Operations at the Green Hills Gold Mine are continuously releasing

Question

Operations at the Green Hills Gold Mine are continuously releasing mercury into the headwaters of the Apache River, and most fish in the Apache River now have mercury levels at or above the legal limit for human consumption. With the price of gold rising, forcing more and more mining at Green Hills, there seems no hope for food fishing along the Apache River.

Which of the following plans, if feasible, would allow the state to assist the food fishing industries along the Apache?

(A) State workers will test the algae and underwater plants for mercury, removing those above a certain mercury threshold. These algae and plants are the principal food source of the food fish.

(B) The state bank will start to buy up large amounts of gold, preferentially buying directly from the Green Hills mines.

(C) Every six months, the state will send testers to twelve locations along the upper and lower Apache River, to test the mercury content in the water and in fish.

(D) The state will mount a public awareness campaign, educating private citizen and restaurateurs about the dangers of high levels of mercury in food fish.

(E) Immediately downstream from Green Hills, the state will install a sophisticated ionic filtration plant, which will substantially reduce the level of heavy metals (including mercury) in the water.

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ykkahs · Answer

E is the correct ans as we have to assist food fishing and by choosing A option food fishing will deplete as those algae are food source. Therefore fish will struggle to survive whereas in E we can simply reduce heavy metal

Noobforall · Answer

How about D ? As it is given in the last sentence that now there is no hope for food fishing along the coast. So awareness campaign should be raised to alert the locals ?

Vibhatu · Answer

Really confused between A and E. Please help

propinopia · Answer

'A' talks about the removal of the contents of water, including algae, which is the food source of fish, no food -> no live fish. Therefore it would not facilitate fishing. E on the other hand talks about planting a filtration that constricts the entry of Heavy metals into the waterbody, preventing fish and contamination of algae.

Abhiswarup · Answer

The passage explains requirement of Gold mining at Green Hills and further explains potential harm due to mining as leads to increased mercury levels in fish which isn't acceptable for human consumption.

Question wants to find statement which would help assist the food fishing industries along the Apache, let's analyze options:

(A) State workers will test the algae and underwater plants for mercury, removing those above a certain mercury threshold. These algae and plants are the principal food source of the food fish.
This will not ensure less mercury levels in fish and hence fishing industry will not sustain. Eliminate
(B) The state bank will start to buy up large amounts of gold, preferentially buying directly from the Green Hills mines.
Factual information rather it will further create problem for fishing industry. Eliminate.
(C) Every six months, the state will send testers to twelve locations along the upper and lower Apache River, to test the mercury content in the water and in fish.
This will not ensure less mercury levels in fish and hence fishing industry will not sustain. Eliminate
(D) The state will mount a public awareness campaign, educating private citizen and restaurateurs about the dangers of high levels of mercury in food fish.
This will not ensure less mercury levels in fish and hence fishing industry will not sustain. Eliminate
(E) Immediately downstream from Green Hills, the state will install a sophisticated ionic filtration plant, which will substantially reduce the level of heavy metals (including mercury) in the water.
This is correct option as it will reduce the mercury levels in fish and hence will be fit for human consumption.

Answer is E.

kingbucky · Answer

Question:  Which of the following plans, if feasible, would allow the state to assist the food fishing industries along the Apache?

(A) State workers will test the algae and underwater plants for mercury, removing those above a certain mercury threshold. These algae and plants are the principal food source of the food fish.  
  Explanation: While removing mercury-laden algae and plants might reduce mercury in fish, these are the fish’s primary food source. Reducing their food supply could harm fish populations, negatively impacting the fishing industry. This plan risks  trading one problem for another,  so it’s unlikely to effectively assist the industry.

(B) The state bank will start to buy up large amounts of gold, preferentially buying directly from the Green Hills mines.  
  Explanation: Buying gold from Green Hills would likely increase mining activity, as it boosts demand and funds for the mine. This would exacerbate mercury pollution, further harming fish and the fishing industry. This plan works against the goal.

(C) Every six months, the state will send testers to twelve locations along the upper and lower Apache River, to test the mercury content in the water and in fish.  
  Explanation: Testing mercury levels provides data but does nothing to reduce mercury in the water or fish. It might even highlight the problem faster, potentially hurting the industry by flagging unsafe fish without addressing the contamination. This plan doesn’t assist the industry.

(D) The state will mount a public awareness campaign, educating private citizens and restaurateurs about the dangers of high levels of mercury in food fish.  
  Explanation: Educating the public about mercury dangers may reduce demand for contaminated fish, but it doesn’t address the contamination itself. Lower demand could hurt the fishing industry further by reducing sales, without helping fish become safer for consumption.

(E) Immediately downstream from Green Hills, the state will install a sophisticated ionic filtration plant, which will substantially reduce the level of heavy metals (including mercury) in the water.  
  Explanation: By reducing mercury in the water, this plan directly tackles the root cause of high mercury levels in fish. Lower mercury in the river should lead to safer fish, enabling the food fishing industry to thrive by providing fish within legal consumption limits.

The passage emphasizes mercury contamination as the    core issue   , and   only a plan that reduces mercury in fish can help the fishing industry  . Option E directly addresses this.

Answer: E

Bunuel · Answer

Official Explanation

We have a problem. Gold mining releases mercury, which contaminates the fish, enough that they are dangerous for humans to eat. Consequently, the food fishing industry is dying, and we want to implement a plan that will address this problem and save this dying industry.

(E) is the credited answer. If we can lower the mercury levels just downstream from the Green Hills mines, which will solve the problem at its root cause.

(A) Do the fish get the mercury from eating the alga? We don't know. Suppose they do: even then, this won't help ---- it certainly will not benefit the fish if we wind up removed their primarily source of food. Instead of living fish full of mercury, we would have fish that starved to death. Hardly an improvement!

(B) buying gold will only increase the pace of mining, which will increase the levels of mercury released into the river, which will exacerbate the problem, rather than solving it.

Both (C) & (D) make the same fallacy: knowledge, in and of itself, is not a solution. Simply knowing how much more mercury there is, or having citizens knowing the dangers of ingesting mercury, will not, by itself, make the mercury level drop or save the fishing industry in any way.

Operations at the Green Hills Gold Mine are continuously releasing

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Operations at the Green Hills Gold Mine are continuously releasing

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