TASK DEFINITION: You are given a science question (easy-level) and four answer options (associated with "A", "B", "C", "D"). Your task is to find the correct answer based on scientific facts, knowledge, and reasoning. Do not generate anything else apart from one of the following characters: 'A', 'B, 'C', 'D'. There is only one correct answer for each question.
PROBLEM: A drug company developed a pill to reduce cases of stomach virus. To test the medication, half of the participants got the pill with the new medicine and half got a sugar pill. Which term best identifies the participants who got a sugar pill?  
 (A) control (B) experimental (C) dependent variable (D) independent variable

SOLUTION: A

PROBLEM: Which best describes a characteristic of the jet stream?  
 (A) It forms a boundary between a cold air mass and a warm air mass. (B) It creates the high winds around the eye of a hurricane. (C) It forces the hot air along the equator to rise to areas in North America. (D) It causes high pressure air masses to rotate clockwise.

SOLUTION: A

PROBLEM: Convection currents in the mantle are thought to be the driving force behind tectonic movement. At which location do the convection currents cause the plates to diverge?  
 (A) strike-slip fault (B) subduction zone (C) mid-ocean ridges (D) folded mountains

SOLUTION:
C