Problem: A mandolin (Italian: mandolino pronounced [mandolino]; literally "small mandola") is a musical instrument in the lute family and is usually plucked with a plectrum or "pick". It commonly has four courses of doubled metal strings tuned in unison (8 strings), although five (10 strings) and six (12 strings) course versions also exist. The courses are normally tuned in a succession of perfect fifths. It is the soprano member of a family that includes the mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello and mandobass.

There are many styles of mandolin, but four are common, the Neapolitan or round-backed mandolin, the carved-top mandolin and the flat-backed mandolin. The round-back has a deep bottom, constructed of strips of wood, glued together into a bowl. The carved-top or arch-top mandolin has a much shallower, arched back, and an arched topboth carved out of wood. The flat-backed mandolin uses thin sheets of wood for the body, braced on the inside for strength in a similar manner to a guitar. Each style of instrument has its own sound quality and is associated with particular forms of music. Neapolitan mandolins feature prominently in European classical music and traditional music. Carved-top instruments are common in American folk music and bluegrass music. Flat-backed instruments are commonly used in Irish, British and Brazilian folk music. Some modern Brazilian instruments feature an extra fifth course tuned a fifth lower than the standard fourth course.
1. How many strings do the most common mandolins have?
2. How are they tuned?
3. Are there other string combinations?
4. How many strings in those?
5. Are there specialized styles of mandolins?
6. How many are common?
7. What are they?
8. Are they used specifically for different music?
9. What is the flat-backed used in?
10. What are the Neapolitan most used in?
11. What about the carved-top?
12. What is the mandolin called in Italian?
13. What does it mean literally?
Answer: 1. 8 strings
2. in a succession of perfect fifths
3. yes
4. 10 strings and 12 strings
5. yes
6. four
7. the Neapolitan or round-backed mandolin
8. yes
9. Irish, British and Brazilian folk music
10. European classical music and traditional music
11. American folk music and bluegrass music
12. mandolino
13. small mandola

Problem: (CNN) -- It's been more than three weeks since militants from the dreaded Boko Haram terrorist group dragged 276 girls out of their beds at a boarding school in northern Nigeria, and still no one knows where the girls are. International assistance has begun to flow into Nigeria, whose president has vowed to end the terror threat plaguing his country.

Here's what you need to know to get caught up:

Where are the girls?

It's anyone's guess. Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, said in a video that he was going to sell them into slavery, but it's unknown whether he has. Pentagon spokesman U.S. Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby and other officials have said they believe the girls may have been separated into smaller groups, making the task of finding them inordinately more difficult. Gordon Brown, a former UK prime minister and the U.N.'s special envoy for global education, speculated that the girls may have been moved into neighboring countries. "The search must be in Niger, Cameroon and Chad, to see if we can find information," he said.

What's being done to find them?

Nigeria hasn't given a lot of information about its efforts other than to say that its soldiers have been out in the field, looking for the girls. Nigerian police offered a $310,000 reward, but there's no evidence that has turned up any leads. The United States and Britain have sent advisers to help the Nigerian government find the girls, stage rescue missions and help in the larger fight to defeat Boko Haram.
1. When did Boko Haram kidnap the girls?
2. Where are they?
3. Who leads the group?
4. Who is looking for them?
Answer: 1. three weeks ago
2. no one knows
3. Abubakar Shekau
4. soldiers

Problem: CHAPTER IV.

EXPERIMENTS.

When Jonas had finished nailing down the corner, he said, "Now there are several experiments, which we can perform with the bellows. I will be the professor, and you two shall be my class in philosophy, and I will direct you how to make the experiments.

"First," said Jonas, "you, Rollo, may take hold of the nose of the bellows with your hand, in such a way as to put your thumb over the end of it, to stop it up, and then let Nathan try to blow."

Rollo did so, and Nathan tried to blow. He found that he could open the bellows very easily; but when he attempted to press the sides together again, he could not. He crowded the handle belonging to the upper side down, as hard as he could, but it would not move.

"What makes it do so?" said Nathan.

"The air inside," said Jonas. "We have stopped up all the places, where it could get out. The valve stops itself. Rollo stops the nose with his thumb, and I have nailed the leather down close, about all the sides. And so the air can't get out, and that keeps you from bringing the sides together again."

Nathan tried again with all his strength. The sides came together very slowly.

"They're coming," said he.

"Yes," said Jonas. "They come a little, just as fast as the air can leak out through the little leaks all around."

"I thought you stopped all the leaks," said Nathan.
1. who wants to be a teacher?
2. what are they doing?
3. what is the name of the meeting?
4. what is the name of a student?
5. what tool were they using?
6. who else was a student?
7. what tool was he struggling with?
8. what makes it work?
9. what is it made out of?
10. what did nathan think he stopped?
Answer:
1. jonas
2. making the experiments
3. unknown
4. Rollo
5. unknown
6. Nathan
7. unknown
8. The air inside
9. leather
10. all the leaks