TOEFL iBT Reading

Reading Comprehension

TOEFL · Reading Comprehension

Read the passage and answer the question.

Saffron, the world's most expensive spice, comes from the dried stigmas of a particular crocus flower. Each flower produces only three tiny red stigmas, and these must be picked by hand. Because it takes roughly one hundred and fifty thousand flowers to yield a single kilogram of dried saffron, the labor involved is enormous. Harvesting happens over just a few weeks in autumn, and the flowers must be gathered early in the morning before the sun damages them. These demands, rather than any rarity of the plant itself, explain saffron's high price.

According to the passage, what mainly causes saffron's high price?

Unofficial practice item, scored entirely in your browser. Not affiliated with any test provider.