Question

Difficulty: HardLiteral Comprehension and Fact Retrieval

Read the passage below carefully:

Cocoa was first introduced to Nigeria in 1874 by a chief named Squiss Ibaningo in the Niger Delta, but its commercial cultivation gained significant traction only after seeds were brought from Fernando Po (now Bioko, Equatorial Guinea) by West African returnees. In 1887, the British colonial administration established a botanical garden at Ebute Metta near Lagos, which served as a primary distribution hub for cocoa seedlings to farmers in the hinterland. By 1912, western Nigeria had emerged as the center of production, largely driven by smallholder farmers rather than large foreign-owned plantations. Unlike coffee, which required extensive capital for processing equipment, cocoa pod processing was easily managed within family units, making it accessible to local peasant farmers.

Based on the passage, determine whether the following statement is True or False: Commercial cocoa cultivation in Nigeria expanded primarily through large-scale, foreign-owned plantation estates.

Answer: Answer

Answer

False. The passage explicitly contradicts the statement by specifying that cocoa production in Nigeria was driven by smallholder farmers rather than large foreign-owned plantations.
The passage explicitly notes that cocoa production in western Nigeria was driven by smallholder farmers rather than large foreign-owned plantations, rendering the statement directly false based on literal text evidence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the statement to identify the key claim being evaluated.
The statement claims that commercial cocoa cultivation expanded mainly through foreign-owned plantation estates.
Establishing the precise assertion allows for targeted text retrieval.
2
Locate line evidence in the passage referring to the drivers of production.
The passage states that production was 'largely driven by smallholder farmers rather than large foreign-owned plantations'.
Literal comprehension relies strictly on explicit textual evidence.
3
Compare the claim against the explicit statement in the text.
The statement directly opposes the factual detail provided in the passage.
Determining whether the explicit fact confirms or refutes the statement reveals the correct truth value.

Key Concept

Literal Comprehension and Fact Retrieval
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