#5 - After 1950, in response to record growth in worldwide

[avengingangel]

I took the inclusion of “several years” in Answer Choice D as enough reason to eliminate it. Farmers were “worldwide sharply increasing” fertilizer use from 1951-85… that’s almost 35 years of an increase, definitely more than “several years.” If this had been true, we would have seen a decline in use MUCH earlier than 1985. Furthermore, we don’t really even know when the decline started. Any additional help here??

Also, with E — yes, it’s temporary, but disputes could (& typically do) have lasting effects, so I see that as a GREAT explanation to the discrepancy. Again, we don’t know that the decline in fertilizer use “only began in 1985” — that’s just the arbitrary date that the author used to present the rate in decline.. it could have been, for example, 1983 or 1976 etc…

[Daniel Stern]

Hi Avenging:

The stimulus says that after 1950, farmers sharply increased their use of fertilizer; however, it does not say that they used more fertilizer every year until 1985. 1985 is merely the year when the author cites the figure about the doubling of farmland productivity as a result of the post 1950 increase in use of fertilizer. We can't say, based on this stimulus, whether more fertilizer was used in 1985 than 84, or 1980 than 1979, for instance.

Also, beware of putting a numerical cap on "several": in LSAT world, "several" is not a colloquial "several," but more of a formal logic "several," if there is such a thing. I take "several" as an equivalent of "some" on the LSAT: it can mean between 1 and 100%, inclusive, of a quantity.

When we read the stimulus with these two points in mind, it is clearer to see why D is the credited response: for some amount of years, possibly all 35 but maybe not, between 1950 and 85 farmers were increasing the use of fertilizer, and ultimately they hit a point where more fertilizer would not increase the soil's output any more.

I don't like answer E because I believe, contrary to your post, we can know when the decline began. In the last sentence of the stimulus, it tells us that the 6% decline occurred specifically between 1985 and today. E puts us in the wrong time frame to explain our discrepancy: if 1975-1980 labor disputes were causing the problem, the decline would have started before 1985.

Good luck in your studies,
Dan

[avengingangel]

Thanks, Dan! Your 2 points make a lot of sense and makes D look a LOT better to me. I also didn't realize "several" was the same as "some" so that will be VERY good for me to keep in mind! But I still do disagree with you that we know when the decline of use began. In fact, to take your words, "We can't say, based on this stimulus, whether more fertilizer was used in 1985 than 84, or 1980 than 1979, for instance." So, while D now looks a lot better to me, I still don't think it's the most superior answer, necessarily.

[Shannon Parker]

Thanks, Dan! Your 2 points make a lot of sense and makes D look a LOT better to me. I also didn't realize "several" was the same as "some" so that will be VERY good for me to keep in mind! But I still do disagree with you that we know when the decline of use began. In fact, to take your words, "We can't say, based on this stimulus, whether more fertilizer was used in 1985 than 84, or 1980 than 1979, for instance." So, while D now looks a lot better to me, I still don't think it's the most superior answer, necessarily.

Be careful how you read the stimulus. The phrase "fertilizer use has declined by 6 percent between 1985 and the present" means that there is 6 percent less fertilizer used "today" than there was in 1985. That means that the decline being referenced began in 1985. I can see how you could view E as a contender, but be careful not to extrapolate things that are not given. Comparing answer choice D with answer choice E, answer choice D includes the resolution, that adding additional fertilizer would produce no benefit, whereas E would require you to extrapolate that there are long lasting effects in the fertilizer trade. That is one reason why D should be chosen over E.

Best of luck,
Shannon