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Columnist: Much of North America and western
Europe is more heavily forested and has less acid
rain and better air quality now than five decades
ago. Though this may be due largely to policies
advocated by environmentalists, it nonetheless
lends credibility to the claims of people who
reject predictions of imminent ecological doom
and argue that environmental policies that
excessively restrict the use of natural resources
may diminish the wealth necessary to adopt and
sustain the policies that brought about these
improvements.
Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens
the columnist’s reasoning?
(A) Nations sustain their wealth largely through
industrial use of the natural resources found
within their boundaries.
(B) The more advanced the technology used in a
nation’s industries, the greater is that nation’s
ability to devote a portion of its resources to
social programs.
(C) A majority of ecological disasters arise from
causes that are beyond human control.
(D) If a compromise between the proponents of
economic growth and the environmentalists had
been enacted rather than the current policies,
the environment would have seen significantly
less improvement.
(E) The concern demonstrated by a nation for the
health and integrity of its natural ecosystems
leads to an increase in that nation’s wealth.