Q: The Sars illness , wars in Iraq and Afghanistan , and economic uncertainty in Europe and the US have depressed air travel .

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome , wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and economic uncertainty in Europe and America have depressed air travel .

Please tell me if the sentences above mean the same.
OPTIONS:
- no
- yes
A: yes

Q:
Do these sentences have the same meaning?
The Standard & Poor 's 500 stock index ended the quarter up 120 points , a gain of 14 percent , the best performance for that broad market benchmark since 1998 .
The Standard and Poor 's 500-stock index , a broad collection of equities representing leading companies , finished its best quarter yesterday since the last three months of 1998 .

OPTIONS:
- no
- yes
A:
yes

input question: Also Thursday , the NYSE 's board elected six new directors - three non-industry representatives and three industry representatives .
Also Thursday , the NYSE 's board elected six new directors to the board and re-elected six others .

OPTIONS:
- no
- yes
output answer: no

[Q]: That risk , described as minor , remains " the predominant concern for the foreseeable future , " the statement released after the Fed meeting said .
" The risk of inflation becoming undesirably low remains the predominant concern for the foreseeable future , " the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee said .
(See options at the end). If the first sentence is true, is the second one also true?
OPTIONS:
- no
- yes

[A]: yes

Question:
S1: But when no justice announced a retirement when the court 's term ended in June , it was seen as making those efforts moot .
S2: But when neither Justice O 'Connor nor any other justice announced a retirement when the court 's term ended in June , it was widely seen as making those campaigns moot .
Are S1 and S2 the same?
OPTIONS:
- no
- yes
Answer:
yes

input question: Neighboring Canada has just decided to legalize same-sex marriage , and they have high hopes that Massachusetts ' supreme court will take a similar step soon .
Canada has just decided to legalize same-sex marriage , and they have high hope that Massachusetts ' high court will take a similar step within a few weeks .

OPTIONS:
- no
- yes
output answer:
yes