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 need to come up with a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph. The generated question should not be answerable without both the background and story. Write a question about the story that requires a relationship in the background paragraph to answer. Check whether your question requires both the background paragraph and the story to answer. If your question can be answered by only one of these, try to rewrite your question so that it requires both. Note that "flipping" a word in the question can give rise to a new question where the answer will be different from the original question. Often, "flipping" a word gives rise to flipping the direction of the relationship, for example, from "increase" to "decrease."
PROBLEM: Background Paragraph: We all enjoy a cool dip in a swimming pool on a hot day, but we may not realize the work needed to keep that water safe and healthy. The ideal pH for a swimming pool is around 7.2. The pH will change as a result of many factors. Adjustment can be accomplished with different chemicals depending on the tested pH. High pH can be lowered with liquid HCl (unsafe material) or sodium bisulfate. The bisulfate anion is a weak acid and can dissociate partially in solution. To increase pH, use sodium carbonate. The carbonate anion forms an equilibrium with protons that results in some formation of carbon dioxide. 
Story: Tom and John are both pool owners. Tom prefers to use sodium bisulfate in his pool because he enjoys the smell. John, however, prefers using sodium carbonate in his pool because he believes it helps keep pests away.

SOLUTION: Whose pool will have a higher pH?

PROBLEM: Background Paragraph: Ocean acidification occurs when excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes the oceans to become acidic. Burning fossil fuels has led to an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This carbon dioxide is then absorbed by the oceans, which lowers the pH of the water. Ocean acidification can kill corals and shellfish. It may also cause marine organisms to reproduce less, which could harm other organisms in the food chain. As a result, there also may be fewer marine organisms for humans to consume. 
Story: San Francisco and Baltimore both have large manufacturing and production industries and both border large oceans. San Francisco has been burning large amounts of fossil fuels recently to fuel their increased manufacturing and production of automobiles. Baltimore, however, has shifted to renewable resources recently, and as a result they have drastically decreased the amount of fossil fuels that are used to produce and manufacture steel.

SOLUTION: Oceans bordering which city, San Francisco or Baltimore, will absorb less carbon dioxide?

PROBLEM: Background Paragraph: As a liquid is heated, the average kinetic energy of its particles increases. The rate of evaporation increases as more and more molecules are able to escape the liquid’s surface into the vapor phase. Eventually a point is reached when the molecules all throughout the liquid have enough kinetic energy to vaporize . At this point the liquid begins to boil. The boiling point is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid is equal to the external pressure. The Figure below illustrates the boiling of liquid. 
Story: Alexander is heating up water in his kitchen because he is preparing to make pasta. He has split the water into two containers, container A and container B. Container A has been heating up for a long amount time, while container B has only been heating up for a short amount of time.

SOLUTION:
Liquid from which container will boil later?