Which statement best describes the tragedy of the commons?

• A. Individuals profit by acting to maximize personal gain at the expense of the community.
• B. Individuals in a community may profit by agreeing as a group to limit each person's freedom to act for the public good and health of the community.
• C. Public resources are never overused.
• D. Private markets always protect public health.

Answer: (B)

Shared-resource overuse happens when individuals act in their own self-interest, gaining from using more of a resource while not taking full responsibility for its long-term health. The statement that best fits this idea shows how collective action can protect the public good: people in a community may profit by agreeing as a group to limit each person’s freedom to use the resource, with the aim of sustaining it for everyone's health and well-being. This captures both the problem—incentives to overuse—and the remedy—coordinated limits or rules to prevent depletion. The other choices miss key parts: one emphasizes personal gain at the community’s expense but doesn’t mention the needed communal restraint; another wrongly claims resources are never overused; and the last wrongly assumes private markets will always protect public health.