Question

Pedro's conclusion is: "So people must stop buying disposable diapers and use cloth diapers." Why? "Unlike cloth diapers, disposable diapers are a threat to the environment." Every year "sixteen billion disposable diapers are discarded," which is filling up landfills at an alarming rate. So Pedro makes his conclusion based on one issue: the fact that people's abundant use of disposable diapers is filling up landfills at an alarming rate. Instead of taking the time to evaluate alternate possibilities (i.e. the issues that Maria brings up: energy wasted by washing cloth diapers, waste water resulting from washing cloth diapers polluting rivers, and pollution and congestion caused by fuel burning trucks delivering diaper services), Pedro has drawn a conclusion too hastily or too hurriedly. Hope that helps! Let us know if you have any other questions.

Why is D wrong?

Thank you for your question. Answer choice (D) is incorrect because it is an overstatement. Maria's response to Pedro indicates that he has overlooked ways in which cloth diapers, too, have an environmental impact. But nowhere does she say that cloth diapers are a FAR MORE SERIOUS threat than disposable diapers are. We actually do not know which type of diaper is worse, relatively speaking. Hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any additional questions.