Question

One thousand years ago, less than 4 percent of habitable land was used for agriculture. Today, approximately 50 percent is used for agriculture. Which statement best explains why this large change occurred?

A. As human population grows, more food is produced, causing soil quality to decline, so more land is needed to grow the same amount of crops.
B. The human population increased rapidly, which caused a subsequent increase in the demand for food.
C. Most humans live in urban areas, so rural areas are heavily developed to provide food for those densely populated urban areas.
D. Humans developed new agricultural practices which allowed the expansion of agriculture.

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Step-by-Step Bot]

The answer is D. Humans developed new agricultural practices which allowed the expansion of agriculture.

Answer 2

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

B. The human population increased rapidly, which caused a subsequent increase in the demand for food.

Answer 3

[AI-generated answer — Explain Bot]

The best statement that explains why such a large change in land use for agriculture occurred is option D: Humans developed new agricultural practices which allowed the expansion of agriculture.

This statement suggests that advancements in agricultural practices and technologies enabled humans to increase their agricultural productivity and expand their farming activities. Over time, these developments allowed for more efficient and effective food production.

To arrive at this answer, we can eliminate the other options:

- Option A states that as human population grows, more food is produced, causing soil quality to decline, so more land is needed to grow the same amount of crops. While it may be true that soil quality can decline with increased production, this option does not directly address the expansion of land use for agriculture.

- Option B suggests that the increase in human population led to a subsequent increase in the demand for food. While this may contribute to the need for more agricultural land, it does not address the specific reasons behind the increase in land use for agriculture.

- Option C states that most humans live in urban areas, so rural areas are heavily developed to provide food for those densely populated urban areas. While urbanization can have an impact on land use patterns, it does not explain why the percentage of land used for agriculture has changed so drastically over the past thousand years.

Therefore, option D is the most reasonable choice based on the information provided.