Problem: I read this background article the other day: Other pathogens spread when they get on objects or surfaces. A fungus may spread in this way. For example, you can pick up the fungus that causes athlete’s foot by wearing shoes that an infected person has worn. You can also pick up this fungus from the floor of a public shower or other damp areas. After acne, athlete’s foot is the most common skin disease in the United States. Therefore, the chance of coming in contact with the fungus in one of these ways is fairly high.  I am facing a new situation today: Two brothers worked out a few times per week at the same gym. Tim got athlete's food from the gym, but Dan didn't.  Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which brother picked up the fungus from the floor of a public shower?

A: Tim


Problem: I read this background article the other day: Almost all earthquakes occur at plate boundaries. All types of plate boundaries have earthquakes. Convection within the Earth causes the plates to move. As the plates move, stresses build. When the stresses build too much, the rocks break. The break releases the energy that was stored in the rocks. The sudden release of energy creates an earthquake. During an earthquake the rocks usually move several centimeters or rarely as much as a few meters. Elastic rebound theory describes how earthquakes occur ( Figure below ).  I am facing a new situation today: Two brothers loved geology. Bob studied sedimentary rocks while Dan studied about earthquakes and their location.  Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which brother studied less about rocks breaking as a result of stress buildup?

A: Bob


Problem: I read this background article the other day: Some of Antarctica has been warming up; particularly strong warming has been noted on the Antarctic Peninsula. A study by Eric Steig published in 2009 noted for the first time that the continent-wide average surface temperature trend of Antarctica is slightly positive at >0.05 °C (0.09 °F) per decade from 1957 to 2006. This study also noted that West Antarctica has warmed by more than 0.1 °C (0.2 °F) per decade in the last 50 years, and this warming is strongest in winter and spring. This is partly offset by autumn cooling in East Antarctica. There is evidence from one study that Antarctica is warming as a result of human carbon dioxide emissions, but this remains ambiguous. The amount of surface warming in West Antarctica, while large, has not led to appreciable melting at the surface, and is not directly affecting the West Antarctic Ice Sheet's contribution to sea level. Instead the recent increases in glacier outflow are believed to be due to an inflow of warm water from the deep ocean, just off the continental shelf. The net contribution to sea level from the Antarctic Peninsula is more likely to be a direct result of the much greater atmospheric warming there.In 2002 the Antarctic Peninsula's Larsen-B ice shelf collapsed. Between 28 February and 8 March 2008, about 570 km2 (220 sq mi) of ice from the Wilkins Ice Shelf on the southwest part of the peninsula collapsed, putting the remaining 15,000 km2 (5,800 sq mi) of the ice shelf at risk. The ice was being held back by a "thread" of ice about 6 km (4 mi) wide, prior to its collapse on 5 April 2009. According to NASA, the most widespread Antarctic surface melting of the past 30 years occurred in 2005, when an area of ice comparable in size to California briefly melted and refroze; this may have resulted from temperatures rising to as high as 5 °C (41 °F).A study published in Nature Geoscience in 2013 (online in December 2012) identified central West Antarctica as one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth. The researchers present a complete temperature...  I am facing a new situation today: Two teams of meteorologists studied environmental changes in Antarctica. Team A studied East Antarctica, while team B studied West Antarctica. They published their findings in a peer reviewed publication.  Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which team observed autumn cooling?

A: Team A


Problem: I read this background article the other day: Alkali, or Alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH (> 8.5), a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable physico-chemical properties mainly to the dominating presence of sodium carbonate, which causes the soil to swell[1] and difficult to clarify/settle. They derive their name from the alkali metal group of elements, to which sodium belongs, and which can induce basicity. Sometimes these soils are also referred to as alkaline sodic soils. Alkaline soils are basic, but not all basic soils are alkaline.  I am facing a new situation today: Pat has 2 acres of land next to Tim's property. Tim's land is of similar size. The clay soil on Tim's property is very alkaline, so he had to amend it with aluminum salts to make it more acidic in order to grow crops. The soil on Pat's parcel has a good structure and high infiltration capacity. Pat gets twice as much food of his land every year.  Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which soil is more basic, the one on Pat's or the one on Tim's?

A:
Tim's