Official Explanation:
A food company has developed a variety of avocado that is the same size as the traditional avocado but with a smaller pit in the center. This means that more of the avocado is edible. The retail price and taste of the avocado are the same as the traditional one, so it makes good sense for customers to buy the new avocado, especially since _____________
(A) avocados are consumed by more people at this time than at any time in the past.
(B) it costs less to grow the new avocado than it does to grow the traditional one.
(C) the pit of an avocado can be used for compost by any household that has a compost pile.
(D) removing the pit of an avocado can be messy and wasteful without the proper kitchen utensil.
(E) having a smaller nut does not decrease the length of time that the avocado will remain edible once it has been peeled.
Question Type: Fill in the Blank
Boil It Down: This new avocado has a smaller pit. Smaller pit means more of the avocado is edible. This new avocado is the same price as other avocados, so customers should buy them – especially because ___________.
Goal: Find the option that shows the most logical reason why people should buy the new avocados.
Analysis:
For fill in the blank questions, we really want to make sure that we focus on what conclusion the author is trying to make. You should always have that in mind before you look for an answer.
For example, the evidence of this prompt is talking all about the smaller pit. But our conclusion talks about why it is beneficial for customers to buy an avocado with a smaller pit. The customer's choice is the focus in this situation, not just the smaller pit. The prompt is trying to convince us that buying this new avocado is the right choice for customers, despite the smaller pit.
Therefore, our fill in the blank answer should give us either a potential benefit of the smaller pits or get rid of a potential drawback of smaller pits. For example, a correct answer choice might say either “100% of avocado consumers decide what avocados to buy based on how much of the avocado is edible” or, getting rid of a potential drawback, could say “having a smaller pit in no way affects the flavor of avocados.” Either one of those would be a correct answer in my opinion, so now let’s look at the answer choices.
(A) avocados are consumed by more people at this time than at any time in the past.
This is a tempting choice, but does it fit with what the author is trying to prove? Is this answer helping us conclude that it is a good deal for customers to buy these new avocados? This answer choice tells us the customers will probably buy the avocados, but it does not convince us that buying them is a good choice. For me, it's too neutral of an answer. We need an answer choice which makes an argument that this avocado is a smart buy.
(B) it costs less to grow the new avocado than it does to grow the traditional one.
Again, we are focused on the customer. Customers do not care that it costs less to grow this avocado, especially considering the new avocado and old avocados are the same price. This is certainly a benefit to the sellers, but nothing here convinces us it’s a smart buy for consumers.
(C) the pit of an avocado can be used for compost by any household that has a compost pile.
So, this fill in the blank should convince us that the new avocado is better. This answer choice does the opposite, it gives a potential drawback. If pits are used for compost, maybe some consumers would not buy the new avocado because a smaller pit means less compost. This is the opposite of what we are looking for in an answer.
(D) removing the pit of an avocado can be messy and wasteful without the proper kitchen utensil.
I liked this answer up until the very end which said, “without a proper kitchen utensil.” That phrase just takes this out of scope. Do most people not own kitchen utensils in this prompt’s hypothetical world? Are there that many people buying avocados who don’t actually own kitchen utensils? Sure, it might be a benefit for the smaller pit avocados to customers who don’t have kitchen utensils, but how much easier is it to take out? Is it easier when the pit is smaller? Or is it always a certain degree of difficulty regardless of the size? There are too many unanswered questions to make this answer choice correct, and we have a much better answer right below.
(E) having a smaller nut does not decrease the length of time that the avocado will remain edible once it has been peeled.
Perfect. This eliminates a potential drawback of the avocados. It helps us prove to customers that these new avocados are a smart buy. Why should you buy these new avocados? Because they are the same price, have a smaller pit, and have the same shelf life as other avocados. This is the correct choice.
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