Which of the following represents a non-renewable resource?

• A. Renewable
• B. Inexhaustible
• C. Non-Renewable
• D. Recyclable

Answer: (C)

Resources are categorized by how quickly they can be replaced. Non-renewable resources are finite because they form very slowly and cannot be replenished on human time scales; once they’re used, they’re not readily replaced, so the supply is limited. That’s why the term describing non-renewable resources fits best. Renewable resources, like sunlight or wind, are replenished naturally. Inexhaustible resources imply an effectively unlimited supply on human timescales, which isn’t the same as being non-renewable. Recyclable describes whether a material can be reused, not whether it is renewable or finite. So the term that represents a non-renewable resource is the one that uses non-renewable.