In this task, a passage will be given and the goal is to identify an event from the passage. An event is defined as a single word representing something that happened, is happening, or may happen. An event can be factual or hypothetical, positive or negative, certain or uncertain. While most events are based on verbs, an event can also be based on a noun (ex. storm, snow, rainfall) or a copula verb (is, was, been, etc.). The event must not be a pronoun or an adjective. For noun events with multiple words, use the last word in the phrase as event.

[EX Q]: Passage: "No cosmetic change will be able to sort out the mess that has been created by the Congress and United Front."
[EX A]: sort

[EX Q]: Passage: That was up considerably from the 4.8 percent growth rate initially estimated but was down from the 10.8 percent pace registered in the second quarter. US export of goods and services increased 0.8 percent in this quarter, compared with a strong gain of 10.7 percent in the previous quarter.
[EX A]: up

[EX Q]: Passage: Bethlehem Steel Corp., hammered by higher costs and lower shipments to key automotive and service-center customers, posted a 54% drop in third-quarter profit. Separately, two more of the nation's top steelmakers -- Armco Inc. and National Intergroup Inc. -- reported lower operating earnings in their steel businesses, marking what is generally believed to be the end of a two-year boom in the industry.
[EX A]:
hammered