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 pollution appears to be
Analyzing Plastic Pollution from the Passage
The question asks how plastic pollution appears based on the provided passage. To answer this, we need to carefully read the passage and understand the author's description of plastic pollution.
Understanding the Passage's Description of Plastic Pollution
The passage highlights several key aspects of plastic pollution:
- Plastic is described as an "essential commodity" but comes at a "higher price than we imagined."
- It is "omnipresent" in many sectors and affects daily life.
- Plastic pollution is "overflowing our landfills, clogging waterways, and infiltrating the ocean."
- It is described as 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."
- It has "devastating effects" on marine life and "wreaks havoc on land."
- It contributes to flooding and harms terrestrial creatures.
- Microplastics are present in drinking water and food, with humans consuming a significant amount weekly.
- There are potential links between chemicals in plastic and negative health outcomes.
The author uses strong language and provides examples that emphasize the widespread nature and severe impact of plastic pollution.
Evaluating the Options
Let's consider each option in the context of the passage:
- an epidemic: An epidemic typically refers to a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time. While plastic pollution is widespread and harmful, the term "epidemic" is primarily used for diseases. The passage doesn't frame it purely as a disease outbreak.
- a pandemic: A pandemic is an epidemic that has spread over a large area, such as multiple continents or worldwide. Although typically used for diseases, the term can metaphorically describe something widespread and uncontrolled. The passage repeatedly stresses the global reach of plastic pollution – "omnipresent," found in "remote islands" and "deepest parts of the ocean." This widespread nature aligns more closely with the geographical scale implied by "pandemic" than "epidemic." The author's use of "crisis" also suggests a problem of significant scale.
- a small menace: The passage describes "devastating effects," "wreaks havoc," and a visible "crisis." This language indicates a severe and large problem, not a "small menace." This option contradicts the author's tone and examples.
- a temporal health issue: "Temporal" means relating to time, often implying temporary or limited in duration. The passage states plastic "lasts for hundreds of years, slowly disintegrating... but never fully degrading." This longevity contradicts the idea of a "temporal" issue. While plastic pollution has potential health implications mentioned (microplastics, chemicals), it is also an environmental crisis with long-lasting effects, not limited purely to temporary health concerns.
Comparing Options based on the Passage
The passage strongly emphasizes the widespread and pervasive nature of plastic pollution, describing it as "omnipresent" and found across the globe, from remote islands to deep oceans. This geographical scale is best captured by the term "pandemic," even when used metaphorically outside of a medical context to describe a widespread crisis.
| Option | Alignment with Passage | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| an epidemic | Low | Term primarily for diseases, less fitting for environmental crisis scale described. |
| a pandemic | High | Best fits the description of a widespread ("omnipresent," found globally) and significant crisis. |
| a small menace | None | Passage describes "devastating effects" and "crisis," contradicting "small." |
| a temporal health issue | None | Plastic lasts for hundreds of years, contradicting "temporal." Problem is environmental and potentially health-related, not just temporary health. |
Based on the author's description of plastic pollution as an "omnipresent" crisis with "devastating effects" found worldwide, the term that best captures this scale among the given options is "a pandemic," interpreted as a widespread and severe problem.
Revision Table: Key Concepts on Plastic Pollution
| Concept | Description from Passage |
|---|---|
| Nature of Plastic | Malleable, flexible, durable; used in many sectors; lasts hundreds of years; never fully degrades. |
| Scale of Pollution | Omnipresent; overflowing landfills, clogging waterways, infiltrating ocean; found on remote islands and deep ocean. |
| Impacts | Visible crisis; devastating effects on marine life (ingestion, entanglement); wreaks havoc on land (clogging drains, flooding); harms terrestrial creatures (entrapment, suffocation); microplastics in food/water; potential links to negative human health outcomes. |
Additional Information on Environmental Crises and Terminology
While "epidemic" and "pandemic" are standard terms for the spread of diseases, they are sometimes used more broadly or metaphorically to describe other types of widespread crises. In the context of an environmental issue like plastic pollution, which is described as a global problem affecting ecosystems and potentially human health across vast areas, the term "pandemic" emphasizes the extensive geographical reach and severe impact the author attributes to it. Understanding the precise meaning of terms and how they are used in context is crucial for interpreting passages.
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