Background: The stronger of two acids will have a higher Ka than the weaker acid; the ratio of hydrogen ions to acid will be higher for the stronger acid as the stronger acid has a greater tendency to lose its proton. Because the range of possible values for Ka spans many orders of magnitude, a more manageable constant, pKa is more frequently used, where pKa = log10 Ka. Stronger acids have a smaller pKa than weaker acids. Experimentally determined pKa at 25 C in aqueous solution are often quoted in textbooks and reference material. Paragraph: Jacob and Thomas were conducting an experiment in a chemistry class. The goal of the experiment was to identify the strength of unknown acids by examining the products formed in a chemical reaction. After they completed the experiment, Jacob concluded that he was given a strong acid, while Thomas concluded that he was given a weak acid. Given the paragraph above, please answer correctly the following question: Which person's acid, Jacob's or Thomas's, will have a higher Ka?
Ans: Jacob's

Background: Some individuals have a specific mutation in the primary sequence of their hemoglobin molecules that causes them to aggregate, resulting in a deformation of their red blood cells. This abnormality is genetic in nature. A person may inherit the gene from one parent and have sickle cell trait (only some of the hemoglobin is hemoglobin S), which is usually not life-threatening. Inheriting the gene from both parents will result in sickle cell disease, which is a very serious condition. Paragraph: Two sisters went to the hospital. The medics ran some blood tests and found out that Sue had sickle cell trait, while Mary had normal blood cells. Sue received treatment. Given the paragraph above, please answer correctly the following question: Which sister doesn't have a genetic abnormality?
Ans: Mary

Background: The strength of an acid refers to its ability or tendency to lose a proton. A strong acid is one that completely dissociates in water; in other words, one mole of a strong acid HA dissolves in water yielding one mole of H+ and one mole of the conjugate base, A, and none of the protonated acid HA. In contrast, a weak acid only partially dissociates and at equilibrium both the acid and the conjugate base are in solution. Examples of strong acids are hydrochloric acid (HCl), hydroiodic acid (HI), hydrobromic acid (HBr), perchloric acid (HClO4), nitric acid (HNO3) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4). In water each of these essentially ionizes 100%. The stronger an acid is, the more easily it loses a proton, H+. Two key factors that contribute to the ease of deprotonation are the polarity of the HA bond and the size of atom A, which determines the strength of the HA bond. Acid strengths are also often discussed in terms of the stability of the conjugate base. Paragraph: David is a chemical engineer. Yesterday, he was working on two samples, sample A and sample B. Sample A was a strong acid, and sample B was a weak acid. David needed to find the differences between them. Given the paragraph above, please answer correctly the following question: Would sample A lose a proton less or more easily than sample B?
Ans: more

Background: Allergy symptoms can range from mild to severe. Mild symptoms might include itchy eyes, sneezing, and a runny nose. Severe symptoms can cause difficulty breathing, which may be life threatening. Keep in mind that it is the immune system and not the allergen that causes the allergy symptoms. Allergy symptoms can be treated with medications such as antihistamines. Severe allergic reactions may require an injection of the hormone epinephrine. These treatments lessen or counter the immune system's response. Paragraph: The doctors used used the newly discovered allergy medicine on two groups of people. As a result, group Alpha experienced only mild allergy symptoms, while group Beta started experiencing severe allergy symptoms and remained hospitalized requiring additional treatment. Given the paragraph above, please answer correctly the following question: Which group experienced more severe symptoms than a runny nose?
Ans: group Beta