Which term refers to the stock or supply of materials available within a given context?

• A. Reserves
• B. Resources
• C. Renewable Resources
• D. Re-use

Answer: (B)

The concept being tested is the term used for what is available to work with—the stock or supply of materials in a given situation. The best term is resources, because it covers all materials, energy, and assets that can be used in a project, simply describing what is available to draw upon. Reserves refer more narrowly to set-aside quantities that may be mined or tapped later, so it’s a more specific subset. Renewable resources describe a category of resources that can replenish over time, not the general stock itself. Re-use is about the action of using materials again, not the overall supply. So the broad and appropriate label for the available stock is resources.