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: The brains of all mammals have a unique layer of nerve cells covering the cerebrum. This layer is called the neocortex (the pink region of the brains in Figure above ). The neocortex plays an important role in many complex brain functions. In some mammals, such as rats, the neocortex is relatively smooth. In other mammals, especially humans, the neocortex has many folds. The folds increase the surface area of the neocortex. The larger this area is, the greater the mental abilities of an animal. 
Story: Two students read about brains in the animal kingdom. Tom read more about the brains of mammals, while Reed learned more about the brains of amphibians. 
Question: Which student learned less about many complex brain functions?

SOLUTION: Reed.

PROBLEM: Background Paragraph: About 10% of sedimentary rocks are limestones. The solubility of limestone in water and weak acid solutions leads to karst landscapes, in which water erodes the limestone over thousands to millions of years. Most cave systems are through limestone bedrock. 
Story: White mountains are often visited by tourists because of the many beautiful caves, stalactites, stalagmites and karst phenomena. Dome mountains are interesting to tourists because they are very massive, of volcanic origin and excellent for climbing. 
Question: Which mountain has a higher percentage of limestone in its composition?

SOLUTION: White.

PROBLEM: Background Paragraph: Another major cause of extinction is global warming , which is also known as global climate change. During the past century, the Earth's average temperature has risen by almost 1°C (about 1.3°F). You may not think that is significant, but to organisms that live in the wild and are constantly adapting to their environments, any climate change can be hazardous. Recall that burning fossil fuels releases gasses into the atmosphere that warm the Earth. Our increased use of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, is changing the Earth’s climate. Any long-term change in the climate can destroy the habitat of a species. Even a brief change in climate may be too stressful for an organism to survive. For example, if the seas increase in temperature, even briefly, it may be too warm for certain types of fish to reproduce. 
Story: Keith was reading a book on climate. He found an interesting table that showed the climatic conditions of the earth in two different times, time A and time B. Time A showed earth's climatic condition in the previous century. And, time B showed earth's climatic condition in the present century. Keith was amazed to see how the world has changed in just a century. 
Question: Which period would be less difficult for certain fish to reproduce, time A or time B?

SOLUTION:
time A.