PrepTest 121

Incorrect. Crop yields take the size of the farm into account already, so that can't explain the different yields. (Think of yields as the amount of crop harvested per area planted.)

Incorrect. This answer leaves the paradox in place (or even makes it worse)—in other areas, why did the hybrid crops not result in higher yields?

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Paradox

Stimulus Summary:
Studies - Hybrid crops have significantly higher yields than nonhybrid crops planted in the same area

Real world - Farmers that have switched from nonhybrid crops to hybrid ones are seeing the same yields

Answer Anticipation:
As with all Paradox questions, we should start by clearly defining the paradox. And, as with many Paradox questions, the paradox here comes from a comparison.

In a study, hybrid crops were shown to have a significantly higher yield than traditional crops. This sets up an expectation that the same would be seen in actual farms, but those farms that switched to hybrid crops didn't see increased yields (note that it doesn't say that they had decreased yields, just not increased yields).

Since the argument brings up a difference between what was seen in the study and what was seen in the real world, we should be looking for a difference between those two situations that can explain it.

Answer Explanation:
This answer points out a difference between the study and the real world that could explain the significantly higher yields in the study. If the hybrid strains there were grown in particularly good conditions, that might be the reason for the higher yields instead of the hybrid crops themselves, thus suggesting that in the real world—where the conditions would be normal, not particularly good—the yields wouldn't be higher.

Key Takeaway:
When a Paradox question relies on comparing things, the correct answer will frequently bring up another point of comparison. A paradox revolving around a difference is generally resolved with another difference; a paradox revolving around a similarity is generally resolved with another similarity.

Incorrect. The paradox is about crop yields, not crop sales.

Incorrect. Subsidies might affect the economics of growing hybrid crops, but it doesn't speak to expected yields.