200 150 100 50 0 Uncertainty (larger values = more uncertainty) 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Economic Policy Uncertainty

Question

200 150 100 50 0 Uncertainty (larger values = more uncertainty) 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Economic Policy Uncertainty in the United Kingdom, 20052010 Year tax and public spending policy trade policy general economic policy For each data egory, the following bars are shown: Tax and public spending policy Trade policy General economic policy The data for the 6 egories are as follows: 2005: Tax and public spending policy: 98 Trade policy: 160 General economic policy: 90 2006: Tax and public spending policy: 65 Trade policy: 105 General economic policy: 72 2007: Tax and public spending policy: 61 Trade policy: 75 General economic policy: 77 2008: Tax and public spending policy: 90 Trade policy: 71 General economic policy: 73 2009: Tax and public spending policy: 76 Trade policy: 70 General economic policy: 81 2010: Tax and public spending policy: 165 Trade policy: 71 General economic policy: 118 High levels of public uncertainty about which economic policies a country will adopt can make planning difficult for businesses, but measures of such uncertainty have not tended to be very detailed. Recently, however, economist Sandile Hlatshwayo analyzed trends in news reports to derive measures not only for general economic policy uncertainty but also for uncertainty related to specific areas of economic policy, like tax or trade policy. One revelation of her work is that a general measure may not fully reflect uncertainty about specific areas of policy, as in the case of the United Kingdom, where general economic policy uncertainty ______ blank Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to illustrate the claim?

Accepted Answer

Choice D is the best answer because it uses data from the graph to effectively illustrate the text&rsquo;s claim about general economic policy uncertainty in the United Kingdom. The graph presents values for economic policy uncertainty in tax and public spending policy, trade policy, and general economic policy in the UK from 2005 to 2010. The graph shows that in 2005, the value for general economic policy uncertainty (approximately 90) was substantially lower than the value for uncertainty about trade policy specifically (approximately 160). It also shows that in 2010, the value for general economic policy uncertainty (approximately 120) was substantially higher than the value for uncertainty about trade policy (approximately 70). The substantial differences between these values in 2005 and 2010 support the claim that a general measure may not fully reflect uncertainty about specific areas of policy. Choice A is incorrect because the graph shows that the level of general economic policy uncertainty was similar to the level of uncertainty about tax and public spending policy in both 2005 (with values of approximately 90 and 100, respectively) and 2009 (with values of approximately 80 and 75, respectively). Choice B is incorrect because the graph shows that general economic policy uncertainty was higher than uncertainty about tax and public spending policy in 2006, 2007, and 2009, not that it was lower each year from 2005 to 2010. Choice C is incorrect because the graph shows that general economic policy uncertainty reached its highest level in 2010, which was when uncertainty about tax and public spending policy also reached its highest level, not its lowest level.

Question 200-15