Direction: Read a passage and answer the items based on it. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and the opinion of the author only. Plastic is an essential commodity with multiple uses based on its key qualities of malleability, flexibility, and durability. Plastics are omnipresent in agriculture, fisheries, renewable energy, transport, technology, retail, textiles, personal care products, and all the other sectors and industries that directly or indirectly affect our daily life. Plastic has indeed made our lives more convenient, but it has come at a higher price than we imagined. The plastic pollution overflowing our landfills, clogging waterways, and infiltrating the ocean is primarily made of discarded items and packaging. Plastic lasts for hundreds of years, slowly disintegrating into smaller and smaller pieces, but never fully degrading. Indeed, one of the key perks of plastic is its longevity. And yet, the plastic packaging of nearly every product we purchase and many plastic products themselves are intended to be discarded after a single use. Throwaway plastic is an oxymoron, but it has become our sad, increasingly dangerous reality. Plastic pollution should make everyone angry. This is a crisis we can see with the naked eye, day in and day out. Plastic has been found on even the most remote, uninhabited islands, and in the deepest parts of the ocean. Because we can see it, we are more keenly aware of it, unlike some other forms of pollution. In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for further studies on the impacts of microplastics on human health. An initial study, hampered by a lack of adequate data, concluded microplastics pose no danger at current levels (WHO, 2019). Although the WHO report was inconclusive about the effects of plastic on human health, other studies have linked the chemicals in plastic to negative health outcomes including endocrine disruption (Dabre 2020). Plastic particles have been detected in drinking water and in the food we eat, with a 2019 study commissioned by WWF estimating humans consume about five grams (or one credit card in weight) of plastic every week. We have seen the devastating effects plastic has on marine life. For instance, unable to process ingested plastic waste pieces, seabirds and other sea creatures starve to death. We have seen sea turtles and other animals tangled in fishing nets or trapped in plastic pack rings. Plastic pollution also wreaks havoc on land, clogging drains and preventing rainwater from soaking into the soil, which leads to flooding. Terrestrial creatures also suffer the effects of plastic waste, with some getting trapped in discarded plastic bags and suffocating to death.
Plastic is considered an essential commodity because
Analyzing Why Plastic is an Essential Commodity from the Passage
The question asks why plastic is considered an essential commodity according to the provided passage. To answer this, we need to carefully read the passage and identify the reasons given for plastic's importance and widespread use.
Understanding the Passage's View on Plastic
The passage begins by stating, "Plastic is an essential commodity with multiple uses based on its key qualities of malleability, flexibility, and durability." It then elaborates:
- Plastic is "omnipresent in agriculture, fisheries, renewable energy, transport, technology, retail, textiles, personal care products, and all the other sectors and industries that directly or indirectly affect our daily life."
- The passage acknowledges that plastic "has indeed made our lives more convenient".
- However, the majority of the passage focuses on the negative aspects: plastic pollution, its longevity causing environmental problems, microplastics, health concerns, and harm to marine and terrestrial life.
Evaluating the Options Based on the Passage
Let's look at each option and see if the passage supports it as the reason plastic is considered an essential commodity.
- Option 1: it has made our lives easier
The passage mentions plastic making lives "more convenient," which is similar to easier. This is a consequence of its uses, but is it the *primary reason* it's called essential at the beginning? The passage lists its qualities and broad applications first. - Option 2: it causes health hazard
The passage discusses potential health hazards later, but this is a negative consequence of plastic, not a reason it's considered essential. - Option 3: it clogs natural ecosystem
The passage describes plastic pollution clogging waterways and drains. This is also a negative environmental impact, not a reason for its essential nature. - Option 4: it has multiple uses in our everyday lives
The first sentence calls plastic an "essential commodity with multiple uses". The passage then lists numerous sectors and industries where plastic is used, stating it affects "all the other sectors and industries that directly or indirectly affect our daily life." This strongly supports the idea that its widespread and diverse applications are why it's deemed essential.
Identifying the Primary Reason for Plastic's Essentiality
Based on the introduction of the passage, the description of plastic as an "essential commodity" is directly linked to its "multiple uses" and its presence across various sectors affecting "daily life". While convenience (Option 1) is mentioned as a benefit, the fundamental reason provided for its essentiality is its versatility and widespread application.
Therefore, the passage indicates that plastic is considered an essential commodity because it has multiple uses that are integrated into our everyday lives.
Let's summarize the analysis of options:
| Option | Analysis based on Passage | Is it the reason for essentiality? |
| 1. Made lives easier | Mentioned as a benefit (convenience). | Secondary consequence of its uses. |
| 2. Causes health hazard | Mentioned as a negative impact. | No. |
| 3. Clogs natural ecosystem | Mentioned as a negative environmental impact. | No. |
| 4. Multiple uses in everyday lives | Explicitly stated and detailed with examples of sectors affecting daily life. | Yes, the primary reason given. |
The passage directly attributes the status of plastic as an essential commodity to its "multiple uses" and its pervasive presence in areas affecting "daily life".
Revision Table: Key Concepts from the Passage
| Concept | Description from Passage |
| Plastic as Essential Commodity | Stated upfront; linked to key qualities and multiple uses. |
| Key Qualities | Malleability, flexibility, durability, longevity. |
| Multiple Uses / Omnipresence | Agriculture, fisheries, energy, transport, technology, retail, textiles, personal care, etc.; affects daily life. |
| Benefits Mentioned | Made lives more convenient. |
| Negative Impacts Mentioned | Pollution (landfills, waterways, ocean), longevity causing disintegration but not degradation, intended single-use vs. longevity (oxymoron), visible crisis, found in remote areas/deep ocean. |
| Health Concerns | Microplastics (WHO study inconclusive on current levels), chemicals linked to endocrine disruption, detected in food/water, human consumption estimate. |
| Environmental Harm | Marine life (ingestion, entanglement), terrestrial life (trapping, suffocation), land (clogging drains, flooding). |
Additional Information: Plastic's Role and Impact
This passage highlights the dual nature of plastic: its incredible utility and the severe environmental and potential health problems it causes. While plastic's properties like flexibility and durability make it suitable for countless applications across industries, leading to its classification as an essential commodity that simplifies many aspects of our everyday lives, its persistence in the environment creates significant challenges. The discussion of pollution, microplastics, and health impacts underscores the need to reconsider current patterns of plastic production, consumption, and disposal, particularly regarding single-use plastics.
Understanding why plastic is considered an essential commodity is crucial for grasping the complexity of the plastic pollution problem. It's not just about eliminating plastic entirely, but finding sustainable alternatives and managing its lifecycle responsibly given its deep integration into global industries and everyday lives.
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