Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

As minerals are extracted from greater depths, extraction costs rise and ore quality decreases, making mining increasingly uneconomical. This makes recycling scrap metals a more cost-effective and practical alternative.

Recycling is considered a step in mineral conservation because:

• It reduces the demand for fresh extraction of limited mineral deposits.
• Minerals are finite and non-renewable; geological processes replenish them infinitely slowly compared to consumption rates.
• Using scrap metals extends the life of existing mineral reserves, ensuring their availability for the future.

Thus, recycling helps use mineral resources in a planned and sustainable manner.

Source: Conservation of Minerals, Chapter 5

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The answer links the economic fact (deeper extraction = higher cost + lower quality) to the logical argument for recycling. Examiners expect: (1) the economic reason stated clearly, (2) recycling as a conservation step explained with reference to finite/non-renewable nature of minerals, and (3) the sustainability angle. The textbook explicitly lists "recycling of metals, using scrap metals" as conservation steps — quote or paraphrase this directly for full marks.