Question

Vargonia has just introduced a legal requirement that student-teacher ratios in government-funded schools not exceed a certain limit. All Vargonian children are entitled to education, free of charge, in these schools. When a recession occurs and average incomes fall, the number of children enrolled in government-funded schools tends to increase. Therefore, though most employment opportunities contract in economic recessions, getting a teaching job in Vargonia’s government-funded schools will not be made more difficult by a recession.Which of the following would be most important to determine in order to evaluate the argument?
(A) Whether in Vargonia there are any schools not funded by the government that offer children an education free of charge
(B) Whether the number of qualified applicants for teaching positions in government-funded schools increases significantly during economic recessions
(C) What the current student-teacher ratio in Vargonia's government-funded schools is
(D) What proportion of Vargonia's workers currently hold jobs as teachers in government-funded schools
(E) Whether in the past a number of government funded schools in Vargonia have had student teacher ratios well in excess of the new limit

Answer 1

Answer:

(C) What the current student-teacher ratio in Vargonia's government-funded schools is.

Explanation:

All other option slisted below the question address issues not pertinent to the argument of the excerpt:

A- The legally required ratio does not extend to schools not funded by government;

B- The number of qualified applicants for teaching positions is at best secondary to the argument

D- The proportion of workers who currently work as teachers in government-funded schools is another point that is far from the essence of the excerpt.

Hence, C is the correct answer.