Q26

[rinagoldfield]

26. (C)
Question type: Inference

This question asks us to make an inference from a specific section of the passage. Line 48 falls in the heart of paragraph 3, which describes the impact of micro-organism diversity on native plants’ ability to flourish. The author states that native plants thrive more in soil that contains fewer disease microorganisms and more beneficial ones. The reader can infer that eliminating disease organisms from soil could help these plants grow.

(A) is an unsupported interpretation. The impact of disease organisms on symbiotic mycorrhiza is never discussed.

(B) is an unsupported interpretation. The relationship between thistles and disease microorganisms is never examined.

(C) perfectly matches the prediction above. This is the correct answer.

(D) is tempting. The reader knows that land that has been out of production for many years tends to have fewer disease microorganisms and higher numbers of beneficial ones. However, the reader can’t infer that declining numbers of disease microorganisms causes beneficial microorganisms for flourish. Eliminate this answer choice

(E) is an unsupported interpretation. The author never analyses how different species of disease microorganisms effect one another.

[isaac.botier]

26. (C)
Question Type: Inference (41-50)

The final paragraph tells us that the seeds sown on enriched plots fared better than seeds sown on unenriched plots, but not as well as seeds that grow naturally on nearby land (which has been out of production for 20 years). Researchers attribute the discrepancy to the fact that fields that have been farmed for many years are (i) overrun with aggressive disease organisms and (ii) are lacking in beneficial fungi that strengthen against the effects of disease organisms. We can infer plants would have a higher chance of survival without the aggressive disease organisms, which is expressed in answer choice (C).

(A) is an unsupported interpretation. We’re told that beneficial mycorrhiza fungi are lacking in fields that have been farmed for many years, and there is no reason to conclude that eliminating aggressive disease organisms would make them even more lacking.

(B) is an unsupported interpretation and is too extreme. There is no connection to thistles in this portion of the passage. Further, it’s extreme because even if disease organisms were eliminated, it’s a big jump to infer that thistles would be completely unable to survive.

(D) is an unsupported interpretation and is too extreme. This answer choice might seem appealing given the two factors listed above, but this answer choice is extreme _ "all types of beneficial microorganisms" _ and the passage does not link the elimination of disease organisms with an increase in all beneficial microorganisms.

(E) is out of scope. There is no way to infer about populations of other types of disease organisms from this portion of the passage.

[joseph.m.kirby]

Shouldn't this question reference to Line 46, 47, 49 or 50? Perhaps this question could just state Lines 46-50. "Disease organisms" are not mentioned, or even partly mentioned, in Line 48.