Which statement describes the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources?

• A. Renewable resources can be exhausted quickly.
• B. Nonrenewables are infinite in supply.
• C. Renewable resources are expensive and unreliable.
• D. Renewable resources replenish naturally, while nonrenewables are finite.

Answer: (D)

The main idea is how resources behave over time: do they renew themselves or do they run out and can’t be replaced on human timescales?

Renewable resources replenish naturally through processes like the sun’s energy, wind, moving water, or growing biomass. Because they replenish, they can be used repeatedly, provided we manage them wisely. Nonrenewable resources, such as fossil fuels, coal, oil, and natural gas, come from stores that are finite and formed over geological time. Once these are used up, they don’t refresh quickly enough to be considered available for future generations.

That’s why the correct statement says renewable resources replenish naturally, while nonrenewables are finite. The other options miss the defining difference: renewables aren’t inherently exhausted quickly just by existing, costs and reliability vary, and nonrenewables are not infinite.