°C, it would most
likely have been closest to which of the following?
F. 0.00
G. 0.25
H. 0.45
J. 0.60

Answers and Explanations

1. Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
A Figure 1 shows a direct relationship. As the object's specific gravity
decreases, the percentage of it that is submerged in the solution increases.
There are no exceptions in the figure, meaning that choice (A), increases only,
is the correct answer.

2. Correct Answer: F
Explanation:
F According to Table 1, Object B has a specific gravity of 0.300. According to
Figure 1, an object with a specific gravity of 0.300 will be approximately 10%
submerged in a bromine solution, as choice (F) suggests.

3. Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
C If a cube has three sides of 10 cm, the cube will have a volume of 1000 cm3
because the volume of a cube can be found by cubing one of its sides. The
rest of the relevant data can be found on the chart. The cube in this question
has a specific gravity of 0.700. According to Figure 1, because the cube is
floating in benzene, approximately 80% of it will be submerged. The cube has
a volume of 1000 cm3, which means that 80% of that, or 800 cm3, will be
submerged, as choice (C) indicates.

4. Correct Answer: J
Explanation:
J This question requires a bit of outside knowledge. As the water heats up, it
will become less dense. Think of it this way: it's easier to dissolve sugar in a
hot drink than in a cold one because the hot drink is less dense than the cold
one. In this question, as the water heats up, it will become less dense, leading
the object (whose density will be unaffected) to sink rather than continue to
remain afloat.

5. Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
A According to the introduction, specific gravity is the ratio of the density of an
object to the density of water at a given temperature. According to Table 2,
bromine has a specific gravity of 2.90. Given the specific-gravity ratio, then, for
every 1 gm/cm3 of water, there will be 2.90 g/cm3 of bromine. Use the units to
answer the question: there are 2.90 g in each 1 cm3 of bromine, as choice (A)
indicates.

1. Correct Answer: J
Explanation:
J Without using the word, this question is essentially asking for the control of
the experiment. Solution A seems like a reasonable candidate with its value of
0.00, and the introduction confirms it: A test tube containing a sample of
Solution A was placed in a spectrophotometer. The spectrophotometer was
adjusted such that the absorbance reading measured at 560 nm for Solution A
at 37°C was 0.00. Solution A is thus the standard against which others are
judged, making the correct answer choice (J).

2. Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
C Count the dots. There are 13 measurements in each graph, or choice (C).
While it may seem like there are twelve because measurements are made in
5-minute increments for 60 minutes, don't forget that 0 minutes is also a
measurement.

3. Correct Answer: F
Explanation:
F According to Table 1, as the concentration increases, the absorbance does
as well. The correct answer is choice (F).

4. Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
A Match the curves. Figure 1 shows a variety of chelators at 37°C. On this
same graph, dimercaprol does not decrease as quickly as does TETA, thus
eliminating choice (D). Figure 2 shows TTM at two different temperatures:
20°C and 35°C. Select a few points to see that the TTM curve at 20°C matches
almost identically with the TETA curve at 37°C. The best answer is therefore
choice (A).

5. Correct Answer: G
Explanation:
G Given that Table 1 shows the values of different 20 mL solutions at 37°C, we
can ignore the initial concentration and temperature values and simply work
with the numbers on the chart. Solution B has an absorbance of 0.25. Solution
D has an absorbance of 0.56. If the two were mixed, the new solution's
absorbance would be between these two values, as only choice (G) is.
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