PrepTest 149, Section 4, Question 12
For years, university administrators, corporations, and government agencies(46 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- AThe proportion of(19 more words not shown)
- BMost students choose(10 more words not shown)
- CThe number of(16 more words not shown)
- DCertain specializations in(12 more words not shown)
- EThe knowledge and(20 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Are there enough people with the skills employers actually need?
The salary and unemployment figures give us something relevant to consider, but they don't settle that question. Imagine unemployed scientists whose training doesn't fit the jobs that need filling. A shortage of people with the needed skills could coexist with people unable to find work. The broad employment figures wouldn't tell that whole story.
What we’re looking for
So I wouldn't jump from these indicators to declaring the shortage predictions wrong. But the question asks us to strengthen that declaration. We need more reason to think the supply of scientists and engineers will be adequate, rather than another reason to doubt it. I don't have one specific fact to predict; I'd look for evidence making the forecast of an imminent shortage less convincing.
Working the answers
- A
The share of research done by corporations doesn't tell us how many scientists or engineers are available relative to the work that needs doing. Corporate research could expand during either a shortage or an abundance of workers. A changes who carries out the research without resolving the supply problem.
- B
A preference for financially promising fields doesn't tell us which fields students actually enter. They could choose science and engineering, or they could choose something else. Without that information, the general motive doesn't provide evidence of enough future scientists and engineers.
- CCorrect
More students are in the relevant university programs, providing a growing potential supply of scientists and engineers. That is a reason to be less convinced by the predicted shortage. It doesn't guarantee that everyone graduates, acquires every needed skill, or keeps pace with every increase in demand. But it adds favorable evidence about future supply to the author's current salary and employment indicators.
- D
Uneven supply could explain why broad figures hide a genuine shortage. One specialization could have unemployed workers while another struggles to find qualified people. That fits the concern raised while reading; it doesn't strengthen the blanket dismissal of shortage predictions.
- E
A need for retraining describes a requirement for keeping skills useful. It doesn't establish how many people meet that requirement. Without information about whether scientists and engineers are actually staying current, E gives no reason to conclude that enough qualified workers will be available.
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