Question

the final major claim against veganism is that it is just some kind of radical environmental movement in disguise; that in fact, veganism does not protect the environment. this claim is pretty ridiculous. why? because meat production actually takes a massive toll on our planet. how massive? well, according to a united nations’ report cited on the mother nature network site, the production, consumption, and disposal of meat results in — get ready — 70 percent of the world’s water consumption, a full 38 percent of the world’s land use, and almost 20 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. how does the author address the counterclaim in this excerpt? a. the writer shows that the environmental movement provides fictional claims about veganism. b. the writer provides facts about meat production to refute the counterclaim. c. the writer makes outrageous claims about meat to support the counterclaim. d. the writer gives details on climate change to show the counterclaim is not true.

Explanation:

The author first identifies the counterclaim that veganism is a fake environmental movement and doesn't help the environment. They then cite specific, data-backed facts from a UN report (water use, land use, greenhouse gas emissions tied to meat production) to directly disprove this counterclaim, which matches option B. Option A is incorrect because the author doesn't call the environmental movement's claims fictional. Option C is wrong as the author uses factual data, not outrageous claims, and they oppose the counterclaim, not support it. Option D is incorrect because the focus is on meat production's environmental impact, not general climate change details.

Answer:

B. The writer provides facts about meat production to refute the counterclaim.