Question 21

Gardening Magazine's new policy will likely have its intended effect.

If other gardening periodicals cease to publish articles and accept advertisements promoting the cultivation of rare wildflowers, it would further discourage the sale and collection of these plants in the wild, supporting Gardening Magazine's goal to protect native plant populations.

A) When people new to gardening buy plants, they often fail to take adequate care of the plants that they buy and become discouraged from buying those varieties again.

This option suggests that new gardeners may not continue to purchase rare wildflowers due to their difficulty in care, but it does not directly support the prediction that Gardening Magazine's policy will have its intended effect on the conservation of native plants. It focuses on consumer behavior rather than the impact of the magazine's policy on plant sales.

B) Other gardening periodicals will likely follow Gardening Magazine's lead by ceasing to publish articles and accept advertisements promoting the cultivation of rare wildflowers.

This option strongly supports the prediction because if other publications also stop promoting rare wildflowers, it would collectively decrease interest and demand for these plants, thus protecting native populations from over-collection. This aligns perfectly with the magazine's intention behind the new policy.

C) The yearly demand for rare wildflowers regularly exceeds the number of such plants that can be collected in the wild by plant sellers.

While this statement highlights an imbalance in supply and demand, it does not indicate how Gardening Magazine's policy will influence the demand or collection practices. Therefore, it does not support the prediction regarding the effectiveness of the magazine's new policy.

D) People who are new to gardening are more likely to read other periodicals on the subject of plants and gardening than Gardening Magazine, which contains many articles that appeal to expert gardeners.

This option implies that new gardeners may not be influenced by Gardening Magazine's articles, but it does not provide support for the idea that the magazine's policy will lead to a decrease in the collection of rare wildflowers. It instead introduces an argument about readership that is tangential to the effectiveness of the policy.

E) A number of plant sellers are currently working with botanists to improve techniques for propagating trilliums and other rare wildflowers.

While this option indicates efforts to improve propagation techniques, it does not address the immediate impact of Gardening Magazine's policy on reducing the collection of rare wildflowers from the wild. Thus, it does not support the prediction effectively.

Conclusion

The strongest support for the prediction that Gardening Magazine's new policy will have its intended effect comes from Option B, as it highlights that if other periodicals cease to promote rare wildflowers, it will collectively diminish the demand for these plants, thereby protecting native populations. The other options either focus on consumer behavior, supply-demand dynamics, or unrelated factors that do not directly relate to the effectiveness of the magazine's policy.