A recent census of all American females revealed that the current aver

Question

A recent census of all American females revealed that the current average age that females in America marry is 27. The average age that females have their first child is also 27. According to a census taken 20 years ago, the average ages that females married and had their first child were 23 and 25 years, respectively.

If the information recorded in the two censuses is true, which of the following must also be true about American females?

(A) Currently, more females are having their first child before they marry than they did 20 years ago.

(B) On average, females are currently waiting longer to have their first child than they did 20 years ago.

(C) Females today are more likely to complete their education before getting married and having children than they were 20 years ago.

(D) On average, females had larger families 20 years ago than they have today.

(E) Twenty years ago, most females waited at least two years after they were married to have their first child.

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Shwarma · Answer

Option B

Data: women marrying and birthing data 20 years apart

If the information recorded in the two censuses is true, which of the following must also be true about American females?
(A) Currently, more females are having their first child before they marry than they did 20 years ago. -  Cannot be stated since both are at the same age .. so what happens before what, can't be deduced 
(B) On average, females are currently waiting longer to have their first child than they did 20 years ago. -  Yes, it was 25 now 27 
(C) Females today are more likely to complete their education before getting married and having children than they were 20 years ago. -  uhmm not mentioned  
(D) On average, females had larger families 20 years ago than they have today. -  this is not explicitly stated and cannot be inferred  
(E) Twenty years ago, most females waited at least two years after they were married to have their first child. - at least  2 years .. uhm maybe it was earlier too this is average data so this conclusion cannot be inferred IMO

captain0612 · Answer

IMO Option B.

The argument talks about survey data conducted in 2 different years (recent and 20 years old). The data is about average age that females married and the average age they had their first child.

Question type  - If above stimulus is true, then which of the following  must  also be true.

(A) Currently, more females are having their first child before they marry than they did 20 years ago.  From the stimulus above the relation (or) the sequence of events between the birth of first child and the marriage cannot be clearly established, since we are just given with 2 data points (average ages) from 2 different time points.  Incorrect

(B) On average, females are currently waiting longer to have their first child than they did 20 years ago.   Correct     We can compare the average ages and infer that females now aew waiting longer to have their first child/ marriage than 20 years ago.

(C) Females today are more likely to complete their education before getting married and having children than they were 20 years ago.  Education is out of scope, and the releation between the marriage and the completion of education cannot be inferred based on the stimulus.    Incorrect

(D) On average, females had larger families 20 years ago than they have today.  Out of scope, Data related to family size cannot be inferred.  Incorrect

(E) Twenty years ago, most females waited at least two years after they were married to have their first child.  Tricky one, but this choice is not a must be true. The data provided in the passage talks about the average age, and that the difference between the marriage and the first child is 2 years 20 years ago doesn't mean that majority follow this trend. For instance, majority of the females (>50% and 20 years ago) married at age 25 and conceived first child at 25, and still the average holds good but contradicts this choice.  Incorrect

Purnank · Answer

Options ACD not stated in the passage. Both Option E and B is stated in the passage however, B is best choice as it comprise passage wholely, where as E pointing on one aspect of past that too can be contradictory if we play with some numbers.
Hence B.

Legenddary1234 · Answer

IMO B

Let's reanalyze the options based on the provided census data:

Census Data:

20 Years Ago: Average age at marriage = 23, average age at first child = 25.
Currently: Average age at marriage = 27, average age at first child = 27.
Now, let's analyze each statement again:

(A) Currently, more females are having their first child before they marry than they did 20 years ago.

This statement is based on the current and past average ages for marriage and childbirth being the same (27 years currently vs. a 2-year gap 20 years ago). Since the average age at marriage and at first child are the same currently, it suggests an increase in the number of females having children before marriage, as compared to 20 years ago when there was typically a 2-year gap between marriage and childbirth. This statement is plausible but does not necessarily have to be true because averages alone cannot confirm the distribution or changes in social behaviors directly without additional qualitative data.
(B) On average, females are currently waiting longer to have their first child than they did 20 years ago.

This statement is factually correct based on the data. The average age of having the first child has increased from 25 to 27 years. This reflects a trend of females waiting longer to have their first child.
(C) Females today are more likely to complete their education before getting married and having children than they were 20 years ago.

While this is a reasonable inference given the trend towards older ages for both marriage and childbirth, the statement cannot be conclusively verified with the data provided about marriage and childbirth alone. Education data is not included.
(D) On average, females had larger families 20 years ago than they have today.

This statement cannot be directly deduced from the given data regarding the average ages at marriage and first childbirth. Family size or number of children data is not provided.
(E) Twenty years ago, most females waited at least two years after they were married to have their first child.

This statement seems logically true given the average ages (marriage at 23 and first child at 25), suggesting a general 2-year gap. However, it does not necessarily imply "most" unless it's statistically supported that the majority followed this average pattern. This could be misleading as averages do not provide distribution specifics.

Correct Analysis: Based on the reanalysis, option (B) "On average, females are currently waiting longer to have their first child than they did 20 years ago," is the most directly and factually correct statement according to the provided data, with females' first childbirth age increasing from 25 to 27 over the past 20 years

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:

B. This question asks you to come up with a conclusion based on the information in the paragraph.

Notice that the question asks you for what must be true rather than what could be true. So you can cross out any answers that aren’t absolutely true given the data in the paragraph.

All you know from the paragraph is the average marrying age for females today and 20 years ago and the average age that females have their first child today compared to 20 years ago. The paragraph says nothing about the number of children females have or had, so you can easily wipe Choice (D) out of contention. Furthermore, the paragraph provides no explanation for why the data has changed over the years, so you can’t know the reason that the average age has increased. So Choice (C) can’t be right.

Don’t choose an answer based on an assumption or your own experience. The paragraph merely reports data instead of commenting on it, and it treats the age of marrying and having one’s first child as two separate statistics. You can’t make assumptions about how the two sets of data are related.

That means that Choice (A) doesn’t have to be true. Just because the average age for marrying and having a first child are currently the same doesn’t mean that more American females are having their first child before they marry. For example, the increased marrying age could be the result of females who marry when they’re older and have no children. Eliminate Choice (E) for the same reason. You can’t assume from these limited statistics that the females who are 23 when they marry are the ones who are having their first child at 25. There are too many other variables in the population.

The only thing you know for sure is that, because the average age for having a first child has risen over the last 20 years, on average, females are having their first child at a later age than they did 20 years ago. Choice (B) is the only answer that must be true.

A recent census of all American females revealed that the current aver

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