Question

Construction Industry-All Employees (Millions), 2000-2009

Construction Industry - Average Hourly Earnings (Dollars), 2000-2009
A line graph titled construction industry, average hourly earnings (dollars), 2000 to 2009, where the x-axis shows years and the y-axis shows average hourly earnings of production workers. Line starts at 17.2 on January 2000, slowly increases to 19.7 on January 2006, then increases more quickly to 20.5 on January 2007 and 22.4 on January 2009.
Based on trends displayed in the graphs above, which answer choice represents a likely situation for 2010?
a.
There will be more than 6.5 million construction employees in 2010, and those employees will have average hourly earnings of $24.00.
b.
There will be over 6 million construction employees in 2010, and the average hourly earnings will be less than twenty dollars.
c.
There will be roughly 6 million employees in 2010, and those employees will have average hourly earnings of $22.75.
d.
There will be over 7.5 million employees in 2010, and those employees will earn, on average, $23.00 per hour.

Answer 1

Answer: c.

Reason: The employment graph shows construction jobs peaking mid-decade then falling to roughly 6 million by 2009, so “roughly 6 million” in 2010 is most consistent. The earnings graph rises from $20.5 (2007) to $22.4 (2009); extrapolating that trend gives an average near $22.7–$23.4 in 2010, so $22.75 fits while the other choices (earnings under $20 or employment >7.5M) conflict with the displayed trends.