ACT Reading Practice 2 "The Pioneer Mission to Venus" Natural Sc

1. With regard to the possibility of returning to the planet Venus, information presented in the passage makes it clear that the author is:

• A. cheerful and optimistic

• B. sarcastic and contentious.

• C. doubtful and pragmatic.

• D. uncertain and withdrawn.

Answer explanation

Lines 14-16 state, "… in the present climate of fiscal austerity, there is no telling when humans will next get a good look at the earth's nearest planetary neighbor." Choice (A) can be eliminated because the author is clearly not cheerful and optimistic. Choice (B) can be eliminated because the author's tone does not suggest sarcasm or condescension. Choice (D) can be eliminated because of the word withdrawn. Only choice (C) is supported by the lines quoted above: he is doubtful ("there is no telling") and pragmatic ("in the present climate of fiscal austerity").

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2. Which of the following statements most accurately summarizes how the passage characterizes the state of scientific knowledge about Venus before the Pioneer mission?

• F. The scientific community was hesitant to return to Venus after an earlier mission had ended in disaster.

• G. Scientists saw Earth and Venus as near polar opposites in atmospheric conditions.

• H. The common belief that Earth and Venus were "twins" had been eroding under the weight of scientific evidence.

• J. Scientists knew little about the planet Venus because they were more interested in other planets.

Answer explanation

Lines 28-33 discuss the state of scientific knowledge before the arrival of Pioneer Venus. The paragraph discusses in detail the differences in surface temperatures and atmospheric pressures. Choice (G) is too strong: the two planets are not "twins," but the passage does not say that they are anything like "polar opposites." The best answer is choice (H), because the paragraph details the objections to the term twins.

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3. Based on the passage, discoveries made in which two areas of study have caused scientists to re-evaluate their theories about Earth and Venus?

• A. Water content and bedrock composition

• B. Sulfuric gases and photosynthesis

• C. Carbon dioxide and climate change

• D. Atmosphere and surface temperature

Answer explanation

This question asks about the same portion of the passage as question 32. Lines 28-33 detail some of the ways in which the "twin" characterization of Earth and Venus was reconsidered. The main evidence in this paragraph relates to surface temperature and atmosphere.

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4. The main point of the second paragraph (lines 17-27) is to:

• F. account for the failure of the Magellan mission and to show the superiority of the Pioneer mission.

• G. suggest that information from both the Magellan and Pioneer missions can bring the scientific community to a deeper understanding of Venus.

• H. show that the Magellan had sent back information regarding the physical characteristics while the Pioneer had not.

• J. hypothesize that the findings of the Pioneer mission will help scientists to approach problems more intelligently.

Answer explanation

The paragraph in question concerns the Magellan and Pioneer Venus missions. Each mission studied different elements of Venus's physical composition, and the information from each can be used in tandem with the other. The missions are contrasted, but neither is cast in a negative light, so you can eliminate choices (F) and (H), and choice (J) is too narrow in that it does not include the findings of the Magellan. Only choice (G) adequately summarizes the paragraph.

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5. The passage indicates that if humans were to attempt to live on the planet Venus, survival would not be possible because:



• A. of the mistaken belief that Venus and Earth are "twin" planets.

• B. carbon dioxide is locked away in bicarbonate rocks, not in gaseous form.

• C. the atmospheric pressure, heat, and air are not suitable for human life.

• D. all of the water on Venus is condensed onto the surface.

Answer explanation

Lines 34-35 state, "Even aside from the heat and the pressure, the air of Venus would be utterly unbreathable to humans." It then goes on to discuss the atmospheric conditions in more detail. Choice (C) is the only one of the answer choices that addresses these issues. Choices (B) and (D) describe the physical properties of the planet, but they do not give any indication why human survival would not be possible. Eliminate choice (A) because it is not the mistaken belief that makes survival impossible-the belief is mistaken because survival would be impossible.

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6. According to the passage, some evidence gained before the Pioneer Venus mission suggesting that Earth and Venus are not near-twins stated that:

• F. Venus produces no lead on or underneath its surface.

• G. Earth was found to be much farther from the sun than was previously thought.

• H. the atmosphere of Venus contains 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen.

• J. the surface temperature of Venus is 450 degrees Celsius and thus unlivable for humans.

Answer explanation

Choice (J) is supported in lines 31-32, which say that Venus's "surface temperature of 450 degrees Celsius is hotter than the melting point of lead." Choice (H) is misleading; these physical properties describe the Earth. Choice (F) can be eliminated because "lead" is introduced as a point of comparison, not as one of the constitutive elements of Venus's surface. Choice (G) can be eliminated because it does not contain any mention of Venus.

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7. As it is used in line 56, the word harbors most nearly means:

• A. sails

• B. hides

• C. holds

• D. soaks

Answer explanation

The full sentence in lines 56-57 reads as follows: "Unlike the Earth, Venus harbors little if any molecular oxygen in its lower atmosphere." In other words, Venus contains or holds or has little if any molecular oxygen in its lower atmosphere.

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8. According to the passage, "primordial" describes planets that:

• F. are oxygen-poor due to a lack of activity by living things.

• G. are not hospitable to humans because they have thick atmospheres and high surface temperatures.

• H. have preserved many of the characteristics present when the planets were formed.

• H. have preserved many of the characteristics present when the planets were formed.

Answer explanation

The word primordial appears in line 65. The lines that follow state that Venus is "more primordial" than Earth because it "has held on to a far greater fraction of its earliest atmosphere." Only choice (H) contains the appropriate reference to these early formations.

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9. It can reasonably be inferred that the "activity of living things" described in line 59 directly refers to organisms on Earth that:

• A. produce oxygen by their own natural processes and influence the contents of Earth's atmosphere.

• B. remove sulfur gases from the atmosphere during heavy rainfall.

• C. lock away carbon dioxide in carbonate rocks and maintain a reserve of the gas.

• D. could easily live in oppressive atmospheres similar to the atmosphere of Venus.

Answer explanation

The full sentence starting on line 57 establishes a clear link between the activity of these plants (i.e., living things) and the composition of the earth's atmosphere. The only answer that even mentions the earth is choice (A), and this choice provides a reasonable paraphrase of the passage.

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10. According to the passage, the Pioneer Venus mission to Venus involved investigating details relating to the planet's:

• F. surface geology and interior structure.

• G. atmosphere as it has been changed by the influence of photosynthesis.

• H. similarities to the planet Earth.

• J. atmospheric contents.

Answer explanation

Choice (J) is the only answer that accurately paraphrases lines 20-22.

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