Given the background: Catalytic converters in cars increase the rates of several important reactions. Unburned hydrocarbons can more easily be converted to carbon dioxide and water in the presence of a catalyst. Additionally, carbon monoxide (a harmful gas produced by incomplete combustion of fuel) is further oxidized to carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide compounds (which contribute to smog and acid rain) are transformed back into nitrogen and oxygen gases. By passing car exhaust over these catalysts before their release into the air, the emissions from a combustion engine are made into much less harmful substances, resulting in a much cleaner atmosphere. and the situation: John is an automotive enthusiast. He was visiting the auto show in his city. Two cars caught his attention, car A and car B. Car A was newer and it had catalytic converter. On the contrary, car B was older and didn't have catalytic converter. But he found the design of older car more attractive. Answer the following question: Which car would emit more unburned hydrocarbons, car A or car B?
Ans: car B

Given the background: Each radioactive isotope has a characteristic decay time periodthe half-lifethat is determined by the amount of time needed for half of a sample to decay. This is an exponential decay process that steadily decreases the proportion of the remaining isotope by 50% every half-life. Hence after two half-lives have passed only 25% of the isotope is present, and so forth. and the situation: David was working in his chemistry lab. He selected two isotopes, sample A and sample B. Sample A had longer half-life, but sample B had shorter half-life. After some time he checked sample A when its one half-life had passed. He noted it as sample A1. Then he came back to see it again when two half-lives had passed. He noted it as sample A2. Answer the following question: Would sample A1 have less or more isotopes than sample A2?
Ans: more

Given the background: In many ways, bacterial metabolism provides traits that are useful for ecological stability and for human society. One example is that some bacteria have the ability to fix nitrogen gas using the enzyme nitrogenase. This environmentally important trait can be found in bacteria of most metabolic types listed above. This leads to the ecologically important processes of denitrification, sulfate reduction, and acetogenesis, respectively. Bacterial metabolic processes are also important in biological responses to pollution; for example, sulfate-reducing bacteria are largely responsible for the production of the highly toxic forms of mercury (methyl- and dimethylmercury) in the environment. Non-respiratory anaerobes use fermentation to generate energy and reducing power, secreting metabolic by-products (such as ethanol in brewing) as waste. Facultative anaerobes can switch between fermentation and different terminal electron acceptors depending on the environmental conditions in which they find themselves. and the situation: Brett and Scott were both studying bacteria for their exam. Scott read more about nitrogen-fixating and sulfate-reducing bacteria, while his colleague Brett read more about non-respiratory anaerobe bacteria and facultative anaerobes. Answer the following question: Which student read more about the production of the highly toxic methylmercury?
Ans: Scott

Given the background: Hepatitis viruses can develop into a chronic viral infection that leads to liver cancer. Infection by human T-lymphotropic virus can lead to tropical spastic paraparesis and adult T-cell leukaemia. Human papillomaviruses are an established cause of cancers of cervix, skin, anus, and penis. Within the Herpesviridae, Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus causes Kaposi's sarcoma and body-cavity lymphoma, and EpsteinBarr virus causes Burkitt's lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, B lymphoproliferative disorder, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Merkel cell polyomavirus closely related to SV40 and mouse polyomaviruses that have been used as animal models for cancer viruses for over 50 years. and the situation: Two medical students had to study about viruses that cause cancers in humans. Brady studied about hepatitis viruses, while Dean studied about human papillomaviruses and Herpesviridae. Answer the following question: Which student read less about cancers of the skin?
Ans: Brady