Evaluate CR - Dandelions

[srcc25anu]

Most homeowners' efforts to rid their gardens of dandelions depend almost exclusively on commercially available chemical herbicides. Such herbicides have a lethal effect only on the fully mature dandelion, but not on the seedlings of the plant, which at any given time outnumber the mature plants nearly twenty to one.

If one wished to rid one's garden completely of dandelions using only commercially available herbicides, one would most need to know the answer to which one of the following questions?

A)How long does the average fully mature dandelion live?
B)What is the length of the average life of a dandelion from seed to mature plant?
C)What percentage of dandelions in a garden are in the seedling stage?
D)Is there a period during which a dandelion is fully mature, but has not yet released its immature seeds?
E)How many seeds will the average mature dandelion produce?

OA D

[GMATGuruNY]

Most homeowners' efforts to rid their gardens of dandelions depend almost exclusively on commercially available chemical herbicides. Such herbicides have a lethal effect only on the fully mature dandelion, but not on the seedlings of the plant, which at any given time outnumber the mature plants nearly twenty to one.

If one wished to rid one's garden completely of dandelions using only commercially available herbicides, one would most need to know the answer to which one of the following questions?

A)How long does the average fully mature dandelion live?
B)What is the length of the average life of a dandelion from seed to mature plant?
C)What percentage of dandelions in a garden are in the seedling stage?
D)Is there a period during which a dandelion is fully mature, but has not yet released its immature seeds?
E)How many seeds will the average mature dandelion produce?

OA D

The herbicide kills MATURE DANDELIONS but not SEEDLINGS.
The goal is eradicate ALL of the dandelions.

The answer choices are phrased as QUESTIONS.
Change these questions to STATEMENTS.
Rephrased as a statement, the correct answer choice must show how an herbicide that kills only MATURE dandelions could also serve to eradicate ALL of the dandelions.

Answer choice D: There a period during which a dandelion is fully mature but has not yet released its immature seeds.
If during this period the herbicide eliminates all of the mature dandelions, then NO IMMATURE SEEDS will be released.
As a result, there will be NO MORE SEEDLINGS.
No mature dandelions + no more seedlings = NO MORE DANDELIONS.
Thus, this answer choice explains how -- by killing only the MATURE dandelions -- the herbicide could still serve to eradicate ALL of the dandelions.

The correct answer is D.

[Mission2012]

Hi,

Nice question.

Could you please share the source of this question.
Also, which category would this question fall into?