ACT-TEST sample questions

Question 1

A student is investigating the effect of different types of soil on the growth of bean plants. The student prepares three identical pots. Pot A contains sandy soil, Pot B contains clay soil, and Pot C contains loam. Each pot is planted with three bean seeds from the same packet, placed at the same depth, and given 200 mL of water every three days. All pots are kept on the same sunny windowsill. The height of each plant is measured in centimeters after 30 days.

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the conclusion that the soil type caused the observed differences in plant height?

Accepted Answer

The windowsill had a temperature gradient, with the area for Pot A being significantly warmer than the area for Pot C.

Answer

The windowsill received direct sunlight for only four hours per day.

Answer

The student used tap water instead of distilled water for all pots.

Answer

The bean seeds used were from a variety known to have a high germination rate.

Question 2

If 3x - 7 = 5(x - 3), what is the value of x?

Accepted Answer

4

Answer

-4

Answer

2

Answer

11

Question 3

The following text is an excerpt from a passage on the history of cartography.

(1) Early mapmaking was as much an art as it was a science. (2) Ancient cartographers, lacking the satellite technology we have today, had to rely on traveler's tales, astronomical observations, and a significant amount of guesswork. (3) Consequently, their maps were often beautifully illustrated with sea monsters and stylized continents, these additions filled the vast, unknown regions of the world. (4) While inaccurate by modern standards, these maps represented the pinnacle of geographic knowledge for their time and were invaluable tools for trade and exploration.

Which of the following is the best way to revise the underlined portion of sentence (3)?

continents, these additions filled

Accepted Answer

continents; these additions filled

Answer

continents, and these additions filled

Answer

continents, with these additions filling

Answer

continents. Which these additions filled

Question 4

The following passage is from a novel. The narrator is describing her grandmother.

My grandmother's house was a museum of a life lived with quiet intensity. Every object had a story, a silent testament to a journey I could only piece together from fragments. The worn armchair in the corner, its floral pattern faded to a ghost of its former self, had been her listening post for decades of family dramas. The chipped porcelain teacups weren't just for show; they were veterans of countless conversations, whispered secrets, and boisterous laughter. She moved through these rooms with a slow, deliberate grace, her presence a calming anchor in the chaotic sea of my childhood. She never spoke of the past directly, but in the way she polished the silver or tended her wilting African violets, she told me everything.

The narrator's primary purpose in the passage is to:

Accepted Answer

convey the grandmother's personality through her surroundings and actions.

Answer

describe the physical layout of her grandmother's house.

Answer

explain why her childhood was chaotic.

Answer

create a feeling of suspense about the grandmother's past.

Question 5

A rectangular community garden is 20 meters long and 15 meters wide. A uniform walkway is to be built around the entire perimeter of the garden. The total area of the garden plus the walkway is 426 square meters. What is the width of the walkway?

An ASCII diagram of the scenario is below:


^ ┌───────────────┐
| │ ┌───────┐ │
15 + 2x │ x │ │ x │
| │ │ 20x15 │ │
v │ └───────┘ │
└───────────────┘

Accepted Answer

3 meters

Answer

1.5 meters

Answer

2 meters

Answer

3.5 meters

Question 6

A scientist is studying a species of arctic fox. Based on field observations, the scientist develops two competing hypotheses regarding the primary factor that triggers the fox's coat to change from brown in the summer to white in the winter.

Hypothesis 1: The change in coat color is primarily triggered by photoperiod (the length of daylight). As the days get shorter in autumn, the decrease in light exposure causes hormonal changes that lead to the growth of a white coat.

Hypothesis 2: The change in coat color is primarily triggered by ambient temperature. As the average daily temperature drops below a certain threshold, the cold stimulates the hormonal changes that lead to the growth of a white coat.

Which of the following experimental designs would be most effective at testing these two hypotheses?

Accepted Answer

Place one group of foxes in a cold environment with long daylight hours and another group in a warm environment with short daylight hours.

Answer

Observe foxes in their natural arctic habitat and record both the date and the temperature when their coat color begins to change.

Answer

Keep one group of foxes in a lab that simulates a typical arctic autumn by gradually decreasing both temperature and daylight hours.

Answer

Compare arctic foxes to a species of desert fox that does not change coat color, noting differences in their native climates and photoperiods.

Question 7

Based on the passage, which TWO of the following statements about early maps are accurate? (Select TWO)

Passage: Early mapmaking was as much an art as it was a science. Ancient cartographers, lacking the satellite technology we have today, had to rely on traveler's tales, astronomical observations, and a significant amount of guesswork. Consequently, their maps were often beautifully illustrated with sea monsters and stylized continents, these additions filled the vast, unknown regions of the world. While inaccurate by modern standards, these maps represented the pinnacle of geographic knowledge for their time and were invaluable tools for trade and exploration.

Accepted Answer

They combined empirical data with imaginative elements.

Accepted Answer

They served a practical purpose in their historical context.

Answer

They were considered useless for navigation due to their inaccuracies.

Answer

They were created primarily using advanced mathematical calculations.

Answer

They were more artistic than scientific.

Question 8

The use of semicolons to join two independent clauses is a feature of formal academic writing.

Sentence: The experiment yielded promising results; however, more research is needed to confirm the findings.

Accepted Answer

True

Answer

False

Question 9

A small business owner is analyzing her company's finances. In the first year, the company had a revenue of $80,000. For the next five years, the revenue increased by exactly 10% each year over the previous year. In the seventh year, a market downturn caused revenue to decrease by 20% from the sixth year's revenue. To the nearest dollar, what was the company's revenue in the seventh year?

Accepted Answer

$128,841

Accepted Answer

$103,073

Answer

$105,105

Answer

$116,588

Question 10

A solution's acidity is measured by its pH on a scale of 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is neutral. A pH less than 7 is acidic, and a pH greater than 7 is basic (alkaline). A student tests four unknown colorless liquids and records the data in the table below.

┌────────┬────────────────┬───────────────────┐
│ Liquid │ pH Measurement │ Reaction with Mg │
├────────┼────────────────┼───────────────────┤
│ 1 │ 2.5 │ Bubbles vigorously│
│ 2 │ 7.0 │ No reaction │
│ 3 │ 11.0 │ No reaction │
│ 4 │ 5.5 │ Bubbles slowly │
└────────┴────────────────┴───────────────────┘

Based on the table, which liquid is a strong base?

Accepted Answer

Liquid 3

Answer

Liquid 1

Answer

Liquid 2

Answer

Liquid 4

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