Alice and Julio’s company makes protective coverings for off-roading vehicles. Alice’s job involves harvesting a natural polymer from trees. Julio’s job is to take that material and change it chemically to create a synthetic polymer.

Question

Which materials do Alice and Julio most likely work with?

Alice works with vulcanized rubber, and Julio works with natural rubber.
Alice works with natural rubber, and Julio works with vulcanized rubber.
Alice works with cellulose, and Julio works with nylon.
Alice works with nylon, and Julio works with cellulose.

Answer 1

Alice is involved in harvesting a natural polymer from trees, which most likely refers to natural rubber (derived from the sap of rubber trees). Julio’s job involves chemically changing that natural polymer to create a synthetic polymer, which is commonly a process that involves creating or modifying synthetic rubber (like vulcanized rubber, which is a treated form of rubber).

So, the correct answer is:

Alice works with natural rubber, and Julio works with vulcanized rubber.