ACT Science : ACT Science

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ACT Science

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Example Questions

Example Question #52 : Chemistry

A student performed the following procedures to study various photosynthetic pigments (light-absorbing chemicals) in tree leaves and the wavelengths of light they absorb.

Experiment 1:

The student obtained samples of leaves from oaks, maples, ashes, sycamores, and poplars. Each leaf sample was ground separately with a mortar and pestle to release the pigments, and then each sample was suspended in water to make a colored solution of the pigment. The student then measured the absorption spectrum (a graph of how much light is absorbed by a pigment at varying wavelengths of light) of each solution in a device called a spectrophotometer. The setup of a spectrophotometer is shown below in Diagram 1.

 

 Spectrophotometer

 

The light source emits white light, which is split into its various wavelengths by the prism. Next, a slit, which can be moved up or down to select a particular wavelength, is used to transmit just a single wavelength to the sample. The sample absorbs a fraction of this light that is characteristic to the pigment in the sample, and the rest is transmitted to the detector for a readout. Using the spectrophotometer, the student found the λmax (the wavelength of light in nanometers (nm) that the pigment absorbs most intensely, for each sample) and recorded the results in Table 1. Table 1 also shows the transmittance and absorbance values at λmax. Transmittance, T, is defined as the fraction of light, expressed as a decimal, which passes through the sample. Absorbance, A, is given by:

                                    A = –log(T)   or  10–A = T

 

 Spectrophotometer_table_1

 

Experiment 2:

A student is given a leaf from an unknown source. She crushes and extracts the pigment according to the procedure in Experiment 1. Measuring the absorbance spectrum in the spectrophotometer produces the following readout, shown in Diagram 2.

 Leaf_absorbance

                                                Diagram 2

What is λmax, in nanometers, for the leaf in Experiment 2?

Possible Answers:

0.9

630

440

0.6

Correct answer:

440

Explanation:

Experiment 1 states that λmax is the wavelength at which light is absorbed most intensely. Thus, we can look for the wavelength, found on the x-axis of Diagram 2, that produces the highest absorbance, found on the y-axis. This value is 440 nm, which produces an absorbance of 0.9. 

Example Question #742 : Act Science

A student wanted to study the kinetics, or rates of a chemical reaction based on the concentrations of its reactants and products, of the reaction shown below.

 

This reaction is easy to monitor using a spectrophotometer, which measures how much light of a particular wavelength is absorbed by a solution. The deep purple potassium permanganate, or , absorbs light of a 550 nm wavelength in proportion to its concentration in the reaction solution. Manganese sulfate, or , is pale pink and absorbs light of a 500 nm wavelength in proportion to its concentration in the reaction solution. All other reactants and products are colorless and do not absorb visible light and thus cannot be monitored using the spectrophotometer.

 

Experiment 1:

The student constructed a standard curve, or a graph of the absorbance of solutions of varying concentrations of potassium permanganate, to quantify the relationship between concentration and absorbance. To prepare five sample of increasing concentration, he labeled five test tubes A, B, C, D, and E, weighed out 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 grams of potassium permanganate into each, respectively, and added 1 milliliter (mL) of water to each test tube to dissolve. Then, he used the spectrophotometer to determine the absorbance at 550 nm of each sample. The data is graphed in Figure 1 below.

Kinetics_figure_1 

                                                        Figure 1

  

Experiment 2: 

The student then studied potassium permanganate in the presence of oxalic acid, , to observe the reaction. Monitoring both the absorbances of potassium permanganate and manganese sulfate, he was able to determine the reaction rate using a special setting on the spectrophotometer. The reaction rate at various concentrations of reactants is shown below in Table 1.

Kinetics_table_2

A sample solution of potassium permanganate in 1 milliliter of water was placed in a spectrophotometer and evaluated for its absorbance at 550 nm. It gave an absorbance of 0.3. How many grams of potassium permanganate were dissolved in the sample?

Possible Answers:


Correct answer:


Explanation:

Figure 1 shows the relationship between absorbance and concentration of potassium permanganate. Look for the absorbance value of 0.3 on the vertical axis and see what concentration value on the horizontal axis would produce such an absorbance. The answer is 1.5 grams/mL. As the sample in this problem was dissolved in the same amount of water as in Experiment 1, we can assume that 0.15 grams were dissolved in this sample.

Example Question #54 : Chemistry

A student wanted to study the kinetics, or rates of a chemical reaction based on the concentrations of its reactants and products, of the reaction shown below.

 

This reaction is easy to monitor using a spectrophotometer, which measures how much light of a particular wavelength is absorbed by a solution. The deep purple potassium permanganate, or , absorbs light of a 550 nm wavelength in proportion to its concentration in the reaction solution. Manganese sulfate, or , is pale pink and absorbs light of a 500 nm wavelength in proportion to its concentration in the reaction solution. All other reactants and products are colorless and do not absorb visible light and thus cannot be monitored using the spectrophotometer.

 

Experiment 1:

The student constructed a standard curve, or a graph of the absorbance of solutions of varying concentrations of potassium permanganate, to quantify the relationship between concentration and absorbance. To prepare five sample of increasing concentration, he labeled five test tubes A, B, C, D, and E, weighed out 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 grams of potassium permanganate into each, respectively, and added 1 milliliter (mL) of water to each test tube to dissolve. Then, he used the spectrophotometer to determine the absorbance at 550 nm of each sample. The data is graphed in Figure 1 below.

Kinetics_figure_1 

                                                        Figure 1

  

Experiment 2: 

The student then studied potassium permanganate in the presence of oxalic acid, , to observe the reaction. Monitoring both the absorbances of potassium permanganate and manganese sulfate, he was able to determine the reaction rate using a special setting on the spectrophotometer. The reaction rate at various concentrations of reactants is shown below in Table 1.

Kinetics_table_2

Which of the following graphs could potentially generated if absorbance at 550 nm was graphed over time for a mixture of potassium permanganate and oxalic acid?

Kinetics_q6

Possible Answers:

Green graph

Purple graph

Red graph

Blue graph

Correct answer:

Red graph

Explanation:

As the absorbance is monitored at 550 nm, which will observe the behavior of potassium permanganate, a reactant, we know the absorbance should decrease as time goes on. The concentration of a reactant will decrease as it is used up by the reaction. Thus, the answer must be the red graph, as it is the only graph that shows consistently decreasing absorbance.

Example Question #61 : Chemistry

Current high levels of fossil fuel use, including coal-burning power plants and gasoline-powered automobiles, have helped contribute to the high concentrations of sulfur trioxide, SO3, found in the atmosphere. When sulfur trioxide and water interact, they can undergo the following chemical reaction to produce sulfuric acid, which is the main contributor to acid rain worldwide: 

 

Acid rain showers are particularly common near coal-burning power plants and large cities. These showers are responsible for significant economic damage to sidewalks, roads, and buildings. Scientists interested in studying the effects of acid rain often use basic substances like calcium carbonate, the main component of limestone buildings, and expose them to varying volumes of acid rain to determine what volume of acid rain is necessary to begin to erode a building. A sample graph of one scientist’s experiment is replicated below:

 Passage_ii_-_main_passage

Measuring acid and base levels is commonly done with a scale called pH, which uses the concentration of hydrogen ions to determine the acidity. Hydrogen ions are in a balance with hydroxide ions to give a scale with a range from 0 to 14. Values equal to or between 0 and 6.9 represent the acidic range where hydrogen ions predominate and values equal to or ranging from 7.1 and 14 represent the basic range where hydroxide ions predominate. Thus, the more hydrogen ions present, the more acidic the solution.

Scientists can tell when a titration (pH) experiment passes a certain pH using compounds called indicators. Indicators are usually colorless at pH levels below that of their specified color change. A table of indicators used by the above scientists and the pH at which they change colors is presented below. 

Passage_ii_table

What is the pH of a solution containing calcium carbonate and sulfuric acid when 15 mL of sulfuric acid have been added?

Possible Answers:

5

10

Correct answer:

10

Explanation:

This question asks us to use the provided figure to estimate the pH of a solution given an amount of acid added. Using the curve, we can see that a 15 mL addition of sulfuric acid corresponds to a pH of roughly 10. While we not be able to determine the exact number, we can use process of elimination with the answer choices to see which of the options presented is close to the number represented on the figure.

Example Question #62 : Chemistry

The Ideal Gas Law is as follows:

 is pressure as measured in Pascals,  is volume as measured in cubic meters,  is the number of moles of the gas,  is the gas constant known as 8.314 Joules per mole times Kelvin, and  is the temperature measured in Kelvin.

A class of students began studying the Ideal Gas Law and how the Pressure and the Volume relate to one another. They took 20 moles of a sample gas and kept the room at a temperature of 300 Kelvin. They then used different sized containers of the gas to limit and expand the volume. At each different volume, they measure the pressure of the gas on its container. The table they made from their results is seen in table 1.

 

Volume of the container

Pressure Measured in Pascals

1 cubic meter

49,884 Pascals

2 cubic meters

24,942 Pascals

3 cubic meters

16,628 Pascals

4 cubic meters

12,471 Pascals

5 cubic meters

 9,976.8 Pascals

6 cubic meters

 8,314 Pascals

7 cubic meters

 7,126.2 Pascals

TABLE 1 

 

And they graph their findings in Figure 1.

Img021

FIGURE 1

 

Will the pressure of a gas ever be ?

Possible Answers:

No, because nothing is divisible by 0.

No, because R will never be 0.

Yes, when the volume of a gas is less than 0.5 cubic meters.

Yes, but only if the volume is 0 cubic meters.

Yes. If the number of moles is 0 or if the temperature would ever reach 0 Kelvin.   

Correct answer:

Yes. If the number of moles is 0 or if the temperature would ever reach 0 Kelvin.   

Explanation:

The only way a gas can have a pressure of  is if there is no gas (0 moles) or if the temperature is 0 Kelvin. 0 Kelvin is absolute 0 and would mean that all movement of molecules has stopped and there is no pressure. Volume cannot be 0. If volume is 0, the equation cannot be solved because nothing is divisible by 0.

Example Question #63 : Chemistry

The Ideal Gas Law is as follows:

               

 is pressure as measured in Pascals,  is volume as measured in cubic meters,  is the number of moles of the gas,  is the gas constant known as 8.314 Joules per mole times Kelvin, and  is the temperature measured in Kelvin.

A class of students began studying the Ideal Gas Law and how the Pressure and the Volume relate to one another. They took 20 moles of a sample gas and kept the room at a temperature of 300 Kelvin. They then used different sized containers of the gas to limit and expand the volume. At each different volume, they measure the pressure of the gas on its container. The table they made from their results is seen in table 1.

 

Volume of the container

Pressure Measured in Pascals

1 cubic meter

49,884 Pascals

2 cubic meters

24,942 Pascals

3 cubic meters

16,628 Pascals

4 cubic meters

12,471 Pascals

5 cubic meters

 9,976.8 Pascals

6 cubic meters

 8,314 Pascals

7 cubic meters

 7,126.2 Pascals

TABLE 1 

 

And they graph their findings in Figure 1.

Img021

FIGURE 1

Will the graph ever cross the y-axis (the axis on which pressure is measured)?

Possible Answers:

Yes, when the controlled variable of the number of moles is changed to 40.

No, it would only cross the y-axis if the volume was infinite, and it is not possible to create a container with an inifinite number of cubic meters.

No, because in order for it to do that, Volume would have to be 0. Volume will never be 0 because an equation cannot be solved if it requires being divided by 0.

Yes, but it will cross at less than .

Yes, when volume is 0 cubic meters.

Correct answer:

No, because in order for it to do that, Volume would have to be 0. Volume will never be 0 because an equation cannot be solved if it requires being divided by 0.

Explanation:

The lower the volume, the closer to the  y-axis the graph will get, but it can never reach 0.  If volume is measured at 0, the equation would have to be divided by 0.  An equation cannot be divided by 0.  

Example Question #64 : Chemistry

The Ideal Gas Law is as follows:

               

 is pressure as measured in Pascals,  is volume as measured in cubic meters,  is the number of moles of the gas,  is the gas constant known as 8.314 Joules per mole times Kelvin, and  is the temperature measured in Kelvin.

A class of students began studying the Ideal Gas Law and how the Pressure and the Volume relate to one another. They took 20 moles of a sample gas and kept the room at a temperature of 300 Kelvin. They then used different sized containers of the gas to limit and expand the volume. At each different volume, they measure the pressure of the gas on its container. The table they made from their results is seen in table 1.

 

Volume of the container

Pressure Measured in Pascals

1 cubic meter

49,884 Pascals

2 cubic meters

24,942 Pascals

3 cubic meters

16,628 Pascals

4 cubic meters

12,471 Pascals

5 cubic meters

 9,976.8 Pascals

6 cubic meters

 8,314 Pascals

7 cubic meters

 7,126.2 Pascals

TABLE 1 

 

And they graph their findings in Figure 1.

Img021

FIGURE 1

What is the pressure at temperature 0 Kelvin?

Possible Answers:

The answer cannot be determined from the data available.

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The temperature and pressure are directly proportional to one another. If the temperature reaches 0 Kelvin (which is absolute 0, the temperature at which molecules no longer move at all), there will be  of pressure because anything multiplied by 0 is 0.

Example Question #65 : Chemistry

The rate of a reversible chemical reaction depends on many factors, including concentrations of the reactants and products, temperature, and presence of enzymes called catalysts. In the forward reaction, two reactants combine to form one product. However, in a reverse reaction, the product is broken down into the two reactants.

 

In order for a forward reaction to occur, the reactants moving around in the test tube must physically interact with each other. The more often reactants interact with each other, the more produce is formed in the same amount of time. The speed at which reactants combine into products (the rate of the reaction) can be calculated by dividing the amount of a chemical produced in a reaction (often measured in moles) by the time it takes to produce that amount.

 

In order to determine the effects of reactant and product concentration, temperature, and presence of catalysts on the rate of a reaction, a scientist studied the following reaction:

 

 

The scientist varied the conditions of the experiment and measured the rate of the reaction. The results are outlined in Table 1. The units of concentration are moles per liter.

 

Table_1

In a further experiment, intead of using 5 or 10 moles for the amount of acid covertase, the scientist uses 20 moles. What is the expected rate of reaction?

Possible Answers:

160 

120 

80 

40 

Correct answer:

160 

Explanation:

Using Table 1 and Experiments 2 and 3, we can see that doubling the moles of acid convertase doubles the rate. Thus, using 20 moles instead of 10, we would expect to see a double in the rate of 80 to 160 moles per liter per second.

Example Question #66 : Chemistry

The rate of a reversible chemical reaction depends on many factors, including concentrations of the reactants and products, temperature, and presence of enzymes called catalysts. In the forward reaction, two reactants combine to form one product. However, in a reverse reaction, the product is broken down into the two reactants. If the reverse reaction is running at a quick rate, the overall rate of product formation will be lowered.

 

In order for a forward reaction to occur, the reactants moving around in the test tube must physically interact with each other. The more often reactants interact with each other, the more produce is formed in the same amount of time. The speed at which reactants combine into products (the rate of the reaction) can be calculated by dividing the amount of a chemical produced in a reaction (often measured in moles) by the time it takes to produce that amount.

 

In order to determine the effects of reactant and product concentration, temperature, and presence of catalysts on the rate of a reaction, a scientist studied the following reaction:

 

 

The scientist varied the conditions of the experiment and measured the rate of the reaction. The results are outlined in Table 1. The units of concentration are moles per liter.

Table_1

Why might doubling the number of moles of HCl decrease the rate of HCl production?

Possible Answers:

The acid convertase enzyme has become inactive

No more H+ or Cl- exists to be converted 

The acid convertase enzyme is converting HCl back into H+ and Cl-

Cannot Be Determined

Correct answer:

The acid convertase enzyme is converting HCl back into H+ and Cl-

Explanation:

The passage helps us understand that the purpose of an enzyme is to allow for the conversion of reactant to product and product back to reactant. According to Table 1, when the moles of HCl starting the reaction are doubled (Experiments 1 and 7), we see a 50% decrease in the rate of the reaction. It is reasonable that this decrease in the rate of HCl production is due to some of the HCl being driven back to H+ and Cl- according to information contained in the passage, where it says, "if the reverse reaction is running at a quick rate, the overall rate of product formation will be lowered."

Example Question #67 : Chemistry

The rate of a reversible chemical reaction depends on many factors, including concentrations of the reactants and products, temperature, and presence of enzymes called catalysts. In the forward reaction, two reactants combine to form one product. However, in a reverse reaction, the product is broken down into the two reactants.

 

In order for a forward reaction to occur, the reactants moving around in the test tube must physically interact with each other. The more often reactants interact with each other, the more produce is formed in the same amount of time. The speed at which reactants combine into products (the rate of the reaction) can be calculated by dividing the amount of a chemical produced in a reaction (often measured in moles) by the time it takes to produce that amount.

 

In order to determine the effects of reactant and product concentration, temperature, and presence of catalysts on the rate of a reaction, a scientist studied the following reaction:

 

 

The scientist varied the conditions of the experiment and measured the rate of the reaction. The results are outlined in Table 1. The units of concentration are moles per liter.

 

Table_1

According to Table 1, how would halving the moles of H+ used change the rate of the reaction?

Possible Answers:

Decrease by 4 Times

Increase by Two Times

Decrease by Two Times

Increase by 4 Times

Correct answer:

Decrease by Two Times

Explanation:

Comparing Experiments 1 and 4 in Table 1, we can see that halving the moles of H+ used in the reaction would drop the rate of the reaction by two times (i.e. halving it).

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