Question

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

The farm-size transition hypothesis predicts that economic pressures associated with modernization result in smaller farms amalgamating into larger-scale commercial farms.
Masters et al. (2013): The average farm size in Asia "already has or will soon begin to rise."
Promkhambut et al. (2023) argue that small rice farms in Thailand have adopted modern farming methods without a significant scaling-up of farm size.
Promkhambut et al.: "The persistence of [small] rice farms [in Thailand] does not represent a 'failure' to modernize...or a 'truncated' transition—it is a response to modernization."

The student wants to make and support a claim regarding the applicability of the farm-size transition hypothesis to Thailand. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Accepted Answer

The predicted shift to large-scale commercial farming may not hold true for rice farms in Thailand, where, according to Promkhambut et al., rice farms have remained small as they've modernized.

Answer

Taken together, the studies by Masters et al. and Promkhambut et al. suggest that rice farms in Thailand have responded to the economic pressures associated with modernization by expanding in size.

Answer

Masters et al. report that the average farm size "already has or will soon begin to rise" in Asia, a finding that is consistent with the farm-size transition hypothesis.

Answer

Although the farm-size transition hypothesis may be applicable to some countries in Asia, it is inconsistent with the development of rice farming in Thailand.

Question Bank

Question Bank

SAT Rhetorical Synthesis practice question

Explanation