Reading comp PrepTest 156 · Section 1 · Question 5

• 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!