Opportunity Cost of Resource Allocation Steps:

• Identify resources used by golf courses: land and water in water-scarce China.
• Determine alternative uses: land often converted from agriculture, water from irrigation.
• Evaluate forgone benefits: agricultural output lost due to conversion.
• Select option matching highest-value alternative: farmland loss represents key trade-off.

Why C is correct:

• Opportunity cost is the value of the next best alternative forgone; here, land for golf courses means lost agricultural production from farmland.

Why the others are wrong:

• A: Direct monetary cost of water, not the forgone alternative use.
• B: Unrelated to resource trade-offs; equipment sales are a potential benefit, not a cost.
• D: Direct expense for labor, not an alternative use of resources.

Final answer: C