Self-study
P1
Because most agricultural practices in North America produce row after row of only a few, genetically identical, varieties of crops, the continent's food system rests precariously on a rapidly eroding genetic base, increasingly susceptible to pests and disease. ███
Problem ·
Crop system precarious
Because crops are genetically homogeneous
Potential Solution ·
Conserve genetic info of heirloom varieties
Challenges ·
Farming methods unsuited to conservation
P2
█ ██████ █████ █████████ ███ ███████████ ██ ██████████ ███████ ██████ ██ █████ █████████████ ██ █████████ ████████ ██ ███████ ████████ ██ █████████ ██ ████ ██████████ █████ ███████████ ███
Details of Solution ·
Indigenous techniques
Technique and Advantage ·
Hybridization
Resistence to pest and disease
Technique and Advantage ·
Environmental fit
Less intensive irrigation
P3
████ ██ █████ ████████ █████████ ███ █████████ ██ █████████ ████ ██████ ██ ██████████ ███████ ███ ██████ █████ ███████ █████████████ ███████ ██████████ ███ ████████ ████████ █████████ ██████████ █████████ ██ ███ ████████ ███████████ ███ ███████████ ███████ ███ ████ ██████████ ███████ ███ █████████ ██ █████████████████ █████████ ██████ ██ ████ ██████████ ███
Details of Solution ·
Heirloom varieties persisted over time
Threat to Solution ·
fewer small farmers and breakdown of exchange networks
Call to Action ·
Must preserve indigenous knowledge
Passage Style
Problem-analysis
Single position
4.
The author's main purpose in ███████ ███ ███████ ██ ██
a
criticize current efforts ██ █████ █ ███████
Although the author does have a
b
contrast two approaches ██ ███████ █ ███████
This doesn’t capture the author’s support for research into indigenous knowledge. The author’s intention isn’t merely to describe differences between approaches; it’s to support a particular approach.
c
propose a novel ████████ ██ █ ███████
Tempting, but not accurate, because the author doesn’t “propose” a “novel” (new) solution. Rather, the author
d
praise a definitive ████████ ██ █ ███████
“Definitive” is too strong. The author never suggests that the solution is definitive or otherwise certain to work. Rather, the author uses the phrase “
e
support a promising ████████ ██ █ ███████
This best captures the author’s purpose, which is to support research into indigenous knowledge of heirloom crops as a way to solve the problem of North American crops’ eroding genetic base.