Reading comp PrepTest 156 · Section 1 · Question 1

Passage

 Because most agricultural practices in North America produce row after row of only a few, genetically identical, varieties of crops, Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage Summary

Topic:
Science/Social Science

Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • Problem/Solution and Old Approach/New Approach
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Problem: North American agri practices are eroding the genetic base of crops, making them less durable (pests/disease)
    • Solution/New Approach: Look into indigenous farmers (practices, heirloom varieties of crops)
    • Old Approach: Focus on agricultural methods brought to North America from elsewhere


Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • Study/Examples of better practices by indigenous farmers
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Study: Indigenous farmers used genetics to make varieties
    • Example: Hybridization — Lots of varieties of (list of crops) that resisted disease/pests
    • Example: Make crops for local environments, less dependent on irrigation


Paragraph 3

  • Paragraph note
    • Process of maintenance; new wrinkle on problem
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Process: Regional exchange networks for seeds; oral tradition for methods
    • Problem: World market economy leading to these practices and varieties being lost, so need to protect ASAP


Main Point:

Because mass farming practices have harmed crop durability, it's important to turn to indigenous farmers' practices to protect the genetic base of crops, especially as the world market is starting to cause these practices to be lost.

Key Lines (P(aragraph)#, S(entence)#)?

P1, S1 - The problem
P1, S2 - One solution
P1, S3 - The Old and New Approaches
P2, S2 - An example is introduced
P2, S4 - Another example
P3, S1 - Processes by which the solution has worked
P3, S2 - A new wrinkle to the problem
Meta-Structure?



Problem/Solution: The opening sentence here introduces what is clearly a problem: the increasing susceptibility of food crops to pests and disease due to current agricultural processes. From this, we should expect the author to bring up a solution, or a variety of solutions. The author does so explicitly in the second sentence — looking to the "store of agricultural knowledge" held by indigenous farmers and the heirloom crops they work with. While the author calls this only a "possible" solution, the rest of the passage describes why this knowledge and these crop varieties can solve the problem, which suggests the author has at least some faith in the solution. In a Problem/Solution passage where the author supports a particular solution, the solution is the main point, reflected in our summary above.

Old Approach/New Approach: In Paragraph 1, Sentence 3, the author brings up Old and New Approaches used by crop geneticists to preserve the genetic base of crops. The Old Approach focused on studying "solely" agricultural methods brought to North America from elsewhere. These approaches aren't mentioned again. The New Approach is to study the methods and varieties of crops produced by indigenous farmers, which is the solution/main point. So this Meta-Structure informs the main point, but it isn't the central Meta-Structure that defines the passage. Expect a question or two on this Meta-Structure, but we shouldn't eliminate main point answer choices simply because they don't reference the old approach.

Last Thoughts?

This is a fairly straightforward passage as far as information, structure, and Meta-Structures are concerned, so let's head to the questions!

Question prompt

Which one of the Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: C

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Question Type

Science

Answer choices

  1. A
    Heirloom crops need to Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    This answer focuses too much on the heirloom crops and ignores indigenous farmers' practices, so it doesn't fully capture the author's solution. Also, the passage doesn't identify the loss of North American cultures as a problem that heirloom crops can solve, so this answer also mischaracterizes the problem posed by the passage!
  2. B
    Indigenous farmers originated the Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    A few issues with the language/strength here! First, P2, S2 states that indigenous farmers have long been aware of hybridization, but there's no note that they originated that practice. Second, P1, S1 says that crops are increasingly susceptible to pests and disease, but it doesn't state that it's reached a point where crop yields are now at an unacceptable level. Finally, this answer choice fails to include the author's endorsement of indigenous farmers' crops and practices as a solution to the problem — a crucial part of this passage's main point.
  3. C
    The problem of an Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C matches the stem

    Question Type:
    Main Point

    Strategy Overview:
    Reiterate the main point as we summarized it after reading through the passage, then find the answer that best matches with it

    Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
    The opening sentence here introduces what is clearly a problem: the increasing susceptibility of food crops to pests and disease due to current agricultural processes.

    From this, we should expect the author to bring up a solution, or a variety of solutions. The author does so explicitly in the second sentence — looking to the "store of agricultural knowledge" held by indigenous farmers and the heirloom crops they work with. While the author calls this only a "possible" solution, the rest of the passage describes why this knowledge and these crop varieties can solve the problem, which suggests the author has at least some faith in the solution. In a Problem/Solution passage where the author supports a particular solution, the main point is the solution. So we should look for an answer choice that states something to the effect of:

    "Because mass farming practices have harmed crop durability, it's important to turn to indigenous farmers' practices to protect the genetic base of crops, especially as the world market is starting to cause these practices to be lost."

    Answer Choice Explanation:
    This answer choice perfectly encapsulates both the problem and solution backed by the author. In P1, S1, the author identifies the eroding crop genetic base in North America as a problem. In P1, S2, the author identifies the knowledge held by indigenous farmers and the heirloom varieties of crops they work with as a potential solution. The author then explores why this solution could work (Paragraph 2) and the urgency with which we should explore the solution (Paragraph 3). This answer choice raises both the problem and solution, so it's the correct answer.

    Key Takeaway:
    Selecting a Main Point answer choice that captures information laid out in the first paragraph of a passage can sometimes make it feel as if you're "ignoring" a lot of the passage. But remember that the introductory paragraph often introduces the overall argument, with later paragraphs supporting that point or exploring the debate raised in the first paragraph in more depth. When a passage is structured in this way, as this passage was, it's perfectly acceptable to select a Main Point answer choice that primarily reflects the conclusion offered in the first paragraph.

  4. D
    Erosion of the crop Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    (P1, S1; P1, S3) This passage mischaracterizes the problem described in the passage. The opening line identifies the use of certain agricultural processes as the cause of the eroding genetic base. The cause of this problem was not the loss of indigenous knowledge, as this answer choice states. In fact, such knowledge is shown to have persisted amongst indigenous farmers — it hasn't been lost at all! It's just the crop geneticists who haven't focused on it until recently.
  5. E
    The wide variety of Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    (P2, S4) The maintenance of crops that can thrive in various areas is just one example raised in the second paragraph of the benefits of these heirloom crops, so this answer isn't comprehensive enough to accurately describe the main point.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 11%
  2. B 4%
  3. C Credited 78%
  4. D 4%
  5. E 2%

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