Difficult times in agriculture are making it tough for the next generation of farmers

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

C2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the passage for its main idea, then return to the relevant sentence or paragraph for each question. Base answers on the passage.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the article’s central argument about intergenerational farm transfers?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Family traditions have largely disappeared from American agriculture.
   2. Economic pressures complicate the transfer of farms between generations.
   3. Most American farms are no longer owned by families.
   4. Younger farmers generally reject inherited agricultural businesses.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Economic pressures complicate the transfer of farms between generations.

   Economic pressures are making a traditionally familiar transition increasingly difficult.

   For families planning a transition, tradition remains important, but it no longer guarantees that succession will be straightforward.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the phrase “That progression” refer to?

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   1. The farm’s physical expansion over a century
   2. The gradual transfer of expenses and responsibility
   3. The disruption caused by changing trade policies
   4. The purchase of increasingly sophisticated machinery
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The gradual transfer of expenses and responsibility

   It refers to Langseth gradually assuming expenses previously paid by his father.

   That progression gave him a clearer sense of the financial pressure involved.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article mention the farm’s history extending more than a century?

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   1. To demonstrate that the farm has always been profitable
   2. To establish the long-standing nature of the family enterprise
   3. To explain why machinery costs have increased
   4. To show that previous generations avoided succession planning
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To establish the long-standing nature of the family enterprise

   The history emphasizes continuity while contrasting it with modern financial difficulty.

   His great-great-grandfather built the farm’s home more than a century ago, and each generation has altered the property to suit its needs.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can reasonably be inferred about gradual succession?

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   1. It removes the need for formal financial planning.
   2. It guarantees that successors will avoid economic instability.
   3. It can distribute responsibility without eliminating costly obligations.
   4. It usually prevents younger farmers from purchasing machinery.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It can distribute responsibility without eliminating costly obligations.

   Incremental transfers may ease adjustment, but they do not eliminate major investment requirements.

   In a family business, succession may therefore unfold incrementally, but each step can demand a fresh and consequential investment.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How is Wesley Tucker’s contribution used in the article?

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   1. As a legal authority disputing family ownership
   2. As an expert explaining the economic incentive for succession
   3. As a farmer describing his own inheritance
   4. As a critic of agricultural census methodology
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   As an expert explaining the economic incentive for succession

   His perspective broadens the example by explaining why transfers are increasingly motivated.

   Wesley Tucker, a farm and ranch transition specialist at the University of Missouri, says the amount of capital required to farm today is helping motivate more farmers to transfer ownership to the next generation.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which relationship between tradition and economics does the conclusion establish?

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   1. Tradition has become irrelevant to farm ownership.
   2. Economic stability is assured when family history is strong.
   3. Tradition matters but cannot independently secure a viable transfer.
   4. Family history usually prevents younger owners from taking control.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Tradition matters but cannot independently secure a viable transfer.

   Tradition retains significance, but economic conditions determine whether succession remains workable.

   For families planning a transition, tradition remains important, but it no longer guarantees that succession will be straightforward.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the principal effect of trade policies and supply-chain disruptions?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They reduce the amount of land available to farmers.
   2. They increase essential operating expenses.
   3. They accelerate the retirement of all farm owners.
   4. They make family farms less dependent on capital.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They increase essential operating expenses.

   They raise the costs of essential inputs and equipment.

   Shifting trade policies, tariffs, and supply-chain disruptions have increased the cost of gas, machinery, fertilizer, and other operating expenses.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How does the article move from individual experience to broader analysis?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. From a national statistic to a historical biography
   2. From one farmer’s experience to structural financial pressures
   3. From policy criticism to a discussion of family traditions
   4. From machinery purchases to evidence against family ownership
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   From one farmer’s experience to structural financial pressures

   It begins with Langseth’s case, then connects it to wider capital requirements.

   Land is a major component of that capital, while equipment and day-to-day inputs add further demands.

What to review next

Find the words that support each answer. For a mistake, compare the question with the evidence and identify the detail or inference you missed.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Look for evidence in the text. Separate what the writer says from what you already know about the topic.

The library normally closes at six, but on Fridays it stays open until eight. When does it close on Friday?

The answer is eight. But introduces an exception to the normal closing time, so the first time mentioned is not the answer.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.