Q: Given the background: Tropical forests (rainforests) receive more insolation and rainfall over longer growing seasons than any other environment on earth. With these elevated temperatures, insolation and rainfall, biomass is extremely productive leading to the production of as much as 800 grams of carbon per square meter per year. Higher temperatures and larger amounts of water contribute to higher rates of chemical weathering. Increased rates of decomposition cause smaller amounts of fulvic acid to percolate and leach metals from the zone of active weathering. Thus, in stark contrast to soil in forests, tropical forests have little to no podzolization and therefore do not have marked visual and chemical contrasts with the soil layers. Instead, the mobile metals Mg, Fe and Al are precipitated as oxide minerals giving the soil a rusty red color. and the situation: Burma had many tropical forests, while a sister country from a temperate climate, Belarus, had beautiful ancient temperate forests. Both countries were significant lumber exporters. Answer the following question: Which country had forests that received less rainfall?
A: Belarus

Q: Given the background: In many ways, bacterial metabolism provides traits that are useful for ecological stability and for human society. One example is that some bacteria have the ability to fix nitrogen gas using the enzyme nitrogenase. This environmentally important trait can be found in bacteria of most metabolic types listed above. This leads to the ecologically important processes of denitrification, sulfate reduction, and acetogenesis, respectively. Bacterial metabolic processes are also important in biological responses to pollution; for example, sulfate-reducing bacteria are largely responsible for the production of the highly toxic forms of mercury (methyl- and dimethylmercury) in the environment. Non-respiratory anaerobes use fermentation to generate energy and reducing power, secreting metabolic by-products (such as ethanol in brewing) as waste. Facultative anaerobes can switch between fermentation and different terminal electron acceptors depending on the environmental conditions in which they find themselves. and the situation: Brett and Scott were both studying bacteria for their exam. Scott read more about nitrogen-fixating and sulfate-reducing bacteria, while his colleague Brett read more about non-respiratory anaerobe bacteria and facultative anaerobes. Answer the following question: Which student read less about denitrification?
A: Brett

Q: Given the 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. and the situation: Two countries were neighbors, separated by a mountain range. Ghana used fossil fuels to produce energy, but one of the consequences of that was increased air pollution and acid rain. Brunei was a country inhabited by nature lovers and tree huggers, so they were very protective of their environment. Answer the following question: Which country had higher levels of sulfur oxide in the atmosphere?
A: Ghana

Q: Given the background: A period of very low rainfall occurred while the Grants were on the islands. The drought resulted in fewer seeds for the finches to eat. Birds with smaller beaks could eat only the smaller seeds. Birds with bigger beaks were better off. They could eat seeds of all sizes. Therefore, there was more food available to them. Many of the small-beaked birds died in the drought. More of the big-beaked birds survived and reproduced. Within just a couple of years, the average beak size in the finches increased. This was clearly evolution by natural selection. and the situation: Two ancient continents both had a great bird population. At some point in time, the continent of MU experienced a great drought that lasted for several years. The other continent, Lemuria, was unaffected by the drought. Answer the following question: Which continent had more small-beaked birds die in the drought?
A:
MU