ACT Science — Conflicting Viewpoints — Drill 3

About This Drill

ACT Science — Conflicting Viewpoints — Drill 3 is a Science practice drill covering Conflicting Viewpoints. It contains 5 original questions created by Brian Stewart, a Barron's test prep author with over 20 years of tutoring experience.

ACT Conflicting Viewpoints questions require analysis of competing scientific positions. In this drill, two scientists debate dinosaur thermoregulation — endothermy versus ectothermy — asking you to identify key evidence, locate points of agreement, and determine what findings would weaken each scientist's argument.

Questions in This Drill

1. According to Scientist 1, what does the presence of fibrolamellar bone in dinosaurs indicate?
2. Which of the following statements would both Scientist 1 and Scientist 2 most likely accept?
3. Which of the following findings, if confirmed, would most weaken Scientist 2's hypothesis?
4. Scientist 2 argues that gigantothermy could explain the stable body temperatures inferred from isotope analysis of large dinosaur bones. This argument assumes which of the following?
5. Researchers recover a well-preserved skeleton of a small theropod dinosaur (estimated adult mass: 4 kg) from a site at a high paleolatitude. Oxygen isotope analysis of its teeth indicates a stable year-round body temperature of approximately 38°C. This finding most strongly supports the hypothesis of: