Differentiating monoculture from polyculture and a consequence.

• A. Monoculture grows a single crop on a large area; polyculture grows multiple crops; monoculture can reduce biodiversity and increase vulnerability to pests
• B. Monoculture uses pesticides; polyculture uses manual weeding
• C. Monoculture is always more sustainable; polyculture is always less productive
• D. Monoculture never fails; polyculture always fails

Answer: (A)

In agriculture, monoculture means growing a single crop over a large area, while polyculture mixes several crops in the same space. The main consequence of monoculture is reduced biodiversity, which often makes the system more vulnerable to pests and diseases because a pest or pathogen targeting that one crop can spread quickly across the uniform field. Polyculture, by contrast, supports a more diverse ecosystem, which can help suppress pests, spread risk, and improve resilience to environmental stress. The other ideas aren’t as accurate: pesticides can be used in both systems and aren’t exclusive to monoculture; blanket statements that monoculture is always more sustainable or that polyculture is always less productive aren’t reliable.