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20 Aug 2025, 18:22
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E
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
95%
(hard)
Question Stats:
45% (02:16) correct
55%
(02:25)
wrong
based on 406
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Scientists have made genetic modifications to cotton to increase its resistance to insect pests. According to farmers’ reports, the amount of insecticide needed per acre to control insect pests was only slightly lower for those who tried the modified seed than for those who did not. Therefore, since the modified seed costs more than ordinary seed without producing yields of higher market value, switching to the modified seed would be unlikely to benefit most cotton farmers economically.
Which of the following would it be most useful to know in order to evaluate the argument?
(A) Whether farmers who tried the modified cotton seed had ever tried growing other crops from genetically modified seed
(B) Whether the insecticides typically used on ordinary cotton tend to be more expensive than insecticides typically used on other crops
(C) Whether for most farmers who grow cotton it is their primary crop
(D) Whether the farmers who have tried the modified seed planted as many acres of cotton, on average, as farmers using the ordinary seed did
(E) Whether most of the farmers who tried the modified seed did so because they had previously had to use exceptionally large quantities of insecticide
Which of the following would it be most useful to know in order to evaluate the argument?
(A) Whether farmers who tried the modified cotton seed had ever tried growing other crops from genetically modified seed
(B) Whether the insecticides typically used on ordinary cotton tend to be more expensive than insecticides typically used on other crops
(C) Whether for most farmers who grow cotton it is their primary crop
(D) Whether the farmers who have tried the modified seed planted as many acres of cotton, on average, as farmers using the ordinary seed did
(E) Whether most of the farmers who tried the modified seed did so because they had previously had to use exceptionally large quantities of insecticide
20 Aug 2025, 19:09
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Scientists have made genetic modifications to cotton to increase its resistance to insect pests. According to farmers’ reports, the amount of insecticide needed per acre to control insect pests was only slightly lower for those who tried the modified seed than for those who did not. Therefore, since the modified seed costs more than ordinary seed without producing yields of higher market value, switching to the modified seed would be unlikely to benefit most cotton farmers economically.
The conclusion of the argument is the following:
switching to the modified seed would be unlikely to benefit most cotton farmers economically
The support for the conclusion is the following:
According to farmers’ reports, the amount of insecticide needed per acre to control insect pests was only slightly lower for those who tried the modified seed than for those who did not.
and
the modified seed costs more than ordinary seed without producing yields of higher market value
We see that the reasoning of the argument is the following:
Even though the modified seed is more resistant to insect pests than ordinary seed, farmers would not benefit from using the modified seed for the following reasons: farmers who used the modified seed used almost as much insecticide as other farmers, the modified seed costs more, and the modified seed doesn't produce greater yields than ordinary seed produces.
Which of the following would it be most useful to know in order to evaluate the argument?
This is an Evaluate the Argument question, and the correct answer will be the choice such that one or more possible answers to the question posed by that choice will weaken or strengthen the support for the conclusion.
(A) Whether farmers who tried the modified cotton seed had ever tried growing other crops from genetically modified seed
The answer to this choice has no effect on the support for the conclusion.
After all, information on whether they had tried growing other crops from genetically modified seed would not indicate whether using the modified cotton seed is beneficial.
Eliminate.
(B) Whether the insecticides typically used on ordinary cotton tend to be more expensive than insecticides typically used on other crops
This information would not help with evaluating the argument.
After all, it doesn't compare ordinary cotton with the modified cotton. Rather, it compares ordinary cotton with other crops.
Information on how ordinary cotton compares with other crops does not help with determining whether modified cotton is better than ordinary cotton.
Eliminate.
(C) Whether for most farmers who grow cotton it is their primary crop
Information on whether for most farmers who grow cotton it is their primary crop would not help with evaluating the argument.
After all, regardless of whether cotton is farmers' primary crop, if cotton is a crop that farmers grow, farmers could benefit, or not, from using the modified seed.
Eliminate.
(D) Whether the farmers who have tried the modified seed planted as many acres of cotton, on average, as farmers using the ordinary seed did
This choice is a tricky because it could seem to bring up an alternative possible reason why farmers who used the modified seed used almost as much pesticide as farmers who didn't. Perhaps, the farmers who used the modified seed planted more acres of cotton.
At the same time, we can eliminate this choice through noticing a key detail of the passage, which is that it says, "the amount of insecticide needed per acre ... was only slightly lower for those who tried the modified seed."
We see that the passage presents an acre-for-acre comparison. So, the comparison presented by the passage holds regardless of how many acres different farmers planted.
Eliminate.
(E) Whether most of the farmers who tried the modified seed did so because they had previously had to use exceptionally large quantities of insecticide
This choice is interesting.
Let's use the yes/no test to understand this choice.
First let's try "yes."
YES, most of the farmers who tried the modified seed did so because they had previously had to use exceptionally large quantities of insecticide.
That statement weakens the argument.
After all, if most of the farmers who tried the modified seed did so because they had previously had to use exceptionally large quantities of insecticide, then, since they used less insecticide than other farmers when they used the modified seed, they went from using "exceptionally large quantities" to using "slightly" less than others.
In that case, farmers achieved large decreases in insecticide use by using the modified seed, meaning that, contrary to the conclusion, farmers probably would benefit economically from using the modified seed.
Now, let's try "no."
NO, most of the farmers who tried the modified seed did not do so because they had previously had to use exceptionally large quantities of insecticide.
If that's true, then we have confirmation that the farmers who used the modified seed did not achieve large decreases in insecticide use.
So, a "no" answer to this choice strengthens the argument.
Thus, since different answers to the question posed by this choice weaken and strengthen the argument, this is our correct answer.
Keep.
Correct answer: E
The conclusion of the argument is the following:
switching to the modified seed would be unlikely to benefit most cotton farmers economically
The support for the conclusion is the following:
According to farmers’ reports, the amount of insecticide needed per acre to control insect pests was only slightly lower for those who tried the modified seed than for those who did not.
and
the modified seed costs more than ordinary seed without producing yields of higher market value
We see that the reasoning of the argument is the following:
Even though the modified seed is more resistant to insect pests than ordinary seed, farmers would not benefit from using the modified seed for the following reasons: farmers who used the modified seed used almost as much insecticide as other farmers, the modified seed costs more, and the modified seed doesn't produce greater yields than ordinary seed produces.
Which of the following would it be most useful to know in order to evaluate the argument?
This is an Evaluate the Argument question, and the correct answer will be the choice such that one or more possible answers to the question posed by that choice will weaken or strengthen the support for the conclusion.
(A) Whether farmers who tried the modified cotton seed had ever tried growing other crops from genetically modified seed
The answer to this choice has no effect on the support for the conclusion.
After all, information on whether they had tried growing other crops from genetically modified seed would not indicate whether using the modified cotton seed is beneficial.
Eliminate.
(B) Whether the insecticides typically used on ordinary cotton tend to be more expensive than insecticides typically used on other crops
This information would not help with evaluating the argument.
After all, it doesn't compare ordinary cotton with the modified cotton. Rather, it compares ordinary cotton with other crops.
Information on how ordinary cotton compares with other crops does not help with determining whether modified cotton is better than ordinary cotton.
Eliminate.
(C) Whether for most farmers who grow cotton it is their primary crop
Information on whether for most farmers who grow cotton it is their primary crop would not help with evaluating the argument.
After all, regardless of whether cotton is farmers' primary crop, if cotton is a crop that farmers grow, farmers could benefit, or not, from using the modified seed.
Eliminate.
(D) Whether the farmers who have tried the modified seed planted as many acres of cotton, on average, as farmers using the ordinary seed did
This choice is a tricky because it could seem to bring up an alternative possible reason why farmers who used the modified seed used almost as much pesticide as farmers who didn't. Perhaps, the farmers who used the modified seed planted more acres of cotton.
At the same time, we can eliminate this choice through noticing a key detail of the passage, which is that it says, "the amount of insecticide needed per acre ... was only slightly lower for those who tried the modified seed."
We see that the passage presents an acre-for-acre comparison. So, the comparison presented by the passage holds regardless of how many acres different farmers planted.
Eliminate.
(E) Whether most of the farmers who tried the modified seed did so because they had previously had to use exceptionally large quantities of insecticide
This choice is interesting.
Let's use the yes/no test to understand this choice.
First let's try "yes."
YES, most of the farmers who tried the modified seed did so because they had previously had to use exceptionally large quantities of insecticide.
That statement weakens the argument.
After all, if most of the farmers who tried the modified seed did so because they had previously had to use exceptionally large quantities of insecticide, then, since they used less insecticide than other farmers when they used the modified seed, they went from using "exceptionally large quantities" to using "slightly" less than others.
In that case, farmers achieved large decreases in insecticide use by using the modified seed, meaning that, contrary to the conclusion, farmers probably would benefit economically from using the modified seed.
Now, let's try "no."
NO, most of the farmers who tried the modified seed did not do so because they had previously had to use exceptionally large quantities of insecticide.
If that's true, then we have confirmation that the farmers who used the modified seed did not achieve large decreases in insecticide use.
So, a "no" answer to this choice strengthens the argument.
Thus, since different answers to the question posed by this choice weaken and strengthen the argument, this is our correct answer.
Keep.
Correct answer: E
31 Aug 2025, 05:21
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Hey @MartyMurray
Can we say that (E) stands out because there is a huge gap between expectation and reality?
Expectation is as the passage says: the [color=#0000ff]amount of insecticide needed per acre[/color]
White (E) says: had to use exceptionally large quantities
MartyMurray
