Question:
Background Paragraph: Groundwater salinization compromises buffering properties. Vegetation clearance, along with irrigation, causes serious issues. Irrigation increases the water table and mobilizes salts, and vegetation clearance allows it to come in contact with water habitats and vegetation. This stresses species not adapted to high salinity. High levels of salinity reduces water uptake in plants, by causing stomatal closure, reducing photosynthesis. Forests undergo decline in areas of high salinity and shallow groundwater depths because these conditions make them more susceptible to droughts. Forests undergo decline in areas of high salinity and shallow groundwater depths making them more susceptible to droughts.
Story: A local farm has set up shop in the nearby town of Calico. They have cleared some vegetation and irrigated through nearby Calico Forest. Steven's Forest on the other side of town has not been touched however, and remains as it has been.
Question: Which forest is more likely to experience a drought?

Background Paragraph: Groundwater salinization compromises buffering properties. Vegetation clearance, along with irrigation, causes serious issues. Irrigation increases the water table and mobilizes salts, and vegetation clearance allows it to come in contact with water habitats and vegetation. This stresses species not adapted to high salinity. High levels of salinity reduces water uptake in plants, by causing stomatal closure, reducing photosynthesis. Forests undergo decline in areas of high salinity and shallow groundwater depths because these conditions make them more susceptible to droughts. Forests undergo decline in areas of high salinity and shallow groundwater depths making them more susceptible to droughts.
Story: A local farm has set up shop in the nearby town of Calico. They have cleared some vegetation and irrigated through nearby Calico Forest. Steven's Forest on the other side of town has not been touched however, and remains as it has been.
Question: Which forest more than likely has lower levels of salinity?

Background Paragraph: Groundwater salinization compromises buffering properties. Vegetation clearance, along with irrigation, causes serious issues. Irrigation increases the water table and mobilizes salts, and vegetation clearance allows it to come in contact with water habitats and vegetation. This stresses species not adapted to high salinity. High levels of salinity reduces water uptake in plants, by causing stomatal closure, reducing photosynthesis. Forests undergo decline in areas of high salinity and shallow groundwater depths because these conditions make them more susceptible to droughts. Forests undergo decline in areas of high salinity and shallow groundwater depths making them more susceptible to droughts.
Story: Roger has been wanting to make a difference in the world, and has decided he wants to start a forested area in the country side. He has some areas that he has mapped out, and is trying to decide where he would like to start his new growth. The Bilton Valley area has recently been cleared of vegetation and has some irrigation channels installed for a near by farm. The other area he is looking at in an uncleared pasture called Stevens Pasture.
Question: Will Bilton Valley have a higher or lower susceptibility to droughts than Stevens pasture?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: Almost all earthquakes occur at plate boundaries. All types of plate boundaries have earthquakes. Convection within the Earth causes the plates to move. As the plates move, stresses build. When the stresses build too much, the rocks break. The break releases the energy that was stored in the rocks. The sudden release of energy is an earthquake. During an earthquake the rocks usually move several centimeters. Rarely, they may move as much as a few meters. Elastic rebound theory describes how earthquakes occur ( Figure below ).
Story: Two nearby villages are experiencing earthquakes. Bow village gets a lot of earthquakes annually, while Arrow village gets only a few.
Question: Which village experiences less stress build up in the rocks?

Background Paragraph: Almost all earthquakes occur at plate boundaries. All types of plate boundaries have earthquakes. Convection within the Earth causes the plates to move. As the plates move, stresses build. When the stresses build too much, the rocks break. The break releases the energy that was stored in the rocks. The sudden release of energy is an earthquake. During an earthquake the rocks usually move several centimeters. Rarely, they may move as much as a few meters. Elastic rebound theory describes how earthquakes occur ( Figure below ).
Story: Two nearby villages are experiencing earthquakes. Bow village gets a lot of earthquakes annually, while Arrow village gets only a few.
Question: Which village experiences fewer sudden releases of energy?

Background Paragraph: Almost all earthquakes occur at plate boundaries. All types of plate boundaries have earthquakes. Convection within the Earth causes the plates to move. As the plates move, stresses build. When the stresses build too much, the rocks break. The break releases the energy that was stored in the rocks. The sudden release of energy is an earthquake. During an earthquake the rocks usually move several centimeters. Rarely, they may move as much as a few meters. Elastic rebound theory describes how earthquakes occur ( Figure below ).
Story: Geologists have been contemplating on the question - why some places are more susceptible to earthquakes. To understand the differences, they have made a chart where they divided the earth into two regions, region A and region B. In region A many earthquakes happen, but in region B no earthquakes happen.
Question: Which region is most likely further from a plate boundary, region A or region B?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: You generally can’t see, smell, taste, hear, or feel radiation. Fortunately, there are devices such as Geiger counters that can detect radiation. A Geiger counter, like the one pictured in the Figure below , contains atoms of a gas that is ionized if it encounters radiation. When this happens, the gas atoms change to ions that can carry an electric current. The current causes the Geiger counter to click. The faster the clicks occur, the higher the level of radiation. You can see a video about the Geiger counter and how it was invented at the URL below.
Story: Keith landed a job with the EPA. As part of his training he needed to learn how the Geiger counter works. To learn more about the counter he tested it in three different locations, location A, location B, and location C. Location A had very high radiation; location B had low radiation; and location C didn't have any radiation. Keith learned how the counter works in locations with varying degrees of radiation.
Question: In which location the counter would have electirc current, location B or location C?

Background Paragraph: You generally can’t see, smell, taste, hear, or feel radiation. Fortunately, there are devices such as Geiger counters that can detect radiation. A Geiger counter, like the one pictured in the Figure below , contains atoms of a gas that is ionized if it encounters radiation. When this happens, the gas atoms change to ions that can carry an electric current. The current causes the Geiger counter to click. The faster the clicks occur, the higher the level of radiation. You can see a video about the Geiger counter and how it was invented at the URL below.
Story: Keith landed a job with the EPA. As part of his training he needed to learn how the Geiger counter works. To learn more about the counter he tested it in three different locations, location A, location B, and location C. Location A had very high radiation; location B had low radiation; and location C didn't have any radiation. Keith learned how the counter works in locations with varying degrees of radiation.
Question: Which location would have slower clicks, location A or location B?

Background Paragraph: You generally can’t see, smell, taste, hear, or feel radiation. Fortunately, there are devices such as Geiger counters that can detect radiation. A Geiger counter, like the one pictured in the Figure below , contains atoms of a gas that is ionized if it encounters radiation. When this happens, the gas atoms change to ions that can carry an electric current. The current causes the Geiger counter to click. The faster the clicks occur, the higher the level of radiation. You can see a video about the Geiger counter and how it was invented at the URL below.
Story: Keith landed a job with the EPA. As part of his training he needed to learn how the Geiger counter works. To learn more about the counter he tested it in three different locations, location A, location B, and location C. Location A had very high radiation; location B had low radiation; and location C didn't have any radiation. Keith learned how the counter works in locations with varying degrees of radiation.
Question: Would location B have faster or slower clicks than location A?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: Predators play an important role in an ecosystem. For example, if they did not exist, then a single species could become dominant over others. Grazers on a grassland keep grass from growing out of control. Predators can be keystone species . These are species that can have a large effect on the balance of organisms in an ecosystem. For example, if all of the wolves are removed from a population, then the population of deer or rabbits may increase. If there are too many deer, then they may decrease the amount of plants or grasses in the ecosystem. Decreased levels of producers may then have a detrimental effect on the whole ecosystem. In this example, the wolves would be a keystone species.
Story: Large birds are natural predators of rodents. Unfortunately, rodents consume crops in farmlands. In recent years, use of chemicals in agriculture has seen reduced number of large birds in Germany. But in some places in France farmers are cautions about using chemicals in agriculture. As a result, large bird population had been stable in France.
Question: In which country ecosystem would be more balanced, France or Germany?

Background Paragraph: Predators play an important role in an ecosystem. For example, if they did not exist, then a single species could become dominant over others. Grazers on a grassland keep grass from growing out of control. Predators can be keystone species . These are species that can have a large effect on the balance of organisms in an ecosystem. For example, if all of the wolves are removed from a population, then the population of deer or rabbits may increase. If there are too many deer, then they may decrease the amount of plants or grasses in the ecosystem. Decreased levels of producers may then have a detrimental effect on the whole ecosystem. In this example, the wolves would be a keystone species.
Story: Large birds are natural predators of rodents. Unfortunately, rodents consume crops in farmlands. In recent years, use of chemicals in agriculture has seen reduced number of large birds in Germany. But in some places in France farmers are cautions about using chemicals in agriculture. As a result, large bird population had been stable in France.
Question: Which country would see less rodents in agricultural lands, France or Germany?

Background Paragraph: Predators play an important role in an ecosystem. For example, if they did not exist, then a single species could become dominant over others. Grazers on a grassland keep grass from growing out of control. Predators can be keystone species . These are species that can have a large effect on the balance of organisms in an ecosystem. For example, if all of the wolves are removed from a population, then the population of deer or rabbits may increase. If there are too many deer, then they may decrease the amount of plants or grasses in the ecosystem. Decreased levels of producers may then have a detrimental effect on the whole ecosystem. In this example, the wolves would be a keystone species.
Story: Large birds are natural predators of rodents. Unfortunately, rodents consume crops in farmlands. In recent years, use of chemicals in agriculture has seen reduced number of large birds in Germany. But in some places in France farmers are cautions about using chemicals in agriculture. As a result, large bird population had been stable in France.
Question: Would France see less or more rodents in agricultural lands than Germany?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: If a zone undergoes dramatic changes in temperature with depth, it contains a thermocline. The tropical thermocline is typically deeper than the thermocline at higher latitudes. Polar waters, which receive relatively little solar energy, are not stratified by temperature and generally lack a thermocline because surface water at polar latitudes are nearly as cold as water at greater depths. Below the thermocline, water is very cold, ranging from −1 °C to 3 °C. Because this deep and cold layer contains the bulk of ocean water, the average temperature of the world ocean is 3.9 °C.
Story: Keith was measuring the attributes of thermoclines. He selected two locations. One is near Miami, which is in the tropic. The other is near New York, which is in higher latitude. In total, he took four samples, sample A, sample B, sample C, and sample D. From Miami thermocline he took sample A. Then from below Miami thermocline he took sample B. From New York thermocline he took sample C. Finally, from below New York thermocline he took sample D.
Question: Would sample A be warmer or colder than sample B?

Background Paragraph: If a zone undergoes dramatic changes in temperature with depth, it contains a thermocline. The tropical thermocline is typically deeper than the thermocline at higher latitudes. Polar waters, which receive relatively little solar energy, are not stratified by temperature and generally lack a thermocline because surface water at polar latitudes are nearly as cold as water at greater depths. Below the thermocline, water is very cold, ranging from −1 °C to 3 °C. Because this deep and cold layer contains the bulk of ocean water, the average temperature of the world ocean is 3.9 °C.
Story: Keith was measuring the attributes of thermoclines. He selected two locations. One is near Miami, which is in the tropic. The other is near New York, which is in higher latitude. In total, he took four samples, sample A, sample B, sample C, and sample D. From Miami thermocline he took sample A. Then from below Miami thermocline he took sample B. From New York thermocline he took sample C. Finally, from below New York thermocline he took sample D.
Question: Would sample B be warmer or colder than sample A?

Background Paragraph: If a zone undergoes dramatic changes in temperature with depth, it contains a thermocline. The tropical thermocline is typically deeper than the thermocline at higher latitudes. Polar waters, which receive relatively little solar energy, are not stratified by temperature and generally lack a thermocline because surface water at polar latitudes are nearly as cold as water at greater depths. Below the thermocline, water is very cold, ranging from −1 °C to 3 °C. Because this deep and cold layer contains the bulk of ocean water, the average temperature of the world ocean is 3.9 °C.
Story: Keith was measuring the attributes of thermoclines. He selected two locations. One is near Miami, which is in the tropic. The other is near New York, which is in higher latitude. In total, he took four samples, sample A, sample B, sample C, and sample D. From Miami thermocline he took sample A. Then from below Miami thermocline he took sample B. From New York thermocline he took sample C. Finally, from below New York thermocline he took sample D.
Question: Which sample would be colder, sample C or sample D?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: Hepatitis B is a disease of the liver. It is caused by a virus called hepatitis B, which can be passed through sexual activity. Hepatitis B causes vomiting. It also causes yellowing of the skin and eyes. The disease goes away on its own in some people. Other people are sick for the rest of their lives. In these people, the virus usually damages the liver. It may also lead to liver cancer. Medicines can help prevent liver damage in these people. There is also a vaccine to protect against hepatitis B.
Story: Two sexually active men are currently at the doctor getting checked for sexually transmitted diseases. Before performing the actual tests, the doctor takes a brief physical examination of the men. The doctor notices that Jake's heart is beating irregularly and his arm appears to have a rash on it. While examining Scully, the doctor takes note of how yellow Scully's eyes are, and Scully also reports to the doctor that he has been throwing up lately. After the physical, the doctor has the men both pee into a cup so that he can run a standard STD test for them.
Question: Which man is more likely to have Hepatitis B?

Background Paragraph: Hepatitis B is a disease of the liver. It is caused by a virus called hepatitis B, which can be passed through sexual activity. Hepatitis B causes vomiting. It also causes yellowing of the skin and eyes. The disease goes away on its own in some people. Other people are sick for the rest of their lives. In these people, the virus usually damages the liver. It may also lead to liver cancer. Medicines can help prevent liver damage in these people. There is also a vaccine to protect against hepatitis B.
Story: Two sexually active men are currently at the doctor getting checked for sexually transmitted diseases. Before performing the actual tests, the doctor takes a brief physical examination of the men. The doctor notices that Jake's heart is beating irregularly and his arm appears to have a rash on it. While examining Scully, the doctor takes note of how yellow Scully's eyes are, and Scully also reports to the doctor that he has been throwing up lately. After the physical, the doctor has the men both pee into a cup so that he can run a standard STD test for them.
Question: Which man is less likely to have Hepatitis B?

Background Paragraph: Hepatitis B is a disease of the liver. It is caused by a virus called hepatitis B, which can be passed through sexual activity. Hepatitis B causes vomiting. It also causes yellowing of the skin and eyes. The disease goes away on its own in some people. Other people are sick for the rest of their lives. In these people, the virus usually damages the liver. It may also lead to liver cancer. Medicines can help prevent liver damage in these people. There is also a vaccine to protect against hepatitis B.
Story: Two sexually active men are currently at the doctor getting checked for sexually transmitted diseases. Before performing the actual tests, the doctor takes a brief physical examination of the men. The doctor notices that Jake's heart is beating irregularly and his arm appears to have a rash on it. While examining Scully, the doctor takes note of how yellow Scully's eyes are, and Scully also reports to the doctor that he has been throwing up lately. After the physical, the doctor has the men both pee into a cup so that he can run a standard STD test for them.
Question: Does Jake have a higher or lower chance than Scully of contracting liver cancer?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: As time passes, the number of HIV copies keeps increasing, while the number of helper T cells keeps decreasing. The graph in Figure below shows how the number of T cells typically declines over a period of many years following the initial HIV infection. As the number of T cells decreases, so does the ability of the immune system to defend the body. As a result, an HIV-infected person develops frequent infections. Medicines can slow down the virus but not get rid of it, so there is no cure at present for HIV infections or AIDS. There also is no vaccine to immunize people against HIV infection, but scientists are working to develop one.
Story: A doctor tested two people for HIV. Tom had the virus in his blood, while Nick didn't have HIV, he was healthy. Tom has apparently had the virus for 20 years.
Question: Which person didn't have the ability of the immune system to defend the body decreasing?

Background Paragraph: As time passes, the number of HIV copies keeps increasing, while the number of helper T cells keeps decreasing. The graph in Figure below shows how the number of T cells typically declines over a period of many years following the initial HIV infection. As the number of T cells decreases, so does the ability of the immune system to defend the body. As a result, an HIV-infected person develops frequent infections. Medicines can slow down the virus but not get rid of it, so there is no cure at present for HIV infections or AIDS. There also is no vaccine to immunize people against HIV infection, but scientists are working to develop one.
Story: A doctor tested two people for HIV. Tom had the virus in his blood, while Nick didn't have HIV, he was healthy. Tom has apparently had the virus for 20 years.
Question: Which person didn't have the number of HIV copies increasing as time passed?

Background Paragraph: As time passes, the number of HIV copies keeps increasing, while the number of helper T cells keeps decreasing. The graph in Figure below shows how the number of T cells typically declines over a period of many years following the initial HIV infection. As the number of T cells decreases, so does the ability of the immune system to defend the body. As a result, an HIV-infected person develops frequent infections. Medicines can slow down the virus but not get rid of it, so there is no cure at present for HIV infections or AIDS. There also is no vaccine to immunize people against HIV infection, but scientists are working to develop one.
Story: Mike is a physician who treats HIV-infected patients. Today, he is seeing two patients, patient A and patient B. Patient A is infected with HIV, but patient B is not infected with HIV. Mike is trying to figure out how HIV-infected patient is different from the patient who is not infected with HIV.
Question: Would patient A have more or less T cells than patient B?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: Any unused energy in food, whether it comes from carbohydrates, proteins, or lipids, is stored in the body as fat. An extra 3,500 Calories of energy results in the storage of almost half a kilogram (1 pound) of stored body fat. People who consistently consume more food energy then they need may become obese. Obesity occurs when the body mass index is 30.0 kg/m 2 or greater. Body mass index (BMI) is an estimate of the fat content of the body. It is calculated by dividing a person’s weight (in kilograms) by the square of the person’s height (in meters). Obesity increases the risk of health problems such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
Story: Two neighboring villages were living mostly off the land. Boar village was full of fat people, because they would overeat lots of animal products. Leap village was inhabited by vegetarians and vegans.Their food consumption was moderate.
Question: Which village had fewer people with B.M.I. over 30?

Background Paragraph: Any unused energy in food, whether it comes from carbohydrates, proteins, or lipids, is stored in the body as fat. An extra 3,500 Calories of energy results in the storage of almost half a kilogram (1 pound) of stored body fat. People who consistently consume more food energy then they need may become obese. Obesity occurs when the body mass index is 30.0 kg/m 2 or greater. Body mass index (BMI) is an estimate of the fat content of the body. It is calculated by dividing a person’s weight (in kilograms) by the square of the person’s height (in meters). Obesity increases the risk of health problems such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
Story: Two neighboring villages were living mostly off the land. Boar village was full of fat people, because they would overeat lots of animal products. Leap village was inhabited by vegetarians and vegans.Their food consumption was moderate.
Question: Which village had fewer people with increased risk of hypertension?

Background Paragraph: Any unused energy in food, whether it comes from carbohydrates, proteins, or lipids, is stored in the body as fat. An extra 3,500 Calories of energy results in the storage of almost half a kilogram (1 pound) of stored body fat. People who consistently consume more food energy then they need may become obese. Obesity occurs when the body mass index is 30.0 kg/m 2 or greater. Body mass index (BMI) is an estimate of the fat content of the body. It is calculated by dividing a person’s weight (in kilograms) by the square of the person’s height (in meters). Obesity increases the risk of health problems such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
Story: Two neighboring villages were living mostly off the land. Boar village was full of fat people, because they would overeat lots of animal products. Leap village was inhabited by vegetarians and vegans.Their food consumption was moderate.
Question: Which village had more people with B.M.I. over 30?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: Often, foreign exchange controls can result in the creation of black markets to exchange the weaker currency for stronger currencies. This leads to a situation where the exchange rate for the foreign currency is much higher than the rate set by the government, and therefore creates a shadow currency exchange market. As such, it is unclear whether governments have the ability to enact effective exchange controls.[1].
Story: Pakistan tried to control the foreign exchange market and India didn't. By creating the foreign exchange control department, Pakistan tried to stop the devaluation of their currency. India chose to not interfere and let the exchange market regulate itself.
Question: Which country had a higher exchange rate for currencies?

Background Paragraph: Often, foreign exchange controls can result in the creation of black markets to exchange the weaker currency for stronger currencies. This leads to a situation where the exchange rate for the foreign currency is much higher than the rate set by the government, and therefore creates a shadow currency exchange market. As such, it is unclear whether governments have the ability to enact effective exchange controls.[1].
Story: Pakistan tried to control the foreign exchange market and India didn't. By creating the foreign exchange control department, Pakistan tried to stop the devaluation of their currency. India chose to not interfere and let the exchange market regulate itself.
Question: Which country was more regulated in regards to foreign currency exchange?

Background Paragraph: Often, foreign exchange controls can result in the creation of black markets to exchange the weaker currency for stronger currencies. This leads to a situation where the exchange rate for the foreign currency is much higher than the rate set by the government, and therefore creates a shadow currency exchange market. As such, it is unclear whether governments have the ability to enact effective exchange controls.[1].
Story: In the beginning of this century there was scandal in the financial market regarding black market trading. A trader named Trader A was working for Bank A. He noticed country M has pegged its currency to a fixed price while country N did not do that. He opted to trade country M currency. Across the aisle his colleague trader B was working for bank B. He traded country N's currency.
Question: Which trader would not most likely be engaged in black market trading, trader A or trader B?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: Fish reproduce sexually. They lay eggs that can be fertilized either inside or outside of the body. In most fish, the eggs develop outside of the mother's body. In the majority of these species, fertilization also takes place outside the mother's body. The male and female fish release their gametes into the surrounding water, where fertilization occurs. Female fish release very high numbers of eggs to increase the chances of fertilization.
Story: Tammy and Moe were two school mates. Moe learned about mammalian reproduction in school. Tammy learned about fish reproduction.
Question: Which student learned more about female fish releasing their gametes into the surrounding water?

Background Paragraph: Fish reproduce sexually. They lay eggs that can be fertilized either inside or outside of the body. In most fish, the eggs develop outside of the mother's body. In the majority of these species, fertilization also takes place outside the mother's body. The male and female fish release their gametes into the surrounding water, where fertilization occurs. Female fish release very high numbers of eggs to increase the chances of fertilization.
Story: Tammy and Moe were two school mates. Moe learned about mammalian reproduction in school. Tammy learned about fish reproduction.
Question: Which student learned more about male fish releasing their gametes into the surrounding water?

Background Paragraph: Fish reproduce sexually. They lay eggs that can be fertilized either inside or outside of the body. In most fish, the eggs develop outside of the mother's body. In the majority of these species, fertilization also takes place outside the mother's body. The male and female fish release their gametes into the surrounding water, where fertilization occurs. Female fish release very high numbers of eggs to increase the chances of fertilization.
Story: Two students read about reproduction for biology class. Vic read more about reptile reproduction, while Fox read more about fish reproduction.
Question: Which student learned less about fertilization taking place outside of the mother's body?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: Biodiversity is determined by many things, and one of them is abiotic stress. If an environment is highly stressful, biodiversity tends to be low. If abiotic stress does not have a strong presence in an area, the biodiversity will be much higher.This idea leads into the understanding of how abiotic stress and endangered species are related. It has been observed through a variety of environments that as the level of abiotic stress increases, the number of species decreases. This means that species are more likely to become population threatened, endangered, and even extinct, when and where abiotic stress is especially harsh.
Story: Italy had two distinct regions. Northern region where the animals are exposed to a lot of abiotic stress, and the southern region, where the animals experience almost no abiotic stress.
Question: Which region had fewer species inhabiting it?

Background Paragraph: Biodiversity is determined by many things, and one of them is abiotic stress. If an environment is highly stressful, biodiversity tends to be low. If abiotic stress does not have a strong presence in an area, the biodiversity will be much higher.This idea leads into the understanding of how abiotic stress and endangered species are related. It has been observed through a variety of environments that as the level of abiotic stress increases, the number of species decreases. This means that species are more likely to become population threatened, endangered, and even extinct, when and where abiotic stress is especially harsh.
Story: Italy had two distinct regions. Northern region where the animals are exposed to a lot of abiotic stress, and the southern region, where the animals experience almost no abiotic stress.
Question: Which region had a lower biodiversity?

Background Paragraph: "There is now unequivocal evidence that biodiversity loss reduces the efficiency by which ecological communities capture biologically essential resources, produce biomass, decompose and recycle biologically essential nutrients... There is mounting evidence that biodiversity increases the stability of ecosystem functions through time... Diverse communities are more productive because they contain key species that have a large influence on productivity and differences in functional traits among organisms increase total resource capture... The impacts of diversity loss on ecological processes might be sufficiently large to rival the impacts of many other global drivers of environmental change... Maintaining multiple ecosystem processes at multiple places and times requires higher levels of biodiversity than does a single process at a single place and time.".
Story: Nicaragua is one of the most biodiverse countries in the Americas. They boast over five hundred species of birds, and thousands of species of plants. Across the pond in England the situation is completely different. Centuries of extensive farming, industrialization, and urban sprawls have made it one of the least biodiverse place on Earth.
Question: Would the ecosystem functions be less or more stable in Nicaragua than in England?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: Electromagnetic radiation is energy that travels in waves across space as well as through matter. Most of the electromagnetic radiation on Earth comes from the sun. Like other waves, electromagnetic waves are characterized by certain wavelengths and wave frequencies. Wavelength is the distance between two corresponding points on adjacent waves. Wave frequency is the number of waves that pass a fixed point in a given amount of time. Electromagnetic waves with shorter wavelengths have higher frequencies and more energy.
Story: David is experimenting with electromagnetic waves. He has four different waves to study, wave A, wave B, wave C, and wave D. In wave A, distance between two corresponding points on adjacent waves is greater than that of wave B.
In wave C, the number of waves that pass a fixed point in a given time is greater than that of wave D.
Question: Which wave has more energy, wave A or wave B?

Background Paragraph: Electromagnetic radiation is energy that travels in waves across space as well as through matter. Most of the electromagnetic radiation on Earth comes from the sun. Like other waves, electromagnetic waves are characterized by certain wavelengths and wave frequencies. Wavelength is the distance between two corresponding points on adjacent waves. Wave frequency is the number of waves that pass a fixed point in a given amount of time. Electromagnetic waves with shorter wavelengths have higher frequencies and more energy.
Story: David is experimenting with electromagnetic waves. He has four different waves to study, wave A, wave B, wave C, and wave D. In wave A, distance between two corresponding points on adjacent waves is greater than that of wave B.
In wave C, the number of waves that pass a fixed point in a given time is greater than that of wave D.
Question: Which wave has less energy, wave A or wave B?

Background Paragraph: Electromagnetic radiation is energy that travels in waves across space as well as through matter. Most of the electromagnetic radiation on Earth comes from the sun. Like other waves, electromagnetic waves are characterized by certain wavelengths and wave frequencies. Wavelength is the distance between two corresponding points on adjacent waves. Wave frequency is the number of waves that pass a fixed point in a given amount of time. Electromagnetic waves with shorter wavelengths have higher frequencies and more energy.
Story: David is experimenting with electromagnetic waves. He has four different waves to study, wave A, wave B, wave C, and wave D. In wave A, distance between two corresponding points on adjacent waves is greater than that of wave B.
In wave C, the number of waves that pass a fixed point in a given time is greater than that of wave D.
Question: Would wave A have less or more energy than wave B?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: Another major cause of extinction is global warming , which is also known as global climate change. During the past century, the Earth's average temperature has risen by almost 1°C (about 1.3°F). You may not think that is significant, but to organisms that live in the wild and are constantly adapting to their environments, any climate change can be hazardous. Recall that burning fossil fuels releases gasses into the atmosphere that warm the Earth. Our increased use of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, is changing the Earth’s climate. Any long-term change in the climate can destroy the habitat of a species. Even a brief change in climate may be too stressful for an organism to survive. For example, if the seas increase in temperature, even briefly, it may be too warm for certain types of fish to reproduce.
Story: There are two neighboring planets in another solar system. The people of Mandron use many fossil fuels to power things that require electricity. The people of Liptar have found a way to use water as a source of power and they barely use any fossil fuels at all.
Question: Which planet will have a lower average global temperature?

Background Paragraph: Another major cause of extinction is global warming , which is also known as global climate change. During the past century, the Earth's average temperature has risen by almost 1°C (about 1.3°F). You may not think that is significant, but to organisms that live in the wild and are constantly adapting to their environments, any climate change can be hazardous. Recall that burning fossil fuels releases gasses into the atmosphere that warm the Earth. Our increased use of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, is changing the Earth’s climate. Any long-term change in the climate can destroy the habitat of a species. Even a brief change in climate may be too stressful for an organism to survive. For example, if the seas increase in temperature, even briefly, it may be too warm for certain types of fish to reproduce.
Story: There are two neighboring planets in another solar system. The people of Mandron use many fossil fuels to power things that require electricity. The people of Liptar have found a way to use water as a source of power and they barely use any fossil fuels at all.
Question: The habitats of which planet's animals are in less danger?

Background Paragraph: Another major cause of extinction is global warming , which is also known as global climate change. During the past century, the Earth's average temperature has risen by almost 1°C (about 1.3°F). You may not think that is significant, but to organisms that live in the wild and are constantly adapting to their environments, any climate change can be hazardous. Recall that burning fossil fuels releases gasses into the atmosphere that warm the Earth. Our increased use of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, is changing the Earth’s climate. Any long-term change in the climate can destroy the habitat of a species. Even a brief change in climate may be too stressful for an organism to survive. For example, if the seas increase in temperature, even briefly, it may be too warm for certain types of fish to reproduce.
Story: There are two neighboring planets in another solar system. The people of Mandron use many fossil fuels to power things that require electricity. The people of Liptar have found a way to use water as a source of power and they barely use any fossil fuels at all.
Question: Does Liptar send more or less gas into the atmosphere than Mandron?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: The Hawaiian Islands ( Figure above ) are in the central Pacific Ocean. The islands are volcanoes that increase in age from southeast to northwest. The youngest island is the Big Island of Hawaii at the southeast end of the chain. The volcanoes get older through Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau Islands through the northwest. The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii has been erupting almost continuously since 1983. There are also eruptions at an underwater volcano called Loih.
Story: Two cousins lived 10,000 miles away from each other but often talked about visiting the Hawaiian islands together. Lilly lived in Maine, while Heather lived in Hawaii.
Question: Which cousin lived closer to the Big Island of Hawaii?

Background Paragraph: The Hawaiian Islands ( Figure above ) are in the central Pacific Ocean. The islands are volcanoes that increase in age from southeast to northwest. The youngest island is the Big Island of Hawaii at the southeast end of the chain. The volcanoes get older through Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau Islands through the northwest. The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii has been erupting almost continuously since 1983. There are also eruptions at an underwater volcano called Loih.
Story: Two cousins lived 10,000 miles away from each other but often talked about visiting the Hawaiian islands together. Lilly lived in Maine, while Heather lived in Hawaii.
Question: Which cousin lived closer to Maui?

Background Paragraph: The Hawaiian Islands ( Figure above ) are in the central Pacific Ocean. The islands are volcanoes that increase in age from southeast to northwest. The youngest island is the Big Island of Hawaii at the southeast end of the chain. The volcanoes get older through Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau Islands through the northwest. The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii has been erupting almost continuously since 1983. There are also eruptions at an underwater volcano called Loih.
Story: Tom and Brad were good friends but lived far away from each other. Tom lived in Hawaii so he visited all the islands and the volcanoes frequently. Brad lived on the East Coast, and he never visited The Hawaiian Islands.
Question: Which friend lived closer to the Big Island of Hawaii?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: Pressures are given in a multitude of units. We've already discussed Pascals, and we know that another unit for pressure is the atmosphere (1 atm = 101.3 x 10 5 Pa). The third commonly used pressure unit is the torr (symbol Torr). 760 torr is 1 atm, but 1 torr is also the increase in pressure necessary to cause liquid mercury to rise by 1 mm. For that reason, torr is also commonly referred to as "millimeters mercury." Another pressure unit commonly used in our everyday world is psi, or pounds per square inch, though neither psi nor torr are SI units.
Story: Mike is studying for his physics exam. He realizes that the best way to learn physics is to solve problems. To that end, he needs to to convert pressure of objects from one unit to another. In one problem, four scenarios are given for the same object, scenario A, scenario B, scenario C, and scenario D. In scenario A the pressure is given in Pascals. In scenario B the pressure is given in the atm. In scenario C the pressure is given in torr. Lastly, in scenario D the pressure is given in psi.
Question: Which scenario's unit would most likely not be used in everyday world, scenario A or scenario D?

Background Paragraph: Pressures are given in a multitude of units. We've already discussed Pascals, and we know that another unit for pressure is the atmosphere (1 atm = 101.3 x 10 5 Pa). The third commonly used pressure unit is the torr (symbol Torr). 760 torr is 1 atm, but 1 torr is also the increase in pressure necessary to cause liquid mercury to rise by 1 mm. For that reason, torr is also commonly referred to as "millimeters mercury." Another pressure unit commonly used in our everyday world is psi, or pounds per square inch, though neither psi nor torr are SI units.
Story: Mike is studying for his physics exam. He realizes that the best way to learn physics is to solve problems. To that end, he needs to to convert pressure of objects from one unit to another. In one problem, four scenarios are given for the same object, scenario A, scenario B, scenario C, and scenario D. In scenario A the pressure is given in Pascals. In scenario B the pressure is given in the atm. In scenario C the pressure is given in torr. Lastly, in scenario D the pressure is given in psi.
Question: In which scenario mercury may not be a factor in devising the unit, scenario A or scenario C?

Background Paragraph: Pressures are given in a multitude of units. We've already discussed Pascals, and we know that another unit for pressure is the atmosphere (1 atm = 101.3 x 10 5 Pa). The third commonly used pressure unit is the torr (symbol Torr). 760 torr is 1 atm, but 1 torr is also the increase in pressure necessary to cause liquid mercury to rise by 1 mm. For that reason, torr is also commonly referred to as "millimeters mercury." Another pressure unit commonly used in our everyday world is psi, or pounds per square inch, though neither psi nor torr are SI units.
Story: John is a world traveler. Recently, he visited two countries, France and Germany. He noticed that in France they use atmosphere and Pascal as pressure units. In Germany they use torr as a pressure unit. Back in the United States, he noticed psi is used as a pressure unit. He needs to figure out how they correlate with each other.
Question: Which county is using a unit established by mesuring the rise of mercury, Germany or United States?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: All fluids exert pressure like the air inside a tire. The particles of fluids are constantly moving in all directions at random. As the particles move, they keep bumping into each other and into anything else in their path. These collisions cause pressure, and the pressure is exerted equally in all directions. When particles are crowded together in one part of an enclosed space, such as the air particles first entering a tire, they quickly spread out to fill all the available space. That’s because particles of fluids always move from an area of higher pressure to an area of lower pressure. This explains why air entering a tire through a tiny opening quickly fills the entire tire.
Story: Catherine is throwing her friend a birthday party and is starting to put up decorations. She has finished hanging streamers and now she has to fill the balloons. Having never used a helium tank before, she wants to test how much to fill each balloon.
Question: If one balloon is larger than another will it require more or less helium to fill?

Background Paragraph: Gas pressure results from collisions between gas particles and the inside walls of their container. If more gas is added to a rigid container, the gas pressure increases. The identities of the two gases do not matter. John Dalton, the English chemist who proposed the atomic theory, also studied mixtures of gases. He found that each gas in a mixture exerts a pressure independently of every other gas in the mixture. For example, our atmosphere is composed of about 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, with smaller amounts of several other gases making up the rest. Since nitrogen makes up 78% of the gas particles in a given sample of air, it exerts 78% of the pressure. If the overall atmospheric pressure is 1.00 atm, then the pressure of just the nitrogen in the air is 0.78 atm. The pressure of the oxygen in the air is 0.21 atm.
Story: Mike is a high school student who loves science and as a hobby studies various chemistry, biology and physics experiments. Currently, Mike has a container in his garage that is filled with two different gases. A large portion of the gas is Mologen and a smaller portion is the gas Hamogen.
Question: If the pressure inside the container was increased, would particles collide with the container more or less frequently?

Background Paragraph: All fluids exert pressure like the air inside a tire. The particles of fluids are constantly moving in all directions at random. As the particles move, they keep bumping into each other and into anything else in their path. These collisions cause pressure, and the pressure is exerted equally in all directions. When particles are crowded together in one part of an enclosed space, such as the air particles first entering a tire, they quickly spread out to fill all the available space. That’s because particles of fluids always move from an area of higher pressure to an area of lower pressure. This explains why air entering a tire through a tiny opening quickly fills the entire tire.
Story: Catherine is throwing her friend a birthday party and is starting to put up decorations. She has finished hanging streamers and now she has to fill the balloons. Having never used a helium tank before, she wants to test how much to fill each balloon.
Question: If it only took two seconds to fill a balloon at first, but now it takes three seconds has the tank pressure increased or decreased?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: Soil piping is a particular form of soil erosion that occurs below the soil surface. It causes levee and dam failure, as well as sink hole formation. Turbulent flow removes soil starting at the mouth of the seep flow and the subsoil erosion advances up-gradient. The term sand boil is used to describe the appearance of the discharging end of an active soil pipe.Soil salination is the accumulation of free salts to such an extent that it leads to degradation of the agricultural value of soils and vegetation. Consequences include corrosion damage, reduced plant growth, erosion due to loss of plant cover and soil structure, and water quality problems due to sedimentation. Salination occurs due to a combination of natural and human-caused processes. Arid conditions favour salt accumulation. This is especially apparent when soil parent material is saline. Irrigation of arid lands is especially problematic. All irrigation water has some level of salinity. Irrigation, especially when it involves leakage from canals and overirrigation in the field, often raises the underlying water table. Rapid salination occurs when the land surface is within the capillary fringe of saline groundwater. Soil salinity control involves watertable control and flushing with higher levels of applied water in combination with tile drainage or another form of subsurface drainage.
Story: The city of Reslie is known for its grilled cheese sandwiches. People come from all over the world to taste their sandwiches. The mayor of Reslie, while having a meeting about how to spend the excess funds from tourism this year, was told that the city is experiencing soil piping. The neighboring city, Tichago, consumes many of Reslie's grilled cheese sandwiches. The mayor of Tichago has just received a phone call from the mayor of Reslie asking if Tichago is also having soil piping. Tichago's mayor replies that no, they are not.
Question: Citizens of which city should be less concerned about sink holes?

Background Paragraph: Soil piping is a particular form of soil erosion that occurs below the soil surface. It causes levee and dam failure, as well as sink hole formation. Turbulent flow removes soil starting at the mouth of the seep flow and the subsoil erosion advances up-gradient. The term sand boil is used to describe the appearance of the discharging end of an active soil pipe.Soil salination is the accumulation of free salts to such an extent that it leads to degradation of the agricultural value of soils and vegetation. Consequences include corrosion damage, reduced plant growth, erosion due to loss of plant cover and soil structure, and water quality problems due to sedimentation. Salination occurs due to a combination of natural and human-caused processes. Arid conditions favour salt accumulation. This is especially apparent when soil parent material is saline. Irrigation of arid lands is especially problematic. All irrigation water has some level of salinity. Irrigation, especially when it involves leakage from canals and overirrigation in the field, often raises the underlying water table. Rapid salination occurs when the land surface is within the capillary fringe of saline groundwater. Soil salinity control involves watertable control and flushing with higher levels of applied water in combination with tile drainage or another form of subsurface drainage.
Story: The city of Reslie is known for its grilled cheese sandwiches. People come from all over the world to taste their sandwiches. The mayor of Reslie, while having a meeting about how to spend the excess funds from tourism this year, was told that the city is experiencing soil piping. The neighboring city, Tichago, consumes many of Reslie's grilled cheese sandwiches. The mayor of Tichago has just received a phone call from the mayor of Reslie asking if Tichago is also having soil piping. Tichago's mayor replies that no, they are not.
Question: Which city will need to inspect their dams less often?

Background Paragraph: Soil piping is a particular form of soil erosion that occurs below the soil surface. It causes levee and dam failure, as well as sink hole formation. Turbulent flow removes soil starting at the mouth of the seep flow and the subsoil erosion advances up-gradient. The term sand boil is used to describe the appearance of the discharging end of an active soil pipe.Soil salination is the accumulation of free salts to such an extent that it leads to degradation of the agricultural value of soils and vegetation. Consequences include corrosion damage, reduced plant growth, erosion due to loss of plant cover and soil structure, and water quality problems due to sedimentation. Salination occurs due to a combination of natural and human-caused processes. Arid conditions favour salt accumulation. This is especially apparent when soil parent material is saline. Irrigation of arid lands is especially problematic. All irrigation water has some level of salinity. Irrigation, especially when it involves leakage from canals and overirrigation in the field, often raises the underlying water table. Rapid salination occurs when the land surface is within the capillary fringe of saline groundwater. Soil salinity control involves watertable control and flushing with higher levels of applied water in combination with tile drainage or another form of subsurface drainage.
Story: The city of Lampo is currently experiencing some soil piping in the ground. The government officials of Lampo are currently looking to start a casino to bring in extra revenue to the town. They are currently consulting with a company that is located in Himpton, a city that is not experiencing soil piping. The company is a well respected leader in the casino industry and is eager to work with Lampo.
Question: Are sink holes more or less likely to form in Lampo?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: The Figure below shows decibel levels of several different sounds. As decibel levels get higher, sound waves have greater intensity and sounds are louder. For every 10-decibel increase in the intensity of sound, loudness is 10 times greater. Therefore, a 30-decibel “quiet” room is 10 times louder than a 20-decibel whisper, and a 40-decibel light rainfall is 100 times louder than the whisper. High-decibel sounds are dangerous. They can damage the ears and cause loss of hearing.
Story: Mark was attending the music festival in his city. First, he went to stage one, where the music was playing in high decibel. Then he went to stage two. There the music was playing in low decibel. He kind of liked the latter one.
Question: Which stage would be quieter, stage one or stage two?

Background Paragraph: The Figure below shows decibel levels of several different sounds. As decibel levels get higher, sound waves have greater intensity and sounds are louder. For every 10-decibel increase in the intensity of sound, loudness is 10 times greater. Therefore, a 30-decibel “quiet” room is 10 times louder than a 20-decibel whisper, and a 40-decibel light rainfall is 100 times louder than the whisper. High-decibel sounds are dangerous. They can damage the ears and cause loss of hearing.
Story: Mark was attending the music festival in his city. First, he went to stage one, where the music was playing in high decibel. Then he went to stage two. There the music was playing in low decibel. He kind of liked the latter one.
Question: Which stage would be louder, stage one or stage two?

Background Paragraph: The Figure below shows decibel levels of several different sounds. As decibel levels get higher, sound waves have greater intensity and sounds are louder. For every 10-decibel increase in the intensity of sound, loudness is 10 times greater. Therefore, a 30-decibel “quiet” room is 10 times louder than a 20-decibel whisper, and a 40-decibel light rainfall is 100 times louder than the whisper. High-decibel sounds are dangerous. They can damage the ears and cause loss of hearing.
Story: Jeremy works on a construction site operating a jackhammer and a large welding machine. Jeremy is frequently exposed to sounds with high decibel levels due to being around these machines so often. Jeremy's brother, Alexander, on the other hand works in a library. Unlike Jeremy, Alexander is frequently exposed to sounds with very low decibel levels during his work.
Question: Who is exposed to sound waves with greater intensity?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: Storing large volumes of data – When storing XML to either file or database, the volume of data a system produces can often exceed reasonable limits, with a number of detriments: the access times go up as more data is read, CPU load goes up as XML data takes more power to process, and storage costs go up. By storing XML data in Fast Infoset format, data volume may be reduced by as much as 80 percent.
Story: Eliseo had a busy day storing XML. In the morning, he filled up many hard drives with XML. In the afternoon, he filled up a few hard drives with XML. At night, he filled up a hard drive with XML.
Question: What time did storage costs go up the least: morning or afternoon?

Background Paragraph: Storing large volumes of data – When storing XML to either file or database, the volume of data a system produces can often exceed reasonable limits, with a number of detriments: the access times go up as more data is read, CPU load goes up as XML data takes more power to process, and storage costs go up. By storing XML data in Fast Infoset format, data volume may be reduced by as much as 80 percent.
Story: Eliseo had a busy day storing XML. In the morning, he filled up many hard drives with XML. In the afternoon, he filled up a few hard drives with XML. At night, he filled up a hard drive with XML.
Question: What time did storage costs go up the most: afternoon or night?

Background Paragraph: Storing large volumes of data – When storing XML to either file or database, the volume of data a system produces can often exceed reasonable limits, with a number of detriments: the access times go up as more data is read, CPU load goes up as XML data takes more power to process, and storage costs go up. By storing XML data in Fast Infoset format, data volume may be reduced by as much as 80 percent.
Story: Bob works for a data storage company. He has now three projects, project A, project B, and project C, simultaneously going on. All of them involves storing
XML data. Project A has small volume of data, but project B and project C has large volume of data. He applied Fast Infoset format for project B, but didn't apply that format for project C.
Question: Which project would have higher access times, project A or project C?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: For most substances, when the temperature of the solid is raised high enough, the substance changes to a liquid, and when the temperature of the liquid is raised high enough, the substance changes to a gas. We typically visualize a solid as tiny particles in constant motion held together by attractive forces. As we add heat to the solid, the motion, or the kinetic energy, of the particles increases. At some temperature, the motion of the particles becomes great enough to overcome the attractive forces. The thermal energy that was added to the solid up to this point was absorbed by the solid as kinetic energy, increasing the speed of the molecules. The lowest temperature at which the particles are able to exist in the liquid form is called the melting point .
Story: As a science experiment for his school homework, Kendra is putting two ice cubes on separate pans and then putting those pans on burners set to different temperatures. Ice cube A is set on top of a burner set to a low temperature, and ice cube B is placed on a burner set quite a bite higher. One minute later, Kendra begins writing down what she sees happening to the ice cubes.
Question: Has ice cube A absorbed more or less thermal energy than ice cube B?

Background Paragraph: For most substances, when the temperature of the solid is raised high enough, the substance changes to a liquid, and when the temperature of the liquid is raised high enough, the substance changes to a gas. We typically visualize a solid as tiny particles in constant motion held together by attractive forces. As we add heat to the solid, the motion, or the kinetic energy, of the particles increases. At some temperature, the motion of the particles becomes great enough to overcome the attractive forces. The thermal energy that was added to the solid up to this point was absorbed by the solid as kinetic energy, increasing the speed of the molecules. The lowest temperature at which the particles are able to exist in the liquid form is called the melting point .
Story: As a science experiment for his school homework, Kendra is putting two ice cubes on separate pans and then putting those pans on burners set to different temperatures. Ice cube A is set on top of a burner set to a low temperature, and ice cube B is placed on a burner set quite a bite higher. One minute later, Kendra begins writing down what she sees happening to the ice cubes.
Question: Does ice cube A have more or less kinetic energy than ice cube B?

Background Paragraph: For most substances, when the temperature of the solid is raised high enough, the substance changes to a liquid, and when the temperature of the liquid is raised high enough, the substance changes to a gas. We typically visualize a solid as tiny particles in constant motion held together by attractive forces. As we add heat to the solid, the motion, or the kinetic energy, of the particles increases. At some temperature, the motion of the particles becomes great enough to overcome the attractive forces. The thermal energy that was added to the solid up to this point was absorbed by the solid as kinetic energy, increasing the speed of the molecules. The lowest temperature at which the particles are able to exist in the liquid form is called the melting point .
Story: As a science experiment for his school homework, Kendra is putting two ice cubes on separate pans and then putting those pans on burners set to different temperatures. Ice cube A is set on top of a burner set to a low temperature, and ice cube B is placed on a burner set quite a bite higher. One minute later, Kendra begins writing down what she sees happening to the ice cubes.
Question: Is ice cube A or ice cube B closer to its melting point?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: The brains of all mammals have a unique layer of nerve cells covering the cerebrum. This layer is called the neocortex (the pink region of the brains in Figure above ). The neocortex plays an important role in many complex brain functions. In some mammals, such as rats, the neocortex is relatively smooth. In other mammals, especially humans, the neocortex has many folds. The folds increase the surface area of the neocortex. The larger this area is, the greater the mental abilities of an animal.
Story: Two students read about brains in the animal kingdom. Tom read more about the brains of mammals, while Reed learned more about the brains of amphibians.
Question: Which student learned more about the neocortex?

Background Paragraph: The brains of all mammals have a unique layer of nerve cells covering the cerebrum. This layer is called the neocortex (the pink region of the brains in Figure above ). The neocortex plays an important role in many complex brain functions. In some mammals, such as rats, the neocortex is relatively smooth. In other mammals, especially humans, the neocortex has many folds. The folds increase the surface area of the neocortex. The larger this area is, the greater the mental abilities of an animal.
Story: Two students read about brains in the animal kingdom. Tom read more about the brains of mammals, while Reed learned more about the brains of amphibians.
Question: Which student learned more about a unique layer of nerve cells covering the cerebrum?

Background Paragraph: The brains of all mammals have a unique layer of nerve cells covering the cerebrum. This layer is called the neocortex (the pink region of the brains in Figure above ). The neocortex plays an important role in many complex brain functions. In some mammals, such as rats, the neocortex is relatively smooth. In other mammals, especially humans, the neocortex has many folds. The folds increase the surface area of the neocortex. The larger this area is, the greater the mental abilities of an animal.
Story: Two students read about brains in the animal kingdom. Tom read more about the brains of mammals, while Reed learned more about the brains of amphibians.
Question: Which student learned less about the neocortex?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: Beginning in the late 1970’s, ozone depletion was recognized as a significant environmental issue. The most dramatic decrease in ozone occurs seasonally over the continent of Antarctica. The size and duration of the ozone hole steadily increased, with the largest hole recorded in 2006. Fortunately, most countries have recognized the danger of CFCs and dramatically curtailed their use in recent years. It is hoped that ozone depletion will slow and that the ozone layer may eventually be restored to its earlier levels.
Story: Ben and Harry were studying about the climatic history of Earth. Ben was more attracted to learning about early Ice Ages, while Harry was curious about the Earth atmosphere and read about ozone depletion and its consequences.
Question: Which person learned less about the danger of CFCs?

Background Paragraph: Beginning in the late 1970’s, ozone depletion was recognized as a significant environmental issue. The most dramatic decrease in ozone occurs seasonally over the continent of Antarctica. The size and duration of the ozone hole steadily increased, with the largest hole recorded in 2006. Fortunately, most countries have recognized the danger of CFCs and dramatically curtailed their use in recent years. It is hoped that ozone depletion will slow and that the ozone layer may eventually be restored to its earlier levels.
Story: Ben and Harry were studying about the climatic history of Earth. Ben was more attracted to learning about early Ice Ages, while Harry was curious about the Earth atmosphere and read about ozone depletion and its consequences.
Question: Which person learned less about the duration of the ozone hole over Antarctica?

Background Paragraph: Beginning in the late 1970’s, ozone depletion was recognized as a significant environmental issue. The most dramatic decrease in ozone occurs seasonally over the continent of Antarctica. The size and duration of the ozone hole steadily increased, with the largest hole recorded in 2006. Fortunately, most countries have recognized the danger of CFCs and dramatically curtailed their use in recent years. It is hoped that ozone depletion will slow and that the ozone layer may eventually be restored to its earlier levels.
Story: Factories around the world produce lots of CFCs which deplete the ozone layer. One year a large number of these factories decided they would implement efforts to reduce the amount of CFCs they release into the atmosphere. As a result the depletion of the ozone layer greatly decreased. However, the companies realized that this was hurting profits too much and reverted their decision. As a result the ozone layer began to rapidly deplete again.
Question: Given the ozone layer starts to deplete much faster than before, has the amount of CFCs released into the atmosphere increased or decreased?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: Friction between the atmosphere and the Earth's surface causes a 20% reduction in the wind at the surface of the Earth.[10] Surface roughness also leads to significant variation of wind speeds. Over land, winds maximize at hill or mountain crests, while sheltering leads to lower wind speeds in valleys and lee slopes.[11] Compared to over water, maximum sustained winds over land average 8% lower.[12] More specifically, over a city or rough terrain, the wind gradient effect could cause a reduction of 40% to 50% of the geostrophic wind speed aloft; while over open water or ice, the reduction is between 10% and 30%.[8][13][14].
Story: Bill is going on vacation this week, and is visiting two local sites. One, is Deep Valley, and the other is Mount Tall. He will be going to Deep Valley on Monday and Tuesday, and then visit Mount Tall on Thursday and Friday. He has decided that on his trip he wants to fly his kite at some point, but also wants to have a picnic on the other days. He would prefer an area of high wind for flying his kite, and an area of low winds to have his picnic so his food doesn't blow asunder.
Question: Which place should Bill fly his kite while on vacation?

Background Paragraph: Friction between the atmosphere and the Earth's surface causes a 20% reduction in the wind at the surface of the Earth.[10] Surface roughness also leads to significant variation of wind speeds. Over land, winds maximize at hill or mountain crests, while sheltering leads to lower wind speeds in valleys and lee slopes.[11] Compared to over water, maximum sustained winds over land average 8% lower.[12] More specifically, over a city or rough terrain, the wind gradient effect could cause a reduction of 40% to 50% of the geostrophic wind speed aloft; while over open water or ice, the reduction is between 10% and 30%.[8][13][14].
Story: The Johnson Family is planning a couple of excursions next week. On Wednesday they will be going to Tulsa Valley, and on Friday they are going to Albert's Peak, a small mountain in the area. Mr. Johnson has been wanting to fly some kites if there are some good wind conditions for doing so. He also wants to treat his family to a picnic and would like a more serene setting, with little to no wind to disrupt their picnic.
Question: Which place will more likely be more windy?

Background Paragraph: Friction between the atmosphere and the Earth's surface causes a 20% reduction in the wind at the surface of the Earth.[10] Surface roughness also leads to significant variation of wind speeds. Over land, winds maximize at hill or mountain crests, while sheltering leads to lower wind speeds in valleys and lee slopes.[11] Compared to over water, maximum sustained winds over land average 8% lower.[12] More specifically, over a city or rough terrain, the wind gradient effect could cause a reduction of 40% to 50% of the geostrophic wind speed aloft; while over open water or ice, the reduction is between 10% and 30%.[8][13][14].
Story: Bill is going on vacation this week, and is visiting two local sites. One, is Deep Valley, and the other is Mount Tall. He will be going to Deep Valley on Monday and Tuesday, and then visit Mount Tall on Thursday and Friday. He has decided that on his trip he wants to fly his kite at some point, but also wants to have a picnic on the other days. He would prefer an area of high wind for flying his kite, and an area of low winds to have his picnic so his food doesn't blow asunder.
Question: Will there be more or less wind where Bill goes on Tuesday than Friday?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.


Question:
Background Paragraph: Turner et al (2006) derived crash prediction models for this report’s predecessor and found a
pronounced ‘safety in numbers’ effect in the models. Using the crash prediction model for mid-block
locations, generic motorist and cyclist volumes can be used to demonstrate the impacts on the
expected crash rate of varying motor vehicle and cycle volumes. As shown in figure 2.20, an increase
in the proportion of cyclists to the overall traffic volume causes an increase in expected crashes at
mid-block locations, but the crash rate increases at a decreasing rate. That is to say, the crash rate per
cyclist goes down as the cycle volume increases.
Story: There were a lot of motorcycles on Interstate 2 last week. On Friday, there were 1000 motorcyclists. On Saturday, there were 1200 motorcyclists. On Sunday, there were 1400 motorcyclists. On Monday, there were 1600 motorcyclists. On Tuesday, there were 1800 motorcyclists. On Wednesday, there were 2000 motorcyclists. On Thursday, there were 2500 motorcyclists.
Question: What day had a lower crash rate per cyclist: Wednesday or Friday?

Background Paragraph: Turner et al (2006) derived crash prediction models for this report’s predecessor and found a
pronounced ‘safety in numbers’ effect in the models. Using the crash prediction model for mid-block
locations, generic motorist and cyclist volumes can be used to demonstrate the impacts on the
expected crash rate of varying motor vehicle and cycle volumes. As shown in figure 2.20, an increase
in the proportion of cyclists to the overall traffic volume causes an increase in expected crashes at
mid-block locations, but the crash rate increases at a decreasing rate. That is to say, the crash rate per
cyclist goes down as the cycle volume increases.
Story: There were a lot of motorcycles on Interstate 12 last week. On Thursday, there were 1501 motorcyclists. On Friday, there were 2501 motorcyclists. On Saturday, there were 3501 motorcyclists. On Sunday, there were 4501 motorcyclists. On Monday, there were 5501 motorcyclists. On Tuesday, there were 6501 motorcyclists. On Wednesday, there were 7501 motorcyclists.
Question: What day had a lower crash rate per cyclist: Friday or Wednesday?

Background Paragraph: Turner et al (2006) derived crash prediction models for this report’s predecessor and found a
pronounced ‘safety in numbers’ effect in the models. Using the crash prediction model for mid-block
locations, generic motorist and cyclist volumes can be used to demonstrate the impacts on the
expected crash rate of varying motor vehicle and cycle volumes. As shown in figure 2.20, an increase
in the proportion of cyclists to the overall traffic volume causes an increase in expected crashes at
mid-block locations, but the crash rate increases at a decreasing rate. That is to say, the crash rate per
cyclist goes down as the cycle volume increases.
Story: Berg village and Hill village are renowned for the high number of cyclists living there. Berg village dealt with many traffic casualties because of narrower streets and lanes, While Hill village had wide streets, more traffic signals and a greater number of cyclists.
Question: Which village had a higher crash per cyclist ratio?

Instruction: You are given a background paragraph that describes one or more causal or qualitative relationships such as a relationship in economics or a scientific law and a story that makes use of the concepts or the relationship described in the provided paragraph. You are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.