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Information and IdeasHardInference from a control group that also grew

Information and Ideas practice question

In the experiment, the plants given the new fertiliser grew taller than expected, but so did the plants in the control group, which received no fertiliser but were watered from the same tap. This suggests that ____

Which choice most logically completes the text?

  1. A. something in the shared water, rather than the fertiliser, may explain the extra growth.Correct
  2. B. the fertiliser was highly effective.
  3. C. the control group was given fertiliser by mistake.
  4. D. the plants should not have been watered.

Answer: A. something in the shared water, rather than the fertiliser, may explain the extra growth.

Both groups grew; the shared factor is the water.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. the fertiliser was highly effective.
The control group grew just as much without it.
C. the control group was given fertiliser by mistake.
Nothing suggests a mistake.
D. the plants should not have been watered.
Water is not the problem; the comparison is.

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