Question

reagan on inflation
governor reagan
mr. ellis, i think this idea that has been spawned here in our country, that inflation somehow came upon us like a plague and therefore its uncontrollable and no one can do anything about it, is entirely spurious, and its dangerous to say this to the people. when mr. carter became president in 1977, inflation was 4.8 percent, as you said. it had been cut in two by president gerald ford. it is now running at 12.7 percent.
how does reagans evidence compare to the available data?
reagans claim that inflation rose sharply under carter is supported by the data.
reagans claim that inflation was still rising in 1980 is supported by the data.
the graph supports reagans claim that we should boost productivity to fight inflation.
the graph supports reagans claim that raising taxes does not affect inflation.

Explanation:

Reagan pointed out that inflation was 4.8 percent when Carter became President in 1977 and had risen to 12.7 percent, showing a sharp increase. This data - based claim about inflation rising sharply under Carter is consistent with the information he provided. There is no information in the text about inflation trends in 1980, nor about the relationship between productivity, taxes and inflation.

Answer:

Reagan's claim that inflation rose sharply under Carter is supported by the data.