Answer:
Option D is the answer. Grade inflation results when college professors lower the standard for student grades.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nature of higher education has changed a lot in recent decades. There has been a distinct democratization of access to higher education. Now it is expected that most high school students will pursue college and that stopping formal education at the level of just a high school diploma is limiting and affects the earning potential of young people negatively. Now, more people attend college right after high school and this has put pressure on universities to deliver a service to students as paying customers (and their parents) instead of maintaining an academic standard that is rigorous and difficult to attain.