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Information and IdeasVery hardInference from a controlled comparison

Information and Ideas practice question

A farmer sowed two identical fields with the same barley. One was fenced against deer; the other was not. Both fields yielded the same weight of grain. Camera traps showed deer entering the unfenced field almost every night. The most reasonable interpretation is that ____

Which choice most logically completes the text?

  1. A. the deer's visits did not reduce the barley yield, so the fence was not needed for this crop.Correct
  2. B. the fence did not keep the deer out.
  3. C. deer improved the yield.
  4. D. the fields were sown with different barley.

Answer: A. the deer's visits did not reduce the barley yield, so the fence was not needed for this crop.

Deer came nightly, yields were equal: the deer did no measurable harm.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. the fence did not keep the deer out.
The cameras were on the unfenced field; nothing suggests the fence failed.
C. deer improved the yield.
Yields were equal, not higher with deer.
D. the fields were sown with different barley.
The text says the same barley.

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