Which proposal does the author support?
Whether students should pay for university is usually discussed as a question of fairness between graduates and the general taxpayer. Graduates earn more on average, the argument goes, so they should contribute. That is plausible but incomplete. Average earnings hide wide variation, and a flat debt falls hardest on those whose degrees lead to modest incomes. A graduate contribution collected through the tax system, as a percentage of earnings above a threshold, would adjust to what each person can afford. It would also remove the apparent paradox of a loan that many will never fully repay. The proposal is not free of difficulty, for it asks graduates to pay for decades. But it matches what is charged to what is received more closely than a fixed sum can.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. A contribution collected as a percentage of earnings above a threshold
- Step 1: The author describes a graduate contribution collected through the tax system as a percentage of earnings above a threshold.
- Step 2: The only choice consistent with this is "A contribution collected as a percentage of earnings above a threshold".
Answer
A contribution collected as a percentage of earnings above a threshold.
Why not the others: The author criticises flat debts, and does not propose free education, bans on charges to overseas students or cancellation.
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