Question: A crop of corn plants is genetically modified so that the plants produce a natural pesticide. People are concerned that these corn plants might transfer modified genetic material to other plants. Which of the following is the best way to further modify the plants to prevent them from transferring their genetic materials to other plants?
Answer: changing the plants so they do not make pollen
Hypothesis: if pollen is not produced then genetically modified corn plants will be prevented from producing offspring with their genetic material
Supporting facts: sent1: animals require fertilization to reproduce sent2: new cells with a full set of chromosomes are formed by fertilization sent3: genes are able to determine the inherited characteristics of a living thing sent4: offspring receive genes from their parents through inheritence / dna / sexual reproduction sent5: sexual reproduction is a source of genetic variation / naturally occurring variation in offspring / in a species sent6: bees eat pollen sent7: to inhibit means to prevent sent8: to prevent means to make it not happen sent9: corn plants reproduce through sexual reproduction sent10: fertilization is a stage in the sexual reproduction process sent11: decreasing something negative has a positive impact on a thing sent12: if something required for a process is not produced then that process is prevented from occurring / cannot occur sent13: genetic engineering methods increase resistance to herbicides sent14: a crop of corn plants is genetically modified to produce a natural pesticide sent15: a homozygous recessive organism contains only recessive genes sent16: sexual reproduction produces offspring with genetic material from both parents sent17: to reproduce means to have / to produce offspring sent18: reproduction ensures the continuation of a plant or animal species sent19: in the flowering plant life cycle , pollination is part of reproduction sent20: to keep something from happening means to prevent that something sent21: an adaptation / an ability has a positive impact on an animal 's / living thing 's survival / health / ability to reproduce sent22: having a positive impact on reproduction increases the chance of reproduction sent23: reproduction of the plants often requires pollen sent24: corn is a kind of plant sent25: sexual reproduction increases genetic diversity
Reasoning: [BECAUSE] a crop of corn plants is genetically modified to produce a natural pesticide [AND] sexual reproduction produces offspring with genetic material from both parents [AND] corn plants reproduce through sexual reproduction [INFER] int1: sexual reproduction between genetically modified corn plants produces offspring with genetic material that produces a natural pesticide [BECAUSE] if something required for a process is not produced then that process is prevented from occurring / cannot occur [AND] reproduction of the plants often requires pollen [INFER] int2: if pollen is not produced then plant reproduction is prevented from occuring [BECAUSE] int2 [AND] corn is a kind of plant [INFER] int3: if the corn does not produce pollen, then the corn reproduction is prevented from occuring [BECAUSE] int1 [AND] int3 [INFER] int4: if pollen is not produced then genetically modified corn plants will be prevented from producing offspring with their genetic material