At HappyDay farms, seasonal staff is employed to pick apples during

Question

At HappyDay farms, seasonal staff is employed to pick apples during the harvest season each year. This staff is trained to identify and select only high quality apples, table-worthy apples. As part of this process, apples that have been visibly damaged by insects or disease are left to rot in the fields. The farmer who owns the property and sells the fruit is, therefore, less well informed about potential problems with his crops, such as insect infestations, than are the pickers themselves.

The conclusion drawn above is based on the assumption that

(A) the pickers are more qualified to assess the quality of the fruit sold by the farmer than is the farmer. 
 (B) during a complete year, the farmer spends more time in the field than any single seasonal picker. 
 (C) quality control is more important for members of the highest group in a hierarchy than members of the lowest group to ensure. 
 (D) the farmer obtains all of his information about problems with fruit quality from no source other than the pickers. 
 (E) the farmer, concerned with maximizing profits from sales, would want fewer apples left to rot in the field.

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dkpkoti · Answer

Conclusion:   The farmer who owns the property and sells the fruit is, therefore, less well informed about potential problems with his crops, such as insect infestations, than are the pickers themselves.

The author has drawn the conclusion solely on the basis that the pickers are the only source of information. This means he assumes there is no other way for the farmer to stay informed about the condition of his crop.

A) Incorrect – not related to the argument.
B) Incorrect – this actually weakens the argument, as spending more time in the field may result in more information about the crops.
C) Incorrect – not related to the argument.
 D) Correct,  as it assumes there is no other source of information for the farmer.
E) Incorrect – does not directly support the conclusion about the farmer's level of information regarding fruit quality.

Krunaal · Answer

The conclusion drawn in the argument is that the pickers, who are in the fields and can observe insect infestations and other problems, are better informed than the farmer about potential issues with the crops. This conclusion assumes that the farmer does not have other means of acquiring this knowledge.  If the farmer were able to obtain this information from sources other than the pickers (e.g., regular inspections of the fields, agronomists, or technology), the conclusion would be less valid.
 
Thus, the assumption supporting the conclusion is:

(D) the farmer obtains all of his information about problems with fruit quality from no source other than the pickers.

This assumption ensures that the conclusion logically follows from the premises.

Answer D.

Bunuel · Answer

Official Explanation

To find the assumption that forms the basis of this scenario, first, identify the conclusion: the farmer is not as well-informed about potential problems with his fruit as his pickers are. The evidence we have is that the pickers see and pick the substandard fruit. The only scenario in which this makes sense is if the pickers are the farmer’s only source of information (D)--he’s not looking at it himself, not being informed about it by a foreman, or otherwise finding out independently.

In the case of both (A), note that the stimulus itself isn’t making an argument about what “should” happen, only about what does happen. Who would be most qualified to assess the quality is not relevant to this particular conclusion.

Choice (B) is a weakener. If the farmer spend more time in the field, then he likely would be more informed about the potential problems with the crops. This weakens the conclusion, whereas an assumption would strengthen it.

Similarly, (C) makes a claim that the passage does not support. The passage tells us that the farm has this policy, not that the policy is right or wrong. In this case, the farmer would be at the top of the hierarchy, but this isn’t relevant to the question itself.

Finally, what the farmer would want to happen is not relevant to what actually is happening already. Choice (E) is another answer exploring a "should" scenario that is not relevant to this argument.

Answer = (D)

samarpan.g28 · Answer

Premise:  The staff is trained to pick the best apples and leave the bad ones. 
 Conclusion : The staffs know and that is why they identify high-quality apples. The farm owners (farmers) are less informed about potential problems.

There must be some reason the farm owners (farmers) lack the staff's ability. They probably never had training like the staff, or their source of knowledge is limited.

(A) the pickers are more qualified to assess the quality of the fruit sold by the farmer than is the farmer. -  Okay but why? This is the answer that we are looking for.  
 (B) during a complete year, the farmer spends more time in the field than any single seasonal picker. -  The farmers may spend more time in the farm for other reasons than inspecting the quality of the apples.  
 (C) quality control is more important for members of the highest group in a hierarchy than members of the lowest group to ensure. -  Just a fact.  
 (D) the farmer obtains all of his information about problems with fruit quality from no source other than the pickers. -  Yes, the spread of knowledge for the farmers is limited. I pick this.  
 (E) the farmer, concerned with maximizing profits from sales, would want fewer apples left to rot in the field. -  Just a fact.

I hope this helps.

SafSin28 · Answer

QS: Assumption
Argument:
Background info: If Seasonal staff, then pick apples
P: These are trained to select a highly quality and abandon visibly poor apples.
C: Farmers know less about potential threats than pickers.

A) the pickers are more qualified to assess the quality of the fruit sold by the farmer than is the farmer.---> Who cares of sold fruits? It should be about left diseased fruits. OUT
(B) during a complete year, the farmer spends more time in the field than any single seasonal picker.-----> So, the farmer knows more! OUT
(C) quality control is more important for members of the highest group in a hierarchy than members of the lowest group to ensure.---->Who cares such things here? OUT.
(D) the farmer obtains all of his information about problems with fruit quality from no source other than the pickers.---> So does this mean pickers know more than farmers? Keep it.
(E) the farmer, concerned with maximizing profits from sales, would want fewer apples left to rot in the field.----> Additional info. OUT
SO D is correct

djangobackend · Answer

I marked A but then "more qualified" doesn't mean that farmers cannot assess the quality well though. they may still very well be able to assess the rot in fruits themselves so this can't be as assumption 
upon negation - pickers are not more qualified (so equal or less) than farmers, so in both instances farmers can still assess the quality.

D - upon negation - farmers use atleast 1 other source to get info. then even if pickers don't inform farmers, then still they have another source that can tell me about the problems. so this breaks the argument that farmers are "less" well informed.

VerbalBot · Answer

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