Problem: 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. Paragraph: John was pondering about what makes a chemical reaction faster or slower. To find the answer he did two tests, test A and test B. In test A he warmed up the reactants, but in test B he cooled down the reactants. To see a practical example of these tests he conducted two more tests, test C and test D. In test C he kept a food item in the refrigerator, but in test D he kept the same food item on the table top. Given the paragraph above, please answer correctly the following question: Would particles of reactants in test A have lower or higher energy than particles in test B?

A: higher

Problem: Background: Rain dissolves fertilizer in the soil. Runoff carries it away. The fertilizer ends up in bodies of water, from ponds to oceans. Nitrogen is a fertilizer in the water. Since there is a lot of nitrogen, it causes algae to grow out of control. Pictured below is a pond covered with algae ( Figure below ). Algae use up carbon dioxide in the water. After the algae die, decomposers break down the dead tissue. The decomposers use up all the oxygen in the water. This creates a dead zone. A dead zone is an area in a body of water where nothing grows because there is too little oxygen. There is a large dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico ( Figure below ). The U.S. states outlined on the map have rivers that drain into the Gulf of Mexico. The rivers drain vast agricultural lands. The water carries fertilizer from these areas into the Gulf. Paragraph: Greg is studying the environmental impact of agriculture. He noticed that in his own state a lake near agricultural lands has been declared as a dead zone. For his study Greg labeled this zone as zone A. Then he found near a national park in his state a lake is not declared as a dead zone. To further his study he labeled this zone as zone B. Given the paragraph above, please answer correctly the following question: Would zone B see less or more organisms than zone A?

A: more

Problem: Background: Huge amounts of chemicals, such as fertilizers and pesticides, are applied to farm fields (see Figure below ). Some of the chemicals are picked up by rainwater. Runoff then carries the chemicals to nearby rivers or lakes. Dissolved fertilizer causes too much growth of water plants and algae. This can lead to dead zones where nothing can live in lakes and at the mouths of rivers. Some of the chemicals can infiltrate into groundwater. The contaminated water comes up in water wells. If people drink the polluted water, they may get sick. Paragraph: Two neighboring towns used different approaches to agriculture. Big town used pesticides and fertilizers, while Small town applied permaculture principles and organic farming methods. Given the paragraph above, please answer correctly the following question: Which town had less growth of water plants because of fertilizer?

A: Small

Problem: Background: Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically.[2] By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and other consequences that may arise from expression of deleterious or recessive traits resulting from incestuous sexual relationships and consanguinity. Inbreeding results in homozygosity, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by deleterious or recessive traits.[3] This usually leads to at least temporarily decreased biological fitness of a population[4][5] (called inbreeding depression), which is its ability to survive and reproduce. An individual who inherits such deleterious traits is colloquially referred to as inbred. The avoidance of expression of such deleterious recessive alleles caused by inbreeding, via inbreeding avoidance mechanisms, is the main selective reason for outcrossing.[6][7] Crossbreeding between populations also often has positive effects on fitness-related traits,[8] but also sometimes leads to negative effects known as outbreeding depression. However increased homozygosity increases probability of fixing beneficial alleles and also slightly decreases probability of fixing deleterious alleles in population.[9] Inbreeding can result in purging of deleterious alleles from a population through purifying selection.[10][11][12] Paragraph: Two farmers both had ten cattle each. Bill decided to use inbreeding as a method to breed his cattle, but James didn't because he knew about the consequences. Two years later Bill had 12 sick cattle and James had 30 healthy cattle. Given the paragraph above, please answer correctly the following question: Which farmer lost more cows as a consequence of inbreeding?

A:
Bill