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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 18 May 2015, 06:08
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Thanks VeritasPrepKarishma It makes sense to me now that how (C) can be a contender. However,I still have questions regarding (B).

Quote:
So basically he is mining slowly. But we are talking about average reclamation cost in terms of dollar per ton of coal. You will pay the same dollar per ton of coal.
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In my response, I am not talking about the speed at which the miner is producing coal. I am saying that less quantity of coal was mined during the last 20 year i.e. the number of tons has decreased and because of that the land digging has decreased and hence the reclamation cost.

reclamation cost today is only four dollars per ton of coal => it directly depends on ton of coal produced. Usage of coal has decreased => less coal is getting mined/reduction in tons => number of times you have to pay $4 reduces.

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average reclamation cost in terms of dollar per ton of coal. You will pay the same dollar per ton of coal. This will not change if you mine the coal slower. You will just be paying the same amount after longer intervals.
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I am not sure I get how I will pay same dollar per ton of coal. The avg. reclamation cost will go down if less tons are produced.
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 19 May 2015, 05:21
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Thanks VeritasPrepKarishma It makes sense to me now that how (C) can be a contender. However,I still have questions regarding (B).

Quote:
So basically he is mining slowly. But we are talking about average reclamation cost in terms of dollar per ton of coal. You will pay the same dollar per ton of coal.

In my response, I am not talking about the speed at which the miner is producing coal. I am saying that less quantity of coal was mined during the last 20 year i.e. the number of tons has decreased and because of that the land digging has decreased and hence the reclamation cost.

reclamation cost today is only four dollars per ton of coal => it directly depends on ton of coal produced. Usage of coal has decreased => less coal is getting mined/reduction in tons => number of times you have to pay $4 reduces.

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average reclamation cost in terms of dollar per ton of coal. You will pay the same dollar per ton of coal. This will not change if you mine the coal slower. You will just be paying the same amount after longer intervals.

I am not sure I get how I will pay same dollar per ton of coal. The avg. reclamation cost will go down if less tons are produced.
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Note that the total reclamation cost will go down if you mine less coal - but reclamation cost which is dollars per ton stays the same. If you pay $4 per ton, you pay the same rate whether you mine 10 tons of coal or 10,000 tons of coal. The $ per ton rate does not change. Only the total cost paid changes.
The question talks about "average reclamation cost in terms of dollar per ton of coal." That does not change if you dig up less coal.
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 29 Jun 2015, 18:02
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Might someone know what level would this question be?

This question got me thinking for quite some time... I couldn't find a reasoning for why C was the best answer before seeing others' explanation above.
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 29 Jun 2015, 20:46
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Might someone know what level would this question be?

This question got me thinking for quite some time... I couldn't find a reasoning for why C was the best answer before seeing others' explanation above.
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As tagged above, it is a 700 level question. It is certainly one of the hard ones though not ambiguous at all.
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 29 Jun 2015, 21:07
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Might someone know what level would this question be?

This question got me thinking for quite some time... I couldn't find a reasoning for why C was the best answer before seeing others' explanation above.

As tagged above, it is a 700 level question. It is certainly one of the hard ones though not ambiguous at all.
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Hi Karishma,
Is it really difficultwhen one looks at the answer choices..
all the choices are out of context other than the answer..
the Q tells us that reclamation cosst has gone down without any improvement in tech...

A. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, coal mines in Balzania continued to be less expensive to operate than coal mines in almost any other country.
out of context as we are not comparing different countries
B. In the twenty years since the regulations took effect, the use of coal as a fuel has declined from the level it was at in the previous twenty years.
again use has nothing to do with reclamation cost.. out of context
C. Mine operators have generally ceased surface mining in the mountainous areas of Balzania because reclamation costs per ton of coal produced are particularly high for mines in such areas.correct
D. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, surface mines continued to produce coal at a lower total cost than underground mines.
Again we are not comparing cost between two different methods of mining... out of context
E. As compared to twenty years ago, a greater percentage of the coal mined in Balzania today comes from surface mines.
it again speaks of usage , which has nothing to do with reclamation cost per ton of coal
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 29 Jun 2015, 22:43
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kobaum
Might someone know what level would this question be?

This question got me thinking for quite some time... I couldn't find a reasoning for why C was the best answer before seeing others' explanation above.

As tagged above, it is a 700 level question. It is certainly one of the hard ones though not ambiguous at all.

Hi Karishma,
Is it really difficultwhen one looks at the answer choices..
all the choices are out of context other than the answer..
the Q tells us that reclamation cosst has gone down without any improvement in tech...

A. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, coal mines in Balzania continued to be less expensive to operate than coal mines in almost any other country.
out of context as we are not comparing different countries
B. In the twenty years since the regulations took effect, the use of coal as a fuel has declined from the level it was at in the previous twenty years.
again use has nothing to do with reclamation cost.. out of context
C. Mine operators have generally ceased surface mining in the mountainous areas of Balzania because reclamation costs per ton of coal produced are particularly high for mines in such areas.correct
D. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, surface mines continued to produce coal at a lower total cost than underground mines.
Again we are not comparing cost between two different methods of mining... out of context
E. As compared to twenty years ago, a greater percentage of the coal mined in Balzania today comes from surface mines.
it again speaks of usage , which has nothing to do with reclamation cost per ton of coal
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Dear chetan2u and kobaum,
I'm happy to respond on this issue. :-) With all due respect to Karishma, for whom I have considerable respect, I am going to introduce a different perspective. I am going to say that I am deeply skeptical of this entire idea of a "700 level question." Yes, on average, there are harder questions and easier questions. Nevertheless, the idea that we can pinpoint with mathematical precision the difficulty of any individual question is ludicrous. See this blog article:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2014/is-this-a- ... -question/
Any reasonably challenging question is going to be harder for some folks and easier for some folks. Even if the idea of quantifiable difficulty has some reality, it is only in the broadest statistical sense, and not at all in the individual perception of the question. The fact that one isolated student finds a question easy or hard means absolutely nothing about the objective difficulty of the question. You see, students are convinced of this fiction that all questions have an objective, quantifiable difficulty; then GC, trying to accommodate students, creates this tag; then we folks who write questions and post them on GMAT club have to use that tag on a question we are posting. To be honest, once I write a GMAT practice question, I usually only have a vague guess about how easy or hard it is, and some times, as we gather data on questions, I find that my guesses were wrong. I am going to say, my friends, that it is a complete waste of time to obsess about whether this question or that question is a mythical 700 level question. Forget all the numbers, forget all the scoring, and keep practicing & learning & challenging yourself. You waste valuable time and energy when you focus on what doesn't matter. Focus on understanding as many questions as possible, and in particular, focus on understanding your mistakes and how to learn from them. Focus on understanding more deeply what is difficult for you. Forget about whether that question is this level or that level.

Does all this make sense?
Mike :-)
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 02 Jun 2017, 16:53
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operators of surface mines to pay for the reclamation of mined-out land. Since then, reclamation technology has not improved. Yet, the average reclamation cost for a surface coal mine being reclaimed today is only four dollars per ton of coal that the mine produced, less than half what it cost to reclaim surface mines in the years immediately after the regulations took effect.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to account for the drop in reclamation costs described?

A. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, coal mines in Balzania continued to be less expensive to operate than coal mines in almost any other country.
B. In the twenty years since the regulations took effect, the use of coal as a fuel has declined from the level it was at in the previous twenty years.
C. Mine operators have generally ceased surface mining in the mountainous areas of Balzania because reclamation costs per ton of coal produced are particularly high for mines in such areas.
D. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, surface mines continued to produce coal at a lower total cost than underground mines.
E. As compared to twenty years ago, a greater percentage of the coal mined in Balzania today comes from surface mines.
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Fact 1: Reclamation technology has not improved.

Missing information: But mine operators have generally ceased surface mining in the mountainous areas of Balzania because reclamation costs per ton of coal produced are particularly high for mines in such areas.

Fact 2: So, the average reclamation cost for a surface coal mine being reclaimed today is only four dollars per ton of coal that the mine produced, less than half what it cost to reclaim surface mines in the years immediately after the regulations took effect.
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 14 Sep 2017, 12:53
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This is a tough one. Awaiting OA.

Premise 1: Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operators of surface mines to pay for the reclamation of mined-out land.
Premise 2:Since then, reclamation technology has not improved.

Conclusion: Yet, the average reclamation cost for a surface coal mine being reclaimed today is only four dollars per ton of coal that the mine produced, less than half what it cost to reclaim surface mines in the years immediately after the regulations took effect.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to account for the drop in reclamation costs described?

A. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, coal mines in Balzania continued to be less expensive to operate than coal mines in almost any other country. -We are not worried about the other countries' condition.
B. In the twenty years since the regulations took effect, the use of coal as a fuel has declined from the level it was at in the previous twenty years. -Correct. If the demand reduces, then the supply also follows the same trend. Thus, the production of coal reduces thereby reducing the reclamation cost.
C. Mine operators have generally ceased surface mining in the mountainous areas of Balzania because reclamation costs per ton of coal produced are particularly high for mines in such areas. -Okay. This is a fact set. A person might give up on the land or not.
D. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, surface mines continued to produce coal at a lower total cost than underground mines. -Out of scope
E. As compared to twenty years ago, a greater percentage of the coal mined in Balzania today comes from surface mines. -Out of scope. Doesn't talk about the cost involved.
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 14 Sep 2017, 19:31
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operators of surface mines to pay for the reclamation of mined-out land. Since then, reclamation technology has not improved. Yet, the average reclamation cost for a surface coal mine being reclaimed today is only four dollars per ton of coal that the mine produced, less than half what it cost to reclaim surface mines in the years immediately after the regulations took effect.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to account for the drop in reclamation costs described?

A. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, coal mines in Balzania continued to be less expensive to operate than coal mines in almost any other country.
B. In the twenty years since the regulations took effect, the use of coal as a fuel has declined from the level it was at in the previous twenty years.
C. Mine operators have generally ceased surface mining in the mountainous areas of Balzania because reclamation costs per ton of coal produced are particularly high for mines in such areas.
D. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, surface mines continued to produce coal at a lower total cost than underground mines.
E. As compared to twenty years ago, a greater percentage of the coal mined in Balzania today comes from surface mines.

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IMO its E.
Now there is greater percentage of coal mined, so coal quantity has increased.
Eventually, the per ton coal cost will reduce.
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 15 Sep 2017, 00:36
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I think it's C.

Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operators of surface mines to pay for the reclamation of mined-out land. Since then, reclamation technology has not improved. Yet, the average reclamation cost for a surface coal mine being reclaimed today is only four dollars per ton of coal that the mine produced, less than half what it cost to reclaim surface mines in the years immediately after the regulations took effect.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to account for the drop in reclamation costs described?

A. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, coal mines in Balzania continued to be less expensive to operate than coal mines in almost any other country. - Don't care about what is happening in other countries. Not relevant.

B. In the twenty years since the regulations took effect, the use of coal as a fuel has declined from the level it was at in the previous twenty years. - Not relevant. Use of coal has nothing to do with reclamation cost of the surface mines. Coal could still be heavily used, just not as a fuel. It still does not explain the lower reclamation cost compared to 20 years ago, especially since the tech has not changed.

C. Mine operators have generally ceased surface mining in the mountainous areas of Balzania because reclamation costs per ton of coal produced are particularly high for mines in such areas. -This explains why the reclamation costs could have gone down even though the reclamation technology hasn't improved. It is generally easier to level, say a ditch,on a leveled surface compared to that on a slope. So mine operators started mining on more leveled surface mines v/s mountainous areas - therefore lower reclamation costs.

D. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, surface mines continued to produce coal at a lower total cost than underground mines.- Not relevant.

E. As compared to twenty years ago, a greater percentage of the coal mined in Balzania today comes from surface mines. - Surface mines could be situated anywhere. This does not tell us anything about why the costs could have gone lower. Not relevant.
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 15 Sep 2017, 20:17
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operators of surface mines to pay for the reclamation of mined-out land. Since then, reclamation technology has not improved. Yet, the average reclamation cost for a surface coal mine being reclaimed today is only four dollars per ton of coal that the mine produced, less than half what it cost to reclaim surface mines in the years immediately after the regulations took effect.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to account for the drop in reclamation costs described?

A. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, coal mines in Balzania continued to be less expensive to operate than coal mines in almost any other country. Out of scope! OUT
B. In the twenty years since the regulations took effect, the use of coal as a fuel has declined from the level it was at in the previous twenty years. Then the cost might have gone up, contradicts! OUT
C. Mine operators have generally ceased surface mining in the mountainous areas of Balzania because reclamation costs per ton of coal produced are particularly high for mines in such areas. Something changed from the past practice, and decreased the cost! Probable - Keep
D. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, surface mines continued to produce coal at a lower total cost than underground mines. No reason why the cost dropped now! OUT
E. As compared to twenty years ago, a greater percentage of the coal mined in Balzania today comes from surface mines. But at what cost? OUT

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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 16 Sep 2017, 17:39
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IMO

Surface mining + Underground mining = Total coal that the mine produced

Reclamation cost comes from only surface mining (as it destroys land surface)

So Average reclamation cost (for a surface coal mine being reclaimed today) per ton of coal that the mine produced is based on
Surface/(Surface+Underground)

Only way for the average to be reduced is to decrease in mix (percentage) of Surface mining or it's a increase in mix of Underground mining

Look at the answer choices, Only C. and E. say about the mix of coal production

But E. is telling that the mix of Surface is increased hence it's opposite to what we are looking for as this will increase the average reclamation cost

While C. is implying that the mix of Surface is decreased (or that of Underground is increased) as it's telling that "Mine operators have generally ceased surface mining in the mountainous areas of Balzania"
(The cease is only in mountainous areas (means that other areas of Balzania still have surface mining), that's why there is still reclamation cost. If the cease is for all areas, there will be no reclamation cost as it's no more surface mining in Balzania)

Actually, we can plug some numbers to test this...

"reclamation technology has not improved" is just there to have the cost of reclamation per area of land unchanged thus leave the mix as only factor
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 08 May 2019, 06:49
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operators of surface mines to pay for the reclamation of mined-out land. Since then, reclamation technology has not improved. Yet, the average reclamation cost for a surface coal mine being reclaimed today is only four dollars per ton of coal that the mine produced, less than half what it cost to reclaim surface mines in the years immediately after the regulations took effect.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to account for the drop in reclamation costs described?

A. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, coal mines in Balzania continued to be less expensive to operate than coal mines in almost any other country. (Not about other countries)
B. In the twenty years since the regulations took effect, the use of coal as a fuel has declined from the level it was at in the previous twenty years. (Not about Coal as fuel - out of scope)
C. Mine operators have generally ceased surface mining in the mountainous areas of Balzania because reclamation costs per ton of coal produced are particularly high for mines in such areas. Looks kind of OK for now...
D. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, surface mines continued to produce coal at a lower total cost than underground mines. ( Could be but underground mine - off topic)
E. As compared to twenty years ago, a greater percentage of the coal mined in Balzania today comes from surface mines. Hmm C & E?

GMAT is producing quite a few spurious answers so even if C is the answer - E makes the most sense
C. Mine operators have generally ceased surface mining in the mountainous areas of Balzania because reclamation costs per ton of coal produced are particularly high for mines in such areas. Looks kind of OK for now...
1st bringing in outside off topic mountainous areas is confusing - HR kind of stuff - so alarm bells should start ringing - lets dig into the real numbers to assess the situation then - Avg Surface CM hmm Total Cost/ No then - but they are saying they completely ceased - no activity - zilch - so that number can never be 4 - if anything that number is an undefined off shoot number just like the dreams of the mountainous areas...But still we will think about it and go to the real BIG E which is screaming out - hey look at me - I really really look good
E. As compared to twenty years ago, a greater percentage of the coal mined in Balzania today comes from surface mines.
Even this has anomalies - but then is it HR or being precise sticks to a point? Just what CR wants - Lets check it out -
Avg Surface CM cost- = Total Cost/ Number = so number as defined by percentage comes from SM - We no nothing about total cost - but whatever it is High or low it must be a defined number - given this situation the number could definitely vary between 4 and 8 or even stay the same for that matter - but given there is a number stated "only 4 less than half - so 8+/- 2 - previously - should this not be the answer?

Wait C is still beckoning to me with undefined out of scope **** - clocks ticking - tick tock - nah C - you no good - too much blah/out of scope +HR+undefined number - its like glaring mess of muddy puddle- I need some specifics here - go with E

But then just like my other post today - GMAT glitch kicks in full throttle - I ask are these very recent - nope post goes back to 2004 - so this messy puddle has been going around since - that's a real surprise

Happy to get some rebuttals here - how to make undefined numbers definable - GMAT magic?
Cumberbatch as in Sherlock might soon get to the bottom of this ...if Moriarty is not doing tick tock tick tock behind him...
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 12 May 2019, 04:04
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operators of surface mines to pay for the reclamation of mined-out land. Since then, reclamation technology has not improved. Yet, the average reclamation cost for a surface coal mine being reclaimed today is only four dollars per ton of coal that the mine produced, less than half what it cost to reclaim surface mines in the years immediately after the regulations took effect.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to account for the drop in reclamation costs described?

A. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, coal mines in Balzania continued to be less expensive to operate than coal mines in almost any other country.
B. In the twenty years since the regulations took effect, the use of coal as a fuel has declined from the level it was at in the previous twenty years.
C. Mine operators have generally ceased surface mining in the mountainous areas of Balzania because reclamation costs per ton of coalproduced are particularly high for mines in such areas.
D. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, surface mines continued to produce coal at a lower total cost than underground mines.
E. As compared to twenty years ago, a greater percentage of the coal mined in Balzania today comes from surface mines.

The question is very simple if you understand exactly what reclamation costs are. Once some land is mined out, it needs work to be put back to some use say cultivation. That work is expensive and operators need to pay the govt for reclamation. When will the average reclamation cost go down? When technology gets better and it costs less to reclaim everywhere. Or when areas with high reclamation costs are not mined.

Option (C) tells you that mining in a particularly high reclamation cost area has stopped. This will decrease average reclamation cost (though the reclamation cost of other areas might still be the same)

None of the other options are relevant. In option (B), even if use of coal has declined and less coal is being mined today, it doesn't change the reclamation cost. Once a place is mined out, it will take the same amount of money to reclaim it.

Answer (C)
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 15 Jan 2020, 16:55
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chunjuwu
Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operators of surface mines to pay for the reclamation of mined-out land. Since then, reclamation technology has not improved. Yet, the average reclamation cost for a surface coal mine being reclaimed today is only four dollars per ton of coal that the mine produced, less than half what it cost to reclaim surface mines in the years immediately after the regulations took effect.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to account for the drop in reclamation costs described?


A. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, coal mines in Balzania continued to be less expensive to operate than coal mines in almost any other country.

B. In the twenty years since the regulations took effect, the use of coal as a fuel has declined from the level it was at in the previous twenty years.

C. Mine operators have generally ceased surface mining in the mountainous areas of Balzania because reclamation costs per ton of coal produced are particularly high for mines in such areas.

D. Even after Balzania began requiring surface mine operators to pay reclamation costs, surface mines continued to produce coal at a lower total cost than underground mines.

E. As compared to twenty years ago, a greater percentage of the coal mined in Balzania today comes from surface mines.


Verbal Question of The Day: Day 104: Critical Reasoning


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Explanation of a similar question from Ron Purewal:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xlz7ht#.UTKMQXx8KlY
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 20 Oct 2020, 12:25
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We are told that operators of surface mines have had to pay for the reclamation of mined-out land for the past twenty years. During that time, reclamation technology has not improved. Yet, the average reclamation cost for a surface coal mine being reclaimed today is significantly less than what it was twenty years ago.

So why has the average reclamation cost decreased even though the technology has not improved?

Quote:
B. In the twenty years since the regulations took effect, the use of coal as a fuel has declined from the level it was at in the previous twenty years.
A decline in the use of coal might have caused a decrease in surface coal mining and thus an OVERALL decrease in reclamation costs, but that would not affect AVERAGE reclamation cost. Eliminate (B).
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if the overall reclamation costs have gone down, doesn't that mean the average reclamation cost will also go down?
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 06 Apr 2021, 14:27
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Hi avigutman - just wanted to focus only on the word "Average reclamation cost" ... To calculate the average, It must be

Average reclamation cost for Surface Mine A
== Total reclamation cost incurred by Surface Mine A / Total coal produced by surface mine A

Question : in the Numerator above, is the total reclamation cost a fixed fee or a variable fee ?

My understanding is it we don't know

Hence if the
-- denominator in the formula above reduces, the numerator maybe stays the same (implying, numerator is a Fixed cost)
-- denominator in the formula above reduces,, the numerator reduces (implying, numerator is a variable cost)

Given we don't know if the Numerator is a fixed cost or a variable cost -- any changes in the denominator (increase or decrease) may or may not change the overall average

This is what option B and option E are doing

Option B is saying the denominator increases whereas option E is saying the denominator decreases. But given we don't know if the numerator stays fixed OR if numerator decreases as well -- we can't really tell if the Average will increase / decrease or stay the same

Hence option B and Option E are out of scope
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 07 Apr 2021, 11:59
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jabhatta2
Hi avigutman - just wanted to focus only on the word "Average reclamation cost" ... To calculate the average, It must be

Average reclamation cost for Surface Mine A
== Total reclamation cost incurred by Surface Mine A / Total coal produced by surface mine A

Question : in the Numerator above, is the total reclamation cost a fixed fee or a variable fee ?

My understanding is it we don't know

Hence if the
-- denominator in the formula above reduces, the numerator maybe stays the same (implying, numerator is a Fixed cost)
-- denominator in the formula above reduces,, the numerator reduces (implying, numerator is a variable cost)

Given we don't know if the Numerator is a fixed cost or a variable cost -- any changes in the denominator (increase or decrease) may or may not change the overall average

This is what option B and option E are doing

Option B is saying the denominator increases whereas option E is saying the denominator decreases. But given we don't know if the numerator stays fixed OR if numerator decreases as well -- we can't really tell if the Average will increase / decrease or stay the same

Hence option B and Option E are out of scope
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You’re correct that the denominator is Total coal produced by surface mine A
However, I don’t see how choices B and E are talking about that.

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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 07 Apr 2021, 13:42
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jabhatta2
Average reclamation cost for Surface Mine A
== Total reclamation cost incurred by Surface Mine A / Total coal produced by surface mine A

You’re correct that the denominator is Total coal produced by surface mine A
However, I don’t see how choices B and E are talking about that.

Posted from my mobile device
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Hi avigutman - thank you so much for responding ...hmm i thought option B certainly affected the denominator in my formula above

OR ARE YOU SAYING

Perhaps Coal as a fuel may have dropped in Balzania but Balzania is perhaps exporting more coal than before so the net effect on the amount being mined is net zero --- Is that why you say option B does not affect the denominator specifically ?

Option E -- is talking about a %. Perhaps surface mines are still mining the same amount whereas the underground mines are the one's that have reduced their mining numbers. Thereby surface coals automatically have a greater % of the pie even though surface mines are mining the same amount of coal as before.
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Twenty years ago, Balzania put in place regulations requiring operator 07 Apr 2021, 20:07
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jabhatta2
Average reclamation cost for Surface Mine A
== Total reclamation cost incurred by Surface Mine A / Total coal produced by surface mine A

You’re correct that the denominator is Total coal produced by surface mine A
However, I don’t see how choices B and E are talking about that.

Posted from my mobile device
Hi avigutman - thank you so much for responding ...hmm i thought option B certainly affected the denominator in my formula above

OR ARE YOU SAYING

Perhaps Coal as a fuel may have dropped in Balzania but Balzania is perhaps exporting more coal than before so the net effect on the amount being mined is net zero --- Is that why you say option B does not affect the denominator specifically ?

Option E -- is talking about a %. Perhaps surface mines are still mining the same amount whereas the underground mines are the one's that have reduced their mining numbers. Thereby surface coals automatically have a greater % of the pie even though surface mines are mining the same amount of coal as before.
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Regarding B: There are several links in the chain connecting the use of coal as a fuel with the amount of coal mined from surface mines. What about other uses of coal? What about imported/exported coal? What about other coal mines (non-surface)?

Regarding E: yes, you got it.
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