MCAT practice questions and answers 2026. Tap an option to test yourself — you'll see the correct answer and a plain-English explanation for every question. Free, no login.
Q21The student in the passage wants to replace the water, represented by the blue in the diagram, with an alternative solvent.<br/><br/>Which solvent would be most likely to produce a functioning cell?
✓ Correct answer: A. Acetic acid
The function of a voltaic cell requires the generation and dissolution of ions. Acetic acid is the only answer choice with a net dipole moment, and would therefore be the only one to dissolve the ions produced. The other choices would be unable to dissolve the ions, and the cell would not function.
Q22Two campers are preparing food at an altitude of 13,000 feet on a mountain in Colorado.<br/><br/>Which of the following is true as they boil a pot of water?
✓ Correct answer: E. They will likely have to cook their food longer than at sea level, since it takes less heat to make vapor pressure match atmospheric pressure
The local atmospheric pressure at 13,000 feet is less than the pressure at sea level; therefore, it takes less heat to make the vapor pressure meet the local atmospheric pressure. Heat added to the system easily exits again as the water is converted to steam, leaving less heat in the water to cook the food. Food cooks more slowly as a result.
Q23What is the kinetic energy at the spring's equilibrium position?
✓ Correct answer: A. 36 J
At the equilibrium position, the kinetic energy is at its highest and is equivalent to the total mechanical energy. It can be calculated using the equation <img src="asset:assets/questions/111eeac5e545f55b.gif"> which is the same as the potential energy equation when the spring is fully extended, since at the equilibrium position, all potential energy has been converted to kinetic energy. As such, <img src="asset:assets/questions/9968f6858fa4383a.gif"><img src="asset:assets/questions/793381ee670fe5e4.gif"><img src="asset:assets/questions/042764f9d7c47778.gif"> Choice A would be obtained if the distance was not squared in the kinetic energy equation.<br/><br/>Choice B would be obtained if the mass of the box was entered in place of the distance in the kinetic energy equation.<br/><br/>Choice D would be obtained if the <img src="asset:assets/questions/a5f5a84b0f2fd975.gif"> were excluded from the kinetic energy equation.
Q24Nuclear reactions, such as the one described above with uranium, emit energy in the form of radiation. A scientist is considering three different forms of radiation to generate power.<br/><br/>Which of the following types of radiation is highest in energy?
✓ Correct answer: C. Gamma radiation
Gamma radiation is a highly energetic form of radiation, and is the type of radiation emitted when antimatter and matter annhilate each other upon contact.
Q25A follow-up article is published by the same author.<br/><br/>Which of these do you think is most likely to be the focus of the follow-up article?
✓ Correct answer: B. A consideration of Churchill’s future in politics
In this article, the author focuses on Churchill’s young life. He considers the personality traits and experiences that made Churchill who he was and that precipitated his rise to prominence in British society. The passage, although primarily focused on Churchill’s experiences as a young man, turns at the end to a commentary on Churchill as an older man. The author includes the following quotation from one of Churchill’s contemporaries: “'I have understated it even now, for he has achieved two careers as a politician—one on each side of the House. His first career on the Government side was a really distinguished career. I trust the second will be even more distinguished—and more prolonged.'” This suggests that if the author were to write a follow-up article, it would be more focused on Churchill’s later life and future in politics.
Q26Which of these claims could be criticized for being unsupported?
✓ Correct answer: A. The Pope would decry the French Revolution.
All of these claims are either directly supported by further explanation and analysis or else indirectly supported by the overall argument of the essay except for the author’s claim “That the French Revolution led to an immense augmentation of happiness, both for the French and for mankind, can only be denied by the Pope.” Here, the author makes the assumption that the reader already knows that the Pope would deny that the French Revolution led to a great enhancement to human happiness and makes no effort to support his claim.
Q27What relevance does the underlined piece of information have to the author’s overall tone and argument?
✓ Correct answer: A. Demonstrates how obvious the author thinks his argument is and the ease with which he feels the opposition could be refuted
In the underlined portion of the passage, the author is effectively saying, “It would be a good enough response for me to say that the states would make war with one another because neighboring states have always made war with one another.” The author is essentially opening his argument by saying “Look, my argument is so obvious, I should not even need to make it.”.
Q28Which of the following would have most strengthened the author's argument?
✓ Correct answer: B. Additional quotations from primary or secondary sources
The author quotes from only one source, RollingStone.com, in this passage, and it is a very general quote. The argument would have been stronger if the author had supported the passage's various conclusions with a few quotations from other sources so the reader could be sure the author was not merely making up these conclusions.
Q29The Committee of Ten publishes another report five years after this one, stating that American children are more easily inspired by American historical figures than by foreign figures; how would this affect a revised edition released by the authors?
✓ Correct answer: C. The authors would continue to focus on great men, but adjust their it to include more famous Americans.
The authors are clearly great admirers of the work of the Committee of Ten and reference it as the guiding force behind their methodology, so one can therefore assume that if the Committee revised its findings then the authors would be inclined to revise their focus as well. The authors would continue their focus on great men, because this aspect has not been disproved by the introduction of new information, but they would adjust their focus to include more famous Americans.
Q30Which of the following sentences from the passage implies a source may have been biased?
✓ Correct answer: B. The site also claims that homeschooled students are 9.2% more likely to graduate from college than ones who'd been publicly educated.
The author's use of the word claims implies a certain amount of skepticism, perhaps because these statistics supporting the effectiveness of homeschooling come from a website focused on homeschooling.
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Theory