#7 - Farmer: Because water content is what makes popcorn

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Resolve the Paradox. The correct answer choice is (A)

Popcorn kernels need to dry at the proper speed to trap water, which is necessary to make popcorn
pop. The farmer quoted in this stimulus always dries the ears of corn in a warm, dry room, despite
the fact that the best way to trap the right amount of water is to let the sun dry the corn while it is
still in the field.

Not surprisingly, the passage is followed by a Resolve the Paradox question, so we should look for
the answer choice which explains the Farmer’s unexplained preference. The correct answer choice
will most likely either present a detriment or problem associated with the dry-in-the-field method,
or a benefit or need associated with the Farmer’s preferred method of drying the corn in a warm dry
room.

Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. Although the ideal situation might be to
allow the corn to dry in the field, this choice explains why this farmer’s situation makes such a plan
impractical. If the farmer’s land is in a region that experiences a long cloudy season just before the
popcorn would normally begin to dry, then the rain might spoil the intended effects of leaving the
corn in the field. Thus the indoor method of corn-drying would appear to be the better approach in
this case.

Answer choice (B): Rather than resolving the paradox, this answer choice would actually expand
it; this choice provides yet another benefit of drying corn in the fields, which makes the farmer’s
preference for indoor drying that much more paradoxical.

Answer choice (C): Since the farmer has already presented two different approaches to the drying of
popcorn, this answer choice provides no new information, and fails to explain why the farmer dries
corn inside in spite of the fact that sun drying is the best way for the corn to trap the right amount of
moisture.

Answer choice (D): The stimulus deals with ideal drying times for popcorn, and drying the corn
inside versus outside. The effects of insufficient drying, as presented in this answer choice, are
irrelevant to the question of why the farmer chooses the indoor method.

Answer choice (E): Like incorrect answer choice (D) above, this choice discusses the effects of
improper corn drying. This information is irrelevant to the farmer’s chosen method, so this choice
cannot be correct.

[eober]

Hi,

Could someone help me identify the paradox in this argument? I thought the farmer was just applying a different method to dry the corn.

Thanks!

[Nicholas Bruno]

Sure thing! So the paradox in the argument is that the "best way" to dry the kernels is to have the sun dry the corn in the field BUT the farmer dries the corn in a warm room (thus the difference between the "theory" and "practice" the question stem discusses). So he is applying a different method but the question is why would the farmer not apply the best method?

Answer Choice solves this paradox by explaining a reason why the "best way" does not work in the farmer's case: the long, cloudy season that begins before the popcorn begins to dry would make it impossible for the corn to be dried "by the sun."

Please let me know if that makes sense or if you have a follow up question.

[eober]

Thank you so much for your response Nicholas! That definitely helps!

When you are approaching a question like this, before reading the answer choices, do you make a guess about the reason for the discrepancy or do you prephrase saying: "the answer choice will explain why the farmer uses a different method than the best one - sun drying the corn"?

Thank you so much

[Tajadas]

Something that bothered me about this question is that, judging from the second sentence, the farmer doesn't grow popcorn; they grow corn in the field. I mistakenly eliminated answers A, B, and C, thinking that they were shell game answers. Why are they (or at least A) not a shell game?

[KelseyWoods]

Hi eober and Tajadas!

@eober: For Resolve the Paradox questions, it's great if you can think of a specific way to resolve the paradox but there are usually multiple ways to resolve a paradox. So instead of prephrasing too specifically (and then being disappointed that the LSAT didn't give you an answer choice with your specific way of resolving the paradox) you want to prephrase more broadly about what you need the answer choice to do, rather than what you need the answer choice to say. I prephrase these by putting the paradox in the form of a question. Then I'm looking for an answer choice that answers that question. So in this case:

Prephrase: If the best way to dry corn for popping is to have the sun dry the corn while the corn is still in the field, then why does the farmer always dry the ears on a screen in a warm, dry room?

Answer choice (A) answers my prephrase question and so it resolves that paradox!

@Tajadas: All of these answer choices use popcorn as interchangeable with corn. Really popcorn is just a variety of corn kernel that can be used for popping. So if the farmer is growing corn with the intent of using it for popping, the farmer is growing popcorn. Also, it would be highly unusual for the LSAT to give you 3 answer choices playing the exact same shell game, so if you're eliminating that many answer choices for the exact same reason, you might want to more carefully consider if it's a good reason for eliminating them. And, again, really all of these answer choices refer to it as "popcorn" rather than "corn." There's nothing specific about (D) and (E) that make that less of an issue for them--if you grow corn, you're drying corn, if you grow popcorn, you're drying popcorn. It doesn't turn from corn into popcorn just because it isn't on the stalk anymore and all of these are referring to unpopped popcorn kernels.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Kelsey

[blaisebayno]

Why is a cloudy period assumed to also include rain? Nowhere does that answer choice say rain.

[atierney]

As a matter of practical experience, because rain accompanies clouds (rain depends upon clouds), it's reasonable to assume that a cloudy period of weather for an extended period of time would indeed bring at least some rain. However, and this is the important point, I do agree that the existence of rain is not necessary for the purposes of this question. The fact that clouds block the sunlight, which is necessary to dry the corn, is the reason that A is the correct answer here.

[jailenea]

I can see why A is right, but I don't get why C is wrong.

Answer choice C says "drying popcorn on its stalks in the field is one of several methods that allow the kernels' water content to reach acceptable levels." Since this is just 1 of the methods that would allow the corn to grow optimally, then the farmer drying indoors could be one too, and the paradox gets resolved. Or is that assuming too far out?

[Jeff Wren]

Hi Jailenea,

The first step in solving Resolve the Paradox questions it to really focus on exactly what the "paradox" (or in this case, the odd situation) is and why it is so odd.

Here, the farmer admits that the best way to dry out the kernels is have the sun dry the corn while it is still in the field, but then declares that he or she does it a different way without any explanation why.

Naturally, the first question anyone would have would be "Why don't you (farmer) do it the best way?" In other words, there must be some reason that explains why someone wouldn't choose to do something the "best" way. Perhaps the best way is too expensive? (although that wouldn't seem to apply here). Perhaps the best way requires a lot more work? (again that wouldn't seem to apply here). Perhaps the best way isn't always available? (which is what Answer A gets at), etc..

Answer C just mentions that there are other methods of drying the kernels (which we already know from the stimulus since the farmer uses a different method that presumably works, even if it isn't the "best" way to do it.) The real problem with Answer C is that it doesn't explain why the farmer isn't picking the best option. Knowing that there are inferior options that still get the job done doesn't explain why somebody would choose to pick an inferior option when that person knows there is a better option without having a good reason to do so.