According to a recent study on financial roles, one-third of high scho

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

This passage relates information from two studies concerning high school seniors: the first discusses the financial responsibilities of high school seniors, while the second explains the coursework in finance taken by typical high school seniors. On the GMAT, a proper response to a draw-a-conclusion question must be directly supported by evidence from the passage.

(A) Although it might be true that schools would be wise to educate students in finance, this is an opinion; it doesn't necessarily need to follow from the given evidence. A conclusion must be directly supported by evidence from the passage without any additional information or assumptions.

(B) The fact that one-third of high school seniors claim “significant financial responsibilities” to their families does not necessarily mean that these same students work “part-time jobs after school.” There are many possible ways that these students might earn money for their families. If they do work, they might work on weekends or over the summer, for example.

(C) CORRECT. The first study states that one-third of all high school seniors have significant financial responsibilities to their families. The second study states that 80% of seniors have opened a bank account, and of this 80%, one-third has bounced a check. The number of seniors that has bounced a check (one-third of 80%) is fewer than the number of seniors with significant financial responsibilities to their families (one-third of 100%).

(D) The passage states that certain high school seniors who contribute to the food, shelter, or clothing for themselves or their families rate themselves as having significant financial responsibilities. This does not mean that any high school senior who contributes to these categories has significant financial responsibilities.

(E) The passage states that one-third of high school seniors say that they have “significant financial responsibilities.” This in no way indicates that the other two-thirds have “no” responsibilities. Because no information is given about the other two-thirds of the students, a reasoned conclusion cannot be drawn about them.