TASK DEFINITION: Given a question and a context passage, generate the answer having the word or phrase from the context passage. Here, the answer should be a shortest continous span from the passage.
PROBLEM: Context: Cells were first discovered in the mid-1600s. The cell theory came about some 200 years later. You can see a re- enactment of some of the discoveries that led to the cell theory in this video: MEDIA Click image to the left or use the URL below. URL: British scientist Robert Hooke first discovered cells in 1665. He was one of the earliest scientists to study living things under a microscope. He saw that cork was divided into many tiny compartments, like little rooms. (Do the cells in Figure 3.1 look like little rooms to you too?) Hooke called these little rooms cells. Cork comes from trees, so what Hooke observed was dead plant cells. In the late 1600s, Dutch scientist Anton van Leeuwenhoek made more powerful microscopes. He used them to observe cells of other organisms. For example, he saw human blood cells and bacterial cells. Over the next century, microscopes were improved and more cells were observed. By the early 1800s, scientists had seen cells in many different types of organisms. Every organism that was examined was found to consist of cells. From all these observations, German scientists Theodor Schwann and Matthias Schleiden drew two major conclusions about cells. They concluded that: cells are alive. all living things are made of cells. Around 1850, a German doctor named Rudolf Virchow was observing living cells under a microscope. As he was watching, one of the cells happened to divide. Figure 3.2 shows a cell dividing, like the cell observed by Virchow. This was an aha moment for Virchow. He realized that living cells produce new cells by dividing. This was evidence that cells arise from other cells. The work of Schwann, Schleiden, and Virchow led to the cell theory. This is one of the most important theories in life science. The cell theory can be summed up as follows: All organisms consist of one or more cells. Cells are alive and the site of all life processes. All cells come from pre-existing cells. All cells have certain parts in common. These parts include the cell membrane, cytoplasm, DNA, and ribosomes. The cell membrane is a thin coat of phospholipids that surrounds the cell. Its like the skin of the cell. It forms a physical boundary between the contents of the cell and the environment outside the cell. It also controls what enters and leaves the cell. The cell membrane is sometimes called the plasma membrane. Cytoplasm is the material inside the cell membrane. It includes a watery substance called cytosol. Besides water, cytosol contains enzymes and other substances. Cytoplasm also includes other cell structures suspended in the cytosol. DNA is a nucleic acid found in cells. It contains genetic instructions that cells need to make proteins. Ribosomes are structures in the cytoplasm where proteins are made. They consist of RNA and proteins. These four components are found in all cells. They are found in the cells of organisms as different as bacteria and people. How did all known organisms come to have such similar cells? The answer is evolution. The similarities show that all life on Earth evolved from a common ancestor. Besides the four parts listed above, many cells also have a nucleus. The nucleus of a cell is a structure enclosed by a membrane that contains most of the cells DNA. Cells are classified in two major groups based on whether or not they have a nucleus. The two groups are prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells. Prokaryotic cells are cells that lack a nucleus. The DNA in prokaryotic cells is in the cytoplasm, rather than enclosed within a nuclear membrane. All the organisms in the Bacteria and Archaea Domains have prokaryotic cells. No other organisms have this type of cell. Organisms with prokaryotic cells are called prokaryotes. They are all single-celled organisms. They were the first type of organisms to evolve. They are still the most numerous organisms today. You can see a model of a prokaryotic cell in Figure 3.3. The cell in the figure is a bacterium. Notice how it contains a cell membrane, cytoplasm, ribosomes, and several other structures. However, the cell lacks a nucleus. The cells DNA is circular. 
 Question: The smallest unit of living things that can carry out the chemical reactions of life is the

SOLUTION: cell

PROBLEM: Context: Coming off their Sunday night road win over the Packers, the Cowboys went home for a Week 4 NFC East showdown with the Washington Redskins. In the first quarter, the 'Boys shot first as QB Tony Romo completed a 21-yard TD pass to TE Jason Witten. In the second quarter, the Redskins took the lead as QB Jason Campbell completed a 3-yard TD pass to WR James Thrash and a 2-yard TD pass to WR Antwaan Randle El, along with kicker Shaun Suisham getting a 20-yard field goal. Dallas closed out the half with kicker Nick Folk getting a 36-yard field goal. In the third quarter, the Cowboys tied the game with Romo completing a 10-yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens. Washington would respond with Suisham kicking a 33-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Redskins increased their lead with Suisham nailing a 33-yard and a 29-yard field goal. The 'Boys tried to rally as Romo completed an 11-yard TD pass to WR Miles Austin. However, Dallas' onside kick attempt failed, preserving the Redskins' win. 
 Question: Which player scored the last field goal of the game?

SOLUTION: shaun suisham

PROBLEM: Context: Earthquake magnitude affects how much damage is done in an earthquake. A larger earthquake damages more buildings and kills more people than a smaller earthquake. But thats not the only factor that determines earthquake damage. The location of an earthquake relative to a large city is important. More damage is done if the ground shakes for a long time. The amount of damage also depends on the geology of the region. Strong, solid bedrock shakes less than soft or wet soils. Wet soils liquefy during an earthquake and become like quicksand. Soil on a hillside that is shaken loose can become a landslide. Hazard maps help city planners choose the best locations for buildings (Figure 7.38). For example, when faced with two possible locations for a new hospital, planners must build on bedrock rather than silt and clay. The 1985 Mexico City earthquake measured magnitude 8.1. The earthquake killed at least 9,000 people, injured 30,000 more, and left 100,000 people homeless. It destroyed 416 buildings, and seriously damaged 3,000 other buildings. The intense destruction was due to the soft ground the city is built on. Silt and clay fill a basin made of solid rock. In an earthquake, seismic waves bounce back-and-forth off the sides and bottom of the rock basin. This amplifies the shaking. The wet clay converts to quicksand (Figure 7.39). Many buildings were not anchored to bedrock. They settled into the muck. This caused enormous damage. Water, sewer, and electrical systems were destroyed, resulting in fires. Acapulco was much closer to the epicenter, but since the city is built on bedrock it suffered little damage. The amount of damage depends on the amount of development in the region. The 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake, near Anchorage, was the largest earthquake ever recorded in North America. The gigantic quake had a magnitude of 9.2. The earthquake lasted for several minutes and the ground slipped up to 11.5 meters (38 feet). An area of 100,000 square miles (250,000 square km) was affected. The ground liquefied, causing landslides (Figure 7.40). The earthquake occurred at a subduction zone, and large tsunami up to 70 meters (20 feet) high were created. Despite the intensity of the earthquake, only 131 people died. Most deaths were due to the tsunami. Property damage was just over $300 million ($1.8 billion in 2007 U.S. dollars). The reason there was such a small amount of damage is that very few people lived in the area (Alaska had only been a state for five years!). A similar earthquake today would affect many more people. Buildings must be specially built to withstand earthquakes. Skyscrapers and other large structures built on soft ground must be anchored to bedrock. Sometimes that bedrock is hundreds of meters below the ground surface! Building materials need to be both strong and flexible. Small structures, like houses, should bend and sway. Wood and steel bend. Brick, stone, and adobe are brittle and will break. Larger buildings must sway, but not so much that they touch nearby buildings. Counterweights and diagonal steel beams can hold down sway. Buildings need strong, flexible connections where the walls meet the foundation. Earthquake-safe buildings are well connected (Figure Steel or wood can be added to older buildings to reinforce a buildings structure and its connections (Figure 7.42). Elevated freeways and bridges can also be reinforced so that they do not collapse. Important structures must be designed to survive intact. One of the biggest problems caused by earthquakes is fire. Fires start because earthquakes rupture gas and electrical lines. Water mains may break. This makes it difficult to fight the fires. The shapes of pipes can make a big difference. Straight pipes will break in a quake. Zigzag pipes bend and flex when the ground shakes. In San Francisco, water and gas pipelines are separated by valves. Areas can be isolated if one segment breaks. Strong, sturdy structures are expensive to build. Communities must decide how safe to make their buildings. They must weigh how great the hazard is, what different building strategies will cost, and how much risk they are 
 Question: material that forms when wet soil shakes and liquefies in an earthquake

SOLUTION:
quicksand