Which of the following most logically completes the argument?
A new machine for harvesting corn will allow rows to be planted only fifteen inches apart, instead of the usual thirty inches. Corn planted this closely will produce lower yields per plant. Nevertheless, the new machine will allow corn growers to double their profits per acre because _________.
A) with the closer spacing of the rows, the growing core plant will quickly form a dense canopy of leaves, which will, by shading the ground,minimize the need for costly weed control and irrigation
B)with the closer spacing of the rows, corn plants will be forced to grow taller because of increased competition for sunlight from neighboring corn plants
C)with the larger number of plants per acre, more fertilizer will be required
D)with the spacing between rows cut by half, the number of plants grown per acre will almost double
E) with the closer spacing of the rows, the acreage on which corn is planted will be utilized much more intensively than it was before requiring more frequent fallow years in which corn fields are left unplanted
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GMAT Prep-Rows of Corn
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ceilidh.erickson
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Whenever you see a CR argument that mentions "profit," think: PROFIT = REVENUE - COSTS
This argument gives the following premises:
- Rows will be planted half as far apart as usual. From this we can infer that there will be twice as many rows of corn per acre.
- There will be lower yields per plants. So, we can infer that there won't actually be twice as much corn harvested.
We are then asked to explain the fact that corn growers will in fact double their profits, even though they have not doubled their yield. For this to be true, one of the following has to be true:
- This new machine/process will increase REVENUE in some other way (better quality corn, etc)
- The machine/process will cut down on COSTS
A) with the closer spacing of the rows, the growing core plant will quickly form a dense canopy of leaves, which will, by shading the ground,minimize the need for costly weed control and irrigation
This tells us that the machine will reduce major costs. That would explain an increase in profit!
B)with the closer spacing of the rows, corn plants will be forced to grow taller because of increased competition for sunlight from neighboring corn plants
The height of the corn plants does not have any obvious effect on revenue or costs.
C)with the larger number of plants per acre, more fertilizer will be required
This would increase, not reduce, the costs.
D)with the spacing between rows cut by half, the number of plants grown per acre will almost double
This may seem like a tempting answer, but consider - we had already inferred this. This would explain why profit would almost double, but not why it would actually double, because yields were lower.
E) with the closer spacing of the rows, the acreage on which corn is planted will be utilized much more intensively than it was before requiring more frequent fallow years in which corn fields are left unplanted
This would indicate that revenue would decrease, if land can't be used in certain years.
The answer is A.
This argument gives the following premises:
- Rows will be planted half as far apart as usual. From this we can infer that there will be twice as many rows of corn per acre.
- There will be lower yields per plants. So, we can infer that there won't actually be twice as much corn harvested.
We are then asked to explain the fact that corn growers will in fact double their profits, even though they have not doubled their yield. For this to be true, one of the following has to be true:
- This new machine/process will increase REVENUE in some other way (better quality corn, etc)
- The machine/process will cut down on COSTS
A) with the closer spacing of the rows, the growing core plant will quickly form a dense canopy of leaves, which will, by shading the ground,minimize the need for costly weed control and irrigation
This tells us that the machine will reduce major costs. That would explain an increase in profit!
B)with the closer spacing of the rows, corn plants will be forced to grow taller because of increased competition for sunlight from neighboring corn plants
The height of the corn plants does not have any obvious effect on revenue or costs.
C)with the larger number of plants per acre, more fertilizer will be required
This would increase, not reduce, the costs.
D)with the spacing between rows cut by half, the number of plants grown per acre will almost double
This may seem like a tempting answer, but consider - we had already inferred this. This would explain why profit would almost double, but not why it would actually double, because yields were lower.
E) with the closer spacing of the rows, the acreage on which corn is planted will be utilized much more intensively than it was before requiring more frequent fallow years in which corn fields are left unplanted
This would indicate that revenue would decrease, if land can't be used in certain years.
The answer is A.
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
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ceilidh.erickson
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For more examples of PROFIT = REVENUE - COST, see:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/economic-ben ... tml#575563
https://www.beatthegmat.com/weaken-certa ... tml#696454
https://www.beatthegmat.com/economic-ben ... tml#575563
https://www.beatthegmat.com/weaken-certa ... tml#696454
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
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Patrick_GMATFix
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This is QID 2192 in the GMATFix Solutions Engine (full solution here).
fill-in-the-blanks require you to complete the author's line of thought.
here the author tells us that even though each plant will produce less, profits per acre will double because ____.
What goes in the blank (the right answer) must be evidence that revenue per acre will increase significantly or that cost per acre will decrease significantly (since these are the factors that would boost profits).
Eliminate all answers that don't discuss revenue, cost or profit: B, E (maybe D)
Eliminate answers that push revneue down or cost up (this would reduce profit): C
A is much stronger than D since A directly discusses cost minimization.
Answer A
fill-in-the-blanks require you to complete the author's line of thought.
here the author tells us that even though each plant will produce less, profits per acre will double because ____.
What goes in the blank (the right answer) must be evidence that revenue per acre will increase significantly or that cost per acre will decrease significantly (since these are the factors that would boost profits).
Eliminate all answers that don't discuss revenue, cost or profit: B, E (maybe D)
Eliminate answers that push revneue down or cost up (this would reduce profit): C
A is much stronger than D since A directly discusses cost minimization.
Answer A
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ceilidh.erickson
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You're very welcome!2010Chick wrote:Super helpful. I will also check out the link you posted. Thanks again!
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
