Nhận biết (M1)

In Algeria, use of solid fuel (eg, coal, wood) as a share of total household fuel use fell by approximately three-fourths between 2000 and 2019; such shifts are typically explained by appeal to the energy ladder, a model holding that fuel choice is mediated mainly by household income (specifically, high-technology fuels displace solid fuels as incomes rise). Rasmus Heltberg's study of fuel use in Ghana shows how reductive this model is, however: household fuel use was heterogeneous, flexible, and influenced by several factors, including the stability of the local electrical grid.

Based on the text, which choice best explains why the author characterizes the energy ladder as "reductive"?

• A.

  The energy ladder asserts that households only consider one aspect of fuel when making fuel choices, but Heltberg's study showed that households ignore that characteristic of fuel and evaluate several other factors instead.

• B.

  The energy ladder holds that the adoption of one type of fuel means that another type of fuel must be displaced, but Heltberg's study showed that several different fuel types are typically used in equal proportion.

• C.

  The energy ladder assumes that the same factor influences household fuel choice in all locations, but Heltberg's study showed that fuel choice in Ghana is influenced by different factors than is fuel choice in Algeria.

• D.

  The energy ladder attributes household fuel choice primarily to a single characteristic of households, but Heltberg's study showed that multiple circumstances can affect household fuel choice.