I read this background article the other day: Most ants are generalist predators, scavengers, and indirect herbivores, but a few have evolved specialised ways of obtaining nutrition. It is believed that many ant species that engage in indirect herbivory rely on specialized symbiosis with their gut microbes to upgrade the nutritional value of the food they collect and allow them to survive in nitrogen poor regions, such as rainforest canopies. Leafcutter ants (Atta and Acromyrmex) feed exclusively on a fungus that grows only within their colonies. They continually collect leaves which are taken to the colony, cut into tiny pieces and placed in fungal gardens. Ergates specialise in related tasks according to their sizes. The largest ants cut stalks, smaller workers chew the leaves and the smallest tend the fungus. Leafcutter ants are sensitive enough to recognise the reaction of the fungus to different plant material, apparently detecting chemical signals from the fungus. If a particular type of leaf is found to be toxic to the fungus, the colony will no longer collect it. The ants feed on structures produced by the fungi called gongylidia. Symbiotic bacteria on the exterior surface of the ants produce antibiotics that kill bacteria introduced into the nest that may harm the fungi. I am facing a new situation today: Bill and Chris are passionate entomologists. Bill knows everything there is to know about most ants except the Leafcutter ants. Chris studied Leafcutter ants extensively and exclusively for years now. They are good friends and exchange ideas often over a pint of beer. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which friend studied more about fungal gardens?
----
Answer: Chris
Q: I read this background article the other day: The mechanical advantage of a machine is the factor by which it changes the force applied to the machine. Many machines increase the force applied to them, and this is how they make work easier. Compound machines tend to have a greater mechanical advantage than simple machines. That's because the mechanical advantage of a compound machine equals the product of the mechanical advantages of all its component simple machines. The greater the number of simple machines it contains, the greater its mechanical advantage tends to be. I am facing a new situation today: David was studying the processes involved in a machine. He collected a simple machine. He tagged it as case A. To compare it with compound machines, he collected two compound machines, case B and case C. Case B is a compound machine with few simple machines. And, case C is a compound machine with many simple machines. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Would case B have greater or smaller mechanical advantage than case C?
A: smaller
Question: I read this background article the other day: Generally, nearsightedness first occurs in school-age children. There is some evidence that myopia is inherited. If one or both of your parents need glasses, there is an increased chance that you will too. Individuals who spend a lot of time reading, working or playing at a computer, or doing other close visual work may also be more likely to develop nearsightedness. Because the eye continues to grow during childhood, myopia typically progresses until about age 20. However, nearsightedness may also develop in adults due to visual stress or health conditions such as diabetes. A common sign of nearsightedness is difficulty seeing distant objects like a movie screen or the TV, or the whiteboard or chalkboard in school. I am facing a new situation today: Two coworkers are sitting in the large break room eating lunch and watching the news on TV when they see an advertisement for glasses. John, upon seeing the ad, comments that he really should go and get a new pair since he is nearsighted and hasn't gotten a new pair of glasses in a couple years. Rick says he is glad that he doesn't need to wear glasses because it seems like such a pain to have to always have something on your face. John nods in agreement and then both men turn to see a woman at the other side of the break room waving at them and trying to get their attention. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Is it less likely that John or Rick's favorite hobby is reading?
Answer: Rick
[Q]: I read this background article the other day: Marine pollution is a generic term for the entry into the ocean of potentially hazardous chemicals or particles. The biggest culprits are rivers and with them many agriculture fertilizer chemicals as well as livestock and human waste. The excess of oxygen-depleting chemicals leads to hypoxia and the creation of a dead zone.Marine debris, which is also known as marine litter, describes human-created waste floating in a body of water. Oceanic debris tends to accumulate at the center of gyres and coastlines, frequently washing aground where it is known as beach litter. I am facing a new situation today: Two city situated on the shores of a large ocean polluted it in different ways. Truck city had an economy that was based on tourism, while Farm city was based on agriculture. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which city caused less beach litter?
****
[A]: Farm
input: Please answer the following: I read this background article the other day: Weather is a set of all the phenomena occurring in a given atmospheric area at a given time. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate is the term for the average atmospheric conditions over longer periods of time. When used without qualification, "weather" is understood to be the weather of Earth. I am facing a new situation today: David was interested in climate change issues. He realized that to understand climate change issues he first needed to distinguish between the terms weather and climate. To that end, he labeled weather as term A. Then he labeled climate as term B. He found it easier to understand their differences in that way. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which changes more frequently, term A or term B?
++++++++++
output: term A
I read this background article the other day: Nearsightedness, or myopia, is the condition in which nearby objects are seen clearly, but distant objects appear blurry. The Figure below shows how it occurs. The eyeball is longer (from front to back) than normal. This causes images to be focused in front of the retina instead of on the retina. Myopia can be corrected with concave lenses. The lenses focus images farther back in the eye, so they fall on the retina instead of in front of it. I am facing a new situation today: John and Keith are two friends. They went to see an ophthalmologist for an eye cheek up. The doctor found that John had myopia, but Keith had normal eyes. He advised them according to his findings. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Who would see distant objects more clearly, John or Keith?
----
Answer:
Keith