user: I read this background article the other day: All of these animal behaviors are important. They help the animals get food for energy, make sure their young survive, or ensure that they, themselves, survive. Behaviors that help animals or their young survive, increase the animals’ fitness. Animals with higher fitness have a better chance of passing their genes on to the next generation. If genes control behaviors that increase fitness, the behaviors become more common in the species. This occurs through the process of evolution by natural selection.  I am facing a new situation today: Two bears are living in the same forest. One bear, named Teddy, often runs and is active in its daily life. The other bear, Fluffy, is lazy and hardly moves at all. Their levels of fitness are very different with Teddy having a much higher overall fitness level than Fluffy.  Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which bear struggles less with getting food?
Ans: Teddy

I read this background article the other day: fundamental quantity vs derived quantity In the language of measurement, quantities are quantifiable aspects of the world, such as time, distance, velocity, mass, temperature, energy, and weight, and units are used to describe their measure. Many of these quantities are related to each other by various physical laws, and as a result the units of some of the quantities can be expressed as products (or ratios) of powers of other units (e.g., momentum is mass times velocity and velocity is measured in distance divided by time). Those quantities whose units are expressed in terms of other units are regarded as derived quantities. Those that cannot be so expressed in terms of other units are regarded as “fundamental” quantities.  I am facing a new situation today: Mark has an assignment to figure out which measurements in every day life are derived quantities vs fundamental quantities. Some of the examples he has include measuring the speed of something and simply what time it is.  Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Given a measurement of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, will this be considered a derived quantity or a fundamental quantity?
Ans: fundamental

I read this background article the other day: The benefits provided by no-tillage to predators may lead to larger predator populations, which is a good way to control pests (biological control), but also can facilitate predation of the crop itself. In corn crops, for instance, predation by caterpillars can be higher in no-till than in conventional tillage fields.In places with rigorous winter, untilled soil can take longer to warm and dry in spring, which may delay planting to less ideal dates. Another factor to be considered is that organic residue from the prior year's crops lying on the surface of untilled fields can provide a favorable environment to pathogens, helping to increase the risk of transmitting diseases to the future crop. And because no-till farming provides good environment for pathogens, insects and weeds, it can lead farmers to a more intensive use of chemicals for pest control. Other disadvantages of no-till include underground rot, low soil temperatures and high moisture.Based on the balance of these factors, and because each farm has different problems, agroecologists will not attest that only no-till or complete tillage is the right way of farming. Yet, these are not the only possible choices regarding soil preparation, since there are intermediate practices such as strip-till, mulch-till and ridge-till, all of them – just as no-till – categorized as conservation tillage. Agroecologists, then, will evaluate the need of different practices for the contexts in which each farm is inserted.  I am facing a new situation today: Two farmers, Tom and Brad, applied different farming methods. Tom tilled his land, while Brad applied the no-till gardening method.  Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which farmer caused an increase in the predator populations?
Ans: Brad

I read this background article the other day: Like water in the ocean, air in the atmosphere exerts pressure that increases with depth. Most gas molecules in the atmosphere are pulled close to Earth’s surface by gravity. As a result, air pressure decreases quickly at lower altitudes and then more slowly at higher altitudes. This is illustrated in Figure below . Air pressure is greatest at sea level, where the depth of the atmosphere is greatest. At higher altitudes, the pressure is less because the depth of the atmosphere is less. For example, on top of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth, air pressure is only about one-third of the pressure at sea level. At such high altitudes, low air pressure makes it hard to breathe and is dangerous to human health.  I am facing a new situation today: There are two neighboring cities, Brampton and Filtroy. The two towns depend on each other by trading supplies and goods regularly. Filtroy is located on top of a very tall mountain, and Brampton is situated at the base of this hill. For this reason, it can sometimes be difficult to traverse the roads to trade goods, but it's important to do it so both cities can thrive.  Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which town most likely has citizens with a longer average lifespan?


assistant: Ans: Brampton