TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you're given a question, a context passage, and four options which are terms from the passage. After reading a passage, you will get a brief understanding of the terms. Your job is to determine by searching and reading further information of which term you can answer the question. Indicate your choice as 'a', 'b', 'c', or 'd'. If you think more than one option is plausible, choose the more probable option to help you answer the question.
PROBLEM: Question: How large was the University of Poitiers' endowment the year Palliser was Writer in Residence there? Passage:Born in New England, Palliser is an American citizen but has lived in the United Kingdom since the age of three. He went up to Oxford in 1967 to read English Language and Literature and took a First in June 1970. He was awarded the BLitt in 1975 for a dissertation on Modernist fiction. From 1974 until 1990, Palliser was a Lecturer in the Department of English at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. He was the first Deputy Editor of The Literary Review when it was founded in 1979. He taught creative writing during the Spring semester of 1986 at Rutgers University in New Jersey. In 1990, he gave up his university post to become a full-time writer when his first novel, The Quincunx, became an international best-seller. He teaches occasionally for the Arvon Foundation, the Skyros Institute, the University of London, London Metropolitan University, and Middlesex University. He was Writer in Residence at the University of Poitiers in 1997.
Links: a. University of Poitiers b. New England c. Arvon Foundation d. Glasgow

SOLUTION: a

PROBLEM: Question: What was the first award that Iron Maiden received from the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards? Passage:In 1994, one of their singles, "Fear of the Dark", received a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance. Seven years later, the band were nominated again in that category, with the song "The Wicker Man". In 2011, Iron Maiden won the award with "El Dorado". In 2002, they won the Ivor Novello Award for international achievement. Iron Maiden received a nomination from the Kerrang! Awards in the "Best Live Act" category in 2003, and were inducted into the Kerrang! Hall of Fame two years later. At the 2006 Metal Storm Awards, A Matter of Life and Death was named the best heavy metal album of the year. Iron Maiden have also received nine awards from fourteen nominations at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. Their mascot Eddie, who has previously been used by US critics to argue that Iron Maiden are Satanists, received a Golden Gods nomination in 2006, losing to singer Cristina Scabbia; but was awarded in 2008. Later in 2008, Iron Maiden were nominated in the Best Live Return category at the Vodafone Live Music Awards, to which the band disagreed with their nomination and asked to be withdrawn, stating that they were "not quite sure where we are returning from." They were replaced by the band James. The band were named "Best British Live Act" at the 2009 BRIT Awards, winning via a public poll. They were not able to attend the ceremony, ironically due to touring duties, instead delivering an acceptance message by video link-up. Their film won, in the category "24 Beats Per Second", at the SXSW film Festival, held in Austin, Texas, in March 2009. Overall, Iron Maiden have received twenty-nine awards from thirty-nine nominations.
Links: a. Texas b. The Wicker Man (song) c. Vodafone d. Metal Hammer

SOLUTION: d

PROBLEM: Question: Is the gold field Taylor relocated for in 1894 still operational as a mine? Passage:Taylor was born in 1861 in Peckham, to John and Mary Jane Cash. He worked in stockbroker's office in London and in 1880s he emigrated to South Africa and than to Western Australia in early 1890 following the Ashburton rush. In January 1891, he settled in Southern Cross, where he worked as a merchant and stockbroker. Three years later, he moved his operations at Coolgardie, where a promising gold field had been just discovered. Sitting at the town council, he was elected on 3 August 1896 one of the three members of the Western Australian Legislative Council for the East Province. He was one of the ten Western Australia representatives at the 1897-1898 Australasian Federal Convention, which prepared the federation. He left the council in 1899 to focus on speculative developments. He made estimated 250,000 pounds in speculating in Australia, before moving back to Europe to speculate on London Stock Exchange.
Links: a. Federation of Australia b. Coolgardie Gold Mine c. South Africa d. Peckham

SOLUTION:
b