Problem: Background: One result of air pollution is acid rain. Acid rain is precipitation with a low (acidic) pH. This rain can be very destructive to wildlife. When acid rain falls in forests, freshwater habitats, or soils, it can kill insects and aquatic life. It causes this damage because of its very low pH. Sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides in the air both cause acid rain to form ( Figure below ). Sulfur oxides are chemicals that are released from coal-fired power plants. Nitrogen oxides are released from motor vehicle exhaust. Paragraph: Beijing recently opened several new coal-fired power plants over the last few months. In Montreal, there have been large reductions in sulfur oxides produced by manufacturing plants after a recent referendum. Given the paragraph above, please answer correctly the following question: Aquatic life in the freshwater habitats of which area is more at risk of dying?

A: Beijing

Problem: Background: Hemophilia is the name of a group of hereditary diseases that affect the body's ability to control blood clotting. Hemophilia is caused by a lack of clotting factors in the blood. Clotting factors are normally released by platelets. Since people with hemophilia cannot produce clots, any cut can put a person at risk of bleeding to death. The risk of internal bleeding is also increased in hemophilia, especially into muscles and joints. This disease affected the royal families of Europe. Paragraph: Two women go into a doctor's office for a routine physical. As is usual for a physical, the doctor takes a blood sample from both women to analyze for any issues. Upon looking at the blood, the doctor notices that Jan's platelet count is low, but other than that her blood is fine. Marcia's platelet count is not low and she has no other issues. Given the paragraph above, please answer correctly the following question: Which woman is more likely to have hemophilia?

A: Jan

Problem: Background: A large log placed in a fire will burn relatively slowly. If the same mass of wood were added to the fire in the form of small twigs, they would burn much more quickly. This is because the twigs provide a greater surface area than the log does. An increase in the surface area of a reactant increases the rate of a reaction. Surface area is larger when a given amount of a solid is present as smaller particles. A powdered reactant has a greater surface area than the same reactant as a solid chunk. In order to increase the surface area of a substance, it may be ground into smaller particles or dissolved into a liquid. In solution, the dissolved particles are separated from each other and will react more quickly with other reactants. Paragraph: Two groups of scientists examined two fires. Group A put a large log on it, and group B made a fire with small twigs. They wanted to see which fire would last longer. Given the paragraph above, please answer correctly the following question: Which group had a fire with wood that provoked a less intense reaction?

A: Group A

Problem: Background: Gasoline-powered vehicles emit a lot of harmful materials. Nitrogen oxides are formed when atmospheric nitrogen reacts with oxygen at the high temperatures found in a car engine. Carbon monoxide is a by-product of incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. Evaporated and unused fuel releases volatile hydrocarbons into the atmosphere to help form smog. The presence of a catalytic converter in the exhaust system of the car causes these materials to react and be changed into less harmful products. Paragraph: Blue island and Red island were two big sister islands situated 100 miles from each other. People on Blue island used gas powered vehicles, while people on Red island used electrical vehicles. The people on Blue island presented more respiratory problems. Given the paragraph above, please answer correctly the following question: Which island had more volatile hydrocarbons into the atmosphere?

A:
Blue