Passage - In only 50 years, the world's consumption of raw materials has nearly quadrupled, to more than 100 billion tons. Less than 9% of this is reused. Batteries of old vehicles contain materials such as lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel that are pricey and can be hard to obtain. Supply chains are long and complicated. Buyers' risks are being aggravated by their suppliers' poor environmental and labour standards. Reusing materials makes sense. Once batteries reach the ends of their lives, they should go back to a factory where their ingredients can be recovered and put into new batteries.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Assumption 2 is valid. The passage highlights the economic challenges associated with raw material consumption, such as the increasing demand, scarcity of materials like lithium and cobalt, complex supply chains, and aggravated buyer risks due to supplier standards. It explicitly states that "Reusing materials makes sense" and proposes recovering ingredients from old batteries for new ones. This directly implies that the circular use of mineral resources offers a practical solution to these economic issues, thereby being compatible with and potentially supporting continued economic growth.
Assumption 1 is invalid. The passage discusses the concept of recovering and reusing materials from old batteries, stating that "Once batteries reach the ends of their lives, they should go back to a factory where their ingredients can be recovered and put into new batteries." This describes a specific circular practice for a component's materials. However, it does not make a broader claim that "automobile factories" in their entirety are examples of the circular economy. A circular economy model for an entire factory would involve comprehensive redesign, production processes, and waste management across all inputs and outputs, which is not stated or implied by the passage.
Option A is incorrect because Assumption 1 is not valid.
Option C is incorrect because Assumption 1 is not valid.
Option D is incorrect because Assumption 2 is valid.