Answer [B]: Choice B includes the key ideas in this passage, including the fact that palladium has uses both in industry and for jewelry, that it is a precious metal, and the key areas where it is mined. While palladium close to the surface has been depleted, deeper mining continues to yield metal.

Discovered in 1804, palladium, a precious metal, is used for jewelry and industry, and is mined in North and South America, Russia, and South Africa.

Palladium, a soft shiny silvery-white metal, is one of six p

6 votes

Palladium, a soft shiny silvery-white metal, is one of six platinum group metals and is relatively rare. It was discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. Palladium often replaces platinum since it is cheaper, harder and lighter. It can be drawn into wire or hammered out into sheets, it is often mixed with gold for “white gold” jewelry. Palladium can also be used to make surgical instruments. Automobile manufacturers need the world’s palladium for catalytic converters. Along with gold, silver, and platinum, palladium is a precious metal owned and traded by investors.Palladium mining is an intricate process because it is spread out under the earth’s surface. Mining palladium uses mechanical extraction methods that simplify the process. Makes it easier to get down into the Earth’s crust. The reserves in the upper portions of the crust is becoming depleted, so miners have to dig deeper. Most palladium is in Russian, North America, South Africa, and South America. The largest North American palladium mine - Montana’s Stillwater mine - is located in the United States. In South Africa, there is the largest proportion of palladium and platinum resource located mainly at the Bushveld Igeneous Complex.From which region are American manufacturers of surgical instruments likely to buy the metal necessary?

6 votes

There are a group of islands located in the East China Sea that are the subject of a dispute between two nations. China calls the islands Diaoyu; in Japan, they are known as the Senkaku. Both nations claims sovereignty over the islands. China asserts that they discovered the eight uninhabited islands, and controlled them until the end of the Sino-Japanese War in 1895. Before the war, Japan incorporated the islands into their territory.Japan control the disputed East China Sea islands until World War II. Following the war, a 1951 treaty with Japan gave the United States rights to administer the islands. That authority reverted back to Japan in 1971. China asserts that the 1951 treaty should have given them control over the islands. In 1969, the United Nations reported that there was a possibility of large oil reserves in the East China Sea near the islands location. China and Japan have been locked in a territorial dispute since the 1970s. Its conflict has escalated in recent times, with citizens from both nations protesting and raising flags on different islands. The countries have launched diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue.What is the main idea of this passage?

5 votes

Although water covers approximately sixty-seven percent of the Earth’s surface, less than three percent is fresh water. Accounting for fresh water locked in glaciers, icecaps, or otherwise inaccessible, less than a tenth of a percent of the Earth’s water is available for human consumption. Pollution, population growth, and wasteful irrigation practices they are contributing to a worldwide water shortage. When the clear precious liquid becomes scarce, countries begin to assert claims on fresh water supplies. As a result, drinkable water has become a region of conflict that could eventually lead to greater hostilities between nations.Some countries such as the United States, have ample sources of water. In other nations, such as China, water is less plentiful. As water resources dwindle, competition for available sources rose. Nations may claim rights to a particular body of fresh water or they may plan to build dams and other projects on rivers. If two or more nations which disagree on water rights or building projects, conflicts can emerge. In order to combat this issue many countries are adopting water conservation and security solutions. The United Nations has implemented programs to combat potential issues that could lead to violence.What can the reader infer about the distribution of fresh water on earth?

5 votes

There have been many famous political firsts in the history of the United States. Jeannette Pickering Rankin is no exception. She was the first woman elected to the United States Congress in 1917. Interestingly, she was a member of Congress before the U.S. Constitutional Amendment XIX granting women the right to vote was ratified.Jeannette Rankin was born near Missoula, Montana on June 11, 1880. Her father was a rancher and her mother was a schoolteacher. Jeannette was their first child. She attended public schools in Montana, and graduated from the University of Montana at Missoula in 1902 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. She began promoting the women’s suffrage movement - an effort to secure women’s voting rights - in 1910.After working for the New York Women Suffrage Party and the American Woman Suffrage Association, Jeannette Rankin returned to Montana. She continued her working on women’s suffrage through speaking engagements and organization efforts. Rankins involvement helped Montanan women gain the right to vote in 1914.Rankin decided to run as a Republican for the United States House of Representatives in 1916. Her brother a prominent businessman supported her financially. Some people thought that her campaign would sour the fight for women’s voting rights. Her victory on August 29, 2016 sealed her place in history; she became the first women elected to U.S. Congress.Jeannette Rankin was officially sworn in as a member of 65th Congress on April 2, 1917. One of her first votes was against declaring war on Germany, which marked the United States’s entry into World War I. She continued supporting women’s suffrage, and she is appointed to a committee formed to examine the issue. In 1918, she opened debate in the U.S. House of Representatives on a resolution to grant women the right to vote. It was the precursor to the eventual constitutional amendment ratified two years later.Rankin did not run for reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives. Instead, she sought election to the United States Senate. Her bid was very unsuccessful. She left Montana and moved to Georgia, where she purchased a farm. Despite the move, she maintained her status as a Montana resident. More than 20 years after her first term in Congress, Rankin won the 1940 election for the 77th Congress as a Montana Representative. In her second term she was an outspoken opponent of World War II. After leaving Congress in 1943, she continued to advocate for women’s rights and world peace until her death in 1973.How old was Jeannette Rankin when she died?

5 votes

There are a group of islands located in the East China Sea that are the subject of a dispute between two nations. China calls the islands Diaoyu; in Japan, they are known as the Senkaku. Both nations claims sovereignty over the islands. China asserts that they discovered the eight uninhabited islands, and controlled them until the end of the Sino-Japanese War in 1895. Before the war, Japan incorporated the islands into their territory.Japan control the disputed East China Sea islands until World War II. Following the war, a 1951 treaty with Japan gave the United States rights to administer the islands. That authority reverted back to Japan in 1971. China asserts that the 1951 treaty should have given them control over the islands. In 1969, the United Nations reported that there was a possibility of large oil reserves in the East China Sea near the islands location. China and Japan have been locked in a territorial dispute since the 1970s. Its conflict has escalated in recent times, with citizens from both nations protesting and raising flags on different islands. The countries have launched diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue.Which country had the earliest claim on these islands?

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