Question Type:
Explain a Result
Stimulus Breakdown:
Expected: Pumpkins would be grown in areas where there's no risk of frost damage.
Unexpected: Pumpkins are grown in areas with bad winters.
Answer Anticipation:
We need to explain why pumpkins aren't grown in areas that would avoid one set of problems (frost damage/delayed planting). The correct answer should therefore focus on why there are other considerations that make growing pumpkins in these regions better than in areas that avoid frost damage.
Correct answer:
(D)
Answer choice analysis:
(A) If anything, opposite. The cold areas make it hard to predict when growing season starts, so aiming for a specific maturation date would be harder there.
(B) If anything, opposite. If bees are necessary and they like the warmth, then pumpkins should be grown in warm areas.
(C) Out of scope. Where the pumpkins are sold isn't inherently related to where they're grown. You may buy local, but the LSAT doesn't! (Well, they might, but we don't know for sure.)
(D) Bingo. While growing in warm areas avoids frost damage and planting delays, growing in cold areas avoids fungus and disease. The answer doesn't establish this is a bigger problem than frost damage, but we don't need a perfect answer for an Explain a Result question; just one that allows you to tell a story that makes sense. Here, the story is that farmers risk frost damage to avoid fungus.
(E) Confusing. This answer seems to be conflating warm (long growing seasons) and cold (use a greenhouse) locations. In any case, it doesn't suggest why farmers would prefer the cold, focusing on the seeds instead of the pumpkins.
Takeaway/Pattern:
Clearly define the unexpected outcome to make it easier to find the answer!
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