In the 1950s and '60s, plant breeders created shorter varieties of wheat and rice plants with improved yields. Kelly Gillespie,...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
In the 1950s and '60s, plant breeders created shorter varieties of wheat and rice plants with improved yields. Kelly Gillespie, Rex Bernardo, and other plant specialists are building on that work by exploring the development of shorter corn varieties. Greater height can allow individual plants to produce more ears of corn. However, greater height also makes the stalks more likely to snap or be uprooted in strong winds before the corn can be harvested. Because of this trade-off, some plant specialists suggest that shorter corn varieties will actually ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
help improve yields of harvested corn by being more likely to survive in severe winds.
be more likely to be uprooted due to the weight of the corn on the stalks.
require more land for planting than short varieties of wheat and rice typically do.
begin developing more ears of corn on each plant than the tallest variety of corn currently does.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "In the 1950s and '60s, plant breeders created shorter varieties of wheat and rice plants with improved yields." |
|
| "Kelly Gillespie, Rex Bernardo, and other plant specialists are building on that work by exploring the development of shorter corn varieties." |
|
| "Greater height can allow individual plants to produce more ears of corn." |
|
| "However, greater height also makes the stalks more likely to snap or be uprooted in strong winds before the corn can be harvested." |
|
| "Because of this trade-off, some plant specialists suggest that shorter corn varieties will actually ______" |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: While taller corn plants can produce more ears, the risk of wind damage creates a trade-off that makes shorter varieties potentially more beneficial for actual harvest yields.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes that shorter plant varieties have historically improved yields in wheat and rice. It then presents the corn dilemma: height increases individual plant productivity but also increases vulnerability to wind damage before harvest. This trade-off leads specialists to conclude something positive about shorter corn varieties.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The passage establishes a clear trade-off: taller corn produces more ears per plant, but it's also more likely to be damaged by wind before harvest
- Given this trade-off, shorter varieties would be less productive per plant BUT more likely to survive until harvest
- The key insight is that you can't harvest what gets destroyed by wind
- So specialists would logically conclude that shorter varieties would actually result in better harvested yields because more plants would survive to be harvested
help improve yields of harvested corn by being more likely to survive in severe winds.
✓ Correct
- This directly addresses the trade-off by focusing on survival in severe winds
- The logic flows perfectly: fewer wind losses = more corn actually harvested = improved yields
be more likely to be uprooted due to the weight of the corn on the stalks.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims shorter varieties would be more likely to be uprooted due to corn weight
- This contradicts the passage's clear statement that greater height makes stalks more likely to snap or be uprooted
require more land for planting than short varieties of wheat and rice typically do.
✗ Incorrect
- Discusses land requirements compared to wheat and rice
- The passage makes no comparison about land requirements between different crops
begin developing more ears of corn on each plant than the tallest variety of corn currently does.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims shorter varieties would develop more ears than tall varieties
- This directly contradicts the passage's statement that "greater height can allow individual plants to produce more ears of corn"