Economists examined four cities' housing markets after a new property-tax policy. They reported home-price changes (% over 1 year) in each policy city alongside changes in matched non-policy cities over the same window: City W, +1.2% (vs. +1.5% match); X, -3.4% (vs. +1.0% match); Y, +0.8% (vs. +0.9% match); Z, +2.1% (vs. +2.0% match). The researchers concluded the policy had a meaningful price-suppressing effect <em>only</em> in City X. The data most uniquely supporting this targeted claim is ______
Which choice most logically completes the text using the data above?
- A
City X's -3.4% change alone.
- B
the average price change across all four policy cities.
- Ccheck_circle
the contrast: City X's 4.4-point underperformance vs. its match, while Cities W, Y, and Z's changes nearly equal their matches.
- D
City Z's +2.1% change.
Explanation
"Meaningful effect only in City X" requires comparing each policy city to its control. Choice B captures the 4.4-point gap unique to X while noting the other three pairs are essentially matched, uniquely supporting the targeted claim.