Question

ela 10 b semester exam
biomass is renewable organic matter that is used as fuel. this organic matter may come from plants or animals. using biomass enables less emissions, or gasses, to be released than when fossil fuels are used.
biomass is an excellent source of clean and renewable energy. it generates far fewer emissions than fossil fuels and reduces our nations reliance on foreign energy sources. and, best of all, it greatly reduces the waste that ends up in landfills.
use the passage to answer the question.
a student is developing a counterclaim to this argument. which counterclaim is the most fair and effective?
(1 point)
healthy ecosystems are forever destroyed when forests are cut down, which must be done in order to produce biomass from wood.
most biomass is produced by burning wood, and since wood is a less energy - dense fuel, it creates more carbon emissions than coal does when producing electricity.
solar, wind, and geothermal sources of energy are far better than biomass because they produce more renewable energy with less effort and expense.
biomass is nothing new; in fact, before oil and gas became major energy sources, a large amount of the fuel used in the united states came from burning wood.

Explanation:

To find the most fair and effective counterclaim, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: Focuses on ecosystem destruction from forest cutting for biomass, but the original argument is about emissions and energy. This is a valid concern but less directly addressing the argument's main points.
• Option 2: Directly challenges the claim that biomass has fewer emissions by stating wood (a common biomass) creates more carbon emissions than coal when producing electricity. This directly counters the emission - related part of the original argument and is fact - based.
• Option 3: Compares biomass to other renewable sources (solar, wind, geothermal) rather than countering the argument about biomass itself. The original argument is about biomass, not a comparison to other renewables.
• Option 4: Talks about the history of biomass use, which is not a counterclaim to the argument about biomass being a good energy source now.

So, Option 2 is the most fair and effective as it directly counters the emission - related claim of the original argument.

Answer:

B. Most biomass is produced by burning wood, and since wood is a less energy - dense fuel, it creates more carbon emissions than coal does when producing electricity.