Finger-Pointing Isn’t Rude The foundation of a solid score on the ACT Science test resides in your students’ ability to select data from charts and graphs. This by far is the most heavily tested skill. It also happens to be the area where it is easiest to pick up points. The questions that assess your students’ ability to select data are some of the most easily answered on the test. The ACT ranks its standards by difficulty. The easiest standards have designations in the 200s. The toughest standards have designations in the 700s. These standard classifications tie to predicted ACT scores. Almost all of the 200s, 300s, and 400s standards for the Science test fall under the Interpretation of Data category. The Select Data & Features standard family only goes up to the 400s, even though this standard family makes up more than 25% of the questions students will face on the test. Due to guessing effects, students who are efficient in selecting data and nothing else could stand to score a 20 on the Science test. This type of question is that important. Students who are challenged by this type of question would do well to understand that they are not being asked to comprehend what they are reading. Selecting data is not a “deep thought” activity. They are being asked to select (find) data. Select is really just a fancy word for “point your finger at.” As a matter of fact, getting your students to point their fingers at the data in data selection questions has at least two benefits. For one, you can clearly see what they are doing (or not doing) and make sure that everyone is participating and moving through the process correctly. The second benefit is that it provides students with a simplified model for answering these types of questions, which can help them cut through the clutter. Refer to Science question #1 on page 41 of Preparing for the ACT 2015-16. Question #1 asks how fruit flies fared in Studies 1 and 2. What it’s really asking is for students to look at the figures that correspond to Studies 1 and 2 and select a specific datum that corroborates the correct answer. We don’t need to know what SY or medium is. We don’t need to know what a diet is and we definitely don’t need to know anything about fruit flies. We just need to be able to point our fingers. To develop your students’ skill with this question type, walk them through the following questions: “Where is the data for Studies 1 and 2 that we need to answer this question?” (Figures 1 and 2.) “Point to the number of days asked about in the question.” (They should point at 75 days in the question.) “Point to 75 days where it appears in our figures.” (They should point to 75 days on the x-axis of Figures 1 and 2.) “Is there any place on these figures that shows us whether or not the flies are alive? Point to it.” (They should point to the y-axis on both figures, which reads percent alive.) “Is there any line above 75 days that tells you that some of these things are alive? If so, point to it.” (They point to the circle dot line in Figure 2.) “Point to the place in the key that matches the way that line looks. What does it say?” (They should point to 5% SY medium and verbalize that.)
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DECODING THE ACT “Point to the answer choice that matches what you are looking at.” (They should point to choice C.) “Now let me ask you this: did you need to know what an SY medium was to answer this question? Or what the difference was between 5% and 15% of this stuff?” (They should say no.) To some teachers reading this, it may occur to you that this is a very long breakdown for a basic skill. If you feel that way, this exercise is probably not for your students. However, if you have students who are consistently scoring below 18 in Science, finger-pointing can be a very powerful way to develop their data selection skill. Finger-pointing is also a great way to break the bad habits of students who over-think data selection questions. Students who frequently run out of time because they agonize over these types of questions can get a speed boost by completing this teacher-led exercise several times with different items. Refer to Science question #30 on page 49 of Preparing for the ACT 2015-16. Question #30 is a more nuanced example of a question that can yield to finger-pointing and a little reasoning. Check Your Understanding: What questions would you ask your students to guide them through a finger-pointing exercise with Science question #30?
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Connect the Dots Very few ACT Science questions (less than 15%) require students to bring to bear any science knowledge not already presented in the passages. Most of the answers and supporting evidence that students need are presented in the text. The questions are structured in a way, however, that makes it difficult for students to keep this fact in mind. When a question involves unfamiliar vocabulary and terms, students default to thinking that this is a question they’re going to miss. They stop looking and start thinking. Or worse, they just stop. The connect the dots exercise helps students overcome this tendency. This exercise is not a strategy. It is not something students should do on the actual test. It’s too slow. We recommend that you have your students use highlighters to complete this exercise to lower the likelihood they will try it on the test (since you can’t use highlighters on the ACT). Before you introduce this to your students, be very clear that this is to help them change how they think about the ACT, but that they should only be connecting the dots with their eyes on the actual test. This exercise is rooted in the observation that high-performing students tend to be very active with their eyes when they take the ACT Science test. They tend to look around the pages frequently. High-performing students interpret most questions as directives to look at particular graphs or portions of text and make conclusions about the information they see. Low-performing students tend to have the opposite reaction. Low-performing students look at the same question and just keep on looking at it. They think about the question. They don’t move their eyes to where the answer is found. They think that because they don’t know the answer off the top of their heads, they won’t get the correct answer. The simplest way to put it is this: students with high Science scores look. Students with low Science scores think. In this situation, the high-performing students are in a better position because they know they don’t know. And they are comfortable with that. They don’t try to memorize everything the passage said. They know that they can find the answer. Low-performing students tend to think that they were supposed to know the answer already and get bogged down in not knowing. The anxiety starts to set in. Connect the dots helps you short-circuit this problem. By applying this exercise repeatedly throughout the year, you can help low performers attack the ACT Science test like high performers and boost scores. To do this exercise, select a question on an ACT Science test. Read it aloud. Every time you identify a term that appears either in the text or in the graphs, have the students draw a line from the word in the question to where it is in the passage. On your first couple times doing this exercise, explicitly direct your students on what connections they should make. Your students should have an epiphany the very first time you do this exercise. They will realize just how heavily connected the questions are to the passage. Their papers will look like highlighter spider webs. Eventually, have your students connect the dots on their own. Challenge them to make a specified number of connections. As you repeat this exercise, students will begin to realize that in many cases, the meaning of a term is less important than the fact that it connects to the same term in a chart. If you really want to drive the point home, have students do one Science mini-test. Then, have them connect the dots on a second mini-test and then complete the second mini-test (giving them a clean copy of the second mini-test to work from alongside their connected version). They will notice that the second mini-test was noticeably easier than
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DECODING THE ACT the first one. By going through and identifying the connections between the questions and the graphs, they are more easily able to look and find the answers they need. The subtler effect of this exercise, but the more important one, is that later, when students aren’t physically doing the connect the dots exercise, you will find that their eyes track better and are more active during testing. Students will be more likely to look for the answer and refer to the graphs and text. Refer to Science question #5 on page 41 of Preparing for the ACT 2015-16. If you were to lead your students through the connect the dots exercise with question #5, it might go something like this: “Let’s read this aloud. The researchers had predicted that decreasing a fruit fly’s ability to detect odors would increase its life span. Are the results of Study 3 consistent with this prediction? Okay, let’s draw a line from the phrase Study 3 to where that appears in the text. Connect detect odors to where that appears in Study 3. That’s right, draw the line. Connect life span to where that phrase appears in the text and in Table 1. Now look at the answer choices. What is an element that appears in the answer choices and also in the text or graph for Study 3? Yes, SY medium is one. Connect that to where it appears in the table. How about Strain X? Connect that to the table…” Refer to Science question #29 on page 49 of Preparing for the ACT 2015-16. Applying the connect the dots exercise to question #29 is a little more nuanced, but once students do it, the correct answer becomes self-evident. Check Your Understanding: Connect the dots for question #29. Then write down what questions you would ask your students to coach them through this process.
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Cross out Contradictions Many Science questions contain mutually exclusive answer choices. Students should use this fact to their advantage to hone in on the most important details. This strategy becomes especially important when you consider that many questions in this format involve 10 or more lines of text. In many cases, the text in the questions outweigh the text that appears in the passage! Refer to Science question #2 on page 41 of Preparing for the ACT 2015-16. It is obvious that the answer choices in question #2 contradict one another. F. The birthrate was 0, because the initial population contained only males. G. The birthrate was 0, because the initial population contained only virgin females. H. The death rate was 0, because the initial population contained only males. J. The death rate was 0, because the initial population contained only virgin females. Only one set of facts can be true. The first step in using this strategy is to isolate the variables that are changing in the question. In other words, students should rephrase the question into something that is easier to wrap their minds around. The answer choices above can simplify to two straightforward either/or statements: Either the birthrate or the death rate is 0. Either the initial population contained only males or only virgin females. Next, find information in the charts or text that contradicts any part of these either/or statements. In the text for Studies 1 and 2, it clearly states that the initial fruit fly populations were virgin females. Here’s our first contradiction. Choices F and H can be eliminated because they say that the populations were male. Note that in eliminating contradictions, we don’t care about invalidating all arguments in an answer choice. As soon as we know one part is wrong, we know it is all wrong. Now that we know the population, the next elimination has to do with this statement: Either the birthrate or the death rate is 0. Students should look for more evidence of contradiction. Figures 1 and 2 show a declining population, descending in almost all cases to 0% alive. This contradicts the idea of a 0 death rate. A death rate of 0 would mean that the flies did not die. Choice J can be eliminated. This leaves choice G as our best answer. Since we know that the other three choices are wrong, we don’t need to prove that choice G is right. Keep in mind, though, that often it’s quicker to figure out what’s wrong than to figure out why the right answer is right. Refer to Science question #6 on page 41 of Preparing for the ACT 2015-16. Question #6 follows a similar formula. The answer choices have two variables that can be rephrased into two either/ or statements. We are repeating either Study 1 or Study 2. We are using either Strain X fruit flies or Strain N fruit flies. This structure helps students focus. They now know they need to concentrate on the differences between Study 1 and Study 2 as well as the differences between Strain X and Strain N fruit flies.
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DECODING THE ACT The only difference between Studies 1 and 2 is the SY medium. Since the question asks for 15% SY medium, and Study 2 uses 5% SY medium, choices H and J can immediately be eliminated. Study 3 explains the difference between Strain N and Strain X: Strain X cannot detect many odors. That makes Strain X a better choice for the experiment proposed in question #6. When the format of the answer choices provides mutually exclusive options, use the contradictions to your advantage to focus your thinking and make quick eliminations.
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Three Strikes, You’re Out The process of elimination is the core test-taking strategy for the ACT as a whole (covered in detail on page 37) and takes on an exaggerated importance on the Science test. Part of this has to do with the very nature of science and the scientific method: one can never prove a theory true; one can only prove a theory false. On many questions, it is much quicker to eliminate three choices than it is to verify that the correct answer is indeed correct. Most students make the mistake of spending half a minute or more eliminating three choices, then double-dip and spend another half-minute verifying the last choice available. Students can only afford to take one action or another: make three eliminations or find the correct answer. They can’t do both. If they make three eliminations, the only remaining choice is correct. It doesn’t matter what it says. We call this strategy three strikes. If students strike through three answer choices, they’re out. They go with the only choice that is left (the correct answer) and move on. Refer to Science question #13 on page 43 of Preparing for the ACT 2015-16. In question #13, it is much easier to eliminate choices A, C, and D, which make similar statements and can be clearly invalidated by one line of text in each hypothesis. It is a greater challenge to validate that choice B is consistent with all three hypotheses. Once students have their three strikes (eliminating A, C, and D), they should bubble in B and move on to the next question. Students who have confidence in their process of elimination will be able to move through the Science test quickly and effectively. Refer to Science question #23 on page 46 of Preparing for the ACT 2015-16. Question #23 is easy to answer if the student clearly understands how to calculate acceleration. However, even those who don’t remember but understand the concept of acceleration can use the process of elimination to arrive at the correct answer. Check Your Understanding: How could students get to three strikes on question #23 without having to calculate the exact acceleration from the data?
In a “we do” classroom exercise, what questions would you ask your students to guide them through the correct eliminations?
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Side-by-Side Commentary The conflicting viewpoints passage lends itself to a particularly useful reading strategy. Refer to Science Passage II on page 42 of Preparing for the ACT 2015-16. As we discussed in the previous section, each conflicting viewpoints passage follows a similar template: an introduction is presented, followed by each argument. There is a definite substructure that students should also be aware of. Each viewpoint tends to be presented in a parallel structure. In other words, if you look at the first sentence or two of each viewpoint, they talk about similar aspects of a theory. You can compare particular aspects of each point of view by looking at similar positions in each paragraph. In other words, each point of view forms a side-by-side commentary. The ACT does not lay out these points of view in columns side by side, but if it did, this structure would be almost transparent. Take a look at the beginning of each of the three hypotheses from this passage:
Hypothesis 1 Monarch butterflies require energy from stored lipids for migration and during the overwintering period. The butterflies first store lipids before they begin their migration.
Hypothesis 2 Monarch butterflies require energy from stored lipids for migration but not during the overwintering period. The butterflies store lipids before they begin their migration.
Hypothesis 3 Monarch butterflies require energy from stored lipids during the overwintering period but not for migration. The butterflies do not store lipids before they begin their migration.
In this passage, the parallel structure is (luckily) painfully obvious. Each hypothesis is practically the same, with slight tweaks for different variables. It’s not always so clear in other conflicting viewpoints passages, but overall the ACT tends to stick to this substructure, which means your students can use this knowledge to quickly navigate the passage. Refer to Science question #8 on page 42 of Preparing for the ACT 2015-16. On question #8, students can use the passage’s parallel structure to quickly find the information they need. Students know that they need to find information about lipid storage periods in each of the hypotheses. Once they find where this information resides in Hypothesis 1 (the second and last sentences), they can quickly look in the same location in the other two hypotheses. The final sentence in Hypothesis 2 says that the butterflies do not store lipids while at the overwintering sites. Likewise, Hypothesis 3’s second sentence states that butterflies do not store lipids before they begin migration. Using the parallel substructure to their advantage, students are able to quickly determine that only Hypothesis 1 describes two distinct periods of lipid storage. Refer to Science question #9 on page 42 of Preparing for the ACT 2015-16. Likewise, question #9 is easily answered if students treat the hypothesis texts as side-by-side commentaries. Once students see that the first sentence in Hypothesis 1 gives the information needed, they can quickly move to check the first sentences of Hypotheses 2 and 3. It turns out that none of the hypotheses assert that the butterflies require energy from stored lipids neither for migration nor during the overwintering period, so choice D is correct.
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Content Area #3: Prediction & Further Experiments The prediction & further experiments standard family is the most frequently occurring manifestation of the Scientific Investigation category. These questions provide new data and ask students to make a predictions by synthesizing of the new data and the old. One of the major challenges associated with this standard family is the density of the question and answer text. These often take up 10 or more lines. For this reason, any strategy on how to simplify questions will go far in helping students with this question type. Consider these strategies in particular: • Keep it Simple, Science (page 381) • Use the Answer Choices (page 379) • TMI (page 390)
CATEGORY: SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION Family: Prediction & Further Experiments Weight: 8%+ Standards: SIN 502. Predict the results of an additional trial or measurement in an experiment SIN 503. Determine the experimental conditions that would produce specified results SIN 702. Predict the effects of modifying the design or methods of an experiment SIN 703. Determine which additional trial or experiment could be performed to enhance or evaluate experimental results Example: Science question #6 on page 41 of Preparing for the ACT 2015-16.
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Content Area #4: Support or Contradiction of Hypotheses & Conclusions Questions in this standard family typically provide students with a hypothesis or conclusion and ask how it compares to the facts given in the passage, graphs, and tables. In other cases, students are asked to select results or data that either support or contradict a given hypothesis or conclusion. In either situation, students must be able to reason scientifically and avoid getting bogged down by unfamiliar terms. If your students are particularly challenged by this question type, consider reviewing these strategies: • Speaking Pig Latin (page 383) • Three Strikes, You’re Out (page 376) This is one of the more difficult standard families, so students may need a lot of experience and practice before they gain mastery.
EVALUATION OF MODELS, INFERENCES & EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS Family: Support or Contradiction of Hypotheses & Conclusions Weight: 4-8% Standards: EMI 502. Determine whether presented information, or new information, supports or contradicts a simple hypothesis or conclusion, and why EMI 505. Determine which experimental results or models support or contradict a hypothesis, prediction, or conclusion EMI 702. Determine whether presented information, or new information, supports or contradicts a complex hypothesis or conclusion, and why Example: Science question #7 on page 41 of Preparing for the ACT 2015-16.
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DECODING SCIENCE TEST 72-C Answer Explanations and Standard Families 1.
Interpretation of Data >> Select Data & Features Choice A is incorrect because Study 1 only includes data about 15% SY medium, not 5%. Choice B is incorrect because all lines on Figure 1 from 55 to 75 days are at 0% alive. Choice D is incorrect because Study 2 only includes data about 5% SY medium, not 15%. The correct answer is C. In Figure 2, the line corresponding to 5% SY medium at 75 days is at approximately 5% alive.
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Scientific Investigation >> Understanding Design Choices F and H are incorrect because both Study 1 and Study 2 involve 200 virgin female fruit flies, not male fruit flies. Choice J is incorrect because the figures for Study 1 and Study 2 show a declining population, which means that the death rate must be non-zero. The correct answer is G. Because the initial populations consisted only of 200 virgin females each, it was not possible for the birthrate to be anything other than 0. A birthrate is the amount of a certain species born within a given period of time. A virgin insect is one that produces eggs that are not fertilized, so they are unable to produce offspring.
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Scientific Investigation >> Comparison Choices A and B are incorrect because neither study involved male fruit flies. Choice C is incorrect because the SY medium in Study 1 contained 15% sugar, while the SY medium in Study 2 contained 5% sugar. The correct answer is D. The SY medium in Study 1 contained 15% sugar, which was higher than the 5% sugar concentration of the SY medium in Study 2.
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Scientific Investigation >> Prediction & Further Experiments Choices F, H, and J are incorrect because their predictions do not match the facts presented in Table 1, which states that Strain X with 10% SY medium has an average life span of 58.6 days, while the same flies with 15% SY medium have an average life span of 55.6 days. The correct answer is choice G. Find the Strain X rows in Table 1. 12% sugar and 12% killed yeast would fall between 10% and 15%. According to Table 1, the average lifespan of the fruit flies on 10% sugar and killed yeast is 58.6 days. The average lifespan of fruit flies on 15% sugar and killed yeast is 55.6 days. It stands to reason that the lifespan of fruit flies on 12% sugar and 12% yeast would be somewhere between those two
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DECODING THE ACT
DECODING SCIENCE TEST 72-C
averages, since 12% is between 10% and 15%.
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Evaluation of Models, Inferences & Experimental Results >> Consistency of Hypotheses, Predictions & Conclusions Choice A is incorrect because the text states that the Strain X flies have a decreased ability to detect odors, so this data would be consistent with the researchers’ prediction. Choices B and D are incorrect because according to Table 1, the average life span of the Strain N fruit flies is not greater than that of the Strain X fruit flies. The correct answer is Choice C. According to Table 1, the average life span of the Strain X flies ranged from 61.6 to 55.6 days, which is much higher than the average lifespan of Strain N flies (50.1 to 41.6 days). Since the text for Study 3 states that Strain X flies had a decreased ability to detect odors, we can conclude that this change caused an increase in life span.
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Scientific Investigation >> Prediction & Further Experiments Choices G and J are incorrect because the question asks for the experiment to include a defect in the ability to detect odors, but Strain N flies do not have this defect. Choice H is incorrect because Study 2 involves 5% SY medium, not 15% SY medium. The correct answer is F. The question asks for an experiment with these three elements: a defect in detecting odors, 15% SY medium, and the addition of live yeast and live yeast odors. Study 1 includes 15% SY medium as well as the addition of live yeast and live yeast odors. Study 3 explains that Strain X flies have a defect in their ability to detect odors, so introducing Strain X flies into Study 1 would meet all the requirements.
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Interpretation of Data >> Compare or Combine Choices B and D are incorrect because Tubes 1 and 2 have the same SY medium, as do Tubes 5 and 6, so the researchers would not be able to learn about the effects of a reduced calorie diet with these. Choice C is incorrect because Tubes 2 and 5 have additional odors from live yeast. The correct answer is A. In the context of these experiments, a reduced calorie diet is achieved by reducing the concentration of the sugar yeast (SY medium). Flies on a 5% SY medium diet have a reduced calorie diet compared to the flies on a 15% SY medium diet. Only Tubes 1 and 4 have an absence of live yeast and additional odors.
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Evaluation of Models, Inferences & Experimental Results >> Model Information Choices G and H are incorrect because the text describing Hypotheses 2 and 3 each describe only one period of storing lipids. Choice J is incorrect because Hypotheses 1 does describe two distinct periods of lipid storage. The correct answer is F. The text under Hypothesis 1 states that the butterflies first store lipids before they begin their migration and later, they must store lipids before beginning the overwintering period.
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Evaluation of Models, Inferences & Experimental Results >> Model Information Choice A is incorrect because Hypothesis 1 states that energy from stored lipids is required during both periods.
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