What are circuit boards?

• A. Electronic components containing metals and plastics, processed by ABC to recover valuable metals.
• B. Wooden panels for furniture.
• C. Ceramic tiles for flooring.
• D. Batteries used in automobiles.

Answer: (A)

Circuit boards act as the backbone of electronic devices, providing the platform where electronic components are mounted and interconnected by conductive traces. They’re built from a non-conductive substrate with metal pathways and coatings, so they contain metals (like copper and often precious metals) and plastics in their materials. In practice, these boards are valuable in recycling because the metals can be recovered for reuse. That makes the description that circuit boards are electronic components containing metals and plastics and are processed to recover valuable metals the best match. The other items—wooden panels, ceramic tiles, and batteries—aren’t circuit boards and don’t fit what circuit boards do or are made of.