Toughened Hiring Standards have not been the Primary Cause of the Present Staffing Shortage in Public Schools.

Question: Toughened hiring standards have not been the primary cause of the present staffing shortage in public schools. The shortage of teachers is primarily caused by the fact that in recent years teachers have not experienced any improvements in working conditions and their salaries have not kept pace with salaries in other professions.

Which of the following, if true, would most support the claims above?

(A) Many teachers already in the profession would not have been hired under the new hiring standards.
(B) Today more teachers are entering the profession with a higher educational level than in the past.
(C) Some teachers have cited higher standards for hiring as a reason for the current staffing shortage.
(D) Many teachers have cited low pay and lack of professional freedom as reasons for their leaving the profession.
(E) Many prospective teachers have cited the new hiring standards as a reason for not entering the profession.

“Toughened hiring standards have not been the primary cause of the present staffing shortage in public schools.” – this is a GMAT Critical question. This particular GMAT Critical Reasoning topic has been taken from the book ‘GMAT Critical Reasoning, By Manhattan Prep, 2014 Edition’. In this particular topic, candidates need to choose the option that best suits the passage. GMAT critical reasoning tests the logical and analytical skills of the candidates. Critical reasoning in GMAT requires candidates to find the strengths and weaknesses of the argument, or find the logical flaw in the argument. The GMAT CR section contains 10 -13 GMAT critical reasoning questions out of 36 GMAT verbal questions.

Answer: D
Explanation: This is a GMAT critical reasoning question. We have to select the option that does the least to undermine what the author has said for the similarities given in the passage.

Let’s go through each option individually and find the one that fits the best.

Argument Evaluation:

Hypothesis: The shortage of teachers is primarily caused by no improvements in working conditions and poor salaries.

Reasoning: The cause of the teacher shortage dismisses one possibility that obstacles created by higher standards in hiring and another is the failure to improve working conditions and salaries. The assumption that supports the hypothesis that supports the claims would b the most suitable.

Option A: Incorrect.

This statement is undetermined because it suggests that the toughened hiring standards might have caused due to the shortage of teachers. Hence option A is incorrect.

Option B: Incorrect.

This statement is incorrect as it undermines the claims. It states more teachers with a higher educational level are entering the profession. So in case, the working conditions for teachers are not improved and salaries are not kept up. Hence option B is incorrect.

Option C: Incorrect.

This statement does not follow the first claim made in the argument. Hence option C is incorrect.

Option D: Correct.

This statement follows the hypothesis. It provides evidence that remuneration and working conditions have caused teachers to leave their job. Hence, it supports the claim that these factors are causes of the teacher shortage. So, option D is the correct answer.

Option E: Incorrect.

This statement does not follow the first claim made in the argument. Hence option E is incorrect.

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