In 2009, the U.S. Congress passed a law that made it legal for people to file lawsuits about unequal pay at any time, no matter how long it had been since the unfair pay happened. Three years later, some lawmakers tried to pass a bill that required men and women to be paid the same, but a great deal of opposition emerged.

Question

In 2009, the U.S. Congress passed a law that made it legal for people to file lawsuits about unequal pay at any time, no matter how long it had been since the unfair pay happened. Three years later, some lawmakers tried to pass a bill that required men and women to be paid the same, but a great deal of opposition emerged.

Use the passage to answer the question.
Which conflict between American ideals is best demonstrated by this scenario?
A. business ownership and social equality
B. diversity and immigration
C. liberty and equality
D. religious freedom and economic opportunity

Answer 1

C. Liberty and equality. The scenario highlights the tension between the value of liberty (freedom to pay workers what a business owner deems appropriate) and the value of equality (ensuring that all workers, regardless of gender, are paid fairly).

Answer 2

The conflict between American ideals best demonstrated by this scenario is C. liberty and equality. This is because the passage describes a contradiction between two ideals: the freedom to file lawsuits about unequal pay at any time (liberty) and the opposition to a law that aimed to ensure equal pay for men and women (equality).