PrepTest 135, Section 3, Question 23
As part of an international effort to address(467 more words not shown)
Based on the passage, which(25 more words not shown)
- AThistles cannot grow(2 more words not shown)
- BIt does not(5 more words not shown)
- CIt contains very(7 more words not shown)
- DIt does not(5 more words not shown)
- EIt was never(8 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
What is the replacement supposed to fix? The first paragraph calls removing and replacing topsoil the quickest way to restore heavily fertilized land. The replacement therefore needs to avoid reproducing that problem: it shouldn't itself contain large amounts of fertilizer.
What we’re looking for
This is different from the later experiment that scatters some soil onto existing plots. We're being asked about replacing the topsoil, not about every feature of the soil used in that experiment.
Working the answers
- A
The replacement needn't make thistle growth impossible. The original problem is that thistles proliferate and prevent native plants from establishing themselves. Nothing gives us a guarantee that no thistle could grow in the new soil.
- B
We have no basis for requiring low amounts of fungi. Beneficial fungi help native plants, so their presence wouldn't disqualify replacement soil.
- C
Few native seeds aren't identified as a requirement either. The restoration approach favors establishing native species; the author never says suitable replacement soil must lack their seeds.
- DCorrect
Replacing heavily fertilized soil with more heavily fertilized soil would leave the identified problem in place. This answer describes the relevant difference the replacement needs to make.
- E
Never used for crops adds an unsupported history requirement. The condition of the replacement soil matters; the author doesn't rule out all soil that was farmed at any time.
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