According to Potawatomi ecologist Robin Wall Kimmerer, the Indigenous method of harvesting Hierochloe odorata, or
sweetgrass, by snapping the plant off at the root actually ______ wild populations: it may seem counterintuitive, she says, but
this method of removal allows new sweetgrass plants to repopulate the space, with an overall increase in number and vigor.
selects
originates
conditions
replenishes
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the Indigenous method of
harvesting Hierochloe odorata. As used in this context, “replenishes” means helps increase the population or helps it recover.
The text explains that although snapping off a wild plant at the root might seem detrimental to the wild population, it actually
helps Hierochloe odorata, increasing both their “number and vigor.” This context conveys the idea that even though it seems
counterintuitive, the Indigenous method of harvesting Hierochloe odorata actually replenishes the wild population.
Choice A is incorrect. Although a harvesting method could be used to select for certain traits in plants, it’s not clear what it
would mean for a harvesting method to select “wild populations” of plants. Choice B is incorrect because as used in this
context, “originates” means creates. The text doesn’t address the origin of Hierochloe odorata, but rather how the Indigenous
harvesting method affects it. Choice C is incorrect because in this context, “conditions” means to inﬂuence someone or
something to behave in a certain way, and the text doesn’t suggest the new plants that replace the harvested ones differ in
any meaningful way, or in any way that could be the result of conditioning.