Organic fertilizers are made from mineral deposits along with bone

Question

Organic fertilizers are made from mineral deposits along with bone meal, plant meal, or composted manure, while synthetic fertilizers are made by processing raw materials. The numeric ratio listed on a fertilizer, whether it's organic or synthetic, indicates the proportions of the nutrients inside. For example, a bag of fertilizer labeled "4-8-6" contains 4 pounds of nitrate, 8 pounds of phosphate, and 6 pounds of potash. A 100-pound bag of 4-8-6 organic fertilizer and a 100-pound bag of 4-8-6 synthetic fertilizer may differ in other respects, but not in the amount of nutrients they deliver into your soil.

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument above?

A. Organic fertilizers are produced with an equivalent bag size and nutrient ratio for every synthetic fertilizer bag size and nutrient ratio that is produced.

B. The mechanisms by which organic and synthetic fertilizers are absorbed in soil are not substantially different.

C. The total number of pounds of organic nitrate, phosphate, and potash delivered into soil each year in organic fertilizer equals the total number of pounds of each delivered in synthetic fertilizer.

D. A variety of different tests conducted last year found that levels of nutrients or contaminants other than nitrate, phosphate, and potash in distinct soils that had been treated with a volume of 4-8-6 synthetic fertilizer were no higher than those in samples treated with a volume of 4-8-6 organic fertilizer.

E. The design and the use of organic fertilizer are in no way motivated by a desire to deliver a different amount of nutrients into soil for a given nutrient ratio.

This is a  Data Sufficiency Butler Question

Check the links to other Butler Projects: 
 
   Data Sufficiency Butler 
   Problem Solving Butler  
   Sentence Correction Butler  
   Reading Comprehension Butler  
   Integrated Reasoning Butler

ribbons · Answer

A. Organic fertilizers are produced with an equivalent bag size and nutrient ratio for every synthetic fertilizer bag size and nutrient ratio that is produced.  Restates the passage

B. The mechanisms by which organic and synthetic fertilizers are absorbed in soil are not substantially different.  Negate this, if they are absorbed substantially differently then they are delivery different amounts of nutrients hence Must be true and is new info -> valid supporting assumption

C. The total number of pounds of organic nitrate, phosphate, and potash delivered into soil each year in organic fertilizer equals the total number of pounds of each delivered in synthetic fertilizer.  Restates the passage

D. A variety of different tests conducted last year found that levels of nutrients or contaminants other than nitrate, phosphate, and potash in distinct soils that had been treated with a volume of 4-8-6 synthetic fertilizer were no higher than those in samples treated with a volume of 4-8-6 organic fertilizer. Out of scope

E. The design and the use of organic fertilizer are in no way motivated by a desire to deliver a different amount of nutrients into soil for a given nutrient ratio. Out of scope

Purnank · Answer

Both B and E options looks good.
Argument - Whether you use organic or synthetic fertilizer, if both have the same nutrient ratio (like 4-8-6), they deliver the same amount of nutrients to your soil.

Option B - The mechanisms by which organic and synthetic fertilizers are absorbed in soil are not substantially different. 
The statement suggests that the efficiency of nutrient delivery might be similar, it doesn't directly confirm that the amount of nutrients delivered is the same.

Now E - The design and the use of organic fertilizer are in no way motivated by a desire to deliver a different amount of nutrients into soil for a given nutrient ratio. 
It strongly supports the argument that a 100-pound bag of 4-8-6 organic fertilizer and a 100-pound bag of 4-8-6 synthetic fertilizer provide the same amount of nutrients to the soil.

So going with E. Here.

bronaugust · Answer

To solve this question, let us deploy    IMS’s four-step technique   .

STEP #1:   IDENTIFY THE QUESTION TYPE BY READING THE QUESTION STEM

The question stem states, ‘Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument above?’ Clearly, we are dealing with a strengthening question. Now that question type is identified, we may proceed to the second step.

STEP #2:   DECONSTRUCT THE ARGUMENT

In a strengthening question, it is a must to deconstruct the argument by figuring out the conclusion and the premise.

CONCLUSION:   A 100-pound bag of 4-8-6 organic fertilizer and a 100-pound bag of 4-8-6 synthetic fertilizer may differ in other respects, but not in the amount of nutrients they deliver into your soil.

PREMISE:   The numeric ratio listed on a fertilizer, whether it's organic or synthetic, indicates the proportions of the nutrients inside. For example, a bag of fertilizer labeled "4-8-6" contains 4 pounds of nitrate, 8 pounds of phosphate, and 6 pounds of potash.

Now that the argument is deconstructed, we may proceed to the third step.

STEP #3:   FRAME A SHADOW ANSWER/KNOW WHAT THE RIGHT ANSWER SHOULD BE DOING

In a strengthening question, the right answer validates the conclusion by almost always introducing an extra premise. In this case, the right answer simply needs to support the claim that organic fertilizer and synthetic fertilizer (both of the same mass and nutrient ratio) may differ in other respects but not in the amount of nutrients they deliver into your soil. Now that we know what the right answer should be doing, we may proceed to the final step.

STEP #4:   ELIMINATE INCORRECT ANSWER OPTIONS

Answer options that go beyond the scope of the argument, those that do not impact the argument in any way, and the ones that weaken the argument can be eliminated.

A. Organic fertilizers are produced with an equivalent bag size and nutrient ratio for every synthetic fertilizer bag size and nutrient ratio that is produced. -   MAKES NO IMPACT   -  Even if this were true, it would not help justify why organic fertilizer and synthetic fertilizer (both of the same mass and nutrient ratio) may differ in other respects but not in the amount of nutrients they deliver into your soil.  -   ELIMINATE

B. The mechanisms by which organic and synthetic fertilizers are absorbed in soil are not substantially different. -   STRENGTHENS/MATCHES THE SHADOW ANSWER   -  If the mechanisms by which organic and synthetic fertilizers are absorbed in soil are not substantially different, it will validate the conclusion that organic fertilizer and synthetic fertilizer (both of the same mass and nutrient ratio) may differ in other respects but not in the amount of nutrients they deliver into your soil.  -   KEEP

C. The total number of pounds of organic nitrate, phosphate, and potash delivered into soil each year in organic fertilizer equals the total number of pounds of each delivered in synthetic fertilizer. -   MAKES NO IMPACT   -  The argument deals with the amount of nutrients delivered into your soil by the two different fertilizers of the SAME quantity and SAME nutrient-ratio, so even if what is stated in this option were true, one would still have no idea about the quantity of fertilizers or ratio of nutrients.  -   ELIMINATE

D. A variety of different tests conducted last year found that levels of nutrients or contaminants other than nitrate, phosphate, and potash in distinct soils that had been treated with a volume of 4-8-6 synthetic fertilizer were no higher than those in samples treated with a volume of 4-8-6 organic fertilizer. -   OUT OF SCOPE   -  Any info about levels of nutrients or contaminants other than nitrate, phosphate, and potash is beyond the scope of the argument.  -   ELIMINATE

E. The design and the use of organic fertilizer are in no way motivated by a desire to deliver a different amount of nutrients into soil for a given nutrient ratio. -   OUT OF SCOPE   -  The argument does not concern itself with what the design and use of organic fertilizer are motivated by.  -   ELIMINATE

Hence, B has to be the correct answer.

bronaugust · Answer

If the design and the use of organic fertilizer are in no way motivated by a desire to deliver a different amount of nutrients into soil for a given nutrient ratio, that does not say anything about synthetic fertilizer, right? Do you not think option E is one-sided?

captain0612 · Answer

IMO Chocie B

The argument talks about Organic and synthetic fertilizers. Later it mentions commonly used format for indicating proportions of nutrients inside a bag.

Conclusion - It doesn't matter whether it's an organic or a synthetic fertilizer, the amount of nutrients fertilizers deliver to the soil is almost same for a bag of fertilizers with same proportion of nutrients.

Question - Strengthen

A. Organic fertilizers are produced with an equivalent bag size and nutrient ratio for every synthetic fertilizer bag size and nutrient ratio that is produced.  This choice doesn't explain how a bag of fertilizer of synthetic and organic would deliver same nutrients to the soil  Incorrect

B. The mechanisms by which organic and synthetic fertilizers are absorbed in soil are not substantially different.  This helps explain the mechanism  Correct

C. The total number of pounds of organic nitrate, phosphate, and potash delivered into soil each year in organic fertilizer equals the total number of pounds of each delivered in synthetic fertilizer.  Even though the total amounts for Organic and Synthetic fertilizers are same, there could be difference in the absorption rates. For example 2 bags of synthetic (4-8-6) and a bag of organic (4-8-6) would very well have same total number of pounds of individual nutrients, but can we say that the same level of nutirents are absorbed by the soil per bag? No  Incorrect

D. A variety of different tests conducted last year found that levels of nutrients or contaminants other than nitrate, phosphate, and potash in distinct soils that had been treated with a volume of 4-8-6 synthetic fertilizer were no higher than those in samples treated with a volume of 4-8-6 organic fertilizer.  Irrelevant All we care about is only the nutrients and not other contaminants. Furthermore we cannot draw similarities between the absorption of the contaminants and the absorption of the nutrients, since it is not mentioned in the passage or in this choice  Incorrect

E. The design and the use of organic fertilizer are in no way motivated by a desire to deliver a different amount of nutrients into soil for a given nutrient ratio.  This choice says that for Organic fertilizer the delivery is in line with the nutrient ratio, but does not comment the same for the synthetic ones. Hence, we cannot compare the delivery of nutrients between the two  Incorrect

kanikaa9 · Answer

A - doesn't provide any additional support to strengthen the argument
C - already given, doesn't really strengthens it
D - it weakens the argument 
E - Out of Scope

B - my pick - Imagine two bags (organic and artificial) - delivering different results maybe its the mechanism used to deliver each or maybe its their composition (artificial has more nutrients) but if the mechanism wasn't the cause then argument is strengthened.

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:

First impressions: this argument looks long and appears to involve some obscure definition. We can check the question stem: we're asked to strengthen the argument. We can focus on the elements of opinion. The last sentence is the opinion, whereas the first three sentences give facts.

Creating a filter: The key is that the "amount of nutrients" is the same between organic and synthetic fertilizer. Why? Because they are both 4-8-6, meaning they have the same proportions of nutrients. These terms have been matched by the argument. Is the "amount of nutrients" delivered the same because the proportions are the same? Is there any way these things could be different? We'll take that idea our filter for basic relevance.

Applying the filter, we eliminate (A), (C) and (E), and keep (B) and (D). Choices (A), (C) and (E) are irrelevant comparisons--they have no bearing on whether these two fertilizers work identically. Choice (D) starts to get after the same considerations, but it discusses contaminants and nutrients other than the ones at hand, and it doesn't say that the levels are equal, only "no higher" in synthetics. So (D) is not material to the claim in the prompt.

Logical proof: using the negation test, we can see that the negated (B) weakens the argument. If the mechanisms by which organic and synthetic fertilizers are absorbed in soil are substantially different, then the argument is flawed and the conclusion may be incorrect. The non-negated (B) therefore patches a weakness of the argument and does, in fact, strengthen the argument.

The correct answer is (B).

arushi118 · Answer

But isn't the question just saying the amount of nutrients "delivered" to the soil, and not the amount which is "absorbed" by the soil. Also it says in premise that in same amount of 4-8-6 organic/synthetic fertilizer, nitrate, phosphate and potash will be same but in the conclusion it talks about the same nutrients being present. So D looked as a better option -> as it says that the other nutrients being delivered are also the same in both type of fertilizers.

egmat · Answer

Imagine you have two juice boxes:
 
 One organic juice box 
 One synthetic juice box  
Both say "10% orange, 20% apple, 30% grape" on the label.

The passage concludes : "These two juice boxes will deliver the same amount of juice into your cup."
Sounds obvious, right? If the label says the same thing, you get the same juice.

What if:
 
  The organic juice box has a  tiny straw  that drips slowly  
  The synthetic juice box has a  normal straw  that pours normally   
 Now do they "deliver" the same juice into your cup?  NO!  Even though the boxes contain the same juice, they pour differently.

You looked at option D and thought: "Hey, this says OTHER things in the juice (like vitamins or sugar) are also the same. That sounds good!"
 Here's where your thinking went off track: 
The passage doesn't care about the OTHER stuff. It only cares about the orange, apple, and grape juice. The passage even says "they may differ in other respects" - meaning "yeah, other stuff might be different, whatever."

Option B says:  "The straws work the same way." 
Or in fertilizer language: "The way organic fertilizer gets absorbed into soil is similar to how synthetic fertilizer gets absorbed."

WHY THIS MATTERS: 
 
  Same ingredients in the bag ✓ (we already know this)  
  Same way of getting into the soil ✓ (B tells us this)  
  = Same delivery! ✓

Organic fertilizers are made from mineral deposits along with bone

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

Organic fertilizers are made from mineral deposits along with bone

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards