Question

For the categories given, which category accounts for approximately \(\frac{1}{4}\) of the total number of graduates expected for each of the years shown? 

 

• A. High school diploma
• B. Associate degree
• C. Bachelor's degree
• D. Master's degree
• E. Doctoral degree

Hint:

When a question asks for an approximation across multiple data points (like years), you can often find the correct answer by doing a detailed calculation for just one of those points. The result is usually clear enough that you don't need to repeat the full calculation for every single data point.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question asks to identify which degree category consistently represents about one-quarter (25%) of the total number of graduates across the given years. We need to calculate the total for at least one year and compare each category to that total.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
1. For a sample year, sum the number of graduates across all categories to find the total.
2. Calculate \(\frac{1}{4}\) of this total.
3. Compare this value with the number of graduates in each category to find the best match.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Let's perform the calculation for the year 1995. The numbers are in thousands.
- High School: 2,329
- Associate: 458
- Bachelor's: 1,047
- Master's: 324
- Doctoral: 36
Total number of graduates in 1995:
\[ \text{Total} = 2329 + 458 + 1047 + 324 + 36 = 4194 \text{ (thousands)} \] Now, let's find \(\frac{1}{4}\) of this total:
\[ \frac{1}{4} \times 4194 = 1048.5 \text{ (thousands)} \] Now we compare this value to the numbers for each category in 1995:
- High School (2,329) is much larger.
- Associate (458) is much smaller.
- Bachelor's (1,047) is extremely close to 1048.5.
- Master's (324) is much smaller.
- Doctoral (36) is much smaller.
The Bachelor's degree category is the only one that is approximately \(\frac{1}{4}\) of the total for 1995. A quick check of other years confirms this trend. For example, in 2001, the total is \(2865 + 489 + 1037 + 327 + 36 = 4754\). One quarter of this is \(4754/4 = 1188.5\). The Bachelor's degree number is 1037, which is the closest value among the categories.
Step 4: Final Answer:
The Bachelor's degree category consistently accounts for approximately \(\frac{1}{4}\) of the total number of graduates.