Background: Huge amounts of chemicals, such as fertilizers and pesticides, are applied to farm fields (see Figure below ). Some of the chemicals are picked up by rainwater. Runoff then carries the chemicals to nearby rivers or lakes. Dissolved fertilizer causes too much growth of water plants and algae. This can lead to dead zones where nothing can live in lakes and at the mouths of rivers. Some of the chemicals can infiltrate into groundwater. The contaminated water comes up in water wells. If people drink the polluted water, they may get sick.

Situation: Lucy and Sarah are two people who each own a lake that they enjoy spending time at. They have to take care of the lake though and make sure everything is healthy so that the lake can continue to thrive and people will want to visit it. Sarah says she heard a secret that if you dump fertilizer into your lake, the fish will grow twice as large. Sarah says she has just started doing it this past week and can't wait to see the results. Lucy is skeptical and waits to see what happens at Sarah's lake.

Question: Will Lucy or Sarah have a lake with more plants in it?
Answer: Sarah

Situation: Lucy and Sarah are two people who each own a lake that they enjoy spending time at. They have to take care of the lake though and make sure everything is healthy so that the lake can continue to thrive and people will want to visit it. Sarah says she heard a secret that if you dump fertilizer into your lake, the fish will grow twice as large. Sarah says she has just started doing it this past week and can't wait to see the results. Lucy is skeptical and waits to see what happens at Sarah's lake.

Question: Will Lucy or Sarah have a lake with less plants in it?
Answer: Lucy

Situation: Lucy and Sarah are two people who each own a lake that they enjoy spending time at. They have to take care of the lake though and make sure everything is healthy so that the lake can continue to thrive and people will want to visit it. Sarah says she heard a secret that if you dump fertilizer into your lake, the fish will grow twice as large. Sarah says she has just started doing it this past week and can't wait to see the results. Lucy is skeptical and waits to see what happens at Sarah's lake.

Question: Who will have more algae in their lake?
Answer: Sarah

Situation: Lucy and Sarah are two people who each own a lake that they enjoy spending time at. They have to take care of the lake though and make sure everything is healthy so that the lake can continue to thrive and people will want to visit it. Sarah says she heard a secret that if you dump fertilizer into your lake, the fish will grow twice as large. Sarah says she has just started doing it this past week and can't wait to see the results. Lucy is skeptical and waits to see what happens at Sarah's lake.

Question: Who will have less algae in their lake?
Answer: Lucy

Situation: Lucy and Sarah are two people who each own a lake that they enjoy spending time at. They have to take care of the lake though and make sure everything is healthy so that the lake can continue to thrive and people will want to visit it. Sarah says she heard a secret that if you dump fertilizer into your lake, the fish will grow twice as large. Sarah says she has just started doing it this past week and can't wait to see the results. Lucy is skeptical and waits to see what happens at Sarah's lake.

Question: Dead zones will be more prevalent in Lucy's lake or Sarah's lake?
Answer: Sarah's lake

Situation: Lucy and Sarah are two people who each own a lake that they enjoy spending time at. They have to take care of the lake though and make sure everything is healthy so that the lake can continue to thrive and people will want to visit it. Sarah says she heard a secret that if you dump fertilizer into your lake, the fish will grow twice as large. Sarah says she has just started doing it this past week and can't wait to see the results. Lucy is skeptical and waits to see what happens at Sarah's lake.

Question: Dead zones will be less prevalent in Lucy's lake or Sarah's lake?
Answer: Lucy's lake

Situation: Lucy and Sarah are two people who each own a lake that they enjoy spending time at. They have to take care of the lake though and make sure everything is healthy so that the lake can continue to thrive and people will want to visit it. Sarah says she heard a secret that if you dump fertilizer into your lake, the fish will grow twice as large. Sarah says she has just started doing it this past week and can't wait to see the results. Lucy is skeptical and waits to see what happens at Sarah's lake.

Question: Is the fish population going to decrease more in Lucy's lake or Sarah's lake?
Answer: Sarah's lake

Situation: Lucy and Sarah are two people who each own a lake that they enjoy spending time at. They have to take care of the lake though and make sure everything is healthy so that the lake can continue to thrive and people will want to visit it. Sarah says she heard a secret that if you dump fertilizer into your lake, the fish will grow twice as large. Sarah says she has just started doing it this past week and can't wait to see the results. Lucy is skeptical and waits to see what happens at Sarah's lake.

Question: Is the fish population going to decrease less in Lucy's lake or Sarah's lake?
Answer: Lucy's lake

Situation: Lucy and Sarah are two people who each own a lake that they enjoy spending time at. They have to take care of the lake though and make sure everything is healthy so that the lake can continue to thrive and people will want to visit it. Sarah says she heard a secret that if you dump fertilizer into your lake, the fish will grow twice as large. Sarah says she has just started doing it this past week and can't wait to see the results. Lucy is skeptical and waits to see what happens at Sarah's lake.

Question: Is Sarah's lake more or less safe to drink than Lucy's?
Answer: less

Situation: Lucy and Sarah are two people who each own a lake that they enjoy spending time at. They have to take care of the lake though and make sure everything is healthy so that the lake can continue to thrive and people will want to visit it. Sarah says she heard a secret that if you dump fertilizer into your lake, the fish will grow twice as large. Sarah says she has just started doing it this past week and can't wait to see the results. Lucy is skeptical and waits to see what happens at Sarah's lake.

Question: Is Lucy's lake more or less safe to drink than Sarah's?
Answer: more

Situation: Lucas is sitting between two lakes, lake Hijem and lake Rarsnap, holding a large bag of fertilizer. His neighbor told him to pour the bag of fertilizer in one of the two lakes, but Lucas can't remember which lake he was told to pour it in. Lucas decides to just guess rather than ask for clarification and pours the whole bag of fertilizer into lake Hijem.

Question: Which lake will have more dead zones?
Answer: lake Hijem

Situation: Lucas is sitting between two lakes, lake Hijem and lake Rarsnap, holding a large bag of fertilizer. His neighbor told him to pour the bag of fertilizer in one of the two lakes, but Lucas can't remember which lake he was told to pour it in. Lucas decides to just guess rather than ask for clarification and pours the whole bag of fertilizer into lake Hijem.

Question: Which lake will have less dead zones?
Answer: lake Rarsnap

Situation: There are two lakes in southern Indiana that are popular places for families of nearby cities to visit for picnics and parties. Lake Mahoe is right next to a large farm that grows all kinds of crops for the town. The owner of the farm also rents out his barn regularly so people can use it for celebrations. Lake Tresco is located near a school and children will often come play at it during recess.

Question: Which lake will have more algae?
Answer: Lake Mahoe

Situation: There are two lakes in southern Indiana that are popular places for families of nearby cities to visit for picnics and parties. Lake Mahoe is right next to a large farm that grows all kinds of crops for the town. The owner of the farm also rents out his barn regularly so people can use it for celebrations. Lake Tresco is located near a school and children will often come play at it during recess.

Question: Which lake will have less algae?
Answer: Lake Tresco

Situation: There are two lakes in southern Indiana that are popular places for families of nearby cities to visit for picnics and parties. Lake Mahoe is right next to a large farm that grows all kinds of crops for the town. The owner of the farm also rents out his barn regularly so people can use it for celebrations. Lake Tresco is located near a school and children will often come play at it during recess.

Question: Does lake Mahoe have more or less chemicals in it than lake Tresco?
Answer: more

Situation: There are two lakes in southern Indiana that are popular places for families of nearby cities to visit for picnics and parties. Lake Mahoe is right next to a large farm that grows all kinds of crops for the town. The owner of the farm also rents out his barn regularly so people can use it for celebrations. Lake Tresco is located near a school and children will often come play at it during recess.

Question: Does lake Tresco have more or less chemicals in it than lake Mahoe?
Answer: less

Situation: There are two lakes in southern Indiana that are popular places for families of nearby cities to visit for picnics and parties. Lake Mahoe is right next to a large farm that grows all kinds of crops for the town. The owner of the farm also rents out his barn regularly so people can use it for celebrations. Lake Tresco is located near a school and children will often come play at it during recess.

Question: Are dead zones more prevalent in lake Mahoe or lake Tresco?
Answer: Lake Mahoe

Situation: There are two lakes in southern Indiana that are popular places for families of nearby cities to visit for picnics and parties. Lake Mahoe is right next to a large farm that grows all kinds of crops for the town. The owner of the farm also rents out his barn regularly so people can use it for celebrations. Lake Tresco is located near a school and children will often come play at it during recess.

Question: Are dead zones less prevalent in lake Mahoe or lake Tresco?
Answer: Lake Tresco

Situation: There are two lakes in southern Indiana that are popular places for families of nearby cities to visit for picnics and parties. Lake Mahoe is right next to a large farm that grows all kinds of crops for the town. The owner of the farm also rents out his barn regularly so people can use it for celebrations. Lake Tresco is located near a school and children will often come play at it during recess.

Question: Which lake's water is less safe to drink?
Answer: Lake Mahoe

Situation: There are two lakes in southern Indiana that are popular places for families of nearby cities to visit for picnics and parties. Lake Mahoe is right next to a large farm that grows all kinds of crops for the town. The owner of the farm also rents out his barn regularly so people can use it for celebrations. Lake Tresco is located near a school and children will often come play at it during recess.

Question: Which lake's water is more safe to drink?
Answer: Lake Tresco

Situation: There are two lakes in southern Indiana that are popular places for families of nearby cities to visit for picnics and parties. Lake Mahoe is right next to a large farm that grows all kinds of crops for the town. The owner of the farm also rents out his barn regularly so people can use it for celebrations. Lake Tresco is located near a school and children will often come play at it during recess.

Question: Is the community surrounding lake Tresco or lake Mahoe more likely to have contaminated water wells?
Answer: Lake Mahoe

Situation: There are two lakes in southern Indiana that are popular places for families of nearby cities to visit for picnics and parties. Lake Mahoe is right next to a large farm that grows all kinds of crops for the town. The owner of the farm also rents out his barn regularly so people can use it for celebrations. Lake Tresco is located near a school and children will often come play at it during recess.

Question: Is the community surrounding lake Tresco or lake Mahoe less likely to have contaminated water wells?
Answer: Lake Tresco