PrepTest 114

Incorrect. If there are more places that will recycle glass, that explains why more glass is recycled.

Incorrect. If it's easier to recycle glass than plastic, that explains why more glass is recycled.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Bizarro Paradox

Stimulus Summary:
Consumers are concerned about plastic packaging, but only 6.5% of plastic is recycled (glass is 33%).

Answer Anticipation:
As with all Paradox questions, we should start by clearly defining the paradox. In the stimulus here, it's established that consumers are concerned about plastic packaging. This might lead you to expect that people would do everything possible to minimize the amount of plastic waste, but it turns out only 6.5% of plastic is being recycled, compared to 33% of glass.

So we need to explain the relatively low percentage of plastic being recycled compared to glass, despite consumer concern over it. As such, any answer that explains a difference between glass and plastic relevant to recycling will serve to explain this discrepancy.

Answer Explanation:
Careful here—just because this answer is about new glass/plastic doesn't make it out of scope. The world needs glass and plastic, so if it were easier to get new plastic than new glass, then that might explain why producers recycle plastic less. However, that's not the case—new glass is based on renewable resources, suggesting that it's easier to make than new plastic. As such, this answer would suggest that glass would be recycled less, making the paradox worse.

Key Takeaway:
Paradox questions frequently deal with comparisons. When a Paradox question brings up two things as different, the correct answer frequently brings in another difference that explains the original one.

Incorrect. If it's easier to sterilize glass for recycling than plastic, that explains why more glass is recycled.

Incorrect. If the recycling process degrades glass less than plastic, that explains why more glass is recycled.