26. U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics reveal that the great majority of those workers who lost their jobs in 2001 did so because

a. they are lazy.
b. of either a temporary layoff or the permanent elimination of a job position.
c. they were undereducated for the work they were doing.
d. they wanted to be out of work in order to collect unemployment benefits.
e. All these answers are correct.

I would say all of these answers are correct. what say ?

Absolutely not!! What do the words "the great majority" mean to you?

Oh my, of course great majority it almost half of America.

Hmm then I would probably say that because of recession it would be B.

Correct!

Great ! My bad for thinking all of America was onto getting unemployment benefits. :O

One thing to remember about things like SS and unemployment and other govt-paid funds -- if the number of people who pay INTO these systems declines, where will the money come from to pay these benefits?

Based on the options provided, the correct answer is option b: "of either a temporary layoff or the permanent elimination of a job position."

To find the correct answer, we can eliminate options that are clearly incorrect.

Option a, "they are lazy," could be eliminated because it implies that a majority of workers lost their jobs due to laziness, which is highly unlikely.

Option c, "they were undereducated for the work they were doing," may not be the primary reason for job loss in 2001. While it is possible that some individuals may have lost their jobs due to lack of education, it cannot be generalized as the major reason for the majority of job losses.

Option d, "they wanted to be out of work in order to collect unemployment benefits," is also unlikely to be the primary reason for job loss. While individuals may take advantage of unemployment benefits, it is not a significant factor in the majority of job losses.

Therefore, option e, "All these answers are correct," is incorrect based on the analysis above.

Hence, option b is the most reasonable choice, as it suggests that a majority of workers lost their jobs due to temporary layoffs or permanent job eliminations.