Farming practices in the United States have changed since the days of

Question

Farming practices in the United States have changed since the days of the traditional family farm. The term “agribusiness” refers to the many businesses associated with modern farming, including machinery, retail sales, and marketing. Agribusiness is often contrasted with the family farm and is associated with the practice of corporate farming, in which the business and corporate aspects of producing food have become more important than the service benefits of buying from a small producer.

At the beginning of the 20th century, family farms produced less food per acre than they do today. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 98 percent of all farms in the United States today are family farms, but large- scale corporate farms supply 14 percent of the country’s total agricultural output. Family farms have historically thrived because smaller production enables farmers to develop close relationships with their customers and then produce goods that satisfy the customers' needs. Operating a smaller farm also enables farmers to collect and utilize information related to their land’s unique productivity.

However, operating a large farm has proven to be beneficial in its business aspects. Larger farms are able to bargain more effectively than smaller farms and can better sustain themselves financially through less productive seasons. Large farms are also able to develop corporate partnerships more readily than smaller farms, so they often have a technological advantage. The development of agribusiness has further benefited large farms because it has fostered the growth of agricultural research departments and associated academic disciplines. This information can, in turn, allow farmers to make business decisions based on proven research. Despite the greater productivity of large farms, many buyers fear that the personal service and individual attention they receive from owners of small farms will soon be lost.    1 
 1. Which of the following statements best summarizes the main idea of this passage?

A. Agribusiness protects family farms from future economic crises.
B. Large farms have a technological advantage because they are able to develop corporate partnerships.
C. Family farms are less productive than large farms.
D. Large farms are on the decline because agribusiness is starting to regulate farm size.
E. Agribusiness benefits large farms but may reduce the amount of personal service that these farms can offer.

2 
 2. The passage implies which of the following about family farms as compared to large-scale corporate farms?

A. Family farms have higher profit margins.
B. Family farms are more likely to develop corporate relationships.
C. Family farms contribute less per farm to the country’s total agricultural output.
D. Family farms contribute more to the international economy.
E. Family farms require more work per acre.

3 
 3. The passage does NOT cite which of the following as a benefit of large-scale farming?

A. A technological advantage due to corporate partnerships
B. Greater bargaining power
C. More environmentally sustainable farming practices
D. More financial stability
E. Greater productivity

AnirudhaS · Accepted Answer

Answers are in  bold .

1. Which of the following statements best summarizes the main idea of this passage?
A. Agribusiness protects family farms from future economic crises.
B. Large farms have a technological advantage because they are able to develop corporate partnerships.
C. Family farms are less productive than large farms.
D. Large farms are on the decline because agribusiness is starting to regulate farm size.
 E. Agribusiness benefits large farms but may reduce the amount of personal service that these farms can offer.

Explanation of question 1 
The main idea of the passage should encompass both sides of the argument. The author says pros and cons of both large and family farms. If a choice has only one side of this explained, it wont be the main idea of the passage as we would soon find out - 
A - only talks about family farms. No mention of the other side (large farms) as we discussed in our summary above.
B - Again talking about only one side
C - Now this talks about both types of farms. However it only constricts itself to one point - less productivity. It does not encompass anything else.
D - Talks only about large firms.
E - Yes this is a more balanced main idea of the passage, although it explicitly talks about effect of agribusiness on large farms.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. The passage implies which of the following about family farms as compared to large-scale corporate farms?
A. Family farms have higher profit margins.
B. Family farms are more likely to develop corporate relationships.
 C. Family farms contribute less per farm to the country’s total agricultural output. 
D. Family farms contribute more to the international economy.
E. Family farms require more work per acre.

Explanation of question 2 
A - Not mentioned in the passage
B - On the contrary larger firms are more likely to develop coorporate relationships. opposite answer.
C - Passage states - "Agriculture reports that 98 percent of all farms in the United States today are family farms, but large- scale corporate farms supply 14 percent of the country’s total agricultural output. " If it was equal proportion of production then only 2% of of country's total agricultural produce should have come for large farms, as opposed to 14%. This therefore implies family farms contribute LESS PER FARM to the country's total agri produce.
D - Not mentioned
E - Author only mentions family farms produced less FOOD per acre. This does not imply that they require more WORK per acre. (Although this might be true because family farm might not employ the industrial methods of farming).
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. The passage does NOT cite which of the following as a benefit of large-scale farming?
A. A technological advantage due to corporate partnerships
B. Greater bargaining power
 C. More environmentally sustainable farming practices 
D. More financial stability
E. Greater productivity

Explanation of question 3 
A - stated in the passage - " Large farms are also able to develop  corporate partnerships  more readily than smaller farms, so they often have a technological advantage."
B - stated in the passage - "Larger farms are able to  bargain more effectively  than smaller farms..."
C - In the passage it only stresses on the fact that how financially viable it is. it does not mentions how environmentally sustainable it is.
D - stated in the passage - "Larger farms are able to bargain more effectively than smaller farms and  can better sustain themselves financially  through less productive seasons."
C is our answer.
E - stated in the passage "Despite the  greater productivity  of large farms,many buyers fear that the personal service and individual attention they receive from owners of small farms will soon be lost."

kris19 · Answer

1. Which of the following statements best summarizes the main idea of this passage?

passage summary: Agribusiness is associated with corporate farming, however there are advantages in the family farming. Even though corporate farming is more productive, service aspect associated with family farming cannot be expected in the corporate farming

A. Agribusiness protects family farms from future economic crises.
 not correct: protecting from future economic crises is not discussed

B. Large farms have a technological advantage because they are able to develop corporate partnerships.
 not correct: this is mentioned in third para

C. Family farms are less productive than large farms.
 not correct: no such comparison is given

D. Large farms are on the decline because agribusiness is starting to regulate farm size.
 not correct: no discussion on regulating farm size

E. Agribusiness benefits large farms but may reduce the amount of personal service that these farms can offer.
 correct: this is close to the passage summary

2. The passage implies which of the following about family farms as compared to large-scale corporate farms?

A. Family farms have higher profit margins.
 not correct: no discussion on profit margins

B. Family farms are more likely to develop corporate relationships.
 not correct: corporate relationships are associated with large farms

C. Family farms contribute less per farm to the country’s total agricultural output.
 correct: The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 98 percent of all farms in the United States today are family farms, but large- scale corporate farms supply 14 percent of the country’s total agricultural output

D. Family farms contribute more to the international economy.
 not correct: contribution to the int economy is not discussed

E. Family farms require more work per acre.
 not correct: no discussion on work per acre

3. The passage does NOT cite which of the following as a benefit of large-scale farming?

A. A technological advantage due to corporate partnerships
 not correct: discussed in the third para

B. Greater bargaining power
 not correct: discussed in the third para

C. More environmentally sustainable farming practices
 correct: no discussion

D. More financial stability
 not correct: discussed in the third para

E. Greater productivity
 not correct: discussed in the third para

Nrj0601 · Answer

OFFICIAL KAPLAN EXPLANATION

Question 1 
Identify the Question Type:
This is a Global question, asking for the main idea of the passage as a whole.

Research Relevant Text:
Since Global questions ask about the passage as a whole, they can be answered from the passage map and analysis of Topic, Scope, and Purpose.

Predict the Answer:
The main idea is the author’s bottom line, or main point. Here, the author‘s Purpose is to outline benefits and drawbacks of corporate farms contrasted with smaller family farms. The main idea expresses that purpose from the author’s point of view: family farms are less productive but have better customer relations and understanding of the land, while large farms are better for business.

Evaluate the Choices:
(E) matches the prediction, and is correct. Overall, the passage looks at how agribusiness benefits large farms but reduces the amount of personal service that these farms can offer. The passage’s final sentence reinforces this idea by saying, “Despite the greater productivity of large farms, many buyers fear that the personal service and individual attention they receive from owners of small farms will soon be lost.”
(A) is incorrect because the passage does not indicate that agribusiness protects family farms, nor can such protection or lack of protection be considered the main idea of the passage.
(B) is something mentioned in paragraph 3, but only as a supporting detail. (B) is too narrow to be considered the passage’s main idea.
(C) is mentioned in paragraph 2, but only as a supporting detail. (C) is too narrow to be considered the passage’s main idea.
(D) is not stated or implied by the passage at all, so it certainly is not the main idea.

TAKEAWAY: With Global questions, be wary of choices that focus on details or that introduce concepts not discussed in the passage.

Question 2 
Identify the Question Type:
This is an Inference question, as indicated by the word "implies."

Research Relevant Text:
The clue in the question stem, "large-scale corporate farms," appears in paragraph 2, in a direct comparison with family farms. Paragraph 2 states that “The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 98 percent of all farms in the United States today are family farms, but large-scale corporate farms supply 14 percent of the country’s total agricultural output.”

Predict the Answer:
Large-scale corporate farms represent no more than 2 percent of all farms in the US, yet supply 14 percent of the total agricultural output. That must mean that on average, the family farm supplies less agricultural output per farm than does the average corporate farm.

Evaluate the Choices:
(C) matches the prediction, and is correct. The data cited in paragraph 2 says that only 2 percent of farms are corporate farms, but that they produce 14 percent of the country’s output. It can be inferred that corporate farms produce more per farm than family farms. By reverse reasoning, it can be inferred that family farms produce less per farm than do corporate farms.
(A) is incorrect because the passage does not state or imply that family farms have higher profit margins than corporate farms.
(B) is a 180, as the passage states in paragraph 3 that corporate farms are more likely to develop corporate partnerships.
(D) is incorrect because there is nothing at all in the passage about the international economy. The passage only discusses farming practices in the U.S.
(E) is wrong because the passage does not state or imply that small farms require more work per acre than corporate farms.

TAKEAWAY: Wrong answer choices on Inference questions can exaggerate views expressed in the passage or go beyond the scope of the passage by introducing material not mentioned.

Question 3 
Identify the Question Type:
This is a Detail EXCEPT question. It asks for something NOT cited in the passage. That means the four wrong choices are cited in the passage.

Research Relevant Text:
The question stem refers to benefits of large-scale farming, which can be found in the second and third paragraphs. Look up each answer choice, focusing on those two paragraphs.

Predict the Answer:
The right answer to an EXCEPT question cannot be predicted. Research and eliminate each choice that can be found directly in the text.

Evaluate the Choices:
(C) is correct. The passage does not state that large farms have more environmentally sustainable farming practices.
(A) is mentioned, so it is not the correct choice. Paragraph 3 mentions that large farms are able “to develop corporate partnerships more readily than smaller farms, so they often have a technological advantage.”
(B) is mentioned, so it is not the correct choice. Paragraph 3 mentions that large farms are able “to bargain more effectively than smaller farms.”
(D) is mentioned, so it is not the correct choice. Paragraph 3 mentions that large farms are able “to sustain themselves better financially through less productive seasons.”
(E) is mentioned, so it is NOT the correct choice Paragraph 2 mentions that large farms produce fourteen percent of the country’s total agricultural output even though they comprise less than ninety-eight percent of the country’s farms. This detail suggests that large farms have greater productivity than small farms.

TAKEAWAY: In a Detail NOT question, the four wrong choices will be supported by material explicitly found in the passage. The correct will not.

Farming practices in the United States have changed since the days of

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Farming practices in the United States have changed since the days of

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