Question Details

Direction for Reading Comprehension: The passages given here are followed by some questions that have four answer choices; read the passage carefully and pick the option whose answer best aligns with the passage

Direction for Reading Comprehension: The passages given here are followed by some questions that have four answer choices; read the passage carefully and pick the option whose answer best aligns with the passage In a low-carbon world, renewable energy technologies are hot business. For investors looking to redirect funds, wind turbines and solar panels, among other technologies, seem a straightforward choice. But renewables need to be further scrutinized before being championed as forging a path toward a low-carbon future. Both the direct and indirect impacts of renewable energy must be examined to ensure that a climate-smart future does not intensify social and environmental harm. As renewable energy production requires land, water, and labor, among other inputs, it imposes costs on people and the environment. Hydropower projects, for instance, have led to community dispossession and exclusion...Renewable energy supply chains are also intertwined with mining, and their technologies contribute to growing levels of electronic waste... Furthermore, although renewable energy can be produced and distributed through small-scale, local systems, such an approach might not generate the high returns on investment needed to attract capital. Although an emerging sector, renewables are enmeshed in long-standing resource extraction through their dependence on minerals and metals... Scholars document the negative consequences of mining... even for mining operations that commit to socially responsible practices[:] “many of the world’s largest reservoirs of minerals like cobalt, copper, lithium,[and] rare earth minerals”—the ones needed for renewable technologies— are found in fragile states and under communities of marginalized peoples in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.” Since the demand for metals and minerals will increase substantially in a renewable-powered future... this intensification could exacerbate the existing consequences of extractive activities. Among the connections between climate change and waste, O’Neill... highlights that “devices developed to reduce our carbon footprint, such as lithium batteries for hybrid and electric cars or solar panels[,] become potentially dangerous electronic waste at the end of their productive life.” The disposal of toxic waste has long perpetuated social injustice through the flows of waste to the Global South and to marginalized communities in the Global North... While renewable energy is a more recent addition to financial portfolios, investments in the sector must be considered in light of our understanding of capital accumulation. As agricultural finance reveals, the concentration of control of corporate activity facilitates profit generation. For some climate activists, the promise of renewables rests on their ability not only to reduce emissions but also to provide distributed, democratized access to energy...But Burke and Stephens... caution that “renewable energy systems offer a possibility but not a certainty for more democratic energy futures.” Small-scale, distributed forms of energy are only highly profitable to institutional investors if control is consolidated somewhere in the financial chain. Renewable energy can be produced at the household or neighborhood level. However, such small-scale, localized production is unlikely to generate high returns for investors. For financial growth to be sustained and expanded by the renewable sector, production and trade in renewable energy technologies will need to be highly concentrated, and large asset management firms will likely drive those developments.

All of the following statements, if true, could be seen as supporting the arguments in the passage, EXCEPT:

Options

A

Marginalised people in Africa, Asia and Latin America have often been the main sufferers of corporate mineral extraction projects.

B

The example of agricultural finance helps us to see how to concentrate corporate activity in the renewable energy sector.

C

One reason for the perpetuation of social injustice lies in the problem of the disposal of toxic waste.

D

The possible negative impacts of renewable energy need to be studied before it can be offered as a financial investment opportunity.

Show Answer

Correct Answer :

Option D

The possible negative impacts of renewable energy need to be studied before it can be offered as a financial investment opportunity.

Solution :

The correct option is: "The possible negative impacts of renewable energy need to be studied before it can be offered as a financial investment opportunity."

Step-by-Step Explanation:

This question asks us to identify the statement that does NOT support the arguments made in the passage (the "EXCEPT" option). Let's evaluate the passage's core arguments and compare them with each option.

1. Analyzing the Core Arguments of the Passage:
• The passage argues that while renewable energy technologies are popular for investors, they carry direct and indirect negative social and environmental costs (such as community dispossession, electronic waste, and mining harms).
• It notes that renewable energy is already a part of financial portfolios ("While renewable energy is a more recent addition to financial portfolios...").
• It explains that to satisfy institutional investors seeking high returns, the renewable sector will likely need highly concentrated corporate control, similar to agricultural finance.

2. Evaluating the Options:

Option 1: "Marginalised people in Africa, Asia and Latin America have often been the main sufferers of corporate mineral extraction projects."
This supports the passage's argument. The passage explicitly states that many key mineral reservoirs are found "under communities of marginalized peoples in Africa, Asia, and Latin America" and that mining has negative consequences.

Option 2: "The example of agricultural finance helps us to see how to concentrate corporate activity in the renewable energy sector."
This supports the passage's argument. The passage draws a parallel: "As agricultural finance reveals, the concentration of control of corporate activity facilitates profit generation," and goes on to apply this logic to the consolidation required for profitable renewable energy.

Option 3: "One reason for the perpetuation of social injustice lies in the problem of the disposal of toxic waste."
This supports the passage's argument. The passage notes that "The disposal of toxic waste has long perpetuated social injustice through the flows of waste to the Global South and to marginalized communities..."

Option 4: "The possible negative impacts of renewable energy need to be studied before it can be offered as a financial investment opportunity."
This statement does not support the passage's arguments. The passage states that renewable energy is already an active part of financial portfolios ("While renewable energy is a more recent addition to financial portfolios..."). The author argues that renewable energy must be scrutinized before being championed as a path toward a low-carbon future, not that it must be entirely kept out of financial markets or blocked from being offered as an investment opportunity until studies are complete. Thus, this option misrepresents the author's stance and is the correct choice.

Unlock Our Free Library

Access expert-curated educational resources and study materials—completely free.

Discover more resources

You may also like

Mock Tests

View All
  • CLAT
  • intermediate
  • 2 hours
  • current affairs, english, general knowledge, legal reasoning, logical reasoning, quant

  • CLAT
  • intermediate
  • 2 hours
  • current affairs, english, general knowledge, legal reasoning, logical reasoning, quant

Ask AI Tutor
5 left
Q1 View Question & Options
AI Tutor is solving this question...
Reading question context & options...