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 are also given a question about the story that requires an understanding of the relationship described in the background paragraph and the story. You need to come up with an answer to the given question; the answer will be a span from either the question or the story. In order to correctly answer the given question, you need to understand the relationship mentioned in the background paragraph and should be able to use it to understand that in the story. Your answer can not consist of any word that is not mentioned in any of these: the background paragraph, the story, or the question. You can directly copy and paste a span from the story or the question while answering the given question.

Q: Background Paragraph: A wood-decay fungus is any species of fungus that digests moist wood, causing it to rot. Some species of wood-decay fungi attack dead wood, such as brown rot, and some, such as Armillaria (honey fungus), are parasitic and colonize living trees. Excessive moisture above the fibre saturation point in wood is required for fungal colonization and proliferation.[1] Fungi that not only grow on wood but permeate its fibrous structure and actually cause decay, are called lignicolous fungi. In nature, this process causes the breakdown of complex molecules and leads to the return of nutrients to the soil.[2] Various lignicolous fungi consume wood in various ways; for example, some attack the carbohydrates in wood and some others decay lignin. The rate of decay of wooden materials in various climates can be estimated by empirical models.[3].
Story: The mycologist wanted to move to a rural area, to further his research, and found these two villages situated 10 miles from each other. The interesting fact about these villages was that while both villages had a forest nearby, one presented more signs of water saturation than the other, so that the rate of decay in wood was greater in Peak Forest. More fungi were present in Peak Forest. The Valley Forest was dryer, although the rain amounts were similar, partially because of a drainage system composed of ditches, that were dug by the locals. The rate of wood decay continued to increase in the Peak Forest, while being significantly reduced in the Valley Forest.
Question: Was the breakdown of complex molecules lesser or greater in Valley Forest?

A: lesser.
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Q: Background Paragraph: The Hawaiian Islands ( Figure above ) are in the central Pacific Ocean. The islands are volcanoes that increase in age from southeast to northwest. The youngest island is the Big Island of Hawaii at the southeast end of the chain. The volcanoes get older through Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau Islands through the northwest. The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii has been erupting almost continuously since 1983. There are also eruptions at an underwater volcano called Loih.
Story: Tom and Brad were good friends but lived far away from each other. Tom lived in Hawaii so he visited all the islands and the volcanoes frequently. Brad lived on the East Coast, and he never visited The Hawaiian Islands.
Question: Which friend lived farther from the Big Island of Hawaii?

A: Brad.
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Q: Background Paragraph: The brains of all mammals have a unique layer of nerve cells covering the cerebrum. This layer is called the neocortex (the pink region of the brains in Figure above ). The neocortex plays an important role in many complex brain functions. In some mammals, such as rats, the neocortex is relatively smooth. In other mammals, especially humans, the neocortex has many folds. The folds increase the surface area of the neocortex. The larger this area is, the greater the mental abilities of an animal.
Story: Two colleagues studied at the same university. Nick studied the brains of birds, while Joe studied the brains of mammals.
Question: Which colleague studied more about the neocortex?

A:
Joe.
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