Question: Assuming this sheet of paper is left for a long time in a warm, humid basement, which area is most likely to develop visible mold first?
A. The blank areas of the paper
B. The areas forming the gold-colored characters
C. All parts of the paper will mold at the same rate
D. It won’t mold because the heating process already sterilized the paper.
Clues:
1. The image shows a white piece of paper with four golden-brown Chinese characters ("新年快乐") on it.
2. The characters have a different color and texture from the rest of the white paper.
3. A comparison between the left and right panels shows that the characters were initially faint or invisible and then became visible, suggesting they were revealed by a process like heating.
4. The substance forming the characters is likely an organic compound (like sugar or lemon juice) used as invisible ink, which serves as a rich food source.
Answer: B
Category: Chemistry