Resolve, reconcile, or explain questions present us two facts that exist in tension, then ask us to provide an additional fact that explains how they could both be true. In this stimulus, the two facts in tension are:

Fact 1: Usually famines are followed by periods of rising wages.
Fact 2: The Irish potato famine was not followed by a period of rising wages.

Because this is an EXCEPT question, we know the testwriters were able to come up with at least four plausible explanations. This gives us reason to spend more time brainstorming than we usually do – apparently coming up with explanations is pretty easy. Here are some of mine (I legit wrote these out before looking at the answers):

• Maybe the Irish potato famine was so severe that it diminished not just the labor supply but also the demand for labor.
• Maybe there was a dramatic influx of immigrants to Ireland once the famine abated, driving wages down.
• Maybe [other factors that I can't think of because I am an ignoramus] put downward pressure on wages that counteracted the famine's influence, weighing factors style.