TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you're given passages that contain mentions of names of people, places, or things. Some of these mentions refer to the same person, place, or thing. Your job is to write questions that evaluate one's understanding of such references. Good questions are expected to link pronouns (she, her, him, his, their, etc.) or other mentions to people, places, or things to which they may refer. Do not ask questions that can be answered correctly without understanding the paragraph or having multiple answers. Avoid questions that do not link phrases referring to the same entity. For each of your questions, the answer should be one or more phrases in the paragraph, and it should be unambiguous.
PROBLEM: Passage: Van der Weyden's depiction of the Magdalen is based on Mary of Bethany, identified by the time of Pope Gregory I as the repentant prostitute of Luke 7:36–50. She then became associated with weeping and reading: Christ's mercy causes the eyes of the sinner to be contrite or tearful. Early Renaissance artists often conveyed this idea by portraying contemplative eyes, associating tears with words, and in turn weeping with reading. Examples can be seen in 16th-century works by Tintoretto and Titian which show the Magdalen reading, often with her eyes averted towards her book (and presumably away from a male gaze), or looking up to the heavens or, sometimes, glancing coyly towards the viewer. Writing in "The Crying Face", Mosche Barasch explains that in van der Weyden's time the gesture of averting or concealing the eyes became a "pictorial formula for crying".
By the medieval period, reading became synonymous with devotion, which involved withdrawal from public view. Van der Weyden's placement of the Magdalen in an interior scene reflects the increasing literacy of domestic or laywomen in the mid-15th century. The increased production of devotional texts showed that noble women of the period routinely read texts such as a psalter or book of hours in the privacy of their homes. Whether the Magdalen herself was a reader, by the 17th century she was firmly established as such in the visual arts. Because the Magdalen was present at Christ's death and subsequent resurrection, she was seen as the bearer of news—a witness—and hence directly associated with the text.The Magdalen imagery further draws on the idea of Christ as the word, represented by a book, with the Magdalen as the reader learning of her own life story in a moment of reflection and repentance.  Her devotion to reading reflects her traditional status as the piously repentant harlot, as well as a prophetess or seer.  According to legend, the Magdalen lived the last 30 years of her life as a hermit in Sainte-Baume and is often shown with a book, reading or writing, symbolizing her later years of contemplation and repentance. By the 13th century she acquired the imagery of a once-shamed woman who, clothed in long hair, now hid her nakedness in exile and "borne by angels, floats between heaven and earth".The Magdalen's ointment jar was common in the lexicon of art in van der Weyden's period. Mary of Bethany may have used a jar when she repented of her sins at Christ's feet in her home; by the Renaissance, the image of the Magdalen was of the woman who bathed Christ's feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. She signified the "sacrament of anointing (Chrism and Unction)" by pouring precious spikenard on Christ's feet at his tomb.

SOLUTION: What is the first name of the Magdalen who became associated with weeping and reading?

PROBLEM: Passage: After the Monte Ne Railroad failed, Harvey needed to find other ways for people to get to his resort. He realized the coming importance of the automobile, and in 1911 he campaigned for a project he called "The Great White Way", a turnpike between Monte Ne and Muskogee, Oklahoma. Harvey Requested that a "Good Roads" meeting be held by the Commercial Club of Rogers; however, they did not feel that it was their meeting because, while fairly well attended, hardly any Rogers businessmen were present. Harvey assessed the project would cost Rogers $5,000 without their permission or consent, and this estimate was far less than what engineers advising the Rogers businessmen believed the cost would be. Ultimately the "Great White Way" project failed, and Harvey blamed the community of Rogers for lack of support.In 1913 he spearhead the founding of The Ozark Trails Association (OTA) to promote the building and education of quality highway design, but not actually building or funding them. At first, he was only interested in bringing people to Monte Ne, he stated: "My Personal interest in the Ozark Trails is that they all lead to Monte Ne" However, he seems to have taken on a more egalitarian opinion of the Ozark Trails as time went on because he later said: "My inclination runs toward doing something of a progressive nature that will promote the collective good, and I have now concentrated all that inclination on carrying out a system of roads known as the Ozark Trails." The Ozark Trails Association became Harvey's most successful endeavor. Interest in the project spread, and membership swelled to 7,000 delegates from states as far away as New Mexico. The group built large obelisks, listing the names of the benefactors, along the routes and trails that it sponsored. He even ran for Congress on a platform of building a national highway system, but lost to John W. Tillman who had strong support in Washington County.Interest in the group began to waver noticeably when Harvey finally stepped down as president at a 1920 convention in Pittsburg, Kansas that was attended by only 200 delegates. By the mid-1920s, highways and roads had become completely government-funded and there was no longer a need for local sponsorship. The group's system of giving them historic names and those of contributors had also become confusing and inefficient because of the myriad names and disputes over different names for the same stretch of roadway, so the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) changed all the roadways' names to uniform numbers, despite fierce protest from the OTA. The group had lost its relevance and disbanded in 1924, but many of the roads they helped develop became part of the historic U.S. Route 66.Another group, with no affiliation but with the same name, was created in the early 1970s to promote the maintenance of recreational trails in the Ozarks.

SOLUTION: What is the name of the person who ran for Congress on a platform of building a national highway system?

PROBLEM: Passage: Annie Burroughs is a wild 19-year-old who has just dropped out of college. Fearing to face her father, she packs her stuff and moves in with her older sister Marsha, who runs her own gallery in Los Angeles. Marsha is in a relationship with David Mitchell, a 31-year-old doctor who dreams of having his own private practice. Although they are very happy together, David isn't glad Marsha is spending so much time on work. Meanwhile, Annie immediately settles in the big city, landing a job as a receptionist at David's clinic. Although at first it is innocent and playful, Annie and David start flirting with each other.
A subplot focuses on the relationship between Annie and her father Tom. When she was still a child, Annie witnessed the death of her mother. She was crossing the street when a car suddenly drove toward her. Her mother, trying to save her, ran on the street and pushed Annie away, after which she was fatally hit by the car herself. Ever since, she and Tom do not get along well. Annie feels that her father blames her for her mother's death.
Annie once wanted to become a painter, just like her mother, but after her death she became isolated and gave up that dream. One night, David fails to save the life of his patient Billy, who has committed suicide. Annie witnesses his death and is reminded of her own mother. Both feeling very emotional, Annie and David end up kissing each other. The next day, Annie feels guilty, but David assures her it was only an innocent kiss. One night, Tom is throwing a family party. Annie gives him a self-made painting, but the style reminds him too much of her mother's, which upsets him. They end up getting into a fight, after which Annie leaves.

SOLUTION:
What is the full name of the person who moves in with her older sister?