In this question, a statement is given followed by two courses of action I and…
2025
In this question, a statement is given followed by two courses of action I and II. You have to assume everything in the statement to be true and then decide which of the given courses of action logically follows based on the information in the statement.
Statement: Farming in Country X has been challenging, requiring creative ecological solutions. Today, threats like climate change, pests, soil erosion, over-exploitation, and resource depletion are unprecedented. Farmers are also facing extreme price volatility for their produce due to cartelization and hoarding.
Courses of Action: I. The government of Country X should introduce legislation to prevent hoarding of crops and strictly enforce existing anti-cartelization laws. II. Farmers of Country X should ignore soil health and ecological issues.
- A.
Neither course of action I nor II follows.
- B.
Only course of action I follows.
- C.
Both courses of action I and II follow.
- D.
Only course of action II follows.
Attempted by 7 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept: In Statement–Course of Action reasoning, a suggested course of action follows only if it is a practical, executable step that directly addresses a cause or problem explicitly named in the statement. A course of action that contradicts what the statement itself identifies as needed, or that has no real bearing on the stated problem, does not follow — no matter how reasonable it sounds in isolation.
Application:
Course of Action I proposes legislation against hoarding along with strict enforcement of anti-cartelization laws. The statement explicitly names cartelization and hoarding as the cause of the farmers' price volatility, so a targeted legal and administrative response to exactly that cause is practical and directly relevant — it follows.
Course of Action II proposes that farmers disregard soil health and ecological issues. The statement opens by stating that farming requires creative ecological solutions precisely because of threats such as soil erosion and resource depletion; a course that tells farmers to ignore those very issues contradicts the statement's own diagnosis instead of addressing it — it does not follow.
Cross-check: A valid course of action must both target a cause the statement names and avoid contradicting the statement's own diagnosis. Course I satisfies both conditions; Course II fails the second one outright. So exactly one of the two proposed courses follows.
Answer: Only Course of Action I follows from the statement.