Question

From Businesses Intensify Pitch for 'Savviest Generation Ever' by Dave Carpenter © 2012 The Associated Press

Teenage Research Unlimited, a market research firm in Northbrook, Ill., projects that the 31.6 million Americans from ages 12-19 will spend $108 billion of their own money in 2000, along with $47 billion of their family's funds.
They also account for a disproportionately large share of consumer spending. Households with one or more teen-agers spend $10,000 more per year than those without any. And with parents working more than ever before, teens have assumed greater influence in household decision-making.

What is the central idea of this passage?

A) Market research firms are interested in what teen-angers have to say.

B) In families with working parents, teen-angers affect decision-making.

C) Teen-angers account for billions of dollars of consumer spending every year.

D) Households with teen-angers spend more than those without any teen-angers.

Answer 1

The answer is option C: Teen-angers account for billions of dollars of consumer spending every year.

The central idea of the passage is to describe how much teenagers from ages twelve to nineteen will spend in 2000. It also depicts how much families with and without teenagers spend per year, and concludes that teens are involved in family decisions.