Question

5
dr. ray has developed a new way to remove oil from wetlands in the event of an oil spill. to test his new process, dr. ray builds a scale model of a wetland in his lab and pours a small amount of oil into it. he then observes the rate at which his process is able to remove the oil from the model.
why did dr. ray use a model?
a. because dumping oil in a real wetland would be dangerous.

b. because real wetlands are too complicated for his process to work.

c. because his model makes the process more complicated

d. because real wetlands are too large to be affected by oil.

Explanation:

To determine why Dr. Ray used a model, we analyze each option:

• Option A: Dumping oil in a real wetland would pose environmental and safety risks (e.g., harming ecosystems, polluting water). Using a model avoids these dangers, making this a valid reason.
• Option B: The claim that real wetlands are "too complicated" for the process to work is illogical, as the goal is to test the process for real - world (complex) wetlands.
• Option C: Models are designed to simplify processes for testing, not complicate them, so this is incorrect.
• Option D: Real wetlands can be severely affected by oil spills (e.g., oil spills in real wetlands have caused major ecological disasters), so this statement is false.

Answer:

A. Because dumping oil in a real wetland would be dangerous.