America may be facing not only a __ of labor, but it is also confronting a shortage of __ labor.

America may be facing not only a __ of labor, but it is also confronting a shortage of __ labor.

• A. surplus / unskilled
• B. deficit / skilled
• C. shortage / unskilled
• D. shortage / skilled

Answer: (D)

The statement tests understanding of two related labor-market conditions: the overall availability of workers and the availability of workers with the right skills. Filling the first blank with shortage makes sense because the sentence implies there isn’t enough labor in general. Filling the second blank with skilled specifies that the shortage is concentrated among workers with the necessary abilities and training. This matches real-world patterns where there are many openings, but not enough workers who possess the required skills, leading to a shortage of skilled labor. The other options don’t fit because they either imply an excess of workers (surplus), use a less natural term for the general shortage (deficit), or suggest a lack of unskilled workers (unskilled) which isn’t the typical constraint described.

The statement tests understanding of two related labor-market conditions: the overall availability of workers and the availability of workers with the right skills. Filling the first blank with shortage makes sense because the sentence implies there isn’t enough labor in general. Filling the second blank with skilled specifies that the shortage is concentrated among workers with the necessary abilities and training. This matches real-world patterns where there are many openings, but not enough workers who possess the required skills, leading to a shortage of skilled labor. The other options don’t fit because they either imply an excess of workers (surplus), use a less natural term for the general shortage (deficit), or suggest a lack of unskilled workers (unskilled) which isn’t the typical constraint described.