Which crop suffered due to the dust?

• A. Wheat
• B. Rice
• C. Corn
• D. Barley

Answer: (C)

The situation being tested is how the Dust Bowl devastation is shown and which crop the dust hurts most in the narrative. Dust storms stripped soil and damaged crops by choking plants, drying out roots, and blocking sunlight, turning fields of growth into barren, unworkable ground. Corn is the crop highlighted as suffering because it’s a central, staple plant in the Great Plains settings of the story, and the dust directly smothers and destroys these cornfields, symbolizing the ruin of livelihoods and helping drive the families to migrate. The other crops aren’t the focus in this depiction—rice isn’t grown in that climate, and while wheat and barley can be affected, the text emphasizes corn as the affected crop.