Final answer:
The vegetable with a sweet, nutty flavor and similar shape to a carrot is a parsnip, making the correct answer a) Parsnip. Wheat is the crop among the listed options that did not originate in the New World.
Step-by-step explanation:
The vegetable described as whitish in color, similar in shape to a carrot, but firm with a sweet, nutty flavor is a parnsip. Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is option a) Parsnip.
Regarding the question about which of the following crops did not originate in the New World, the answer is d) Wheat. Tobacco, maize, and potato are all plants that were first domesticated in the Americas. Wheat, on the other hand, originated in the Old World, specifically in the region known as the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East. Wheat has been a staple food for many cultures for thousands of years and is one of the oldest and most important of the cereal crops.