Question

A graph shows the U S Government and Expenditures from 1980 to 2010. The money spent and money received generally follow the same trend, but around 2008, the amount of money spent increased and money received decreased.
The graph shows the federal budget from 1980 to 2010.

What conclusion can be drawn from this graph?

Federal law requires the budget to be balanced.
Politicians do a good job in balancing the budget.
In most years, the federal budget shows a surplus.
Lines seldom overlap showing a mostly unbalanced budget.

Answer 1

Politicians do a good job in balancing the budget.

Reason: The lines for money received and money spent generally follow the same trend (track each other), indicating revenues and expenditures were kept close most years; only around 2008 do they diverge markedly.