The phone rings far away . I ignore it . I left the radio playing in the other room but I can barely hear it . At a muffled distance from the day 's upsetting political and economic news I feel isolated , alone , silenced .
What may have been the economic news ?
Pick the best answer from the following options:
- The number of unemployed was going down .
 - None of the above choices .
 - The wage gap was slowing starting to close .
 - The unemployment rate was going up .


The unemployment rate was going up .