A community organization wants to restore the indigenous forests around the Mahurangi River in New Zealand by planting millions of...
GMAT Multi Source Reasoning : (MSR) Questions
A community organization wants to restore the indigenous forests around the Mahurangi River in New Zealand by planting millions of trees along the banks of the river. Unfortunately, seedlings of indigenous tree species are expensive. At the beginning of the project in 2010, high-quality seedlings of common nonnative plants in the area cost around 0.30 New Zealand dollars (NZ$) each. By contrast, high-quality indigenous seedlings cost around NZ$3 each. Although scale did play a role, the principal cause of the price difference was the nursery methods used. Nonnative species were raised in open-ground beds utilizing mechanization, whereas indigenous species were typically raised in containers because of the perception that they are particularly prone to transplantation shock.
The organization conducted a study to evaluate whether indigenous species could be successfully produced using the open ground method of forestry and to determine the approximate post-transplantation survival rates and foliage growth they could expect from seedlings raised in this manner. They planted a test plot with seedlings of six indigenous species commonly used for restoration plantings in the area. One third of the seedlings of each species had been raised using open ground methods, one third had been raised in large containers, and one third had been raised in small containers.
For each of the following statements about the indigenous New Zealand plants used in the study, select Yes if that statement is true of every species in the study, according to the information provided. Otherwise select No.
OWNING THE DATASET
Understanding Source A: Text Source - Study Description
| Information from Dataset | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "seedlings of indigenous tree species are expensive... high-quality indigenous seedlings cost around NZ$3 each" vs "high-quality seedlings of common nonnative plants... cost around 0.30 New Zealand dollars" |
|
| "the principal cause of the price difference was the nursery methods used. Nonnative species were raised in open-ground beds utilizing mechanization, whereas indigenous species were typically raised in containers" |
|
| "indigenous species were typically raised in containers because of the perception that they are particularly prone to transplantation shock" |
|
| "They planted a test plot with seedlings of six indigenous species... One third of the seedlings of each species had been raised using open ground methods, one third had been raised in large containers, and one third had been raised in small containers" |
|
Summary: A restoration organization conducted a study to test whether cheaper open-ground production methods could work for indigenous seedlings traditionally grown in expensive containers.
Understanding Source B: Chart - Survival Rate
Chart Analysis:
- What it shows: Percentage of seedlings surviving one year after transplant, comparing three raising methods (large containers, small containers, open ground) across six indigenous species
- Key patterns observed:
- Karamu, koromiko, manuka, and harakeke all show 84-99% survival across all methods
- Ti kouka shows dramatic differences: 90% (large containers), 40% (small containers), 65% (open ground)
- Toetoe has lower overall survival: 59% (large containers and open ground), 31% (small containers)
- Inference: Most indigenous species show high survival rates across all raising methods, but Ti kouka and toetoe show significantly lower survival, especially in small containers
- Linkage to Source A: The high survival rates for most species (84-99%) contradict the perception mentioned in Source A that indigenous species are "particularly prone to transplantation shock" - the data shows most species survive well regardless of production method
Summary: Most indigenous species achieve high survival rates with all production methods, directly challenging the expensive container-growing practice, though Ti kouka and toetoe show more variable results.
Understanding Source C: Chart - Canopy Spread
Chart Analysis:
- What it shows: Average leaf canopy spread (in cm) measuring foliage growth one year after transplant, comparing the three raising methods across six species (only includes surviving plants)
- Key patterns observed:
- Toetoe shows the largest canopy spread (~68cm in large containers and open ground)
- Small containers consistently produce the smallest canopy spread for all species
- Open ground generally matches or exceeds large container growth for most species
- Inference: Surviving plants from open ground methods show growth comparable to or better than expensive container methods, with small containers consistently underperforming
- Linkage to Source A: The comparable or better growth from open ground methods confirms that the cheaper production method (10x less expensive) doesn't compromise plant performance
- Linkage to Source B: Despite toetoe's lower survival rates (59%), the survivors grow vigorously with the largest canopy spread; small containers show both poor survival (especially for Ti kouka at 40%) and consistently poor growth across all species
Summary: Growth data reinforces that open-ground production achieves results equal to or better than expensive containers, while small containers fail on both survival and growth metrics.
Overall Summary
- The combined analysis reveals that current nursery practices may be based on outdated perceptions, creating unnecessary costs without corresponding benefits for most species.
- Four of the six indigenous species tested show high survival rates (84-99%) regardless of production method, directly contradicting the industry belief that these plants need expensive container growing to avoid transplant shock.
- Open ground production could reduce costs by roughly 90% (from $3 to $0.30 per seedling) while maintaining or improving both survival rates and growth for most species.
- Only Ti kouka clearly benefits from large containers, suggesting species-specific approaches may be warranted for exceptional cases rather than blanket use of expensive methods.
Question Analysis
In Plain Terms: For each statement, I must check if it applies to every single species tested (all 6 species). If even one species does not follow the pattern, the answer is No.
Key Constraints:
- Must be true for ALL species
- Based solely on provided data
- Yes/No answers required
Answer Type Needed: Fact verification across all species
Connecting to Our Passage Analysis
Description: The analysis involves checking survival rates and canopy spread data across three growth environments (large containers, small containers, open ground) for each of the six indigenous species to verify each statement.
Can Answer From Analysis Alone: Yes - analysis contains all required comparisons and data
Extracting Relevant Findings
- Evaluating three statements about universal growth and survival patterns across all six indigenous New Zealand species.
- Each species has survival and growth data for large containers, small containers, and open ground conditions.
- Testing if each statement holds true for all species without exception.
Statement 1 Evaluation
In Plain Terms: Do ALL species have both higher survival rates and larger canopy spreads in large containers than in small containers or open ground?
- From data: Some species (karamu, koromiko) show higher survival in open ground than large containers; many have larger canopy spreads in open ground than in large containers.
- Requires both higher survival and larger canopy spread in large containers versus both other conditions for all species.
- Several species violate one or both conditions.
- FALSE - Not true for every species.
Statement 2 Evaluation
In Plain Terms: Do ALL species have higher survival rates in open ground compared to both container types?
- From data: Only karamu and koromiko have higher survival in open ground; four species have equal or lower survival in open ground versus large containers.
- Requires open ground survival superiority for all species.
- Four of six species do not follow this pattern.
- FALSE - Only applies to some species.
Statement 3 Evaluation
In Plain Terms: Do ALL species show smaller canopy spreads in small containers compared to both large containers and open ground?
- Data shows every species has the smallest canopy spread in small containers compared to the other two environments.
- Requires smaller canopy spread in small containers for all species.
- No species violates this; pattern is universal.
- TRUE - Universally valid across all species.
Systematic Checking
Description: Cross-verification against the dataset confirms the following points:
- Small containers consistently yield the lowest canopy spread across all species.
- Open ground sometimes provides higher survival and canopy spread but not uniformly.
- Survival rates show species-specific variation related to growing environment.
- Only the growth limitation in small containers is consistently observed for every species.
Final Answer
No, No, Yes
They had both higher survival rates and larger canopy spreads after one year when grown in large containers rather than in small containers or open ground.
They had higher survival rates after one year when grown in open ground rather than in either small or large containers.
They had smaller canopy spreads after one year when grown in small containers rather than in large containers or open ground.