Critical Reasoning

Davison River farmers are currently deciding between planting winter wheat this fall or spring wheat next spring. Winter wheat and spring wheat are usually about equally profitable. Because of new government restrictions on the use of Davison River water for irrigation, per acre yields for winter wheat, though not for spring wheat, would be much lower than average. Therefore, planting spring wheat will be more profitable than planting winter wheat, since_______.

A. the smaller-than-average size of a winter wheat harvest this year would not be compensated for by higher winter wheat prices
B. new crops of spring wheat must be planted earlier than the time at which standing crops of winter wheat are ready to be harvested
C. the spring wheat that farmers in the Davison River region plant is well adapted to the soil of the region
D. spring wheat has uses that are different from those of winter wheat
E. planting spring wheat is more profitable than planting certain other crops, such as rye

OA A

Doubt : In A, are we concerned with the Size or with the Harvest?

guess they mean the size of the harvest or the volume of the winter harvest.

Can someone please explain?

I feel that B should be the answer ( this oiption came to my mind before looking at the options)

Initially you'll think why not plant both. But the farmers would go for Spring crops as they need to be planted before the Winter wheat can be harvested. If the farmer goes with Winter wheat then he would not be able to plant the Spring ones.

Both the crops are equally profitable in normal conditions.
According to A, the smaller than average size(volume) of the wheat is not compensated by high prices, then it is not as profitable as it used to be.

Hence A.

B has no bearing on the profit. If spring wheat is planted before winter wheat is harvested, then that must be done every year. It is not because of restriction for irrigation.

B isn't really in scope either. That's how most of the choices can be eliminated. A is directly mentioned in the passage.

Here we need to weaken our premise "Winter wheat and spring wheat are usually about equally profitable"

The author has assumed spring wheat and winter wheat similar on profitability index.

If we can show that profitability is not similar/ is different for spring and winter wheat, we can weaken the premise.

Answer Choice A clearly tells us that profitability of winter harvest is not equal to spring harvest (bec A says that there will be no profit at all)

B: Gives us no insight on profitability. (Look at the last line. It talks of profitability.) Out of scope. Eliminate

C: Gives us no insight on profitability. (Look at the last line. It talks of profitability.) Out of scope. Eliminate

D: Gives us no insight on profitability. (Look at the last line. It talks of profitability.) Out of scope. Eliminate

E: Gives us no insight on profitability. (Look at the last line. It talks of profitability.) Out of scope. Eliminate

Cheers!!

TJ

I still feel A should be the answer