SAT OwlCoffee rust is a fungus that damages coffee plants and thrives in warm, humid conditions. In the mountains of Central America, coffee farms at higher elevations historically suffered little from the disease because temperatures there were too cool for the fungus to spread easily. As average temperatures in the region have risen in recent decades, ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
coffee rust has begun to affect farms at elevations that were previously protected.
coffee plants have stopped growing at low elevations.
the fungus has lost its ability to survive in humid conditions.
farmers have moved their coffee farms to lower elevations to avoid the fungus.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
High farms were protected only because they were too cool for the fungus. If temperatures rise, that protection weakens, so the fungus can spread to higher farms, as choice A states.
Choice D gets the direction wrong; warmer temperatures would make lower elevations even more favorable to the fungus, so moving downhill would not help.
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