Question

comparing weekly earnings based on education level
2012 full - time median weekly earnings
the graph shows median weekly earnings for full - time workers according to education level. which can you not conclude?
○ a bachelor’s degree is likely to help you earn more money than an associate’s degree.
○ a master’s degree is likely to help you earn almost twice as much money as a high school graduate.
○ a doctoral degree is likely to help you earn almost twice as much as a master’s degree
○ it is likely your salary will increase as your level of education increases

Explanation:

To determine which conclusion is invalid, we analyze each option using the bar graph data (weekly earnings: No HS Diploma = 471, HS Diploma = 652, Some College = 727, Associate’s Degree = 785, Bachelor’s Degree = 1066, Master’s Degree = 1300, Professional Degree = 1735, Doctoral Degree = 1624):

• Option A: Bachelor’s (1066) > Associate’s (785) → Valid.
• Option B: Master’s (1300) vs. HS Diploma (652). \( 1300 \approx 2 \times 652 \) (since \( 2 \times 652 = 1304 \), close to 1300) → Valid.
• Option C: Doctoral (1624) vs. Master’s (1300). \( 2 \times 1300 = 2600 \), but 1624 is not close to 2600 (it is less than 1300 × 2). Thus, “almost twice” is false.
• Option D: Earnings generally increase with education (471 → 652 → 727 → 785 → 1066 → 1300 → 1735 → 1624; even Doctoral is close to Professional) → Valid.

Answer:

C. A doctoral degree is likely to help you earn almost twice as much as a master’s degree