Question

the cdc reports that the percentage of girls aged 15–19 who have had sex was 51% in 1988 and 44% in 2013, while the percentage of boys the same age was 60% in 1988 and 47% in 2013. annie and skylar have been dating for two years, but annie wishes to remain abstinent. lately, skylar has been hinting that he would like to begin having sex. he tells annie that it seems like most teenagers have had sex, and that more and more teenaged couples are doing it these days. how can annie use the cdc data to evaluate skylars claims? the percentage of both male and female teenagers who have had sex is less than it was previously, so it is false that teenagers having sex is on the rise. the percentage of male and female teenagers who have had sex is dropdown half, so it is dropdown that most teenagers have had sex. annie should dropdown her decision to remain abst... (dropdown options: more than, less than, equal to)

Explanation:

For the first blank in the second sentence:

Step1: Analyze male and female percentages

For girls (15 - 19): 1988 is 51%, 2013 is 44%. For boys (15 - 19): 1988 is 60%, 2013 is 47%. The highest percentage among these is 60% (boys in 1988), and the lowest in 2013 is 44% (girls). Half is 50%. Both 44% (girls 2013), 47% (boys 2013), 51% (girls 1988), 60% (boys 1988) - wait, 51% is more than 50? Wait no, wait the question is about "the percentage of male and female teenagers who have had sex is [ ] half". Wait, let's check the current percentages (2013) and past (1988). Wait, the highest in 2013 is 47% (boys), which is less than 50% (half). The 1988 girls were 51% (more than half), boys 60% (more than half). But Skylar is talking about "these days" (probably 2013 data? Or recent). Wait, the first part said "the percentage... is less than it was previously" for the rise. Now, for "most teenagers have had sex" - most would be more than 50%. Let's check the 2013 data: girls 44%, boys 47%. Both are less than 50% (half). So the percentage is less than half.

Step2: Choose the option

So the first blank in the second sentence ( "The percentage of male and female teenagers who have had sex is [ ] half") should be "less than".

For the second blank in the second sentence:

Step1: Evaluate "most teenagers have had sex"

Since the percentage (both genders in recent years, like 2013: 44% girls, 47% boys) is less than 50% (half), "most" means more than 50%, so the claim that most teenagers have had sex is false.

For the third sentence (Annie should [ ] her decision to remain abstinent):

Step1: Consider Annie's situation

Annie wants to remain abstinent. The CDC data shows that the percentage of teenagers having sex is not on the rise (it's decreasing) and most teenagers haven't had sex (since percentages are less than half). So she should stick to her decision, so "stick to" or "maintain" (the option would be something like "stick to" or "maintain" - but based on the context, she should "stick to" or "keep" her decision. Assuming the options are like "stick to", "change", etc., she should "stick to" (or the equivalent option, like "maintain" or "keep") her decision.

Answer:

s (filling the blanks):

1. First blank (second sentence): less than
2. Second blank (second sentence): false
3. Third sentence blank: stick to (or maintain, depending on options; if options are like "stick to", "change", "reconsider", then "stick to" is correct)

For the first blank in the second sentence (the dropdown with more than/less than/equal to), the answer is "less than".