Read the following passage and then select the correct answer:
According to some sources, more than 30 million adult Americans are unable to read. There are different levels of illiteracy; some adults will be able to recognize a collection of words, while others cannot read at all. Without strong reading skills, it is difficult for people to hold jobs and become productive members of society. To improve our economy, it is imperative that the United States push its citizens to become more literate.
Which of the following sentences states the author's claim?
A) According to some sources, more than 30 million adult Americans are unable to read.
B) There are different levels of illiteracy; some adults will be able to recognize a collection of words, while others cannot read at all.*This is what I predict as the correct answer.
C) To improve our economy, it is imperative that the United States push its citizens to become more literate.
I disagree. B is stating one of the supporting points.
To determine the correct answer, we need to identify the sentence that expresses the author's claim or main idea.
Option A merely presents a statistic without stating any opinion or claim. Option B describes different levels of illiteracy but does not make a claim.
Option C, on the other hand, explicitly states the author's claim that "To improve our economy, it is imperative that the United States push its citizens to become more literate." The author argues for the importance of literacy in boosting the economy.
Therefore, the correct answer is C) "To improve our economy, it is imperative that the United States push its citizens to become more literate."