LR Question 9 Explanation
QUESTION TEXT: There are many agricultural regions in North America…
QUESTION TYPE: Paradox
PARADOX: Pumpkins grow in areas with long, cold winters, even though these areas have a shorter growing season, and even though frost can damage pumpkins. Other, warmer regions could grow pumpkins.
ANALYSIS: There must be some reason pumpkins grow in cold regions despite the disadvantages. This paradox can only be resolved if we hear about an advantage for cold regions or a disadvantage for warm regions.
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- This makes the situation more confusing. In cold regions, frost can kill pumpkins in autumn. So the fact that pumpkins must grow till autumn puts them at risk.
- The fact that pumpkins need bees makes the situation weirder. There will be less bee activity in cold regions.
- This makes the situation more confusing. This says more pumpkins are sold to consumers in warm regions. So it would make sense to grow pumpkins there, close to market.
- CORRECT. Finally. This answer gives an advantage for cold regions: the long winters kill fungus that would otherwise kill pumpkins.
So pumpkins grown in warmer regions would die from this fungus even though they no risked frost damage. - This tells us where seeds are produced. But that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with where the seeds are grown. Seeds could be produced in one area and planted in another.
More Resources for Paradox Questions
- Intro Course lesson: This intro course lesson covers Paradox questions.
- Mastery Seminar lesson: This LR Mastery seminar lesson covers paradox questions.
I am curious regarding your reasoning for eliminating answer choice C. You state that this implies more pumpkins are sold in warmer regions. How were you able to arrive at this inference? The stimulus states that pumpkin production is concentrated in areas with long cold winters where the growing season is delayed. The growing season being delayed to me implies that the growing season is longer. So this means the colder regions are selling more pumpkins to consumers, creating a reason to grow them there closer to the market. I suppose you still must assume that because more are sold in this area that they also will be grown in this area but we don’t know how much more, so the concentration of production is not entirely answered by this. I agree that D is the best AC but I would just like to get some additional insight from you regarding C if possible. Thanks!!
When a growing season is delayed, it means that the growing season starts later and in turn ends earlier. So in Florida, the growing season is most of the year. But in the mountains in Colorado, the growing season is much more delayed – the snow doesn’t even melt completely until May or so and then it’s snowing again already starting in September. A delay doesn’t extend the season, it shortens it.
-Reply from LSAT Tutor, Morgan Barrett