Read the passage and determine the author's argument regarding regenerative agriculture:
"Conventional industrial tillage fractures soil aggregates and oxidizes subterranean carbon, transforming fertile topsoil into dust. In contrast, regenerative no-till farming integrated with multi-species cover cropping protects the soil biome, enhances moisture retention, and sequesters atmospheric carbon back into stable humus matrices."
The author argues that regenerative no-till farming:
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. restores soil health, improves moisture, and sequesters carbon
- Step 1: Analyze the positive impacts listed: no-till with cover crops 'protects the soil biome, enhances moisture retention, and sequesters atmospheric carbon back into stable humus matrices'.
- Step 2: The central argument is that regenerative practices restore topsoil integrity and store carbon.
Answer
restores soil health, improves moisture, and sequesters carbon.
Why not the others: 'accelerates soil erosion and releases massive plumes of carbon dioxide' describes conventional tillage, which the author condemns; 'requires heavy mechanical plowing to break down deep subterranean rocks' contradicts the 'no-till' methodology; 'completely eliminates the need for any living cover crops on fields' contradicts the explicit integration of multi-species cover crops.
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