- PowerScore Staff
- Posts: 8950
- Joined: Feb 02, 2011
- Mon Apr 11, 2016 11:00 pm
#36284
Complete Question Explanation
Must be True—CE. The correct answer choice is (E)
This stimulus is a fact set, and since there is no conclusion you should expect either a Must Be True
question, or, less likely, a Cannot Be True question.
The stimulus indicates that lack of rain is a cause of crop failure, and that subsequently a number of
businesses and individuals lose money. In short, uncontrollable factors such as lack of rain can cause
a chain of events that lead to loss of business and decreased profi ts for a wide variety of groups.
The question stem asks what can be logically inferred, so you must select a response that must be
true.
Answer choice (A): Just because several of the businesses that sell to farmers fail does not mean
that farming itself is not prospering. For example, farming could be prospering but a business might
be poorly run and consequently fail, or a business could be affected by other factors such as a
lawsuit or adverse conditions in other markets they sell to. Logically, this answer choice reverses the
relationship presented in the stimulus.
Answer choice (B): This choice might seem attractive, but it is wrong for several reasons. First, the
stimulus does not defi ne how much of a lack of rain causes crop failure, and below-average rainfall
might not necessarily cause crop failure (remember, below average can still be very close to average;
for example, if a locality receives an average of 100 inches of rain a year, an amount as high as 99
inches would be classifi ed as below average, and an amount that close to the average would be very
unlikely to cause crop failure).
Second, the stimulus simply noted that certain businesses are unable to make a profi t when farmer’s
crops fail. This answer improperly expands that group to include all business that profifi t from
farmers’ purchases (this includes any business—personal or commercial—a farmer might buy from,
including McDonald’s, the grocery store, etc.), and then indicates that those businesses tend to lose
money (which is also unknown).
Answer choice (C): The stimulus is not about who is responsible for the consequences of wheat crop
failure, so this answer choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (D): The stimulus may support the idea that wheat crop failure can have far-reaching
economic consequences, but it does not support the idea that a dependence on agriculture can lead
to major economic crises. In simple terms, this answer fails the Fact Test because the ideas in this
answer are not addresses in the stimulus.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. As stated by the stimulus, a lack of rain (and
a drought is an extreme form of a lack of rain), can cause crop failure, and, according to the stimulus,
such failures have an impact beyond agriculture (specifi cally, truckers, mechanics, and fuel suppliers
are all affected).
Must be True—CE. The correct answer choice is (E)
This stimulus is a fact set, and since there is no conclusion you should expect either a Must Be True
question, or, less likely, a Cannot Be True question.
The stimulus indicates that lack of rain is a cause of crop failure, and that subsequently a number of
businesses and individuals lose money. In short, uncontrollable factors such as lack of rain can cause
a chain of events that lead to loss of business and decreased profi ts for a wide variety of groups.
The question stem asks what can be logically inferred, so you must select a response that must be
true.
Answer choice (A): Just because several of the businesses that sell to farmers fail does not mean
that farming itself is not prospering. For example, farming could be prospering but a business might
be poorly run and consequently fail, or a business could be affected by other factors such as a
lawsuit or adverse conditions in other markets they sell to. Logically, this answer choice reverses the
relationship presented in the stimulus.
Answer choice (B): This choice might seem attractive, but it is wrong for several reasons. First, the
stimulus does not defi ne how much of a lack of rain causes crop failure, and below-average rainfall
might not necessarily cause crop failure (remember, below average can still be very close to average;
for example, if a locality receives an average of 100 inches of rain a year, an amount as high as 99
inches would be classifi ed as below average, and an amount that close to the average would be very
unlikely to cause crop failure).
Second, the stimulus simply noted that certain businesses are unable to make a profi t when farmer’s
crops fail. This answer improperly expands that group to include all business that profifi t from
farmers’ purchases (this includes any business—personal or commercial—a farmer might buy from,
including McDonald’s, the grocery store, etc.), and then indicates that those businesses tend to lose
money (which is also unknown).
Answer choice (C): The stimulus is not about who is responsible for the consequences of wheat crop
failure, so this answer choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (D): The stimulus may support the idea that wheat crop failure can have far-reaching
economic consequences, but it does not support the idea that a dependence on agriculture can lead
to major economic crises. In simple terms, this answer fails the Fact Test because the ideas in this
answer are not addresses in the stimulus.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. As stated by the stimulus, a lack of rain (and
a drought is an extreme form of a lack of rain), can cause crop failure, and, according to the stimulus,
such failures have an impact beyond agriculture (specifi cally, truckers, mechanics, and fuel suppliers
are all affected).
crops fail 
