Question

3.) Read the passage.

excerpt from "Why Equal Pay Is Worth Fighting For" by Senator Elizabeth Warren, April 17, 2014

Women are ready to fight back against pay discrimination, but it's not easy. Today, a woman can get fired for asking the guy across the hall how much money he makes. Here in the Senate, Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act to give women the tools to combat wage discrimination. It would help ensure that salary differences have something to do with the actual job that they are doing, and not just because they are women.



Senator Warren states that Senator Barbara Mikulski has introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act to help combat wage discrimination.

Is this a relevant piece of evidence that supports Warren's argument that women should receive equal pay for equal work?

Yes, the Paycheck Fairness Act is designed to open up more job opportunities for women.

Yes, because the Paycheck Fairness Act is a legal measure needed to close the wage gap between men and women.

No, because the Paycheck Fairness Act is a political manipulation designed to ensure women will earn more than men.

No, because the Paycheck Fairness Act will reduce salaries paid to both men and women.

5.)Read the passage.

excerpt from "Why Equal Pay Is Worth Fighting For" by Senator Elizabeth Warren, April 17, 2014

I honestly can't believe that we're still arguing over equal pay in 2014.

When I started teaching elementary school after college, the public school district didn't hide the fact that it had two pay scales: one for men and one for women. Women have made incredible strides since then. But 40 years later, we're still debating equal pay for equal work.

Women today still earn only 77 cents for every dollar a man earns, and they're taking a hit in nearly every occupation. Bloomberg analyzed Census data and found that median earnings for women were lower than those for men in 264 of 265 major occupation categories. In 99.6 percent of occupations, men get paid more than women. That's not an accident; that's discrimination.

The effects of this discrimination are real, and they are long lasting. Today, more young women go to college than men, but unequal pay makes it harder for them to pay back student loans. Pay inequality also means a tougher retirement for women. . . .

For middle-class families today, it usually takes two incomes to get by, and many families depend as much on Mom's salary as they do on Dad's, if not more. Women are the main breadwinners, or joint breadwinners, in two-thirds of the families across the country, and pay discrimination makes it that much harder for these families to stay afloat.

Women are ready to fight back against pay discrimination, but it's not easy. Today, a woman can get fired for asking the guy across the hall how much money he makes. Here in the Senate, Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act to give women the tools to combat wage discrimination. It would help ensure that salary differences have something to do with the actual job that they are doing, and not just because they are women.

Which statement best describes Warren's viewpoint about wages in America?

People should receive equal pay for equal work.

Wages should be paid based on the amount of money people need to cover their expenses.

Someone who has worked more years in a given job should receive higher pay than someone with less experience.

Women should receive higher wages than men to make up for past inequality.

6.) Read the passage.

excerpt from "Why Equal Pay is Worth Fighting For" by Senator Elizabeth Warren, April 17, 2014

This is a common-sense proposal—no discrimination, no retaliation when women ask how much the guys are getting paid, and basic data that tell us how much men and women are getting paid for key jobs. Basic protection, basic information—that's essentially all this bill does. Employers can still pay different workers different salaries based on factors like skill, performance, expertise, seniority, and so forth—the Paycheck Fairness Act doesn't touch any of that.
Does the speaker provide sufficient, valid evidence to support her claim that the Paycheck Fairness Act is, indeed, fair?

Yes, because she lists reasons why differences in pay based on seniority and job type are reasonable in nearly every industry.

No, because despite everything, she admits that some differences in pay will still exist.

No, because she does not go into detail about the provisions of the act.

Yes, because she specifies several ways in which the act will end discrimination while preserving justified differences in pay.

Answer 1

3. The correct answer is Yes, because the Paycheck Fairness Act is a legal measure needed to close the wage gap between men and women.

The Paycheck Fairness Act is a labor law that adds more protections to the former, old Equal Pay Act of 1963. And it is a law to combat the gender pay gap in the U.S. So, the second answer is the correct one because it explains exactly what the law is and shows evidence to Warren's argument. The first option is wrong because it is not designed to open up more job opportunities, it's only about the salary gap between genders.

5. The correct answer is number one, People should receive equal pay for equal work.

Warren says, "It would help ensure that salary differences have something to do with the actual job that they are doing, and not just because they are women." Therefore, equal pay, equal work is the correct choice here. The other options are just pieces of what Warren said but twisted. For example, she also says "The effects of this discrimination are real, and they are long lasting. Today, more young women go to college than men, but unequal pay makes it harder for them to pay back student loans." But she is not saying that wages should be paid based on how much you owe, but she's stating a fact that will help her support her arguments.

6. The correct answer is number four, Yes, because she specifies several ways in which the act will end discrimination while preserving justified differences in pay.

She says, "Employers can still pay different workers different salaries based on factors like skill, performance, expertise, seniority, and so forth—the Paycheck Fairness Act doesn't touch any of that." She has numbered many reasons and shown data of the pay differences between genders. And she is now explaining that of course employers can and should pay their employees different wages based on certain factors that are justified but not because of gender.