If a country's elderly share is rising but the average retirement age is also increasing, why might a traditional working-age boundary be misleading?

Correct answer: Because actual economic activity may extend beyond the conventional age boundary

A fixed working-age boundary classifies people by age, not by whether they actually work. If retirement occurs later and older adults remain healthy and economically active, many people above the traditional boundary may still be employed, self-employed, or contributing through paid work. Counting all of them as dependants can therefore overstate the dependency burden. Option A is correct.

Age structure remains important, but a conventional limit such as 60 or 65 is only a statistical simplification. The real economic-support relationship also depends on labour-force participation, health, pensions, employment conditions, and unpaid work. The other options are incorrect: older people can work, retirement age is related to economic activity, and not all young people are unemployed. A flexible interpretation gives a more accurate picture.