A youth and his family are homeless. His mother is single and does not have a high school degree. They are constantly moving from place to place, and he must switch schools each time. He is a very smart student, which has allowed him to keep up with his work even with all of these problems. Based on meritocracy, the youth will most likely

The options are

a. finish high school and work at a minimum wage job

b. continue the status of his family and drop out of school

c. will ultimately succeed due to hard work

d. become frustrated and turn to criminal behaviors

The answer is a. finish high school and work at a minimum wage job

He is known to be a very smart student and has been able to cope with the difficulties and challenges associated with changing schools all the time and meritocracy involves progress merited strictly on the basis of abilities and talents. He ticks the box and he is therefore most likely to finish high school and work at a minimum wage job to help support his family due to his talent and family status.