Identifying Central Ideas and Hypotheses
What’s Tested:
- The main focus of the passage (a scientific concept, process, or discovery)
- A hypothesis or theory the author explains or evaluates
- The core purpose or takeaway of the passage How to Build the Skill:
- Read the first and last paragraphs carefully—they often contain the research question or summary.
- Ask: What is this passage mostly trying to explain or argue?
- Practice reading science articles (e.g., from Scientific American or National Geographic) and writing 1-sentence summaries.
- Don't get lost in details—focus on what the passage is about. Sample ACT-Style Questions:
- What is the central focus of the passage?
- The primary purpose of the passage is to explain…
- Which of the following best summarizes the author’s main argument about microbial evolution?
Understanding Relationships Between Concepts or Events
What’s Tested:
- Cause and effect
- Sequences or timelines in experiments or discoveries
- Comparisons between theories or systems How to Build the Skill:
- Highlight or underline transitions like “as a result,” “in contrast,” “because.”
- Ask: What caused this? What came before or after this?
- Draw quick diagrams or flow charts in your scratch space for processes or chains of events. Sample ACT-Style Questions:
- What effect did the 1998 experiment have on subsequent research?
- How does the author contrast Photosystem I and Photosystem II?
- What led to the reclassification of Pluto as a dwarf planet?
Understanding Scientific Perspective and Interpretation
What’s Tested:
- How the author interprets data, results, or evidence
- The viewpoint or approach taken toward a scientific problem
- Subtle biases or preferences in explaining a theory How to Build the Skill:
- Ask: Does the author seem neutral or favor one explanation over another?
- Look for interpretive language like “suggests,” “indicates,” “raises the possibility.”
- Practice distinguishing fact vs. interpretation: is this something observed, or something inferred? Sample ACT-Style Questions:
- Which of the following best reflects the author’s interpretation of the study’s results?
- What attitude does the author take toward genetic modification?
- According to the passage, what conclusion does the author draw about climate modeling?
Locating and Interpreting Supporting Details
What’s Tested:
- Specific facts, terms, processes, or examples
- Purpose of a sentence or piece of data
- How a particular detail contributes to the explanation How to Build the Skill:
- Underline key terms, numbers, dates, and named processes—these often show up in detail questions.
- Practice paraphrasing scientific explanations in your own words.
- Ask: Why is this example here? What idea is it illustrating or supporting? Sample ACT-Style Questions:
- According to the passage, what is one function of the mitochondrion?
- Why does the author refer to the 2005 field study in paragraph 3?
- What does the passage suggest about the role of nitrogen in plant growth?
Summarizing Scientific Explanations
What’s Tested:
- Condensing a multi-step explanation, theory, or experiment into a general idea
- Understanding how examples and evidence build a scientific case
- Putting together several parts of a passage to grasp the big picture How to Build the Skill:
- Practice restating experiments or explanations in three short steps.
- Try sketching out the logic of an argument: “If A, then B, so C.”
- Ask: What overall point is being made with these details? Sample ACT-Style Questions:
- Which of the following best summarizes the explanation of genetic drift in the passage?
- How does the author build the case for reinterpreting fossil evidence?
- Which of the following best encapsulates the process described in paragraph 5?