Use this scenario to answer the question.

Question

After eating half of a banana as a snack, you decide to save the rest for later. There are two types of plastic wrap in your house, and you use one to cover the banana. In an hour, you return and find that your banana half has browned significantly despite being saved in plastic wrap. You discover that one of the plastic wraps is made of polyvinyl, and the other is made of polyethylene.

Which plastic wrap could have caused this browning effect, and why?

(1 point)
Responses

The polyvinyl wrap probably caused the browning since it traps ethylene gas which would speed up the ripening process.
The polyvinyl wrap probably caused the browning since it traps ethylene gas which would speed up the ripening process.

The polyvinyl wrap probably caused the browning since it traps ethylene gas which would delay the ripening process.
The polyvinyl wrap probably caused the browning since it traps ethylene gas which would delay the ripening process.

The polyethylene wrap probably caused the browning since it contains ethylene which would speed up the ripening process.
The polyethylene wrap probably caused the browning since it contains ethylene which would speed up the ripening process.

The polyethylene wrap probably caused the browning since it contains ethylene which would delay the ripening process.
The polyethylene wrap probably caused the browning since it contains ethylene which would delay the ripening process.
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Answer 1

The correct response is:

The polyvinyl wrap probably caused the browning since it traps ethylene gas which would speed up the ripening process.

Ethylene gas is a naturally occurring plant hormone that promotes ripening in fruits. The polyvinyl wrap is known to trap ethylene, which would lead to an acceleration of the ripening process and, consequently, more browning of the banana half. In contrast, polyethylene wrap is more permeable and allows ethylene gas to escape, which would help delay the ripening process.