1. Why are some parts of the graph shaded?

a. The shaded bars divide the graph into categories.

b. The shaded bars indicate years when there were recessions.

c. The shaded bars indicate years when the U.S. was at war.

2. What does the “56” along the left side of the graph mean?

a. 1956

b. 56 percent of the population

c. 56 thousand people

3. What does 1948 mean?

a. The year indicated by the first vertical “column.”

b. The year the study was published.

c. The year the employment was lowest.

4. Look at the points at which the line drops most severely. Do you see a connection between these drops and another feature of the graph? Which feature is it?

a. The line drops in odd numbered years.

b. The line drops every eight years.

c. The shaded bar is added to highlight the sharp drops in employment during recessions.

5. Why do you think the graph line goes above 60 around 1985 and stays there until shortly after 2008? Take a guess. The graph doesn’t give us reasons for movement in the line, but we can take guesses based on the graph.

a. There were fewer recessions during this period.

b. There were fewer presidents elected during this period.

c. There were fewer wars during this period.

6. Based on this graph, what is the most dramatic observation to make about the economy in 2008?

a. In 2008, the ratio of employment-to-population was higher than at any other time in the last 40 years.

b. The employment-to-population ratio dropped farther and faster in the recession of 2008 than it had in the last 40 years.

c. More people were employed in 2008 than at any time in the last 40 years.

All complete. Great job!