Economics 

Lesson 3: WORKERS  and CONSUMERS       
("Labor" can mean work but it can also mean the workers who do the work.)

Assessing the adequacy of information given
When we draw conclusions about information presented to us, we need to have enough relevant information. On your GED test, you must sort through a lot of facts and data to figure out which data and/or words can help us find the right answer. There must be enough information and it must be related to the statement it is supposed to support.

Read the passage and answer the question below:
When labor unions were first established in the 1800s, their power was limited by law and by a general lack of support for striking workers. By the early 1930s, fewer than 900 strikes occurred in the nation each year, and most of these were for higher wages. In 1935, workers were aided by passage of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). This act, which is still the law almost 70 years later, recognizes the right of workers to form unions and requires employers to bargain with unions over wages and working conditions. In the first five years following the law's passage, the number of strikes jumped to more than 2,100 a year. More than two-thirds of these strikes resulted from the attempts of workers to form unions.

Which of the following conclusions is supported by adequate data?
_____a. After the NLRA passed, many employers were unwilling to accept the legal rights of workers.

_____b. Passage of the National Labor Relations Act resulted in higher wages for workers. 

You were correct if you chose option a. After the passage of the NLRA, two-thirds of the strikes were a result of employees trying to exercise their right to form unions, indicating that employers had to be forced to accept unions. To conclude option b would require additional data that compare wages before and after 1935.

Let's look at the following paragraph and the accompanying graph to practice the same skill of assessing the adequacy of supporting data: