June 2013 LSAT Section 3 Question 3

According to the passage, "pick-your-own" farming is seen by Whatley as necessary to the operation of small farms for...

MACZ on January 5, 2020

Why would D not work here?

I was stuck between D and C before going with D. They are both statements supported by the passage from what I've gathered. Does C answer the question while D does not?

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SamA on January 5, 2020

Hello @MACZ,

It is true that the author mentions both C and D in the passage. However, only one of these is the reason why "pick-your-own" (meaning the customers harvest the produce) is necessary. Take a look at line 26:

"Whatley stresses that this 'pick-your-own' farming is crucial for profitability because 50 percent of a farmer's production cost is tied up with harvesting, and using clients as harvesters allows the farmer to charge 60 percent of what supermarkets charge and still operate"

The word crucial is a near synonym for necessary, so answer choice C best answers the question. It is necessary because it allows small farms to be profitable.

Here is the problem with D. Clients could still choose which crops are grown without doing the harvesting themselves. CMC chosen crops do not depend on "pick-your-own" farming, so D is not the reason why it is necessary.