U.S. Job Growth Rebounds in August as Federal Reserve Weighs Interest Rates

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

C2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the passage for its main idea, then return to the relevant sentence or paragraph for each question. Base answers on the passage.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the article’s central claim about the August employment report?

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   1. It proves inflation has been decisively defeated.
   2. It presents unexpectedly strong hiring without resolving broader economic questions.
   3. It predicts an immediate reduction in interest rates.
   4. It shows unemployment rose despite increased hiring.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It presents unexpectedly strong hiring without resolving broader economic questions.

   The report depicts stronger hiring and resilience while preserving significant policy uncertainty.

   The data may eventually be revised again, but the current report gives policymakers and the public a more encouraging snapshot of hiring than economists had anticipated.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the unchanged unemployment rate strengthen the report’s favorable interpretation?

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   1. It indicates job gains were accompanied by fewer employed people.
   2. It suggests hiring increased without an accompanying deterioration in unemployment.
   3. It confirms inflationary pressures have disappeared entirely.
   4. It demonstrates July’s figures were accurately forecast.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It suggests hiring increased without an accompanying deterioration in unemployment.

   Employment increased without the potentially adverse offset of rising unemployment.

   That stability places the month’s job gains in a relatively favorable context: the number of jobs increased without a corresponding rise in the unemployment rate.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What role do the July revisions play in the article’s reasoning?

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   1. They undermine confidence in all employment statistics.
   2. They make the recent employment trend appear more robust.
   3. They establish that August’s data will never change.
   4. They explain why the unemployment rate increased.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They make the recent employment trend appear more robust.

   They reinforce the conclusion that recent employment conditions were stronger than initially understood.

   August’s unexpectedly large gain and the upward revision to July together produced a more robust recent picture than the initial data had suggested.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What limitation does the article explicitly place on the report’s policy significance?

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   1. The figures were collected outside the United States.
   2. The report contains no information about employment.
   3. One report cannot settle policy or wider economic debates.
   4. Federal Reserve officials have already announced their decision.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   One report cannot settle policy or wider economic debates.

   The report contributes evidence but cannot independently determine the Federal Reserve’s decision.

   Nevertheless, the August report alone does not determine the Federal Reserve’s decision, nor does it settle the debate over inflation or global economic pressures.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How is the article organized after introducing the August rebound?

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   1. It presents revisions before reporting August’s results.
   2. It develops statistical details before discussing policy implications.
   3. It focuses exclusively on the television interview.
   4. It abandons employment data after the opening paragraph.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It develops statistical details before discussing policy implications.

   It moves from headline figures to revisions, policy implications, discussion, and concluding synthesis.

   The Labor Department also revised its July numbers upward.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   In the phrase “That stability,” what does “That” refer to?

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   1. The upward revision to July’s figures
   2. The continuation of global economic pressures
   3. The unemployment rate’s remaining unchanged
   4. The Federal Reserve’s forthcoming deliberations
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   Answer

   The unemployment rate’s remaining unchanged

   The demonstrative refers directly to the unemployment rate remaining at 4.1 percent.

   The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%, according to the report discussed by PBS NewsHour.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article mention Geoff Bennett and Roben Farzad?

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   1. To identify the economists who forecast August’s figures
   2. To explain who interpreted the report for PBS NewsHour
   3. To announce a change in Federal Reserve membership
   4. To describe the Labor Department’s revision process
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To explain who interpreted the report for PBS NewsHour

   Their conversation provides interpretive context about the labor market’s continued resilience.

   Their conversation examined why the U.S. job market has remained resilient despite the challenges surrounding the economy.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What contrast structures the article’s assessment of the economy?

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   1. Strong employment is contrasted with continuing broader economic concerns.
   2. Private employment is contrasted with public employment.
   3. August hiring is contrasted with declining wages.
   4. Domestic growth is contrasted with falling global employment.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Strong employment is contrasted with continuing broader economic concerns.

   Encouraging labor-market evidence is repeatedly balanced against unresolved inflationary and global pressures.

   The figure offers fresh evidence that employment conditions remained firm even as inflation and global pressures continued to shape the economic outlook.

What to review next

Find the words that support each answer. For a mistake, compare the question with the evidence and identify the detail or inference you missed.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Look for evidence in the text. Separate what the writer says from what you already know about the topic.

The library normally closes at six, but on Fridays it stays open until eight. When does it close on Friday?

The answer is eight. But introduces an exception to the normal closing time, so the first time mentioned is not the answer.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.