Based on trends displayed in the graphs above, which answer choice represents a likely situation for 2010 ? a. There will be more than 6.5 million construction employees in 2010, and those employees will have average hourly earnings of \( \$ 24.00 \). b. There will be over 6 million construction employees in 2010 , and the average hourly earnings will be less than twenty dollars. c. There will be roughly 6 million employees in 2010 , and those employees will have average hourly earnings of \( \$ 22.75 \). d. There will be over 7.5 million employees in 2010 , and those employees will earn, on average, \( \$ 23.00 \) per hour.

To determine which answer choice represents a likely situation for 2010 based on the trends displayed in the graphs, we need to analyze the trends for both the number of construction employees and their average hourly earnings. 1. **Identify Trends**: - Look at the trend lines for the number of construction employees over the years leading up to 2010. - Look at the trend lines for average hourly earnings over the same period. 2. **Estimate Values for 2010**: - Based on the trends, estimate the number of construction employees in 2010. - Estimate the average hourly earnings for construction employees in 2010. 3. **Evaluate Each Option**: - Compare the estimated values with each of the answer choices. ### Step-by-Step Analysis 1. **Estimate Number of Employees**: - If the trend shows a steady increase, we can project the number of employees for 2010. For example, if the number of employees was around 5 million in 2005 and increased by about 0.5 million each year, we might estimate around 6 million employees in 2010. 2. **Estimate Average Hourly Earnings**: - If the average hourly earnings were around $20 in 2005 and increased by about $1 each year, we might estimate around $25 for 2010. ### Evaluating the Options - **Option a**: More than 6.5 million employees and average earnings of $24.00. - **Option b**: Over 6 million employees and average earnings less than $20. - **Option c**: Roughly 6 million employees and average earnings of $22.75. - **Option d**: Over 7.5 million employees and average earnings of $23.00. ### Conclusion Based on the estimated trends: - If we estimated around 6 million employees and average earnings around $25, then: - **Option c** seems plausible as it states roughly 6 million employees and average earnings of $22.75, which is close to our estimate. Thus, the most likely situation for 2010 based on the trends would be **Option c**: There will be roughly 6 million employees in 2010, and those employees will have average hourly earnings of \( \$ 22.75 \).