Critical thinking

Hi,
Please help me with the following question. I didn’t quite understand it.

Q1.205 ) Cuts in the budgets of most universities over the past 5 years have resulted in staffing shortages for language courses. The shortage of language lecturers is most likely caused by the fact that in recent years their salaries have become lower than the salaries of colleagues who teach other subjects. In addition, unlike their colleagues, they have not experienced any improvements in working conditions, which must have led to disgruntlement.

Which of the following statements, if true, would best support the claims made in the text above?

a. A survey of students shows that they are reluctant to apply to language courses because the lecturer-to-student ratio is much lower than it used to be.

b. A survey of language lecturers currently employed shows. that, despite a large number of resignations, all are happy with their working conditions and salary.

c. Most language lecturers who resign from their posts end up taking employment in the private sector at a level of salary that is 30% higher than what they earned in their uni versity and where they are looked after by employers.

d. For the past 5 years, a survey of language students has shown that most are put off applying to lecturer posts because, in the private sector, they can earn as much as a
maths lecturer.

e. All lecturers leaving their job attended an exit interview to explore their motives. Last year 20% of language lecturers interviewed said they were leaving because of worsening of working conditions and 30% said they were leaving because of poor pay conditions.

Hi!

for me both C) and E) seem to be supporting the claim that staffing shortages is caused by low salaries and bad conditions.
However, option C) is not very strong.
We do not know if the lecturers who resigned where well paid or well treated before leaving for a job that’s even better.
With option E) we know for certain that their previous conditions were bad and that’s what made them leave.
So we can say that it directly supports the claim.

I hope my explanation is clear enough?

1 Like

Yeah. I was confused between these two. But the answer is D, and I’m confused. Can you maybe check again and tell how the answer D comes?

Oh thanks, I don’t know how to solve them

1 Like