SAT Test 5 Section 3

"But change the conversation to food, and suddenly efficiency doesn’t look so good. Conventional industrial agriculture has become incredibly efficient on a simple land to food basis."
....As used in this line, “simple” most nearly means . . . .  

• A) straightforward
• B) modest
• C) unadorned
• D) easy

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CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

According to the passage, a significant attribute of conventional agriculture is its ability to _________.
In the Nature analysis, scientists from McGill University in Montreal and the University of Minnesota performed an analysis of 66 studies comparing conventional and organic methods across 34 different crop species, from fruits to grains to legumes. They found that organic farming delivered a lower yield for every crop type, though the disparity varied widely. For rain-watered legume crops like beans or perennial crops like fruit trees, organic trailed conventional agriculture by just 5%. Yet for major cereal crops like corn or wheat, as well as most vegetables—all of which provide the bulk of the world’s calories—conventional agriculture outperformed organics by more than 25%.

• A) produce a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.
• B) maximize the output of cultivated land.
• C) satisfy the dietary needs of the world’s population.
• D) lessen the necessity of nitrogen in plant growth.

Which choice best reflects the perspective of the “environmentalists” on conventional agriculture? 

Of course, that’s not how most environmentalists regard their arugula [a leafy green]. They have embraced organic food as better for the planet—and healthier and tastier, too—than the stuff produced by agricultural corporations. Environmentalists disdain the enormous amounts of energy needed and waste created by conventional farming, while organic practices—forgoing artificial fertilizers and chemical pesticides—are considered far more sustainable. Sales of organic food rose 7.7% in 2010, up to $26.7 billion—and people are making those purchases for their consciences as much as their taste buds. Yet a new meta-analysis in Nature does the math and comes to a hard conclusion: organic farming yields 25% fewer crops on average than conventional agriculture. More land is therefore needed to produce fewer crops—and that means organic farming may not be as good for the planet as we think.

• A) It produces inferior fruits and vegetables and is detrimental to the environment. 
• B) It is energy efficient and reduces the need to convert wilderness to farmland. 
• C) It is good for the environment only in the short run. 
• D) It depletes critical resources but protects wildlife habitats.

Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question? 
27) Of course, that’s not how most environmentalists
 regard their arugula [a leafy green]. They have
embraced organic food as better for the planet—and
 30) healthier and tastier, too—than the stuff produced by
 agricultural corporations. Environmentalists disdain
 the enormous amounts of energy needed and waste
 33)created by conventional farming, while organic
 practices—forgoing artificial fertilizers and chemical
 pesticides—are considered far more sustainable.
 36) Sales of organic food rose 7.7% in 2010, up to $26.7
 billion—and people are making those purchases
 for their consciences as much as their taste buds.
 39) Yet a new meta-analysis in Nature does the math
 and comes to a hard conclusion: organic farming
 yields 25% fewer crops on average than conventional
42) agriculture. More land is therefore needed to
 produce fewer crops—and that means organic
 farming may not be as good for the planet as we think.

• A) Lines 27-28 (“Of course... green”) 
• B) Lines 28-31 (“They... corporations”) 
• C) Lines 31-35 (“Environmentalists... sustainable”) 
• D) Lines 42-44 (“More... think”)

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CCSS.RI.8.1

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CCSS.RL.11-12.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

Which statement best expresses a relationship between organic farming and conventional farming that is presented in the passage? 

Conventional industrial agriculture has become incredibly efficient on a simple land to food basis. Thanks to fertilizers, mechanization and irrigation, each American farmer feeds over 155 people worldwide. Conventional farming gets more and more crop per square foot of cultivated land— over 170 bushels of corn per acre in Iowa, for example—which can mean less territory needs to be converted from wilderness to farmland. And since a third of the planet is already used for agriculture—destroying forests and other wild habitats along the way—anything that could help us produce more food on less land would seem to be good for the environment. Of course, that’s not how most environmentalists regard their arugula [a leafy green]. They have embraced organic food as better for the planet—and healthier and tastier, too—than the stuff produced by agricultural corporations. Environmentalists disdain the enormous amounts of energy needed and waste created by conventional farming, while organic practices—forgoing artificial fertilizers and chemical pesticides—are considered far more sustainable. Sales of organic food rose 7.7% in 2010, up to $26.7 billion—and people are making those purchases for their consciences as much as their taste buds. Yet a new meta-analysis in Nature does the math and comes to a hard conclusion: organic farming yields 25% fewer crops on average than conventional agriculture. More land is therefore needed to produce fewer crops—and that means organic farming may not be as good for the planet as we think.
In the Nature analysis, scientists from McGill University in Montreal and the University of Minnesota performed an analysis of 66 studies comparing conventional and organic methods across 34 different crop species, from fruits to grains to legumes. They found that organic farming delivered a lower yield for every crop type, though the disparity varied widely. For rain-watered legume crops like beans or perennial crops like fruit trees, organic trailed conventional agriculture by just 5%. Yet for major cereal crops like corn or wheat, as well as most vegetables—all of which provide the bulk of the world’s calories—conventional agriculture outperformed organics by more than 25%. The main difference is nitrogen, the chemical key to plant growth. Conventional agriculture makes use of 171 million metric tons of synthetic fertilizer each year, and all that nitrogen enables much faster plant growth than the slower release of nitrogen from the compost or cover crops used in organic farming.

• A) Both are equally sustainable, but they differ dramatically in the amount of land they require to produce equivalent yields. 
• B) Both rely on artificial chemicals for pest control, but organic farmers use the chemicals sparingly in conjunction with natural remedies. 
• C) Both use nitrogen to encourage plant growth, but the nitrogen used in conventional farming comes from synthetic sources. 
• D) Both create a substantial amount of nitrogen runoff, but only the type of nitrogen found in fertilizers used in conventional farming can be dangerous.

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CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

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CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
[the question was: Which statement best expresses a relationship between organic farming and conventional farming that is presented in the passage?]

• A) Lines 13-14 Conventional industrial agriculture has become incredibly efficient on a simple land to food basis. 
• B) Lines 22-26 And since a third of the planet is already used for agriculture—destroying forests and other wild habitats along the way—anything that could help us produce more food on less land would seem to be good for the environment. 
• C) Lines 51-53 They found that organic farming delivered a lower yield for every crop type, though the disparity varied widely. 
• D) Lines 61-65 Conventional agriculture makes use of 171 million metric tons of synthetic fertilizer each year, and all that nitrogen enables much faster plant growth than the slower release of nitrogen from the compost or cover crops used in organic farming.

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

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CCSS.RL.9-10.2

According to Foley, an “ideal global agriculture system” (line 80) does what?
So an ideal global agriculture system, in the views of the study’s authors, may borrow the best from both systems, as Jonathan Foley of the University of Minnesota explained:
The bottom line? Today’s organic farming practices are probably best deployed in fruit and vegetable farms, where growing nutrition (not just bulk calories) is the primary goal. But for delivering sheer calories, especially in our staple crops of wheat, rice, maize, soybeans and so on, conventional farms have the advantage right now. Looking forward, I think we will need to deploy different kinds of practices (especially new, mixed approaches that take the best of organic and conventional farming systems) where they are best suited—geographically, economically, socially, etc.

• A) focuses primarily on yield percentages and global markets. 
• B) considers multiple factors in the selection of farming techniques. 
• C) weighs the economic interests of farmers against the needs of consumers. 
• D) puts the nutritional value of produce first and foremost

In line 88, “sheer” most nearly means
So an ideal global agriculture system, in the views of the study’s authors, may borrow the best from both systems, as Jonathan Foley of the University of Minnesota explained: 
The bottom line? Today’s organic farming practices are probably best deployed in fruit and vegetable farms, where growing nutrition (not just bulk calories) is the primary goal. But for delivering sheer calories, especially in our staple crops of wheat, rice, maize, soybeans and so on, conventional farms have the advantage right now. Looking forward, I think we will need to deploy different kinds of practices (especially new, mixed approaches that take the best of organic and conventional farming systems) where they are best suited—geographically, economically, socially, etc.

• A) transparent. 
• B) abrupt. 
• C) steep. 
• D) pure.

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CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4