Dowlais unemployment due to declining coal reached what percent?

• A. 30%
• B. 60%
• C. 80%
• D. 40%

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is how a single, dominant industry can drag an entire town into severe unemployment when that industry declines. Dowlais was heavily dependent on coal mining, so when coal output dropped, most local jobs disappeared. The figure of about 80% unemployment means roughly four-fifths of the workforce in Dowlais were out of work, which shows how devastating a downturn in a key industry can be for a mono-industrial community. It highlights why such towns faced extreme poverty, emigration, and pressure for government help or economic diversification. Other percentages would understate the scale of hardship in a place so reliant on one industry.