Question

The overfishing and destruction of the Grand Banks; the destruction of salmon runs on the rivers having been dammed; and the devastation of sturgeon fishery on the Columbia river in the Northwest United States exemplify}

• A. resource depletion
• B. overfishing and overpopulation
• C. overpopulation in companion animals
• D. tragedy of the commons

Hint:

“Tragedy of the commons” = overuse of shared resources (like fisheries, forests) leading to depletion—very important concept.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Concept: The "tragedy of the commons" explains a situation where individuals, acting independently in their own self-interest, ultimately destroy a shared resource even though it is against everyone's long-term interest. Step 1:Interpret the nature of the problem.
In shared environments like oceans and rivers, no single user has exclusive control, so exploitation tends to exceed sustainable limits.
Step 2:Analyze the given situations.

• Overfishing of Grand Banks → Excessive harvesting from a shared fishery
• Decline in salmon due to damming → Disruption of shared ecological systems
• Reduction of sturgeon population → Overexploitation of a common aquatic resource

These cases reflect uncontrolled use of common-access resources leading to depletion.
Step 3:Eliminate unrelated concepts.

• Resource depletion → Broad outcome, not the conceptual explanation
• Overfishing and overpopulation → Partial factors, not the theory itself
• Companion animals → Unrelated to shared-resource dynamics