16Hit 1600
Information and IdeasHardInterpreting wheat variety trial data

Information and Ideas practice question

Wheat yields by variety (tons per hectare), Keld Valley trials Season | Older variety | New variety Wet 2021 | 4.9 | 5.2 Wet 2022 | 5.0 | 5.3 Drought 2023 | 3.1 | 1.9 Agronomists recommended the older variety for farms in drought-prone districts. ____

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to support the agronomists' recommendation?

  1. A. The older variety out-yielded the new one in the drought year by a wide margin while conceding little in the wet years.Correct
  2. B. Both varieties yielded more in wet years than in the drought year.
  3. C. The new variety achieved the single highest yield in the table.
  4. D. Yields were recorded in tons per hectare across all three seasons.

Answer: A. The older variety out-yielded the new one in the drought year by a wide margin while conceding little in the wet years.

The recommendation favors the older variety for drought-prone farms; its drought advantage (3.1 vs 1.9) alongside near-parity in wet years (5.0 vs 5.3) is the supporting comparison.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. Both varieties yielded more in wet years than in the drought year.
Wet years beating drought years is true of both varieties and discriminates between them not at all.
C. The new variety achieved the single highest yield in the table.
The new variety's wet-year peak argues for it, not for the older one.
D. Yields were recorded in tons per hectare across all three seasons.
The unit of measurement carries no support.

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