#1 - An electric utility has determined that a new power

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Strengthen. The correct answer choice is (C).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[lichenfarmer]

Hey! I got this answer correct during my blind review, but was stuck between answers B and C during my actual practice. I want to go over my reasoning just to make sure I'm thinking through this correctly.

B: While this justifies the environmentalists' choices somewhat, we will need to assume that W2E will address the trash production and energy demand of the area. We don't know if the energy provided by W2E, nor the trash taken in by the W2E will be from the area. The W2E could be selling its electricity to other areas and taking in trash from other areas. Furthermore, we don't know if the W2E will be sufficient for addressing the area's energy and waste needs.

C: If the W2E is replacing a trash incinerator that produces more air pollution than the new W2E, then it would make sense that environmentalists would prefer this! Building a gas plant does nothing to address the need for a new trash incinerator, even though it will provide energy. This gives a good justification and is sufficient for supporting the environmentalist's decision to support W2E. Unlike B, we don't require any further assumptions.

Let me know if I'm missing something! I was initially very drawn to B, and I want to make sure that I develop a good strategy for avoiding tempting answers. Thanks!

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

The key here, lichenfarmer, is that whatever the W2E does needs to have a significant enough benefit to outweigh the fact that it produces three times the air polution as the natural gas powered plant. Answer choice (B) doesn't really give us a reason to think that it would. It says there are more energy demands, and more trash, but it doesn't give us any information about a pollution benefit. Even if it would handle all the trash and energy needs, jt would still be doing so while emitting much more pollution than the other option.

You are right on about answer choice (C). Great work!

[SGD2021]

Hello, I have a question about a specific sentence in the stimulus.

the stimulus says “...has decided to build either a natural gas fired plant or a waste to energy plant that would serve as both a trash incinerator and a power plant”. Does the part in bold only apply to the waste to energy plant? If so, is that a grammar rule of some sort?

Thank you!

[Adam Tyson]

Yes it does, and yes it is, SGD! But as I am no English teacher, I won't attempt to explain that rule., because I will probably not do a very good job of it. All I can say is that the phrase that starts with the word "that" refers to the immediate antecedent, which is the waste-to-power plant.