Dear student, Typically when you see this question, it is specified that the test tube is heated from the top (very important). The answer in this case would be because the wire gauze causes the ice cube to sink to the bottom of the test tube and water is a very bad conductor of heat. So if you heat it from the top, the water on the top will begin to boil and the water at the bottom of the test tube will still be freezing. Regards