<p>The correct answer is <strong>(A) nor</strong>.</p><p><span style="">Let's see why the answer is "nor".</span></p><p style="">"That is not because people are eating less, ______ is it because farmers have become much more productive."</p><p style="">Here, the blank should be a coordinating conjunction to connect the two dependent clauses. (A) "nors "(B) "and" are coordinating conjunctions.</p><p style=""><strong>Using "Nor" for Additional Negative Statements</strong>:</p><p style="">The word "nor" is used to introduce an additional negative statement. In your sentence, the first part is saying it's "not because people are eating less," and then "nor" brings in another reason that is also not the cause.</p><p style=""><strong>Inversion After "Nor"</strong>:</p><p style="">In formal English, when "nor" begins a clause and is used to present an additional negative statement, it's common to invert the order of the auxiliary verb and the subject. This inversion emphasizes the negative statement and adds a touch of formality to the sentence.</p><p style="">In the clause "nor is it because farmers have become much more productive":</p><ul style=""><li>"is" is the auxiliary verb</li><li>"it" is the subject</li></ul><p style="">The typical order (without inversion) would be "it is". However, due to the formal structure initiated by "nor", the order is inverted to "is it".</p><p style=""><strong>Inversion Examples:</strong></p><p style="">For example:</p><ul style=""><li>He doesn't like chocolate. Nor does he like candy.</li><li>She isn’t attending the meeting. Nor is she sending a representative.</li></ul><p style="">If we didn't invert, the sentences would still be understandable, but they would lose some of their formal emphasis:</p><ul style=""><li>He doesn't like chocolate. He also doesn't like candy.</li><li>She isn’t attending the meeting. She also isn't sending a representative.</li></ul>