Under the Equal Pay Act of 1963, paying different wages to men and women for equal work in the same workplace is illegal.

• A. It is illegal to discuss wages with coworkers.
• B. It is illegal to pay different wages to men and women if they perform equal work in the same workplace.
• C. It is legal to pay different wages based on seniority alone.
• D. It applies only to government jobs.

Answer: (B)

The main idea being tested is wage discrimination based on sex. The Equal Pay Act prohibits paying employees of different sexes differently for performing the same work in the same workplace. It’s about ensuring equal pay for equal work, with any allowed differences based on factors other than sex, such as seniority, merit, or production quality.

This option is the best because it directly states the core prohibition of the act: it is illegal to pay men and women differently for performing equal work in the same workplace. The other choices don’t capture that central protection. Wages discussion between coworkers isn’t addressed by this law, the act applies beyond government jobs, and while seniority can be a lawful factor, paying differently solely because of seniority can be permissible only when it’s part of a non-sex-based system and applied fairly—so it doesn’t directly restate the fundamental illegal practice described in the question.