PT156 S1 P1 Q1 ExplanationHeirloom Crops

Answer choices, explained

1. A

   Wrong Emphasis: protect culture5% picked this

   Heirloom crops need to be protected not only to maintain desirable genetic diversity but to protect North

   When we use not only X but also Y, there is an implicit emphasis on the second part: "She has not only played chess for many years but also won many tournaments!" This passage is only concerned with the Problem of declining crop diversity, and we're only talking about heirlooms as a solution to that problem. So this answer is putting way too much emphasis on the idea that "Heirloom crops need to be protected in order to protect North American cultures". The author never identified evaporating culture as a problem. Finally, the recommendation from this passage is less about "protecting" heirloom crops themselves and more about making sure we acquire as much of the indigenous farmers' knowledge about heirloom crops.

   5%
2. B

   Wrong Emphasis: missing Solution2% picked this

   Indigenous farmers originated the practice of creating hybrid crops to maximize yields, but their efforts were overlooked by crop geneticists until recent increases in

   The central topic of the passage was heirloom crops, and that idea doesn't show up in this answer choice at all. Even if we forgave it that omission, this main thrust of this answer is that "the practice of creating hybrid crops to maximize yields was overlooked until recently by crop geneticists". We're not reading about heirloom crops because of their ability to maximize yields. We're reading about them because of declining crop diversity (a problem that has actually come to fruition because crop geneticists were only worried about maximizing yields).

   2%
3. C

   Correct90% picked this

   The problem of an eroding crop genetic base in North America points to the need for crop geneticists to preserve and utilize knowledge held

   Why this is right

   This is sneaky-mean, since it doesn't mention heirloom crops, which is the main character of the passage. It just alludes to them as "specialized crops". But beyond that, this answer by far is the closest match for the final sentence of the passage. It also captures the Problem (eroding crop genetic base) and the Solution (steps must be taken to preserve indigenous knowledge systems and integrate them).

   Skill tested: Main Point · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

   90%
4. D

   Wrong Emphasis2% picked this

   Erosion of the crop genetic base in North America is the result of the loss of indigenous knowledge regarding the cultivation of

   Wrong Emphasis: missing Solution Unsupported Causal Relationship The easiest way to eliminate this is that it doesn't sound like "We should preserve indigenous knowledge of heirloom crops". It is a description of a Problem, but the main point should be a sentiment that expresses the Call to Action at the end of the passage, the Solution. But in addition, this answer says that the erosion of the crop genetic base is because of a loss of indigenous knowledge, but the passage locates the cause of the eroding genetic diversity as the result of crop geneticists who solely looked at non-North American methods for maximizing yields.

   2%
5. E

   Unsupported Causal Relationship1% picked this

   The wide variety of heirloom crop genetics maintained by indigenous farmers is a direct result of efforts to procure the best yields

   Again, the easiest way to eliminate this is that it doesn't sound like a Solution to a Problem. It's just a causal statement about the present, not a recommendation for the future. Beyond that, it says something more or less contradicted by the passage. We had two different things going on ... indigenous farmers were growing a wide variety of heirloom crops, and crop geneticists who have been ignoring those indigenous farmers while putting their efforts into procuring the best yields by using techniques not from North America. The passage was saying, "Because we've been putting efforts into procuring the best yields, we've been ignoring the wide variety of heirlooms maintained by indigenous farmers."

   1%