Definition: Given a context passage, generate a question from the passage such that its answer is shortest continous span from the passage.
Input: Imagine you are going on a road trip. Perhaps you are going on vacation. How do you know where to go? Most likely, you will use a map. A map is a picture of specific parts of Earths surface. There are many types of maps. Each map gives us different information. Lets look at a road map, which is the probably the most common map that you use (Figure 2.13). Look for the legend on the top left side of the map. It explains how this map records different features. You can see the following: The boundaries of the state show its shape. Black dots represent the cities. Each city is named. The size of the dot represents the population of the city. Red and brown lines show major roads that connect the cities. Blue lines show rivers. Their names are written in blue. Blue areas show lakes and other waterways the Gulf of Mexico, Biscayne Bay, and Lake Okeechobee. Names for bodies of water are also written in blue. A line or scale of miles shows the distance represented on the map an inch or centimeter on the map represents a certain amount of distance (miles or kilometers). The legend explains other features and symbols on the map. It is the convention for north to be at the top of a map. For this reason, a compass rose is not needed on most maps. You can use this map to find your way around Florida and get from one place to another along roadways. There are many other types of maps besides road maps. Some examples include: Political or geographic maps show the outlines and borders of states and/or countries. Satellite view maps show terrains and vegetation forests, deserts, and mountains. Relief maps show elevations of areas, but usually on a larger scale, such as the whole Earth, rather than a local area. Topographic maps show detailed elevations of features on the map. Climate maps show average temperatures and rainfall. Precipitation maps show the amount of rainfall in different areas. Weather maps show storms, air masses, and fronts. Radar maps show storms and rainfall. Geologic maps detail the types and locations of rocks found in an area. These are but a few types of maps that various Earth scientists might use. You can easily carry a map around in your pocket or bag. Maps are easy to use because they are flat or two-dimensional. However, the world is three- dimensional. So, how do map makers represent a three-dimensional world on flat paper? Earth is a round, three-dimensional ball. In a small area, Earth looks flat, so it is not hard to make accurate maps of a small place. When map makers want to map the round Earth on flat paper, they use projections. What happens if you try to flatten out the skin of a peeled orange? Or if you try to gift wrap a soccer ball? To flatten out, the orange peel must rip and its shape must become distorted. To wrap around object with flat paper requires lots of extra cuts and folds. A projection is a way to represent Earths curved surface on flat paper (Figure 2.14). There are many types of projections. Each uses a different way to change three dimensions into two dimensions. There are two basic methods that the map maker uses in projections: The map maker slices the sphere in some way and unfolds it to make a flat map, like flattening out an orange peel. The map maker can look at the sphere from a certain point and then translate this view onto a flat paper. Lets look at a few commonly used projections. In 1569, Gerardus Mercator (1512-1594) (Figure 2.15) figured out a way to make a flat map of our round world, called the Mercator projection (Figure 2.16). Imagine wrapping the round, ball-shaped Earth with a big, flat piece of paper. First you make a tube or a cylinder. The cylinder will touch Earth at its fattest part, the equator. The equator is the imaginary line running horizontally around the middle of Earth. The poles are the farthest
