Question

Rural households have more purchasing power than do urban or suburban households at the same income level, since some of the income urban and suburban households use for food and shelter can be used by rural households for other needs.

Which of the following inferences is best supported by the statement made above?

• A. The average rural household includes more people than does the average urban or suburban household.
• B. Rural households have lower food and housing costs than do either urban or suburban households.
• C. Suburban households generally have more purchasing power than do either rural or urban households.
• D. The median income of urban and suburban households is generally higher than that of rural households.

Answer 1

The correct option is B Rural households have lower food and housing costs than do either urban or suburban households.

Option (b)

If the greater purchasing power of rural households results from their having more money left over after meeting basic expenses, it follows, as B says, that those expenses are lower for those households than they are for suburban or urban households at the same income level. Consequently, B is the best answer. A is not a supported inference, since there is no information to suggest that larger households are not more likely to have either more purchasing power or lower food and shelter expenses. C and D are not supported, since the passage compares only households that share the same income level.