Victory for the ACT Student Text 15e

S CIENCE Q UIZZES • 339

8. Š‡ ϐŽƒ˜‘” ’”‡ˆ‡”‡…‡ –Šƒ– ϐŽ—…–—ƒ–‡• ‘•– irregularly with age is: F. moderately salty. G. moderately sweet. H. extremely salty. J. extremely sweet. 9. Based on the trends shown in the chart, which of the following predictions is most reasonable for one-year-old mice? A. Moderately sweet and moderately salty will be most preferred. B. Extremely sweet and extremely salty will be most preferred. C. Moderately sweet and extremely salty will be most preferred. D. Extremely sweet and moderately salty will be most preferred. Which of the following conclusions about water is NOT consistent with the data in the chart? F. Water is never preferred over any –‡•–‡† ϐŽƒ˜‘”•Ǥ G. Before the age of six months, mice cannot taste the difference between water and sugar or between water and salt. H. At the age of three months, both •ƒŽ–› ϐŽ—‹†• ƒ”‡ ‡“—ƒŽ –‘ –Š‡ ™ƒ–‡” swallowed. J. As age increases, the volume of water swallowed remains the same. Approximately 65 million years ago, at the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene geologic periods, a mass extinction of about three-fourths of Earth’s plant and animal species ‘……—””‡†ǡ ‹…Ž—†‹‰ ƒŽŽ ‘ǦϐŽ›‹‰ †‹‘•ƒ—”•Ǥ ƒ› Š›’‘–Š‡•‡• Šƒ˜‡ „‡‡ ’”‘’‘•‡† –‘ ‡š’Žƒ‹ –Š‡ extinction, but only two have received great acceptance: a huge meteorite impact and an episode of intensive volcanism. Scientist 1 The evidence is overwhelming that a large meteorite hit the earth at the end of the Cretaceous period. Sedimentary rock layers at the 65-million-year mark reveal a high concentration of iridium, which is rare in Earth’s crust but abundant in meteorites. The discovery of the Chicxulub crater in the Gulf of Mexico is further evidence of a major meteor strike. The impact of this meteorite sent up a cloud of particles into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight and drastically reducing solar energy and hence photosynthesis. Plants and marine algae withered and died, followed by the plant-eating herbivores. This reverberated up the food chain to include the predators that depended on the plant-eating animals for food. Scientist 2 Granted, a meteorite hit Earth 65 million years ago. However, the planet was already an ‘˜‡”Š‡ƒ–‡† ‰”‡‡Š‘—•‡ •—ˆϐ‹‰ ‘—– Ž‹ˆ‡ „‡ˆ‘”‡ –Š‡ ‡–‡‘”‹–‡ǯ• ƒ””‹˜ƒŽǤ ƒŒ‘” ˜‘Ž…ƒ‹…‡˜‡– occurred around the same time as the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary extinction. The Deccan Traps in India represent one of the largest volcanic features on Earth today. Formed between 60 and 68 million years ago from a series of volcanic eruptions, the Deccan Traps consist of multiple Žƒ›‡”• ‘ˆ •‘Ž‹†‹ϐ‹‡† „ƒ•ƒŽ– Žƒ˜ƒǤ – ‹• ‘‡ ‘ˆ –Š‡ „‹‰‰‡•– ϐŽ‘‘† „ƒ•ƒŽ–• ‹ –Š‡ Š‹•–‘”› ‘ˆ –Š‡ ’Žƒ‡–Ǥ Š‡ massive release of volcanic gases, particularly carbon dioxide, from the eruptions that created the Deccan Traps caused a greenhouse effect. It heated up the planet and stressed the land-dwelling dinosaurs and many other animal and plant species to extinction. Five major extinctions have occurred in the past 500 million years: the Ordovician, the Devonian, the Permian, the Triassic, ƒ† –Š‡ ”‡–ƒ…‡‘—•Ǥ ŽŽ ‘ˆ –Š‡•‡ ‡š–‹…–‹‘• ƒ”‡ ‰”‡‡Š‘—•‡ ‡š–‹…–‹‘• ƒ••‘…‹ƒ–‡† ™‹–Š ϐŽ‘‘† basalts. Passage III 10.

Master Moves Before answering any questions, spend a few moments interpreting the given graphs. Note the trends within each graph and draw a few conclusions. In this case, after „”‹‡ϐŽ› Ž‘‘‹‰ ƒ– the top graph, it is clear that mice prefer moderately sweet water as they age. Making a few quick conclusions like this can help you speed through any accompanying questions. Passage Perfect While reading passages with …‘ϐŽ‹…–‹‰ viewpoints, especially those with detailed information, it is important to circle and underline key ways in which the passages differ. This allows you to quickly answer accompanying questions, since most questions on this passage type focus on differences in the presented viewpoints.