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: English is an important global language, but that doesn't mean it's easy to learn. Many experts have tried to make English easier for students to learn--but they weren't always successful. In 1930, Professor CK Ogden of Cambridge University invented Basic English. It had only 850 words (and just eighteen verbs) and Ogden said most people could learn it in just thirty hours. The problem was that people who learned Basic English could write and say simple messages, but they couldn't understand the answers in "real" English! It was also impossible to explain a word if it wasn't in the Basic English word list. For example, if you wanted a watermelon, you asked for "a large green fruit with the form of an egg, which has a sweet red inside and a good taste"! RE Zachrisson, a university professor in Sweden, decided that the biggest problem for learners of English was spelling, so he invented a language called Anglic. Anglic was similar to English, but with much simpler spelling. "Father" became "faadher", "new" became "nue' and "years" became "yeerz". Unfortunately for some students of English, Anglic never became popular. Even easier is the language which ships' captains use: it's called "Seaspeak". Seaspeak uses a few simple phrases for every possible situation. In Seaspeak, for example, you don't say, "I'm sorry what did you say?" or "I didn't understand, can you repeat that?" It's just "Say again." No more grammar! In the age of international communication through the Internet who knows? ... a new form of English might appear. A large number of the world's e-mails are in English and include examples of "NetLingo" like OIC (Oh, I see) and TTYL (Talk to you later). In another fifty years, English might not exist ... we will probably all speak fluent Internetish! 
 Question: According to Professor Zachrisson, what was the biggest problem for learners of English?

SOLUTION: spelling.

PROBLEM: Context: Earth formed at the same time as the other planets. The history of Earth is part of the history of the Solar System. Earth came together (accreted) from the cloud of dust and gas known as the solar nebula nearly 4.6 billion years ago, the same time the Sun and the rest of the solar system formed. Gravity caused small bodies of rock and metal orbiting the proto-Sun to smash together to create larger bodies. Over time, the planetoids got larger and larger until they became planets. When Earth first came together it was really hot, hot enough to melt the metal elements that it contained. Earth was so hot for three reasons: Gravitational contraction: As small bodies of rock and metal accreted, the planet grew larger and more massive. Gravity within such an enormous body squeezes the material in its interior so hard that the pressure swells. As Earths internal pressure grew, its temperature also rose. Radioactive decay: Radioactive decay releases heat, and early in the planets history there were many ra- dioactive elements with short half lives. These elements long ago decayed into stable materials, but they were responsible for the release of enormous amounts of heat in the beginning. Bombardment: Ancient impact craters found on the Moon and inner planets indicate that asteroid impacts were common in the early solar system. Earth was struck so much in its first 500 million years that the heat was intense. Very few large objects have struck the planet in the past many hundreds of millions of year. When Earth was entirely molten, gravity drew denser elements to the center and lighter elements rose to the surface. The separation of Earth into layers based on density is known as differentiation. The densest material moved to the center to create the planets dense metallic core. Materials that are intermediate in density became part of the mantle (Figure 1.1). Lighter materials accumulated at the surface of the mantle to become the earliest crust. The first crust was probably basaltic, like the oceanic crust is today. Intense heat from the early core drove rapid and vigorous mantle convection so that crust quickly recycled into the mantle. The recycling of basaltic crust was so effective that no remnants of it are found today. There is not much material to let us know about the earliest days of our planet Earth. What there is comes from three sources: (1) zircon crystals, the oldest materials found on Earth, which show that the age of the earliest crust formed at least 4.4 billion years ago; (2) meteorites that date from the beginning of the solar system, to nearly 4.6 billion years ago (Figure 1.2); and (3) lunar rocks, which represent the early days of the Earth-Moon system as far back as 4.5 billion years ago. 
 Question: which is not a reason why earth was molten in its early days?

SOLUTION: the sun

PROBLEM: Context: Protists are placed in the Protist Kingdom. This kingdom is one of four kingdoms in the Eukarya domain. The other three Eukarya kingdoms are the Fungi, Plant, and Animal Kingdoms. The Protist Kingdom is hard to define. It includes many different types of organisms. You can see some examples of protists in Figure 9.1. The Protist Kingdom includes all eukaryotes that dont fit into one of the other three eukaryote kingdoms. For that reason, its sometimes called the trash can kingdom. The number of species in the Protist Kingdom is unknown. It could range from as few as 60,000 to as many as 200,000 species. For a beautiful introduction to the amazing world of protists, watch this video: MEDIA Click image to the left or use the URL below. URL: Scientists think that protists are the oldest eukaryotes. If so, they must have evolved from prokaryotes. How did this happen? How did cells without organelles acquire them? What was the origin of mitochondria, chloroplasts, and other organelles? The most likely way organelles evolved is shown in Figure 9.2. First, smaller prokaryotic cells invaded, or were engulfed by, larger prokaryotic cells. The smaller cells benefited by getting nutrients and a safe place to live. The larger cells benefited by getting some of the organic molecules or energy released by the smaller cells. Eventually, the smaller cells evolved into organelles in the larger cells. After that, neither could live without the other. Despite the diversity of protists, they do share some traits. The cells of all protists have a nucleus. They also have other membrane-bound organelles. For example, all of them have mitochondria, and some of them have chloroplasts. Most protists consist of a single cell. Some are multicellular but they lack specialized cells. Most protists live in wet places. They are found in oceans, lakes, swamps, or damp soils. Many protists can move. Most protists also have a complex life cycle. The life cycle of an organism is the cycle of phases it goes through until it returns to the starting phase. The protist life cycle includes both sexual and asexual reproduction. Why reproduce both ways? Each way has benefits. Asexual reproduction is fast. It allows rapid population growth when conditions are stable. Sexual reproduction increases genetic variation. This helps ensure that some organisms will survive if conditions change. Protists are classified based on traits they share with other eukaryotes. There are animal-like, plant-like, and fungus- like protists. The three groups differ mainly in how they get carbon and energy. Animal-like protists are called protozoa (protozoan, singular). Most protozoa consist of a single cell. Protozoa are probably ancestors of animals. Protozoa are like animals in two ways: 1. Protozoa are heterotrophs. Heterotrophs get food by eating other organisms. Some protozoa prey on bacteria. Some are parasites of animals. Others graze on algae. Still others are decomposers that break down dead organic matter. 2. Almost all protozoa can move. They have special appendages for this purpose. You can see different types in Figure 9.3. Cilia (cilium, singular) are short, hair-like projections. Pseudopods are temporary extensions of the cytoplasm. Flagella are long, whip-like structures. Flagella are also found in most prokaryotes. Plant-like protists are commonly called algae (alga, singular). Some algae consist of single cells. They are called diatoms. Other algae are multicellular. An example is seaweed. Seaweed called kelp can grow as large as trees. You can see both a diatom and kelp in Figure 9.4. Algae are probably ancestors of plants. Algae are like plants mainly because they contain chloroplasts. This allows them to make food by photosynthesis. Algae are important producers in water-based ecosystems such as the ocean. On the other hand, algae lack other plant structures. For example, they dont have roots, stems, or leaves. Also unlike plants, some algae can move. They may move with pseudopods or flagella. Fungus-like protists include slime molds and water molds, both shown in Figure 9.5. They exist 
 Question: ___common name for a plant-like protist

SOLUTION:
alga