B. Read the following textbook passage; then answer the questions that follow it.
Asian Americans on the Rise
1Asian Americans were the fastest-growing minority group in the United States at the end of the 20th century. 2In 1999, there were nearly 11 million Americans of Asian or Pacific Island descent. 3Although they represented only 3.9 percent of the total U.S. population, they were increasing at seven times the national rate. 4Experts believe that by 2050, one in ten Americans will be of Asian origin.
5Compared to other minorities, Asian Americans are fairly well educated and affluent. 6Three out of four Asian youths graduate from high school, compared to less than one out of two for African Americans and Latinos. 7Asian Americans also have the highest percentage of college graduates, and they earn more doctoral degrees than any other minority group. 8Many Asian Americans have entered professional fields. 9As a result, the average income in 1998 for Asian American families was over $4,000 higher than the national average.
10Not all Asian Americans have fared well, however. 11Refugees from Southeast Asia have faced both economic hardship and persecution. 12The average family income for Vietnamese
Americans was $8,000 below that of whites. 13Vietnamese fishermen who settled on the Gulf
Coast suffered repeated attacks on their livelihood in Texas and Louisiana. 14In the Los Angeles riots in 1992, Korean stores and shops became a main target for looting and firebombing.
15But overall, the experience of Asian Americans has been a positive one. 16They came to America seeking economic opportunity or, as many put it, "to climb the mountain of gold." 17"People are looking for a better life," a Chinese spokeswoman explained. 18"It's as simple as that. 19And we will continue to come here."
—Adapted from Divine, Breen, Fredrickson, & Williams,
The American Story, pp. 1085-86.
The best statement of the implied central idea for the passage is