Utah is home to Pando, a colony of about 47,000 quaking aspen trees that all share a single root system....
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Utah is home to Pando, a colony of about 47,000 quaking aspen trees that all share a single root system. Pando is one of the largest single organisms by mass on Earth, but ecologists are worried that its growth is declining in part because of grazing by animals. The ecologists say that strong fences could prevent deer from eating young trees and help Pando start thriving again.
According to the text, why are ecologists worried about Pando?
It isn't growing at the same rate it used to.
It isn't producing young trees anymore.
It can't grow into new areas because it is blocked by fences.
Its root system can't support many more new trees.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Utah is home to Pando, a colony of about 47,000 quaking aspen trees that all share a single root system." |
|
| "Pando is one of the largest single organisms by mass on Earth, but ecologists are worried that its growth is declining in part because of grazing by animals." |
|
| "The ecologists say that strong fences could prevent deer from eating young trees and help Pando start thriving again." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Ecologists are concerned about Pando's declining growth caused by animal grazing, and they believe fences could solve this problem.
Argument Flow: The passage first establishes what Pando is (a massive tree colony), then presents the central concern (declining growth from grazing), and finally offers the experts' proposed solution (protective fencing).
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The specific reason why ecologists are worried about Pando
What type of answer do we need? A direct statement about the ecologists' concern, based explicitly on what the text tells us
Any limiting keywords? "According to the text" means we need to stick closely to what's actually stated, not make inferences
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Looking at our passage analysis, the ecologists' worry is clearly stated: they're concerned because Pando's "growth is declining in part because of grazing by animals."
- This means Pando isn't growing as well as it used to - its growth rate has decreased from what it was before.
- The right answer should capture this idea that Pando's current growth performance is worse than its previous growth performance.
It isn't growing at the same rate it used to.
- This directly matches what we found - "growth is declining" means it's not growing at the same rate it used to
- Perfectly captures the ecologists' stated concern about reduced growth performance
It isn't producing young trees anymore.
- The passage mentions deer eating "young trees," which actually implies young trees ARE being produced
- The problem isn't that young trees aren't growing - it's that they're being eaten before they can mature
It can't grow into new areas because it is blocked by fences.
- Completely backwards - the passage says fences would HELP Pando by protecting it
- Fences are presented as the solution, not the problem blocking growth
Its root system can't support many more new trees.
- The passage never mentions anything about root system capacity or limitations
- This introduces information not found in the text