In the United States, adults who don't graduate high school earn on av

Question

In the United States, adults who don't graduate high school earn on average 35% less than adults who do graduate high school. No other industrialized nation has such a severe earnings gap; adults without a HS diploma typically earn about 80 percent of the salaries earned by high school graduates in nations across Asia, Europe and elsewhere. These figures clearly indicate that American high schools are the world's best at teaching advanced skills to their students.

Each of the following statements, if true, weaken the author's claim EXCEPT:

A. Of all the industrialized nations, the United States has the lowest proportion of specialized tradesmen, people who often lack high school diplomas yet earn high salaries for their skills.

B. Due to recent global changes, in many newly industrialized nations advances in education precede advances in business infrastructure, resulting in a disparity between skilled employees and the jobs which would require these skills.

C. Unlike in the United States, in certain other industrialized nations it is possible for a student to attend a university without earning a high school diploma.

D. A survey of sixth graders around the world revealed that children in North America spend, on average, fewer hours per week studying than do their counterparts in Europe.

E. The unemployment rate for adults in the United States who didn't finish high school is significantly higher than the rate for their counterparts in most other industrialized nations.

akdas65129 · Answer

How is Option D even relevant to the question?

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Vibhatu · Answer

How is Option D relevant ? Please give the official solution

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

akdas65129 Vibhatu

Careful--the whole point is that D is not relevant!

The answer to a "Weaken EXCEPT" question doesn't have to strengthen. It has to NOT WEAKEN. So the right answer can be a strengthener or a neutral/irrelevant statement. D would still be right if it said "Pikachu is mostly yellow." Check out this official example:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/a-greater-nu ... l#p3186110

Jatin108 · Answer

hi sir how does (e) weaken the author's claim. actually it strengthens the claim right?

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

Jatin108

No, it's a Weaken. We aren't trying to address whether there really is an income gap. If we were, then this would be a strengthen. But the author's conclusion is about WHY there is a gap. They think that the gap exists because our high schools are so good at teaching advanced skills. But in that case, we'd expect the gap to come from the amazing achievements of those who graduated, not the troubles of those who didn't. E, on the other hand, is saying that the gap may exist in good part because non-grads in the US aren't able to find work. If that's the case, then it's less likely that the gap is because of any advanced skills that grads obtain.

Elite097 · Answer

The Argument:
The author claims that American high schools are the best at teaching advanced skills to their students. The evidence given for this claim is that in the United States, adults without a high school diploma earn 35% less than those who have graduated, while in other industrialized nations, the earnings gap is smaller.

Assumption Made by the Author:

The author assumes that the larger earnings gap in the U.S. is due to American high schools being particularly effective at teaching skills that are valuable in the job market.
The reasoning goes like this: If high school graduates in the U.S. earn significantly more than non-graduates, it must be because the high school education they received provided them with important skills that non-graduates lack.
Conclusion Drawn by the Author:

The author concludes that American high schools are the best at teaching advanced skills because the significant earnings gap seems to show that having a high school diploma in the U.S. makes a big difference in earning potential, presumably due to the valuable skills taught in those schools.
Why This Reasoning Could Be Flawed:
The assumption that the earnings gap is solely due to the effectiveness of high school education is debatable. Other factors could explain the earnings gap, such as the availability of jobs for non-graduates, differences in economic structures, or the presence of alternative pathways to high-paying jobs in other countries.

The Question:
We are asked to identify the statement that does not weaken the author’s claim. In other words, four options will provide reasons why the claim might be flawed, while one will not challenge the claim effectively.

Evaluating Each Option:
(A): This statement suggests that the U.S. has a lower proportion of specialized tradesmen, who often earn high salaries without a high school diploma. This challenges the author's claim because it suggests the earnings gap might be due to the lack of these high-paying trade jobs for non-graduates, not necessarily because American high schools are better.

(B): This statement explains that in many newly industrialized nations, education advances faster than business infrastructure, leading to a mismatch between skills and jobs. This weakens the author's claim by suggesting that the smaller earnings gap in other countries might be due to factors unrelated to the quality of education.

(C): This statement says that in some countries, students can attend university without a high school diploma. This challenges the author's claim because it implies that the comparison between high school graduates and non-graduates isn’t the same across countries, potentially skewing the earnings gap.

(D): This statement notes that children in North America spend fewer hours studying than those in Europe. This does not directly challenge the claim about the effectiveness of American high schools in teaching advanced skills. The amount of study time in earlier grades doesn’t necessarily correlate with the effectiveness of high schools in teaching advanced skills.

(E): This statement mentions that the unemployment rate for adults without a high school diploma is higher in the U.S. than in other countries. This undermines the author's claim by suggesting that the earnings gap might be due more to higher unemployment among non-graduates, not necessarily because of superior high school education.

Conclusion:
Option (D) is the correct answer because it does not directly challenge the claim that American high schools are the best at teaching advanced skills. It discusses study habits in lower grades rather than addressing the effectiveness of high schools or the earnings gap between graduates and non-graduates, which is central to the author's argument. The other options provide reasons why the author's claim might be flawed.

VerbalBot · Answer

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In the United States, adults who don't graduate high school earn on av

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In the United States, adults who don't graduate high school earn on av

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