Questions 6-11 are based on the following procedure.

Picking Apples

How to pick apple:

1. Call before you go. Check the local newspaper for the names and locations of orchards which offer pick-your-own apples.Then phone to find out their hours, since they may vary from one orchard to another.
2. Check in when you arrive. Before you start picking, you should check with the orchard owner about which varieties are ripe in that period, and which parts of the orchard are open for picking.
3. Pick carefully. When you pick the apples, treat the apples as if they were eggs. If they bruise, they will spoil more quickly. The technique for picking is simple: hold the apple firmly but not too tightly and twist it off the branch, be careful to leave the stem attached, since removal of the stem will also cause rot.
4. Don't waste apples. Be careful to pick only the apples you need.
5. Keep what you pick! Once you take an apple off the tree, you must keep it. It is not fair to the orchard owner to leave apples on the ground where they will quickly spoil.
6. Store your apples properly. Put your apples in the refrigerator as soon as you get home. Studies by the Vermont Department of Agriculture have shown that apples last seven times longer when kept in refrigerator. If you pick too many apples to eat in a week or two, you could put them in airtight plastic and freeze them. They may be kept in the freezer for up to a year.

(Source: Bupena English for SMP/MTs Grade IX)

Why is it suggested to leave the stem attached?