Question

sed under license. from the pages of time. this text was written in 2006.
rare trees for sale
by jeremy caplan
to preserve a threatened, ancient species, botanists are marketing its
offspring.
①
to save an endangered tree, put it up for sale. and whatever you do, dont tell
anyone where it is. thats how an australian consortium is protecting the
wollemi pine tree, a rare species that dates back to the era of dinosaurs. fewer
than 100 full - grown trees remain, and by selling plants grown from their
cuttings, wollemi pine international hopes to raise funds for preservation and
stop the poachers who could destroy the species forever.
②
the excitement over the wollemi started in 1994 when a hiker named david
noble stumbled upon the previously unknown tree while exploring wollemi
national park, a wilderness area that covers more than a million acres outside
sydney. experts at sydneys royal botanic gardens pronounced the finding a
new genus and decided to keep the trees location secret, since poachers would
value its scarcity and thus commercial value.
after figuring out how to grow healthy, versatile plants from small cuttings,
preservationists started marketing baby trees to reduce the potential for black-
market sales. the consortium has already sold 50,000 in australia. starting
nov. 15, the plants will ship to gardeners in the u.s. through the national
geographic society for $99 apiece.
what is the effect of the author’s use of contradiction in the sentences
below from paragraph 1?
\to save an endangered tree, put it up for sale. and whatever you do,
dont tell anyone where it is.\
a it introduces the argument that one cannot save a tree by selling
it.
b it creates intrigue by raising questions about what is usually
considered to be untrue.
c it undermines the credibility of the australian consortium by
showing its faulty logic.
d it entices the audience into buying, and thus preserving, a tree.

Explanation:

• Option A: The text says selling offspring helps save the tree, so A is wrong.
• Option B: The contradiction (sell to save, don't reveal location) goes against usual ideas (selling/ revealing), creating intrigue as readers question this.
• Option C: The consortium's logic (sell to fund preservation, hide location to stop poachers) is sound, so it doesn't undermine credibility.
• Option D: The sentences are about the conservation method, not enticing buyers to buy for preservation (the selling is to raise funds, not directly to entice buyers to preserve).

Answer:

B. It creates intrigue by raising questions about what is usually considered to be untrue.