Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyDirect Factual Retrieval

In the early 1930s, the adoption of hybrid seed corn among farmers in the American Midwest marked a pivotal shift in agricultural practices. Developed through decades of controlled self-pollination and cross-breeding by plant geneticists, hybrid seed corn offered yield increases of up to 20 percent compared to traditional open-pollinated varieties. However, hybrid corn presented a novel economic challenge for rural agrarian communities: unlike open-pollinated crops, whose seeds could be harvested and replanted annually without loss of vigor, hybrid corn seeds suffered a dramatic decline in yield productivity if replanted in subsequent seasons. Consequently, farmers were forced to abandon their centuries-old practice of self-reliant seed saving and instead purchase new commercial seed annually from specialized seed companies.

Economic historians emphasize that this structural shift transformed seed production from a localized farm activity into a capitalized industry. While early adoption was hindered by the economic strain of the Great Depression, commercial seed producers successfully accelerated adoption by offering performance guarantees and establishing extensive rural dealer networks consisting of trusted local farmers. By 1940, over 90 percent of Iowa's corn acreage was planted with hybrid varieties. Ultimately, the rapid commercialization of hybrid seed established the precedent for modern agricultural input markets, fundamentally altering the relationship between American agricultural producers and commercial agribusinesses.

According to the passage, commercial seed producers accelerated the adoption of hybrid seed corn during the Great Depression by doing which of the following?

  1. Offering performance guarantees and building dealer networks made up of local farmers.Answer
  2. B
    Lowering the purchase price of hybrid seed below that of traditional open-pollinated seed varieties.
  3. C
    Teaching farmers how to carry out controlled cross-breeding techniques on their own farms.
  4. D
    Developing hybrid corn strains whose seeds could be saved and replanted in subsequent seasons.
  5. E
    Lobbying state governments to mandate the planting of hybrid crops across Midwestern fields.

Answer

Commercial seed producers accelerated adoption by offering performance guarantees and establishing dealer networks of local farmers.
The passage explicitly indicates in the second paragraph that seed producers accelerated adoption during the Great Depression by offering performance guarantees and setting up dealer networks composed of trusted local farmers. The option stating these two specific actions directly mirrors the text.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the key terms in the question prompt
Target detail: how commercial seed producers accelerated adoption during the Great Depression.
The question requests explicit factual retrieval regarding actions taken by seed producers during a specific historical period.
2
Locate the corresponding evidence in the passage text
The second paragraph explicitly states: 'commercial seed producers successfully accelerated adoption by offering performance guarantees and establishing extensive rural dealer networks consisting of trusted local farmers.'
Direct factual retrieval questions rely on explicit semantic paraphrasing of specific passage lines.
3
Match the passage statement to the correct choice
The choice stating that producers offered performance guarantees and built dealer networks of local farmers accurately paraphrases the sentence.
This option reflects the exact details directly stated in the text without adding unmentioned facts or reversing meanings.

Key Concept

Direct Factual Retrieval
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Direct Factual Retrieval

More questions from this topic