Palm Trees

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Palm Trees

by komal » Thu Feb 11, 2010 10:15 pm
In Asia, where palm trees are nonnative, the trees' flowers have traditionally been pollinated by hand, which has kept palm fruit productivity unnaturally low. When weevils known to be efficient pollinators of palm flowers were introduced into Asia in 1980, palm fruit productivity increased-by up to 50 percent in some areas-but then decreased sharply in 1984.

Which of the following statements, if true, would best explain the 1984 decrease in productivity?

(A) Prices for palm fruit fell between 1980 and 1984 following the rise in production and a concurrent fall
in demand.

(B) Imported trees are often more productive than native trees because the imported ones have left behind
their pests and diseases in their native lands.

(e) Rapid increases in productivity tend to deplete trees of nutrients needed for the development of the 'fruit producing
female flowers.

(D) The weevil population in Asia remained at approximately the same level between 1980 and 1984.

(E) Prior to 1980 another species of insect pollinated the Asian palm trees, but not as efficiently as the species of weevil that was introduced in 1980

OA C
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by sars72 » Thu Feb 11, 2010 10:28 pm
45 seconds :D
(A) Prices for palm fruit fell between 1980 and 1984 following the rise in production and a concurrent fall
in demand.
prices, demand blah blah... nothing about productivity. Eliminated!
(B) Imported trees are often more productive than native trees because the imported ones have left behind
their pests and diseases in their native lands.
nothing about why there was a decrease in 1984. Eliminated!
(C) Rapid increases in productivity tend to deplete trees of nutrients needed for the development of the 'fruit producing female flowers.
hmm... so increase in productivity in 1980 lead to depletion of nutrients --> decrease in develpment of flowers .. tada!
(D) The weevil population in Asia remained at approximately the same level between 1980 and 1984.
thanks for nothing!
(E) Prior to 1980 another species of insect pollinated the Asian palm trees, but not as efficiently as the species of weevil that was introduced in 1980
explains jump in 1980... but nthing about the decrease in 1984. Eliminated!

--> C

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by mmslf75 » Fri Feb 12, 2010 12:57 am
24 seconds

OA C

Explanations as stated above

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by sars72 » Fri Feb 12, 2010 2:16 am
mmslf75 wrote:24 seconds

OA C

Explanations as stated above
24 seconds!! really???

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by joseph32 » Sun May 15, 2016 11:38 pm
In my opinion C is the most logical one