should i take an act diagnostic test?

instructions

in the passage below, some some phrases are numbered and underlined. read the passage, then find the alternative to the underlined phrase that best improves the sentence (by best stating the idea, making the statement grammatically correct, or improving the style and consistency of the passage). if you think the original version is best, select “no change.”

the origins of coca-cola

coca-cola history began in 1886 when the curiosity of an atlanta pharmacist dr. john s. pemberton, led him to create a distinctive tasting soft drink that could be sold at soda fountains. [1] he created a flavored syrup and took it to his neighborhood pharmacy, where it was mixed with carbonated water and deemed “excellent” by those whom have sampled it. [2] dr. pemberton’s partner and bookkeeper, frank m. robinson, is credited with naming the beverage “coca‑cola” as well as creating the design of the trademarked, distinctive script that is still used today. the first servings of coca‑cola were sold for 5 cents per glass. during the first year, sales initially averaged a modest nine servings per day in atlanta. today, daily servings of coca‑cola beverages are estimated at 1.9 billion globally.

[3] in 1888, dr. pemberton sold portions of his business to various parties, just two years after creating what was to become the world’s #1-selling sparkling beverage however only a few years before his death. the majority of the interest was sold to atlanta businessman, asa g. candler. under mr. candler’s leadership, distribution of coca‑cola expanded to soda fountains beyond atlanta. in 1894, impressed by the growing demand for coca‑cola and the desire to make the beverage portable, joseph biedenharn installed bottling machinery in the rear of his mississippi soda fountain, becoming the first to put coca‑cola in bottles. the three entrepreneurs purchased the bottling rights from asa candler for just $1. benjamin thomas, joseph whitehead and john lupton developed what became the coca‑cola worldwide bottling system. large scale bottling was made possible just five years later, when in 1899, three enterprising businessmen in chattanooga, tennessee secured exclusive rights to bottle and sell coca‑cola.

this passage was adapted from “coca-cola history.”

1.

he created a flavored syrup and took it to his neighborhood pharmacy, where it was mixed with carbonated water and deemed “excellent” by those whom have sampled it.

2.

dr. pemberton’s partner and bookkeeper, frank m. robinson, is credited with naming the beverage “coca‑cola” as well as creating the design of the trademarked, distinctive script that is still used today.

3.

in 1888, dr. pemberton sold portions of his business to various parties, just two years after creating what was to become the world’s #1-selling sparkling beverage however only a few years before his death.

instructions

solve the problem and then choose the correct answer. you may use a calculator on the act mathematics test.

1.

if j ÷ 24 = k, then j ÷ 6 =

2.

in the figure below, ab is parallel to ed, the measure of dcb is 44°, and the measure of abc is 70°. what is the measure of edc?

3.

the expression log₃(63) + log₃(5) – log₃(35) equals which of the following?

instructions

read the following passage, then answer the questions below. you may look back at the passage as often as you’d like.

trouble stirring across the atlantic

edmund burke, the british writer of political theory, believed government had been improved by every preceding generation up to his own. he saw the successive effort of early greek democracies and byzantine emperors and the rules set forth by the magna carta coalescing into a consummately effective—though far from perfect—society. in his eyes, the british parliamentary system of his day represented the realization of all of the efforts theretofore drawn together by the work of enlightenment philosophers in the 18th century. it was the fullest expression of liberty balanced with order yet known to man. a deep sense of gratitude to his forbears reigned in every word from his lips and from his pen.

due to this national pride and patriotism, burke’s dismissal of the french revolution brings little surprise to the student of history. yet, his positive attitude toward the american revolutionaries, so uncommon in his time and station, was no less a natural expression of his political stance.

years before the fateful july fourth, burke addressed the british house of commons regarding the trouble stirring far across the atlantic. the british had treated the american englishmen unjustly, he argued. taxation without representation violated the principles foundational to parliament. taking a long and careful view of history, burke believed that the colonists had both tactical and ideological advantages; they wielded the two-edged sword of power and virtue. as long as the english people exploited their overseas brethren, they could not hope to suppress the colonists with violence.

burke’s call to action went unheeded, and the american revolution began. still appealing to his perennial belief in the superiority of the parliamentary system of government, he pled with the house, “as long as you have the wisdom to keep the sovereign authority of this country as the sanctuary of liberty, the sacred temple consecrated to our common faith, wherever the chosen race and sons of england worship freedom, they will turn their faces towards you. the more they multiply, the more friends you will have; the more ardently they love liberty, the more perfect will be their obedience. slavery they can have anywhere. it is a weed that grows in every soil. they may have it from spain, they may have it from prussia. but, until you become lost to all feeling of your true interest and your natural dignity, freedom they can have from none but you.” despite his wise words, the english still sought to enslave the colonies, thereby losing america.

1.

the passage states that edmund burke’s first effort to change british treatment of the american colonies was:

2.

the author’s attitude toward edmund burke can best be described as:

3.

in the fourth paragraph (“burke’s call to…thereby losing america.”), the author quotes burke’s speech to parliament primarily to emphasize the fact that:

instructions

read the passage and review the figures, then select the best answers to the questions below. you may refer back to the given information as often as you need. calculators are not allowed on the act science test.

the two species of malaria parasites

malaria is an infectious disease that kills more than 600,000 people every year. several species of the genus plasmodium cause malaria, with two of the most common being plasmodium falciparum and plasmodium vivax. though both species cause a very similar illness, p. falciparum malaria is more likely to result in fatalities than p. vivax malaria, while p. vivax malaria is more likely to recur—to return after a period of time during which the patient is healthy and has no parasites present in the blood.

the two species of malaria parasites respond differently to antimalarial medications, but in many areas where malaria is common, testing to determine what type of malaria a patient has is not widely available. therefore malaria treatments are often tested against both species of the parasite, and first-line malaria treatments in these regions ideally should be effective against both parasites.

experiment 1

for many years, public health professionals in papua new guinea have recommended a treatment regimen, drug combination a, as a first-line malaria treatment. recently a new treatment regimen, drug combination b, has been proposed as a potential replacement for combination a, and a study was conducted to compare their effectiveness.

children entering a local health clinic with malaria symptoms were tested to determine which plasmodium species they carried. the patients were then randomly assigned drug combination a or drug combination b, and their blood was tested periodically for the presence of parasites.

figure 1

experiment 2

on rare occasions, patients have severe allergic reactions to a compound that is found in both drug combination a and drug combination b. in these cases, a second-line treatment must be used. a second study was conducted to determine which of several drug combinations would be the best second-line drug to recommend for use in papua new guinea. table 1 shows the treatment response to the second-line drug combinations.

table 1

1.

according to figure 1, the percentage of p. falciparum patients with parasites remaining in their blood on day 14 was approximately:

2.

suppose a patient is brought to the clinic with a life-threatening case of p. falciparum malaria. as the patient’s condition is deteriorating quickly, it is essential that they be given the treatment that eliminates parasites from their blood within 7 days. based on the data from experiments 1 and 2, which treatment should they be given?

3.

drug treatments that are eliminated from a patient’s body very quickly are likely to result in recurrence of p. vivax in the patient. based on the information in the passage, which of the following drugs is likely not removed from the body quickly?