Answer: A (statements 1, 2 and 3 only). Check each claim about iron.
Statement 1 is correct. Iron lies below carbon in the reactivity series, so it is extracted by reduction of its ore (iron(III) oxide) with carbon in the blast furnace: \(2\text{Fe}_2\text{O}_3 + 3\text{C} \to 4\text{Fe} + 3\text{CO}_2\). Carbon monoxide is the main reducing agent inside the furnace, but the overall extraction is by heating with carbon, just as for other metals below carbon such as zinc and lead.
Statement 2 is correct: stainless steel is mostly iron (around 70%), alloyed with chromium and nickel, so iron is its main component. Statement 3 is correct: iron ore is a finite, non-renewable resource. Statement 4 is wrong, because recycling iron uses far less energy than extracting fresh iron from its ore. So statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct, giving A.
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