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Question

Difficulty: MediumInferential Comprehension and Deduction

Read the passage below carefully and evaluate the statement that follows.

Passage:
For decades, smallholder farmers across South-Eastern Nigeria processed cassava using labor-intensive manual methods that exposed harvested tubers to rapid post-harvest deterioration. The recent introduction of solar-powered flash-dryers by agricultural cooperatives was initially intended solely to reduce physical labor and minimize crop spoilage. However, by drastically shortening drying times from three days to under two hours, the technology unexpectedly enabled local producers to meet the stringent moisture-content standards required by multinational industrial starch manufacturers. Consequently, smallholders who previously traded exclusively in volatile local food markets have begun securing multi-year supply contracts with commercial factories, transforming cassava from a subsistence security crop into a lucrative industrial raw material.

Statement:
The primary motivation behind introducing solar-powered flash-dryers was to enable local cassava farmers to secure industrial starch supply contracts.

Answer: Answer

Answer

The statement is False. The primary objective of adopting the solar flash-dryers was to alleviate physical labor and prevent crop spoilage; securing industrial supply contracts was an unexpected consequence.
The statement is False because the passage clearly separates original intent from later results. The flash-dryers were introduced with the sole objective of decreasing manual labor and stopping post-harvest decay. The ability of farmers to enter industrial starch contracts was an unexpected benefit brought about by improved drying efficiency.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the claim made in the statement regarding the primary motivation for introducing solar flash-dryers.
The statement asserts that the main goal was opening access to industrial starch supply contracts.
Establishing the specific claim allows comparison against explicit textual evidence in the passage.
2
Analyze the passage for sentences addressing the initial intent or motivation behind technology adoption.
The text notes that the technology 'was initially intended solely to reduce physical labor and minimize crop spoilage.'
Direct textual statements of initial purpose define the actual primary motivation.
3
Deduce the relationship between the initial intention and the commercial contracts.
The text highlights that meeting industrial starch standards occurred 'unexpectedly' as a secondary effect of shorter drying times.
An unexpected secondary result cannot be logically classified as the original primary motivation.

Key Concept

Distinguishing Intended Primary Objectives from Unexpected Secondary Outcomes
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Topics

Inferential Comprehension and Deduction

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