|Question 10Verbal

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Text
In El Salvador, use of solid fuel (e.g., coal, wood) as a share of total household fuel use fell by more than half between 2005 and 2015; 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). Richard Hosier and Jeffrey Dowd's study of fuel use in Zimbabwe shows how reductive this model is, however: household fuel use was heterogeneous, flexible, and influenced by several factors, including the local prices of different fuel sources.
Based on the text, which choice best explains why the author characterizes the energy ladder as "reductive"?
The energy ladder asserts that households only consider one aspect of fuel when making fuel choices, but Hosier and Dowd's study showed that households ignore that characteristic of fuel and evaluate several other factors instead.
A
The energy ladder assumes that the same factor influences household fuel choice in all locations, but Hosier and Dowd's study showed that fuel choice in Zimbabwe is influenced by different factors than is fuel choice in El Salvador.
B
The energy ladder holds that the adoption of one type of fuel means that another type of fuel must be displaced, but Hosier and Dowd's study showed that several different fuel types are typically used in equal proportion.
C
The energy ladder attributes household fuel choice primarily to a single characteristic of households, but Hosier and Dowd's study showed that multiple circumstances can affect household fuel choice.
D