Single correct option
Four sentences form a coherent paragraph, but one has been removed. Identify the option that best fits into the blank marked [X].
(1) Traditional crop breeding relies on selecting and cross-breeding plants that already show a desired trait, a process that can take a decade or more to yield stable results. [X] (2) This allows breeders to identify promising traits within a single generation rather than waiting for them to appear through trial and error. (3) Critics caution that the long-term ecological effects of some gene-edited crops remain understudied compared to those of conventionally bred varieties.
(1) Traditional crop breeding relies on selecting and cross-breeding plants that already show a desired trait, a process that can take a decade or more to yield stable results. [X] (2) This allows breeders to identify promising traits within a single generation rather than waiting for them to appear through trial and error. (3) Critics caution that the long-term ecological effects of some gene-edited crops remain understudied compared to those of conventionally bred varieties.
- A. Gene-editing techniques such as CRISPR now allow scientists to make precise, targeted changes to a plant's genome without introducing genetic material from unrelated species.
- B. Farmers have grown wheat and rice using traditional methods for thousands of years across many different climates.
- C. Consumer surveys suggest that most shoppers cannot distinguish between conventionally bred and gene-edited produce in blind taste tests.
- D. Global food demand is projected to rise substantially over the next three decades as the population grows.
Show answer and solution
Answer: (A) Gene-editing techniques such as CRISPR now allow scientists to make precise, targeted changes to a plant's genome without introducing genetic material from unrelated species.
Sentence (2) begins with 'This allows breeders to identify promising traits within a single generation,' which requires an antecedent describing a faster, more targeted technique — exactly what option A supplies by introducing gene-editing as an alternative to slow traditional breeding. The other options do not logically connect to sentence (2)'s reference to a faster identification process.
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