To reduce water waste, a major agricultural cooperative plans to equip all member farms with automated soil-moisture sensors that trigger irrigation only when soil moisture falls below a critical threshold. The cooperative claims that implementing this system across all member farms will significantly decrease total regional water consumption for agricultural irrigation over the next five years.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the agricultural cooperative's claim depends?
- Farmers participating in the cooperative will not substantially expand their irrigated crop acreage in response to the water savings provided by the sensors.Answer
- BThe cost of purchasing and installing the automated soil-moisture sensors will be fully offset by reduced water utility bills within two years.
- CAgricultural irrigation currently accounts for a larger percentage of total regional water use than all industrial and residential uses combined.
- DAutomated soil-moisture sensors are less expensive to maintain than traditional manual irrigation control systems.
- ERainfall patterns in the region will become increasingly unpredictable over the next five years compared to the previous decade.
Answer
The argument depends on assuming that farmers participating in the cooperative will not substantially expand their irrigated crop acreage in response to the water savings provided by the sensors.
The argument relies on a leap from per-farm technological efficiency to a net decrease in total regional water volume. The correct answer identifies a necessary assumption regarding farm behavior: if farmers respond to per-acre water savings by expanding their total irrigated crop acreage, the volume of water consumed across the expanded cropland could offset any efficiency gains. Negating this choice shatters the author's conclusion, proving it is a required unstated assumption.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Negation Test for Unstated Assumptions