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17 Jul 2019, 05:03
Kudos
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betterscore
I reviewed this question after marking the incorrect answer and realised my mistake. Explaining it below for anyone who thought A should have been the answer.
The pre-thinking scenario makes it clear that we are looking for a reason why growing dwarf plants is actually a valid strategy. However, let's note here that characteristic of the dwarf plants here is that the plants itself grow only half the length of normal plants. It doesn't say anything about the actual food crop and whether its size gets impacted in any way.
With that in mind, clearly the answer cannot be A. This is because when we don't know if the actual food is getting smaller, we cannot assert that it is being used for ornamental purpose.
21 Dec 2020, 23:25
Kudos
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betterscore
This is an Explain/Resolve the Paradox type of question.
We are looking for information to explain why some plant breeders have concentrated on discovering or producing dwarf varieties, which are roughly half as tall as normal varieties though many people think of genetic manipulation of food crops as being aimed at developing larger and larger plant varieties.
Option A does not provide information to show why plant breeders have concentrated on producing dwarf varieties. Plant varieties that are used as food or ornamentals can be large or small. So, Option A can be eliminated.
Option B only mentions the supply and wholesale prices of a crop, not the size of the plant; this information does not explain why breeders have concentrated on growing dwarf varieties of plants. So, Option B can be eliminated.
Option C also provides information that is irrelevant to the argument. This option does not provide information to show why the plant breeders have concentrated on producing dwarf varieties. So, Option C can be eliminated.
Option E fails to provide information to explain why plant breeders have concentrated on producing dwarf varieties. There is no mention or indication in the passage that dwarf varieties provide more grains that can be used by nations with large industrial sectors. So, Option E can also be eliminated.
Option D clearly demonstrates an advantage that short plants have over large varieties. Extremely large plants could be destroyed more easily when they sway because of strong winds and heavy rains. If short plants are less vulnerable to strong wind and heavy rains, they cannot be destroyed that easily. Therefore, D is the most appropriate option.
Jayanthi Kumar.
26 Mar 2024, 12:35
Kudos
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Although rated a sub-500 level question, it can be a deceptively good one. Here's why:
(A) Plant varieties used as food by some are used as ornamentals by others.
I can't think as to why this option can be inferred to be correct. Maybe it tries to tap into the pre-thinking that ornamental dwarf plants like bonsai can be grown by plant breeders. Not worth spending additional brain cells on though.
(B) The wholesale prices of a given crop decrease as the supply of it increases.
Ah, this. One reason as to why this could pose a problem is that for many plant species, the taller they grow, the more yield they can provide per area of land, hence the supply of those particular species would increase leading to decreased wholesale prices. However that does not eliminate the existing competition by existing plant breeders growing taller variants and at this point we seem to have deliberated out of the scope of the argument.
(C) Crops once produced exclusively for human consumption are often now used for animal feed.
One way of feeding animals is by grazing. I can think of a few reasons why dwarf plant species can be used for this:
1) As mentioned above, taller species provide more yield which could lead to overgrazing that is an active problem with farm animals.
2) Presence of taller shoots of plant leads to a decreased field of vision of farm animals which increases chances of attack by prey.
However, this is out of scope too.
(D) Short plants are less vulnerable to strong wind and heavy rains.
This produces a more straightforward need for plant breeders to grow dwarf plants.
(E) Nations with large industrial sectors tend to consume more processed grains.
Huh?
Hence, (D) is the answer.
Only reason behind this reply was to give an example of how even easier questions, especially those that can be a slam dunk for a person with a major unrelated to the topic mentioned in the question stem, can be trickier for people who have majored in that respective field. As it involves indulging into the theory already known to them.
(A) Plant varieties used as food by some are used as ornamentals by others.
I can't think as to why this option can be inferred to be correct. Maybe it tries to tap into the pre-thinking that ornamental dwarf plants like bonsai can be grown by plant breeders. Not worth spending additional brain cells on though.
(B) The wholesale prices of a given crop decrease as the supply of it increases.
Ah, this. One reason as to why this could pose a problem is that for many plant species, the taller they grow, the more yield they can provide per area of land, hence the supply of those particular species would increase leading to decreased wholesale prices. However that does not eliminate the existing competition by existing plant breeders growing taller variants and at this point we seem to have deliberated out of the scope of the argument.
(C) Crops once produced exclusively for human consumption are often now used for animal feed.
One way of feeding animals is by grazing. I can think of a few reasons why dwarf plant species can be used for this:
1) As mentioned above, taller species provide more yield which could lead to overgrazing that is an active problem with farm animals.
2) Presence of taller shoots of plant leads to a decreased field of vision of farm animals which increases chances of attack by prey.
However, this is out of scope too.
(D) Short plants are less vulnerable to strong wind and heavy rains.
This produces a more straightforward need for plant breeders to grow dwarf plants.
(E) Nations with large industrial sectors tend to consume more processed grains.
Huh?
Hence, (D) is the answer.
Only reason behind this reply was to give an example of how even easier questions, especially those that can be a slam dunk for a person with a major unrelated to the topic mentioned in the question stem, can be trickier for people who have majored in that respective field. As it involves indulging into the theory already known to them.
