It is based on the number of best answers given. However, it is not completely accurate. For example, on my member page I'm shown as being #16, but when I look at the MA leader-board, there are 19 members ahead of me.
Even the leader-board is not perfect, as it has some people with higher rank shown lower than they should be according to the stats shown on the same leader-board. So, if you really want to know where you stand, and you're in the top 100 or so, you can go to mahalo.com/answers/top_members and click on the pull-down menu that says "points" to drag it down to "best answers to see that the #1 is @cp24 with 1292 Best Answers, followed by @buddawiggi with 991, @easyeboy with 976, etc. However, further down you'll see @drmatt with 694 ahead of @robbrown who has 749 and @edwardclint with 550 ahead of @demanda with 580. Thus, you need to really verify the numbers shown in the stats rather than count on either what your rank is as shown on your member page, or even the order given on the leader-board.
One other thing relevant to the answer is that the percentage of Best Answers can be wildly inaccurate for members who do well on ConundrumLand, because Mahalo counts their best answers there in the Best Answer statistics, but ignores the answers (best or not) in the Answers Given statistics, resulting in fractions above 100% for some users.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.