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ACT: Science Question #9

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Passage 2

During incubation, a bird embryo, like a mammal embryo, uses oxygen to satisfy its energy needs. However, unlike a mammal embryo, a bird embryo cannot rely on its mother to supply the necessary oxygen. The oxygen must be supplied directly from the outside environment by diffusion through pores in the egg's shell. Diffusion is the movement of substances through a membrane from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration.

Based on this fact, a group of scientists suspected that there might be a relationship between the mass of an egg and its total pore area. A pore is a channel through which substances can diffuse from one side of the membrane to the other.

To investigate this concept, the scientists collected the data shown in the table in Table 1.



Question: Which of the following represents the process that is responsible for the diffusion of oxygen (O2) through an eggshell? The terms "lower," "equal," and "higher" refer to oxygen concentration.?

Choices:
A.
B.
C.
D.



The correct answer is D.

In diffusion, gases move from areas of higher concentration to areas of lower concentration. As a bird embryo develops, it uses up oxygen in its immediate environment -- the inside of the shell. This lowers the oxygen concentration inside the cell compared with the oxygen concentration outside the shell. The imbalance causes oxygen to move from outside the shell to inside the shell.

If the concentrations inside and outside the shell are equal, as in choice (A), there will be no net movement of a gas in either direction.

So choice (A) is incorrect.

Choice (B) is incorrect because in diffusion, gases do not move from areas of lower concentration to areas of higher concentration.

The same holds true for choice (C).

 

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