Introduction to Validity of Scientific Information Questions
Validity of scientific information questions don't show up too often on the ACT® Science test, but they're still important to understand. You might see about two of these questions per test. They're part of a group called EMI (Evaluation of Models, Inferences and Experimental Results), which makes up a little more than a quarter of the Science Test. Don't worry, you don't need to memorize these names or percentages.
What are Validity of Scientific Information Questions?
These questions are all about figuring out whether the experiments or data in the passage can actually answer certain scientific questions.
How to Answer These Questions
The key to solving these questions is to carefully read the passage and understand what the experiments or studies actually measured. Then, when you're given a question or statement, you need to decide if the data in the passage is enough to answer or evaluate it.
Let's break it down with some examples:
Example 1: What can the experiments tell us?
In this type of question, you might be given four different scientific questions. Your job is to figure out which one (or ones) can be answered based on the experiments described in the passage.
For instance, let's say the passage talks about a study on plant growth. The questions might be:
- Do plants grow taller in sunlight or shade?
- What color are the plants' flowers?
- How much water do the plants need?
- Do the plants attract butterflies?
To answer this, you'd need to go back to the passage and check what the scientists actually measured. If they only looked at plant height in different light conditions, you could answer question A, but not the others.
Example 2: Can we evaluate this statement?
This type of question gives you a statement and asks if you can evaluate it based on the experiments in the passage.
Let's say the passage is about mountain lions, and different scientists have hypotheses about their hunting habits. Then you're asked: "Can this statement be evaluated by the experiments: Mountain lions hunt more frequently during thunderstorms."
To answer this, you'd need to check if any of the experiments or data in the passage relate to mountain lion behavior during different weather conditions. If there's no mention of weather or thunderstorms, you'd say the statement can't be evaluated based on the experiments.
The Trick to These Questions
The key thing to remember is that these questions are not asking you to actually answer the scientific question or evaluate the statement. They're just asking if you could do so based on the information given in the passage.
It's all about matching up the information you have with the question being asked. If there's a mismatch - like being asked about thunderstorms when the passage only talks about daytime vs. nighttime hunting - that's your sign that the question can't be answered or the statement can't be evaluated.
Wrapping Up
Validity of scientific information questions might seem tricky at first, but they're really about careful reading and logical thinking. Take your time, refer back to the passage, and think about whether the data actually fits the question being asked.