Correct Answer: whether middle schools should keep strict uniforms
Passage Reference: our school board is right to question mandatory uniforms in its middle schools
Why this is correct: The columnist writes that the board is questioning mandatory uniforms in its middle schools. Every speaker gives a view on whether to keep them.
Tips: Read the first sentence, where the writer says what the board is questioning. Every speaker after that responds to it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- how schools should teach students to sew: Sewing is never mentioned. Saini only says some students roll their cuffs.
- whether the school day should start later: School start times are never discussed in the column.
- why winter coats cost so much this year: Saini mentions boots and snow pants as costs families already face, but the column does not explain their prices.
Correct Answer: Paloma Cloutier
Passage Reference: worries that brand-name bullying would return if uniforms disappeared before supports were ready
Why this is correct: Paloma Cloutier worries that brand-name bullying would return if uniforms disappeared before supports were ready.
Tips: Read each speaker’s lines and look for the verb “worries”. Then check what that person fears would happen after a quick change.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Teodora Pham: Teodora Pham says uniforms reduce hallway competition, but the warning about bullying after a quick change comes from Cloutier.
- Emeka Saini: Emeka Saini wants to move away from identical shirts. He does not warn about bullying.
- Benedikt Quintal: Benedikt Quintal is concerned with religious and gender-affirming clothing, not with bullying over brands.
Correct Answer: reports of teachers enforcing the dress code differently
Passage Reference: enforcement depends on the teacher: one lets pins and rolled cuffs pass, and the next one sends students to the office
Why this is correct: Saini says enforcement depends on the teacher: one lets pins pass and another sends students to the office. Reports of uneven enforcement would support his view that the rule does not work.
Tips: First find Saini’s reason for his view. Then pick the evidence that would show that reason is true.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a drop in dress-code referrals after a uniform update: Fewer referrals after an update is Pham’s evidence for keeping uniforms, so it works against Saini.
- a survey of parents who want uniforms kept: Parents wanting uniforms kept would support Pham, not Saini’s call for a colour palette.
- complaints about offensive slogans on shirts: Saini wants the slogan ban kept, so complaints about slogans would not support his case against uniforms.
Correct Answer: students would not need a special request each term
Passage Reference: without students having to file a special request each term
Why this is correct: Quintal says any new code must make room for religious headwear and for gender-affirming clothing. Students should not have to file a special request each term.
Tips: Read Quintal’s condition to the end. Then match the whole idea to a choice.
Why the other options are wrong:
- all religious clothing would be banned: Quintal wants religious headwear allowed, so a ban is the opposite of his condition.
- every student would wear the same polo: Quintal never asks for one polo for every student. He wants room for headwear and gender-affirming choices.
- teachers would approve each outfit daily: Quintal wants the wording in the policy so students do not depend on individual teachers.
Correct Answer: argue for a gradual move away from identical uniforms
Passage Reference: the answer is a slow change, not a sudden one ... The board should adopt it for next fall and keep the current kit legal for one more year.
Why this is correct: In the first paragraph, the writer says the answer is a slow change, not a sudden one. The last paragraph recommends a colour palette for next fall while keeping the current kit legal for one more year.
Tips: Purpose questions ask what the whole column sets out to do. Compare each choice with the first and last paragraphs.
Why the other options are wrong:
- defend the current uniform rule as it is: The writer wants the identical polo replaced by a colour palette, so the rule would not stay as it is.
- report the results of a student vote: No student vote is described. Saini speaks as a student representative.
- complain about the price of school shoes: Shoes are never mentioned. The columnist’s cost example is a $38 polo.
Correct Answer: taking away logos reduces hallway competition
Passage Reference: When the logos go, so does half the competition in the hallway
Why this is correct: Pham told the board, “When the logos go, so does half the competition in the hallway.”
Tips: The comment names Pham, so go to her quote to the board. The right choice says the same thing in plain words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- uniforms make students work harder: Pham talks about competition in the hallway, not about how hard students work.
- logos should be printed on every polo: Pham says uniforms help because logos disappear, so she would not want logos on every polo.
- most parents prefer brand-name clothes: Pham never says what parents prefer. Her point is about logos causing competition.
Correct Answer: a palette of colours instead of matching shirts
Passage Reference: His proposal is a set of approved colours in place of identical shirts
Why this is correct: Saini’s proposal is a set of approved colours in place of identical shirts, with the ban on offensive slogans kept.
Tips: The comment names Saini, so find the sentence that begins “His proposal is”.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a free uniform for every student: Saini complains about costs, but he wants to replace the uniform, not hand it out free.
- a blazer for formal events only: Blazers are never mentioned. Saini proposes approved colours for everyday wear.
- a vote each year on the uniform: Saini never suggests a yearly vote. He proposes approved colours.
Correct Answer: online forms in several languages
Passage Reference: with online forms in several languages
Why this is correct: Cloutier wants the hardship fund to be much simpler to use, with online forms in several languages.
Tips: The comment calls her the parent association lead. Read what she wants the hardship fund to have.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a bigger budget from the province: Cloutier asks for an easier way to claim, not more money from the province.
- a raffle at every school fair: Raffles are never mentioned in the column.
- one form signed by the principal: Cloutier wants online forms that families can fill in, not a paper form signed by the principal.
Correct Answer: a shelf where families swap used pieces
Passage Reference: a shelf where families can swap used pieces
Why this is correct: Pham wants the rule kept, along with a hardship fund and a shelf where families can swap used pieces.
Tips: Pham has three ideas in one sentence. The blank asks about the last one.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a yearly sale of new polos: Pham wants families to swap used pieces, not buy new polos at a sale.
- a store run by the students: No student store is mentioned in the column.
- a fund for new winter coats: Winter clothing is Saini’s example of other costs. Pham’s fund is for uniforms.
Correct Answer: outgrew a $38 polo by November
Passage Reference: her navy polo cost $38, and she had outgrown it by November
Why this is correct: The columnist says the daughter’s navy polo cost $38 and she had outgrown it by November.
Tips: The blank is about the writer’s own daughter. Look at the second sentence of the column.
Why the other options are wrong:
- lost her uniform on the first day: The polo was not lost. The daughter grew out of it.
- wore her brother’s old shirts all year: No brother is mentioned. The daughter had a new $38 polo.
- refused to wear the school tie: No tie is mentioned. The only story about the daughter is that she outgrew her polo.
