Scientists have modified feed corn genetically, increasing its resistance to insect pests. Farmers who tried out the genetically modified corn...
GMAT Critical Reasoning : (CR) Questions
Source: Official Guide
...
...
Post a Query
Scientists have modified feed corn genetically, increasing its resistance to insect pests. Farmers who tried out the genetically modified corn last season applied less insecticide to their corn fields and still got yields comparable to those they would have gotten with ordinary corn. Ordinary corn seed, however, costs less, and what these farmers saved on insecticide rarely exceeded their extra costs for seed. Therefore, for most feed-corn farmers, switching to genetically modified seed would be unlikely to increase profits.
Which of the following would it be most useful to know in order to evaluate the argument?
Solution
Passage Analysis:
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
| Scientists have modified feed corn genetically, increasing its resistance to insect pests. |
|
| Farmers who tried out the genetically modified corn last season applied less insecticide to their corn fields and still got yields comparable to those they would have gotten with ordinary corn. |
|
| Ordinary corn seed, however, costs less, and what these farmers saved on insecticide rarely exceeded their extra costs for seed. |
|
| Therefore, for most feed-corn farmers, switching to genetically modified seed would be unlikely to increase profits. |
|
Argument Flow:
The argument starts by explaining what genetically modified corn is and how it works, then shows it's effective in practice, but reveals that the cost savings don't outweigh the higher seed prices, leading to the conclusion that most farmers won't benefit financially from switching.
Main Conclusion:
For most feed-corn farmers, switching to genetically modified seed would be unlikely to increase profits.
Logical Structure:
The argument uses a cost-benefit analysis structure: it establishes that the modified corn works (reduces insecticide use while maintaining yields) but then shows the economic reality (higher seed costs exceed insecticide savings), which logically supports why most farmers won't see increased profits.
Prethinking:
Question type:
Evaluate - We need to find information that would help us determine whether the argument's conclusion is sound or not
Precision of Claims
The argument makes specific claims about costs (seed costs vs insecticide savings), yields (comparable), and profitability (unlikely to increase). We need to evaluate the completeness of this cost-benefit analysis
Strategy
For evaluate questions, we look for assumptions the argument makes and create scenarios that would either strengthen or weaken the conclusion when we get more information. We want to find gaps in the reasoning where additional information would be crucial to judge the argument's validity
Answer Choices Explained
A
Whether there are insect pests that sometimes reduce feed-corn yields, but against which commonly used insecticides and the genetic modification are equally ineffective
This asks about insect pests that both insecticides and genetic modification can't handle. While this might affect yields in some cases, it doesn't help us evaluate the core cost-benefit analysis the argument makes about insecticide savings versus seed costs. The argument already accounts for comparable yields, so this information wouldn't change the profit calculation.
B
Whether the price that farmers receive for feed corn has remained steady over the past few years
Whether feed corn prices have remained steady doesn't directly address the argument's reasoning about the cost difference between GM and ordinary seeds versus insecticide savings. The argument's conclusion is based on comparing costs within the same farming season, not price trends over time.
C
Whether the insecticides typically used on feed corn tend to be more expensive than insecticides typically used on other crops
Comparing insecticide costs between feed corn and other crops is irrelevant to evaluating this argument. We need information about the cost relationship within feed corn farming specifically - between seed costs and insecticide savings - not comparisons to other crops.
D
Whether most of the farmers who tried the genetically modified corn last season applied more insecticide than was actually necessary
This is crucial information for evaluating the argument. If farmers who used regular corn were applying more insecticide than actually necessary, then the true potential savings from switching to GM corn would be much smaller than what the test farmers experienced. This would make the argument's conclusion even stronger. Conversely, if farmers were using appropriate amounts, it validates the cost-benefit analysis. This directly helps us assess whether the economic reasoning in the argument is sound.
E
Whether, for most farmers who plant feed corn, it is their most profitable crop
Whether feed corn is farmers' most profitable crop doesn't affect the specific cost-benefit analysis about GM versus ordinary corn seed. The argument is focused on comparing profitability within feed corn options, not comparing feed corn to other crops.
Rate this Solution
Tell us what you think about this solution
Forum Discussions
Start a new discussion
Post
Load More