Correct Answer: overlooks genuine intelligence
Passage Reference: It overlooks many forms of intelligence and mostly rewards test-taking ability
Why this is correct: In the third paragraph, Birch says testing “overlooks many forms of intelligence and mostly rewards test-taking ability.” So it misses real intelligence.
Tips: When a question starts “says that,” look for the person’s own words in quotation marks. Then match the meaning, not the exact words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- undermines healthy competition: Birch attacks the idea that we must always compete. Birch never defends competition as healthy.
- tracks student improvement well: Birch says the tests are like a snapshot that tells us “nothing about a student’s improvement.”
- makes schools less productive: Birch talks about a myth that people who do not compete are unproductive. That is not a claim about schools.
Correct Answer: Valleyside
Passage Reference: I want my child at the top school. Legault, whose school outperformed both Oceanview and Forestgrove
Why this is correct: Bloom wants “my child at the top school.” In the last paragraph, Valleyside “outperformed both Oceanview and Forestgrove.” So Valleyside is the best school named.
Tips: Sometimes you must join facts from two paragraphs. Find what the person wants, then look elsewhere for which option gives it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Whitesands: Bloom says Whitesands “doesn’t measure up,” so it would not satisfy Bloom.
- Forestgrove: Valleyside did better than Forestgrove, so Forestgrove is not the top school.
- Oceanview: Bloom is thinking about Oceanview, but Valleyside did better than it.
Correct Answer: gather statistical data
Passage Reference: agrees parents have every right to expect statistics on school outcomes concedes the tests provide relevant comparative data
Why this is correct: Shelley says parents have a right to “statistics on school outcomes.” Legault admits the tests “provide relevant comparative data.” So both see the tests as a way to collect data.
Tips: When two people “agree,” one may sound positive and one negative. Look for a word like “concedes” or “agrees” to find the shared point.
Why the other options are wrong:
- reward test-taking ability: Rewarding test-taking ability is Birch’s complaint about the tests, not a benefit.
- negotiate class sizes: Legault wants money spent on smaller classes instead of tests. Testing does not offer this.
- clarify school mandates: Shelley mentions what schools must do, but the shared point is statistics.
Correct Answer: more limited
Passage Reference: is skeptical of the assessments but grudgingly complies is one hour stolen from an actually beneficial learning activity
Why this is correct: Birch doubts the tests. Legault says every hour of test prep is “one hour stolen from an actually beneficial learning activity.” So both would like less testing.
Tips: First decide if each person feels positive or negative. Then pick the option that fits the feelings of both.
Why the other options are wrong:
- much broader: Both teachers complain about the tests, so they would not want more of them.
- left unchanged: Birch doubts the tests and Legault is close to refusing them. Neither is happy with things as they are.
- used to intensify competition: Birch attacks the idea that we must always compete, so more competition would not please these teachers.
Correct Answer: divisive
Passage Reference: lined up on both sides of the debate
Why this is correct: The first sentence says officials, teachers, parents and students are “lined up on both sides of the debate.” So testing divides people.
Tips: For an “overall” question, the first sentence often sets up the whole text. Read it again before you choose.
Why the other options are wrong:
- jeopardized: Nothing says the testing program might end. Teachers still give the tests.
- outdated: Nobody calls the tests old-fashioned.
- invaluable: Birch and Legault question the value of the tests, so they are not shown as priceless.
Correct Answer: defy
Passage Reference: At Valleyside Middle School, grade seven teacher Gilles Legault is on the brink of mutiny.
Why this is correct: In the last paragraph, the grade seven teacher, Legault, is “on the brink of mutiny.” A mutiny is a refusal to obey, so the teacher is ready to defy orders.
Tips: When the comment uses a role like “the grade seven teacher,” find who has that job in the text. Then read that person’s words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- accept: Birch is the one who follows the rules grudgingly. The grade seven teacher is close to refusing them.
- forget: A mutiny is a choice to refuse, not a matter of forgetting.
- misread: Legault understands the orders well and argues against them.
Correct Answer: a snapshot
Passage Reference: And the tests are like a snapshot; they tell us nothing about a student's improvement.
Why this is correct: Look at the third paragraph. Birch says “the tests are like a snapshot” because they show nothing about a student’s improvement.
Tips: When a writer compares one thing to another with “like”, the comparison often becomes the answer. Find the word after “like”.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a fair race: Birch says the tests reward test-taking ability, so Birch does not see them as a fair race.
- a full portrait: A snapshot shows one moment only. Birch says the tests miss a student’s improvement, so they are not a full picture.
- a useful map: No one calls the tests a map. Birch compares them to a snapshot.
Correct Answer: public
Passage Reference: what they're publicly funded and mandated to do
Why this is correct: Shelley says schools must do what they are “publicly funded and mandated to do.” So teachers answer to the public.
Tips: The comment may turn a word from the text into a new form, like “publicly” into another word. Look for the same root.
Why the other options are wrong:
- private: The schools in the article are paid for by the public, not by private groups.
- corporate: No companies are mentioned anywhere in the article.
- powerful: The article stresses public funding, not how strong the stakeholders are.
Correct Answer: touched on
Passage Reference: Instead, why not hire more teachers, reduce class sizes, improve services?
Why this is correct: At the end, Legault asks, “why not hire more teachers, reduce class sizes, improve services?” Legault raises the question briefly, so the issue was touched on.
Tips: Some options differ only in how much attention a topic gets. Check whether the text says a lot, a little or nothing about it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- glossed over: Legault asks directly how the money could be better spent, so the issue was not skipped.
- brushed off: Legault takes the issue seriously and suggests other uses for the money.
- left out: Legault’s last question is about serving students better, so the issue does appear.
Correct Answer: provincial governments
Passage Reference: provincially mandated tests
Why this is correct: The second paragraph calls them “provincially mandated tests,” and they cost “15 million dollars of provincial funds.” So the provincial governments are the ones that require them.
Tips: For a “who has the power” question, look for words like “mandated” or “required.” Then see who is doing the requiring.
Why the other options are wrong:
- parent committees: Parents support the tests, but nobody says they require them.
- school principals: Shelley, a principal, has mixed feelings about the tests. The tests are required by the province, not by principals.
- boards of education: Boards of education are never named as the power behind the tests.
