Answer: E
Replace the underlined clause
A recently published report indicates that the salaries of teachers continue to lag far behind other college-educated professionals, because they make an average of nearly $8,000 a year less at the start of their careers and almost $24,000 less a year by the time they reach the age of 50.
(A) other college-educated professionals, because they make an average of nearly $8,000 a year less at the start of their careers and almost $24,000 less
(B) other college-educated professionals, by an average of nearly $8,000 a year at the start of their careers, to almost $24,000
(C) what other college-educated professionals are paid—making an average of nearly $8,000 a year less at the start of their careers and almost $24,000 less
(D) those of other college-educated professionals—by an average of nearly $8,000 a year at the start of their careers to almost $24,000 less
(E) those of other college-educated professionals—by an average of nearly $8,000 a year at the start of their careers, and by almost $24,000
Step-by-step explanation:
The answer is E because the presence of "those" indicates that there is a comparison between the salaries of teachers and other college educated professionals. In addition, it shows parallelism to the underlined clause.
Option A is not the correct answer as it is a repetition of the underlined clause.
Option D is wrong because of the use of "to". Here, it indicates a range of salary which is not the meaning of the original sentence. Option B is wrong for the same reason.