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Difficulty: Very hardStrengthening Arguments

To mitigate drought-related crop failures, a regional agricultural council launched a subsidy encouraging farmers to adopt no-till seeding, a technique that leaves crop residue intact to retain soil moisture. The council predicts that widespread adoption of no-till seeding will significantly increase overall regional grain yields during severe drought years. Opponents point out that no-till seeding requires specialized planting equipment that consumes twice as much fuel per acre as traditional tillage implements.

Which of the following statements, if true, strengthen the agricultural council's prediction regarding overall grain yields? Select all that apply.

  1. In severe drought years, soil moisture retention is the single most decisive factor determining whether grain crops survive to harvest.Answer
  2. B
    The financial subsidy provided by the council covers less than ten percent of the purchase price of the specialized planting equipment.
  3. During previous droughts in neighboring regions with identical soil types, farms utilizing no-till seeding achieved forty percent higher grain yields than farms using traditional tillage.Answer
  4. D
    Farmers who choose to adopt no-till seeding techniques generally tend to purchase newer, more fuel-efficient tractor models.
  5. E
    Global market prices for grain crops consistently experience significant price increases during years when regional droughts occur.

Answer

The statements establishing that soil moisture retention is the single most decisive factor during droughts and providing historical yield data from neighboring regions both strengthen the prediction.
The conclusion predicts higher grain yields during droughts due to moisture-retaining no-till seeding. The statement confirming that soil moisture retention is the single most decisive factor during droughts validates the central mechanism. Additionally, the statement offering empirical evidence of higher yields from neighboring regions under identical drought conditions provides direct supporting proof. Together, these statements significantly increase the probability of the conclusion being true.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the argument structure
Premise: No-till seeding retains soil moisture. Objection: Equipment uses more fuel. Conclusion: Widespread adoption will boost regional grain yields during drought years.
Deconstructing the argument isolates the core causal claim (soil moisture leads to higher yields during drought) from counter-arguments (fuel costs).
2
Evaluate statements for strengthening support
The statement identifying moisture retention as the decisive factor directly reinforces the core mechanism. The statement citing empirical yield increases in similar neighboring regions provides direct evidence supporting the conclusion.
A strengthening statement must increase the likelihood that the conclusion is true by supporting key premises, confirming mechanisms, or providing parallel evidence.
3
Eliminate irrelevant or weakening statements
The statement about subsidy inadequacy weakens adoption likelihood. The statements about tractor fuel efficiency and global grain market prices introduce out-of-scope factors.
Statements that weaken the premise or focus on market economics rather than physical crop yield fail to strengthen the conclusion.

Key Concept

Strengthening Arguments through Causal Validation and Empirical Analogy
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Strengthening Arguments

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