Problem Statement

English - Reading Comprehension The following item is from the English section (Reading Comprehension) of the PwC / HirePro online assessment. Read the passage and choose the single best option. Passage In a coastal town reliant on tourism, the council banned single-use plastics and introduced a deposit-return scheme for bottles. Hoteliers complained of rising costs; fishermen worried that deposit stations near the harbour would slow early-morning departures. Yet within a season, beaches were visibly cleaner, and a local startup began converting collected plastics into durable benches for the promenade. Visitors posted photos of the "circular seafront," and bookings recovered, though margins remained tight. The council then faced a harder choice: expand the scheme to include take-away containers, or pause to consolidate. Environmental groups urged expansion, citing momentum; restaurant owners asked for a transition grant and reusable container libraries. The mayor argued that policy cr