Problem: Given the background: When the temperature of reactants is higher, the rate of the reaction is faster. At higher temperatures, particles of reactants have more energy, so they move faster. As a result, they are more likely to bump into one another and to collide with greater force. For example, food spoils because of chemical reactions, and these reactions occur faster at higher temperatures (see the bread on the left in the Figure below ). This is why we store foods in the refrigerator or freezer (like the bread on the right in the Figure below ). The lower temperature slows the rate of spoilage. and the situation: Justin and Thomas are two college students conducting an experiment in their chemistry laboratory course. They are mixing together acids and bases to produce sodium based compounds. Justin conducts his reactions at a high temperature, while Thomas conducts his reactions at a lower temperature. Answer the following question: Whose reactions will occur at a slower rate?

A: Thomas

Problem: Given the background: The dangers of global warming are being increasingly studied by a wide global consortium of scientists. These scientists are increasingly concerned about the potential long-term effects of global warming on our natural environment and on the planet. Of particular concern is how climate change and global warming caused by anthropogenic, or human-made releases of greenhouse gases, most notably carbon dioxide, can act interactively, and have adverse effects upon the planet, its natural environment and humans' existence. It is clear the planet is warming, and warming rapidly. This is due to the greenhouse effect, which is caused by greenhouse gases, which trap heat inside the Earth's atmosphere because of their more complex molecular structure which allows them to vibrate and in turn trap heat and release it back towards the Earth. This warming is also responsible for the extinction of natural habitats, which in turn leads to a reduction in wildlife population.The most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the group of the leading climate scientists in the world) concluded that the earth will warm anywhere from 2.7 to almost 11 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 to 6 degrees Celsius) between 1990 and 2100. and the situation: Spain and Italy participated in a global warming global forum this year. it turns out that Spain uses lots of fossil fuel and natural gas for their economy, while Italy relies on ecological alternatives. Answer the following question: Which country causes less global warming?

A: Italy

Problem: Given the background: "There is now unequivocal evidence that biodiversity loss reduces the efficiency by which ecological communities capture biologically essential resources, produce biomass, decompose and recycle biologically essential nutrients... There is mounting evidence that biodiversity increases the stability of ecosystem functions through time... Diverse communities are more productive because they contain key species that have a large influence on productivity and differences in functional traits among organisms increase total resource capture... The impacts of diversity loss on ecological processes might be sufficiently large to rival the impacts of many other global drivers of environmental change... Maintaining multiple ecosystem processes at multiple places and times requires higher levels of biodiversity than does a single process at a single place and time." and the situation: The government of Ecuador has been actively pushing to increase biodiversity. They have been quite successful in their pursuit. Moreover, the citizens of Ecuador are receptive about the idea of increased biodiversity. On the contrary, the Government of Oman was not very active in increasing the biodiversity of their country. As a result, Oman, at present, is not very biodiverse. Answer the following question: Which place would be less efficient in capturing biologically essential resources, Ecuador or Oman?

A: Oman

Problem: Given the background: In the long term, the greatest changes in the Solar System will come from changes in the Sun itself as it ages. As the Sun burns through its supply of hydrogen fuel, it gets hotter and burns the remaining fuel even faster. As a result, the Sun is growing brighter at a rate of ten percent every 1.1 billion years. In about 600 million years, the Sun brightness will have disrupted the Carbon Cycle to the point that trees and forests (C3 photosynthetic plant life) will no longer be able to survive and in around 800 million years, the Sun will have killed all complex life on the Earth's surface and in the oceans. In 1.1 billion years' time, the Sun's increased radiation output will cause its circumstellar habitable zone to move outwards, making the Earth's surface too hot for liquid water to exist there naturally. At this point, all life will be reduced to single celled organisms. Evaporation of water, a potent greenhouse gas, from the oceans' surface could accelerate temperature increase, potentially ending all life on Earth even sooner. During this time, it is possible that as Mars's surface temperature gradually rises, carbon dioxide and water currently frozen under the surface regolith will release into the atmosphere, creating a greenhouse effect that will heat the planet until it achieves conditions parallel to Earth today, providing a potential future abode for life. By 3.5 billion years from now, Earth's surface conditions will be similar to those of Venus today. and the situation: Rob knows a brilliant scientist who has made a time machine. One day, the scientist let Rob travel time with his machine. Rob noticed that the machine had four gears, gear A, gear B, gear C, and gear D. Rob started with Gear A, which represented the present time. Then he pushed the gear to gear B, which was 600 million years from now. Then he further pushed the gear to gear C, which brought him to 800 million years from now. Finally, he pushed the gear to gear D, which brought him to 1.1 billion years from now. Though he traveled time, Rob was always on Earth all the time. Answer the following question: When Rob would see less liquid water on Earth's surface, gear C or gear D?

A:
gear D