Question 6·Hard·Command of Evidence
Employment by Sector in France and the United States, 1800–2012 (% of total employment)
| Year | Agriculture in France | Manufacturing in France | Services in France | Agriculture in US | Manufacturing in US | Services in US |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 64 | 22 | 14 | 68 | 18 | 13 |
| 1900 | 43 | 29 | 28 | 41 | 28 | 31 |
| 1950 | 32 | 33 | 35 | 14 | 33 | 53 |
| 2012 | 3 | 21 | 76 | 2 | 18 | 80 |
Rows may not add to 100 because of rounding.
Over the past two hundred years, the percentage of the population employed in the agricultural sector has declined in both France and the United States, while employment in the service sector (which includes jobs in retail, consulting, real estate, etc.) has risen. However, this transition happened at very different rates in the two countries. This can be seen most clearly by comparing the employment by sector in both countries in ______
Which choice most effectively identifies the data that best illustrates the difference in transition rates?
For questions that ask which data best supports a statement, first restate in your own words what the statement claims (for example, one country changes faster than another). Then, scan the table or graph specifically for the comparison or trend mentioned (here, changes over time in agriculture vs. services in each country). For each answer choice, quickly estimate and compare the relevant changes rather than calculating exact values, and pick the choice where the pattern in the data most clearly and directly matches the claim in the question.
Hints
Focus on what "different rates" means
Do not just look for big changes. Look for a pair of years where one country changes much more than the other over the same time period.
Look at agriculture and services, not just one column
For each answer choice, compare how much the agriculture and services percentages change between the two years for both France and the United States.
Compare intervals, not just starting and ending points
Some choices compare a very early year to a very late year; others compare two closer years. Ask: In which interval does the United States seem to move from farming to services much faster than France?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the question is really asking
The passage says both countries moved from agricultural work to service jobs, but that this transition happened at very different rates. So you are not just looking for big changes; you are looking for a time interval where one country changes much more than the other.
Check what each answer choice is asking you to compare
Each choice gives you a pair of years. For each pair, you must compare how much France changes and how much the United States changes in agriculture and services between those two years.
- 1800 to 1900
- 1800 to 2012
- 1900 to 1950
- 1900 to 2012
Ask: In which interval does the United States move away from agriculture and toward services much faster than France?
Estimate the changes for each country in each interval
Use rough percentage-point changes to compare speeds (exact arithmetic is not needed).
-
1800 to 1900
France agriculture drops from 64 to 43 (down 21); services rise from 14 to 28 (up 14).
U.S. agriculture drops from 68 to 41 (down 27); services rise from 13 to 31 (up 18).
These changes are fairly similar, so the rates are not "very different." -
1800 to 2012
Both countries go from mostly agriculture to mostly services and end with very similar numbers (around 2–3% in agriculture and high 70s in services). Over this long span, their overall changes look very similar. -
1900 to 2012
Again, both countries end up with almost the same agriculture and services percentages, so their total change from 1900 to 2012 is also very similar. -
1900 to 1950
France agriculture: 43 to 32 (down 11); services: 28 to 35 (up 7).
U.S. agriculture: 41 to 14 (down 27); services: 31 to 53 (up 22).
Here, the United States shifts much more than France in just 50 years, showing a clearly faster transition.
Choose the pair that best highlights the different rates
Only the comparison between 1900 and 1950 shows one country (the United States) moving away from agriculture and into services far faster than the other (France). Therefore, the best choice is 1900 with the employment by sector in 1950.