Because plants have more nutrients when they are exposed to sunlight

Question

Because plants have more nutrients when they are exposed to sunlight and water at their roots, the growth of young plants generally increases when there is a decent amount of sunshine. By contrast, however, following a prolonged period of sunny days, the growth of hosta plant leaves is minimal and the outside edges of its leaves begin turning brown, even when rainfall is plentiful.
 
Which of the following, if true, does most to explain the contrast described above?

(A) During periods of extreme sun, the population of insects that feed on hosta leaves tend to fall.

(B) The more rainfall the hosta plant receives, the more capable it is of conducting photosynthesis and growing its stem and leaves.

(C) When hosta plants reach their mature size, conditions within the soil can become toxic or disadvantageous for nearby plants

(D) Hosta plants completely shutdown their internal functions for short intervals in periods of excessive sunlight.

(E) Except during periods of extreme sunlight, hosta plants tend to thrive better when rainfall is light and occurs steadily than when rainfull is heavy and occurs suddenly.

veergmat · Answer

Here is my explanation, if anyone has different take then please correct me , I will be glad to know where I m wrong.

A) Fall in population of insect will help the growth of plant.
B) More rainfall will not turn the leaves brown.
C) Argument has made generalized statement for young growing plants not mature plants.
D) " Short interval" is additional piece of information that can be digested as an assumption, rest of the sentence is self explanatory to describe why leaves turn brown. 
E) Its more like reconstruction of last line that explains excessive sunlight hampers the growth of hosta plantsdespite plentiful of rain.

Rumikido3 · Answer

Here is my explanation.

Contradiction:   
The growth of hosta plant leaves is minimal and edges of its leaves begin turning brown when the plant is exposed to a prolonged period of sunny day, even when rainfall is plentiful.
However, we know that growth of young plants generally increases when the plant is exposed to sunlight and water at its roots.

Pre-thinking  
We need to find a piece of information that resolves this contradiction
1) Perhaps hosta plant leaves are so dense that block sunlight at host plant's roots. One of the conditions to growth (sunlight at roots) is discarded.
2) Prolonged sunlight exposure cause a change in the growth function of hosta plants.

Option D is aligned with pre-thinking

Hope this helps!

Srota · Answer

We need to find a  contrast. 
Contrast is sunlight & water helps in growth / but following a prolonged period of sunny days, the growth of hosta plant leaves is minimal even though plenty of rainfall is there.

(A) During periods of extreme sun, the population of insects that feed on hosta leaves tends to fall.
- Insects that feed on hosta leaves is not related to the minimal growth impact.

(B) The more rainfall the hosta plant receives, the more capable it is of conducting photosynthesis and growing its stem and leaves.
- Okay but what about the minimal growth no sound explanation from this reasoning

(C) When hosta plants reach their mature size, conditions within the soil can become toxic or disadvantageous for nearby plants
- The contrast is about growth, not about if they harm others when they reach mature size.

(D) Hosta plants completely shutdown their internal functions for short intervals in periods of excessive sunlight.
- Okay looks good. As it says what happens when exposed to a prolonged period? It is understandable that for growth of plants, they must have some internal functions to do so.

(E) Except during periods of extreme sunlight, hosta plants tend to thrive better when rainfall is light and occurs steadily than when rainfall is heavy and occurs suddenly.
- the main focus is on about growth during rainfall capacity, but nothing explains minimal growth during extreme sunlight. It just states same as in question stem. It doesn't help us in resolving the paradox.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Because plants have more nutrients when they are exposed to sunlight

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