Veterans and servicemembers are frequently honored in similar ceremonies and with special discounts at restaurants and theaters, but those small gestures are inadequate compared with the challenges they face when they come home. Consider: An estimated 13-17 percent of homeless individuals in the U.S. are veterans. No matter how you calculate this number, it’s more than their 7-9.5 percent share of the overall adult population, which the Department of Veterans Affairs acknowledges. Many veterans who are not homeless are nonetheless “precarious.” Among the estimated 21.8 million veterans in this country, more than 1.5 million spend more than half of their income on housing—well above the recommended maximum threshold of 30 percent. A similar number live in poverty. Among the most recent veterans—18-to-24-year-olds returning from Iraq or Afghanistan—unemployment was 30.2 percent in 2011 (compared with 16.1 percent for nonveterans the same age). Which best represents the author's main argument?
a) Among the most recent veterans—18-to-24-year-olds returning from Iraq or Afghanistan—unemployment was 30.2 percent in 2011 (compared with 16.1 percent for nonveterans the same age).
b) Many veterans who are not homeless are nonetheless “precarious.”
c) An estimated 13-17 percent of homeless individuals in the U.S. are veterans.
d) Veterans and service members are frequently honored in similar ceremonies and with special discounts at restaurants and theaters, but those small gestures are inadequate compared with the challenges they face when they come home.