Evaluate Conclusions with Evidence
This unit covers the ACT Science move from evidence to inference: judge the claim, test the model, then predict cautiously.
核心知识
Stay inside the evidence, then ask what the evidence does next. This unit asks you to judge whether a conclusion is supported, decide whether new findings strengthen one model over another, and make only the prediction the data can reasonably carry.
深入理解
Some questions give one set of results and ask which conclusion truly fits. Others add a new finding and ask which explanation survives it. Others ask for the next plausible result under a nearby condition.
- Supported conclusion: Keep the claim inside the tested conditions and the actual strength of the evidence.
- Model test: When explanations compete, compare what each one would predict before you read the choices.
- Plausible prediction: Extend the pattern carefully, especially near the edge of the tested range.
- Limitation check: If the design is narrow, the inference has to stay narrow too.
知识点教程
5Judge whether a conclusion follows from the provided evidence.
A supported conclusion stays inside the exact evidence given.
Identify which explanation/model is supported (or contradicted) by new findings.
New findings matter only if you test what each model predicts.
Compare competing hypotheses or viewpoints and determine points of agreement/disagreement.
Competing viewpoints often share observations but disagree about mechanism.
Recognize assumptions and limitations in claims and models.
A strong-sounding claim can still rest on a narrow or weak design.
Use evidence to make predictions and assess whether predictions are plausible.
A plausible prediction extends the pattern carefully, not dramatically.