All right, people, let’s get knock this one out. (I should mention that I’ve seen this one before so there may have been a subconscious hand guiding me.)

In parts of South America, vitamin-A deficiency is a serious health problem, especially among children. In one region, agriculturists are attempting to improve nutrition by encouraging farmers to plant a new variety of sweet potato called SPK004 that is rich in beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A. The plan has good chances of success, since sweet potato is a staple of the region’s diet and agriculture, and the varieties currently grown contain little beta-carotene.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the prediction that the plan will succeed?

(A) The growing conditions required by the varieties of sweet potato currently cultivated in the region are conditions in which SPK004 can flourish.

Sounds good. Frankly, I was a bit suspicious of this one. I felt that for the plan to succeed the statement would need to directly lend support that it would improve nutrition. I’d recommend yellow flagging this type of answer choice on the exam

(B) The flesh of SPK004 differs from that of the currently cultivated sweet potatoes in color and texture, so traditional foods would look somewhat different when prepared from SPK004.

This is a wrong answer choice that starts off a story in the test-taker’s head. Oh, the potatoes look different! Oh, the traditional food would look different! I guess that means people will stop eating it. I only like my potatoes to look a certain way after all. CAREFUL. This is a trap. Nothing in the stimulus talks about a strong feeling in South America for traditional food to remain EXACTLY the way it does currently.

(C) There are no other varieties of sweet potato that are significantly richer in beta-carotene than SPK004 is.

A wrong answer choice that seems to lend support. To be honest, I eliminated this more on recognition of the trap rather than going into the fine details – not something to be advised, I feel. Looking at it now, I guess the REAL reason this is wrong is because it just regurgitates the stimulus. I could re-write this statement to say that “This sweet potato is amazing when it comes to beta-carotene”. That is pretty much what you read in the stimulus as well. It doesn’t provide any ADDITIONAL support. Whew. This took me a bit to truly breakdown.

(D) The varieties of sweet potato currently cultivated in the region contain some important nutrients that are lacking in SPK004.

One of the easier answer choices to eliminate. Even if the other important nutrients were not in SPK004, they MAY be acquirable in other vegetables currently grown. People could just eat them. (I may have heard this reasoning from someone else). Still, I'm not too comfortable with it. Perhaps a better reason would be that the problem AT HAND - the problem we're currently dealing with - is just about a lack of nutrition when it comes to SPK004. This OTHER problem about important nutrients is irrelevant right now. Sigh, just put a yellow flag on this one if you must and compare with the other answer choices later on.

(E) There are other vegetables currently grown in the region that contain more beta-carotene than the currently cultivated varieties of sweet potato do

Out of bounds. We are talking about sweet potatoes. Even IF other vegetables do have more beta-carotene are THEY staple foods of the region? Unknown. I daresay this statement could only harm the prediction if anything.

Though I solved this fairly quickly, it just goes to show you that when you really try to break down the answer choices you may find it difficult!

The Knight has been humbled.
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