Raxit85 wrote:
Though many scholars expected the food industry to employ an increasingly artificial mode of production and consumption after the discovery of new methods of preservation in the 1960s (when canned food became a standard part of the American family diet), the next few decades actually saw a return to simple, organic foods, as well as an emphasis on local farms and traditional methods of production.
In the passage above, the author uses the word "simple" to indicate
A. the coarse, unrefined nature of the food
B. the wholesome, natural quality of the food
C. the bland, uninteresting nature of the food
D. the artificial, popular nature of the food
E. the old-fashioned nature of the food
Correct answer: B
(A): Incorrect. The author contrasts "simple" foods with "artificial" foods, suggesting a difference between natural and artificial. We do not have information to know whether food that is not artificial is more "coarse."
(B): Correct. (B) mentions the natural quality of food, as opposed to artificial.
(C): Incorrect. There is nothing in the passage to claim that artificial food was less bland or more interesting than the "simple" food.
(D): Incorrect. In fact, (D) states what "simple" is posed as the antonym of (artificial food).
(E): Incorrect. "Simple" refers to the opposition to "artificial" mode, not whether the food was "old-fashioned" (it in fact could have been newer food produced with more natural modes of production).