In this task, a passage will be given and the goal is to identify an event from the passage. An event is defined as a single word representing something that happened, is happening, or may happen. An event can be factual or hypothetical, positive or negative, certain or uncertain. While most events are based on verbs, an event can also be based on a noun (ex. storm, snow, rainfall) or a copula verb (is, was, been, etc.). The event must not be a pronoun or an adjective. For noun events with multiple words, use the last word in the phrase as event.

Q: Passage: While the third-quarter earnings were a "moderate disappointment," he said, "the real bad news is the intensity of price competition" in the premium-beer sector. According to Mr. Steinman, the newsletter publisher, Anheuser's market share is nearly twice that of its nearest competitor, Miller Brewing, which had a 21.2% stake last year.

A: earnings
****
Q: Passage: Much of the bickering is over Iraq, which has caused sparring between the two political parties and among factions within them. The Republicans dominate the Senate and House of Representatives.

A: bickering
****
Q: Passage: It also does not want Darfur to be considered a single region," said Ahmed Hussein Adam, spokesman for the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). "This is the crux of the matter as these are the issues that are of paramount importance to our people," he added.

A:
want
****