TASK DEFINITION: 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.
PROBLEM: Background Paragraph: Fish mortality is a parameter used in fisheries population dynamics to account for the loss of fish in a fish stock through death. The mortality can be divided into two types:

Natural mortality: the removal of fish from the stock due to causes not associated with fishing. Such causes can include disease, competition, cannibalism, old age, predation, pollution or any other natural factor that causes the death of fish. In fisheries models natural mortality is denoted by (M).[1]
Fishing mortality: the removal of fish from the stock due to fishing activities using any fishing gear.[1] It is denoted by (F) in fisheries models. 
Story: Bob works as a scientist for a large fishing company in Norway. Norway's government has strict regulations on fishing to protect its fish stock. Part of Bob's job is to provide the government with fish mortality data. Today, he has two samples of fish to investigate, sample A and sample B. Bob concluded sample A had natural mortality, but sample B had fishing mortality. 
Question: Would pollution be a casue of death or not a cause of death for sample B?

SOLUTION: not a cause of death.

PROBLEM: Background Paragraph: You don’t have to suffer through an infection to gain immunity to some diseases. Immunity can also come about by vaccination. Vaccination is the process of exposing a person to pathogens on purpose so the person will develop immunity to them. In vaccination, the pathogens are usually injected under the skin. Only part of the pathogens are injected, or else weakened or dead pathogens are used. This causes an immune response without causing the disease. Diseases you are likely to have been vaccinated against include measles, mumps, and chicken pox. 
Story: Two families had children that played together in the park. Jones family were anti-vaxxers, so they never vaccinated against any disease. Dean family did all the required vaccinations. 
Question: Which family suffered through infections to gain immunity?

SOLUTION: Jones.

PROBLEM: 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 salinity level in the soil than Stevens Pasture?

SOLUTION:
higher.