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Question

Difficulty: EasyIdentification of Main Idea and Supporting Details

Read the passage below carefully:

Cassava has long served as a vital staple crop across Nigeria, sustaining millions of rural households due to its resilience in drought-prone soils. Traditionally harvested for immediate local consumption or simple home processing into garri, cassava processing was largely limited in economic scope. However, the introduction of mechanized grating machines, automated pressing tools, and flash dryers has fundamentally transformed cassava processing into a lucrative commercial agribusiness. These technological advancements have enabled smallholder farmers to reduce post-harvest losses, meet international purity standards, and process industrial cassava starch for pharmaceutical and textile industries. While high fuel prices and electricity supply fluctuations continue to pose operational challenges for small-scale processors, modern mechanized processing remains the primary catalyst driving the transition of cassava from a simple subsistence food crop into a major industrial raw material.

What is the main idea of the passage?

  1. A
    Cassava is traditionally harvested primarily for immediate local consumption and simple processing into garri.
  2. Mechanized processing technology has transformed cassava from a subsistence staple into a lucrative industrial agribusiness.Answer
  3. C
    Small-scale processors in Nigeria are abandoning cassava production due to unbearable fuel costs and electricity shortages.
  4. D
    Pharmaceutical and textile industries now own and operate all cassava processing facilities across West Africa.

Answer

Mechanized processing technology has transformed cassava from a subsistence staple into a lucrative industrial agribusiness.
The correct answer accurately states the main thesis of the passage: that mechanized processing technology has driven the transition of cassava from a basic subsistence crop to a major industrial raw material and agribusiness. Both the body and concluding sentence of the passage reinforce this central theme.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the passage structure to identify the shift from background context to the primary argument.
The text opens with background on traditional cassava usage, transitions using 'However', and concludes by re-emphasizing that modern mechanized processing is the primary catalyst driving cassava's industrial transition.
The main idea represents the central message supported by the passage as a whole, rather than minor examples or isolated facts.
2
Evaluate each option against the passage evidence to distinguish the central thesis from supporting details.
The option emphasizing the transformation of cassava into a lucrative industrial agribusiness through mechanized processing captures the entire paragraph's purpose.
Supporting details (such as traditional garri production or fuel challenges) serve only to elaborate on or qualify the central point.

Key Concept

Identifying the central idea versus supporting evidence in a reading passage
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Topics

Identification of Main Idea and Supporting Details

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