1881 – unemployment rate was 8%
1886 - unemployment rate was 7%
Conclusion: the number of unemployed people probably didn’t decrease between 1881 and 1886.
Reason: because_________
Whatever says the author as the reason, this information should clarify why 8% percent of a certain number is not greater than the 7% of another number (of unemployed people). Well, how can that indeed be true? We know that 7% of 200 is greater than the 8% of 100. We should probably look for a similar scenario in the answer choices.
A. The average time that employees stay in any one job dropped during the period 1881 to 1886
This answer choice simply says that during this period people began to switch their jobs more frequently. For example, if before an average worker stayed in his job for 5 years, later this period declined to 2-3 years. However, that piece information doesn’t necessarily mean that he was jobless after 2-3 years, but may mean that he found a new more perspective job. Thus the frequency with which jobs were switched doesn’t enable to figure out the number of jobless people.
C. In some mid-western industrial states, the unemployment rate was much higher in 1886 than it had been in 1881
What does some mean? Some may mean only 2 or 3 states. If unemployment rate was much higher in only in 2 states, and in all the other states this rate was much lower than before or even zero, then the author might be wrong when he uses C as a reason. The decrease in other states may very well outnumber the increase of the unemployed people in those some states.
D. Many of the high-paying industrial jobs available in 1881 were replaced by low-wage service jobs in 1886, resulting in displacement of hundreds of thousands of workers.
The same situation as in A. Not the quantity but the quality of the employment is changing. D uses the word replaced. Replaced in turn means that jobs were not lost, but simply other people who work for less money came to the place of people who used to receive higher wages. Displacement doesn’t mean that jobs were lost, but means that workers had to find other jobs. If still not convinced that D is a wrong reason, then just pay attention that D talks only about high-paying industrial jobs, not about all kinds of jobs.
E. help-wanted advertisements increased between 1881 and 1886
The most uncertain answer of all. Does such advertisement increased because unemployment increased? Maybe development in printing or radio or whatever mean of media was the reason? What if just the circulation of the magazines and journals with such advertisement increased? E can’t help the author to explain his conclusion.
B. The total available work force, including those with and without employment, increased between 1881 and 1886
The most awaited and needed reason is the increase in the number of workforce! As we have already said 7% of 200 is greater than the 8% of 100. B intentionally says that both employed and unemployed workforce increased. If only employed workforce had increased, then the number of unemployed people would not increase. Therefore, we want the number of unemployed workforce also to increase so that the author could explain why he can’t conclude that the unemployment decreased in 1886.
Hence
B _________________