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In the arid land along the Colorado River, use of the [#permalink]
 14 Aug 2009, 17:50
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100% (02:10) correct
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In the arid land along the Colorado River, use of the river's water is strictly controlled: farms along the river each have a limited allocation that they are allowed to use for irrigation. But the trees that grow in narrow strips along the river’s banks also use its water. Clearly, therefore, if farmers were to remove those trees, more water would be available for crop irrigation
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
a. The trees along the river’s banks shelter it from the sun and wind, thereby greatly reducing the amount of water lost through evaporation
b. Owners of farms along the river will probably not undertake the expense of cutting down trees along the banks unless they are granted a greater allocation of water in return
c. Many of the tree species currently found along the river’s banks are specifically adapted to growing in places where tree roots remain constantly wet.
d. The strip of land where trees grow along the river’s banks would not be suitable for growing crops if the trees were removed.
e. The distribution of water allocations for irrigation is intended to prevent farms father upstream from using water needed by farms father downstream
OA: A
But I wonder why D is not the answer since D also weakens the argument and how to compare with A to get the best answer.
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Re: water allocation [#permalink]
14 Aug 2009, 18:06
Answer is A Conclusion :Clearly, therefore, if farmers were to remove those trees, more water would be available for crop irrigation So, answer should be the one where emphasis is on water saving a. The trees along the river’s banks shelter it from the sun and wind, thereby greatly reducing the amount of water lost through evaporation A fits nicely Why D is not the answer:- It talks about more area for crop and not about water and does not weaken the conclusion
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Re: water allocation [#permalink]
14 Aug 2009, 23:30
Dear yyc881123, would appreciate if you post the OA after people post their explanations so that everyone can benefit.
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Re: In the arid land along the Colorado River, use of the [#permalink]
19 Mar 2012, 19:56
I have chosen A for this question:
The conclusion is: [highlight]If farmers were to remove the trees, more water would be available for crop irrigation.[/highlight]
When I first read the passage, I knew that the question would ask for an answer choice to weaken the argument. If you look at the argument, the reasoning is clearly flawed - just by removing the trees, the author is assuming that the total amount of water available would suddenly increase. There are other factors that the author has not considered - this leads me to my prephrases:
1. The water could migrate elsewhere. For example, maybe the water would move into the voids that the trees have left, or maybe the water would move into other porous spaces.
2. The water may evaporate quicker without the shade of the trees.
Now look at each answer choice:
A. This answer choice looks like one of my prephrases. After careful review of the other choices, this is the answer I chose.
B. The argument has already stated "if farmers were to remove the trees...", so this answer choice already does not make sense because it is assumed in the passage. Also, this answer choice doesn't talk about an increase in the total amount of water, instead it talks about whether the farmers will cut down the trees.
C. This actually supports the argument because it states that these trees constantly have wet roots, so these trees probably consume more water than normal. Therefore, this answer choice is incorrect.
D. We are not concerned about whether the land is prime for farming or not - this answer choice is irrelevant.
E. This answer choice talks about the distribution of the total water, and not about whether the total water will increase or decrease once the trees are removed. Therefore, this answer cannot be correct.
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Re: In the arid land along the Colorado River, use of the [#permalink]
19 Mar 2012, 23:08
A goes the best among others
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Re: In the arid land along the Colorado River, use of the [#permalink]
20 Mar 2012, 04:00
IMO A......... Very nice though
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Re: In the arid land along the Colorado River, use of the [#permalink]
20 Mar 2012, 04:18
Hi, Even i fell for D. Its a very good example of the "EGG SHELL GAME" the GMAT loves to play. The trick is to identify that D - "The strip of land where trees grow along the river’s banks would not be suitable for growing crops if the trees were removed. " limits the argument to only the strip of land near the river The argument can be weakened to a greater extent if the benefit of having the trees along the river bank could be felt over a larger area. This is clearly seen in A Hence A is correct
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Re: In the arid land along the Colorado River, use of the [#permalink]
20 Mar 2012, 11:13
A clearly weaken the conclusion "if farmers were to remove those trees, more water would be available for crop irrigation
"
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Re: In the arid land along the Colorado River, use of the
[#permalink]
20 Mar 2012, 11:13
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