Given the question: I read this background article the other day: The general trend in electronegativity is that the value increases from left to right across a row in the periodic table and decreases down a column. The most electronegative element is fluorine, which has a value of 4.0. As discussed in the lesson "Trends in the Periodic Table," electronegativity increases across a row as the number of protons in the nucleus increases and therefore has a stronger pull. Electronegativity decreases down a column due to an increased effect of electron shielding in larger atoms.  I am facing a new situation today: A high school student, Timmy, is reading about elements of a periodic table. He is studying the periodic table when he decides to compare two random elements within the same column. He chooses Mardine and Sampline to compare and contrast and gets to work. The first thing he notices is that Sampline is further down the periodic table than Mardine. It's not much information to go on, but it's a good starting point for Timmy.  Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Is electron shielding higher or lower in Mardine?
The answer is:
lower