How can screens be used in index construction?

• A. Screens are used to weight technology stocks.
• B. Screens are used to screen for high-dividend stocks.
• C. Screens are used to limit exposure to carbon-intensive industries.
• D. Screens guarantee higher returns.

Answer: (C)

Screens in index construction act as filters that shape which securities can be included based on defined standards. By applying a carbon-intensity screen, the index excludes or reduces exposure to carbon-intensive industries, helping to align the benchmark with climate goals and investor preferences while still preserving broad market exposure elsewhere. This approach also helps manage transition risk and lowers the index’s environmental footprint compared with a broad, unconstrained universe. Other described ideas touch on different objectives—they’re about how to allocate or search for certain traits after selection (like favoring technology stocks or high dividends) or incorrectly assume that screening guarantees higher returns. The key idea is using a sustainability filter to limit exposure to carbon-intensive industries when constructing the index.