Section: Reading

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Among the following quotations from the passage, the one that best summarizes what the author sees as proof against the "welfare causes single motherhood" argument is the following:

1. "When the economic gains from marriage declined in the 1970s, it's not surprising that declines in marriage rates soon followed."
2. "Many of the young people who are now having trouble finding and keeping a mate were born during the 1960s when divorce rates were rising."
3. "Increases in welfare cannot explain why single motherhood grew among more advantaged women."
4. "Welfare payments cannot explain why single motherhood is more common in the United States than in other industrialized countries."

Answer 3 is correct. Answers 3 and 4 are viable options, but 4 doesn't go far enough. Yes, the U.S. is more privileged than other countries, but that is not stated in the sentence. Answer 3 goes into more detail and states that the rise in single motherhood is greater among women who are not on welfare, thus "advantaged."