I have a new situation: A group of middle school students is measuring the temperature of various liquids for a chemistry lab using a mercury thermometer. They have a beaker of boiling water, a beaker of ice water, and a beaker of water at room temperature. But I can use this background: A thermometer is a device used to measure temperature. It is placed in contact with an object and allowed to reach thermal equilibrium with the object (they will have the same temperature). The operation of a thermometer is based on some property, such as volume, that varies with temperature. The most common thermometers contain liquid mercury, or some other liquid, inside a sealed glass tube. The liquid expands and contracts faster than the glass tube. Therefore, when the temperature of the thermometer increases, the liquid volume expands faster than the glass volume, allowing the liquid to rise in the tube. The positions of the liquid in the tube can then be calibrated for accurate temperature readings. Other properties that change with temperature can also be used to make thermometers; liquid crystal colors and electrical conductivity change with temperature, and are also relatively common thermometers. What is an answer for this question: If the mercury in the thermometer contracted did the students record a higher or lower temperature?
Ans: lower

I have a new situation: Two researchers studied air quality over the North Pole, and over Antarctica. Dan was more fond of the south pole, so he studied Antarctica, while Colt liked reading about the North Pole. But I can use this background: Unfortunately, the layer of good ozone is being destroyed by air pollution. The chief culprits are chlorine and bromine gases. They are released in aerosol sprays, coolants, and other products. Loss of ozone has created an ozone hole over Antarctica. Ozone depletion results in higher levels of UV radiation reaching Earth. In humans, this increases skin cancers and eye cataracts. It also disturbs the nitrogen cycle, kills plankton, and disrupts ocean food webs. The total loss of the ozone layer would be devastating to most life. Its rate of loss has slowed with restrictions on pollutants, but it is still at risk. What is an answer for this question: Which researcher learned less about aerosol sprays?
Ans: Colt

I have a new situation: The inuit tribe lived and hunted on the shores of the Arctic ocean., very close to the North pole. The weather there was very cold throughout the year. Their distant cousins the umpala tribe, lived thousands of miles away, on the shores of the Indian ocean, where the weather was humid and warm, in a tropical climate. But I can use this background: Located mostly in the Arctic north polar region in the middle of the Northern Hemisphere, the Arctic Ocean is almost completely surrounded by Eurasia and North America. It is partly covered by sea ice throughout the year and almost completely in winter. The Arctic Ocean's surface temperature and salinity vary seasonally as the ice cover melts and freezes; its salinity is the lowest on average of the five major oceans, due to low evaporation, heavy fresh water inflow from rivers and streams, and limited connection and outflow to surrounding oceanic waters with higher salinities. The summer shrinking of the ice has been quoted at 50%. The US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) uses satellite data to provide a daily record of Arctic sea ice cover and the rate of melting compared to an average period and specific past years. What is an answer for this question: Which tribe experienced less sea ice?
Ans: umpala

I have a new situation: Two brothers have a piece of land each, situated 2 miles from each other. Jim's land is not very fertile because it has clay soil with a high pH, while Bob's land has very fertile soil and has a good productivity on it. But I can use this background: Alkali, or Alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH (> 8.5), a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable physico-chemical properties mainly to the dominating presence of sodium carbonate, which causes the soil to swell[1] and difficult to clarify/settle. They derive their name from the alkali metal group of elements, to which sodium belongs, and which can induce basicity. Sometimes these soils are also referred to as alkaline sodic soils. Alkaline soils are basic, but not all basic soils are alkaline. What is an answer for this question: Which of the two pieces of land has a high filtration capacity?
Ans: Bob's