Examkin

Question

Difficulty: Very hardDrawing Logical Conclusions

Phytoremediation employs hyperaccumulating plants to extract heavy metals from contaminated soil. While traditional excavation simply relocates toxic earth to designated landfills, phytoremediation stabilizes the metals within the plant tissue. However, this biological method is fundamentally limited by the root depth of the chosen species and the local climate's growing season. Furthermore, once the plants reach maturity and have sequestered the maximum concentration of toxins, they must be harvested and incinerated as hazardous waste, meaning the heavy metals are ultimately concentrated rather than destroyed.

Based on the information provided in the passage, which of the following can be logically concluded about the application of phytoremediation?

  1. Deep subterranean soil contamination cannot be effectively resolved relying solely on hyperaccumulating plants.Answer
  2. B
    The biological process is exclusively viable in tropical regions that feature continuous, year-round growing seasons.
  3. C
    The technique provides a completely natural, risk-free alternative to the environmental hazards associated with traditional excavation.
  4. D
    The heavy metals extracted from the toxic earth are ultimately destroyed during the hazardous waste incineration phase.

Answer

Deep subterranean soil contamination cannot be effectively resolved relying solely on hyperaccumulating plants.
The passage explicitly states that phytoremediation is 'fundamentally limited by the root depth of the chosen species.' From this constraint, one can logically conclude that if soil contamination is located deep underground—beyond the physical reach of the plants' root systems—the plants would be unable to access or extract those heavy metals.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the core limitations of the method provided in the text.
The text states the method is limited by 'the root depth of the chosen species' and 'the local climate's growing season.'
Identifying explicit constraints is required to deduce logical implications that are not directly stated.
2
Evaluate how the 'root depth' limitation impacts real-world application.
If the process depends on plant roots to extract heavy metals, any heavy metals located below the maximum reach of those roots will remain untouched.
Applying the stated facts to a logical outcome.
3
Compare this deduced outcome to the available choices.
The option regarding deep subterranean contamination perfectly matches the deduction about root depth limitations.
To identify the single justifiable inference among plausible distractors.

Key Concept

Synthesizing constraints to deduce practical limitations
Estimated Time:1m 45s
Rate this question

Topics

Drawing Logical Conclusions

More questions from this topic