Consider the following statements about acetylene : I. It is used in welding industry. II. It is raw material for preparing plastics. III. It is easily obtained by mixing silicon carbide and water. Of these statements :

Statements I and II are correct; III is incorrect. Acetylene is widely used as a fuel in oxy‑acetylene welding and cutting because it produces a very high‑temperature flame suitable for melting metals. It is also an important chemical feedstock for producing organic intermediates such as vinyl chloride, which is a precursor to PVC and other plastics, so it serves as a raw material in plastics manufacture. Industrial acetylene is typically produced by the hydrolysis of calcium carbide (CaC2 + 2H2O → C2H2 + Ca(OH)2), therefore acetylene is obtained from calcium carbide, not silicon carbide—making statement III false. Thus only I and II are correct.