Official Answer Key & Detailed Solution
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Correct Answer: Option (A) — Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
Concept & Option Breakdown
Standard Reference Verified- Statement-I is correct: Discarded chewing gum is a significant contributor to municipal litter and microplastic pollution in terrestrial and aquatic environments.
- Statement-II is correct: Commercial chewing gums generally use synthetic polymers (such as polyethylene and polyvinyl acetate) as their gum base, which are non-biodegradable plastics. Since the presence of synthetic plastic polymers in the gum base causes discarded gum to resist degradation and pollute the environment, Statement-II correctly explains Statement-I.
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