Correct Answer: whether heated patio sheds should stay up all winter
Passage Reference: council is being asked to let heated patio sheds stay up all winter
Why this is correct: The editorial explains that council is being asked to let heated patio sheds stay up all winter. Then it gives its view on that question.
Tips: Read the second sentence of the first paragraph, where the writers say what council is being asked. The rest of the editorial weighs that request.
Why the other options are wrong:
- why downtown restaurants should close in November: No one in the editorial wants restaurants to close. The question is whether their patio sheds can stay open.
- a plan to ban sidewalk signs across the city: Sidewalk signs are mentioned once as something that narrows the path, but nobody proposes banning them.
- how tourists choose restaurants on holiday weekends: Holiday visitors are part of Hirano’s argument, but the editorial never explains how tourists choose restaurants.
Correct Answer: staff numbers from a pilot street with enclosed patios
Passage Reference: She points to a pilot street where enclosed patios kept more staff working through November
Why this is correct: Hirano argues for winter sheds and points to a pilot street where enclosed patios kept more staff working. Staff numbers from that street support her.
Tips: First find Hirano’s reason for her view. Then pick the evidence that would back that reason.
Why the other options are wrong:
- photos of drifts piled against planters last winter: Drifts against planters are Delacroix’s example of snow trouble, which supports caution rather than Hirano.
- records of shed heaters failing on the coldest nights: Heaters failing in the cold would weaken the case for winter sheds, and the editorial never mentions any heater records.
- a survey of workers hoping for time off in winter: Workers who want time off in winter would undercut Hirano’s point that packing patios away costs servers their shifts.
Correct Answer: Malik Delacroix
Passage Reference: warns that fixed structures near the curb catch blowing snow and push it into the walking path
Why this is correct: Delacroix warns that fixed structures near the curb catch blowing snow and push it into the walking path.
Tips: Read each speaker’s lines and look for a warning verb such as “warns”. Then check what that person says fixed structures do in a storm.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Helen Hirano: Hirano wants the sheds to stay up for jobs. She does not warn that they trap snow.
- Ingrid Nkemelu: Nkemelu talks about wheelchair users losing routes. The warning about sheds catching snow comes from the city crews.
- Yara Lafleur: Lafleur suggests publishing clearing times. Lafleur does not describe snow building up around sheds.
Correct Answer: The city would publish block clearing times after snowfalls
Passage Reference: publish the clearing time for each block after a snowfall
Why this is correct: Lafleur’s idea is to publish the clearing time for each block after a snowfall, so the outcome is posted clearing times.
Tips: Read Lafleur’s practical idea in the third paragraph. Then match what it would lead to with one choice.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Restaurants would remove their sheds every November: Removing sheds every November is the current practice described in the first paragraph, not Lafleur’s idea.
- Diners would pay extra for outdoor seats in winter: Lafleur never mentions prices for diners. Lafleur’s idea is to publish each block’s clearing time after a snowfall.
- Sidewalk plows would stop clearing downtown blocks: Lafleur wants each block’s clearing time made public, which means plows keep clearing, not stop.
Correct Answer: firm but balanced
Passage Reference: We think the idea deserves a yes, but only with firm rules that put the sidewalk, and the people who depend on it, first
Why this is correct: The writers listen to all four speakers and say their demands can work together. But they clearly say yes to the sheds only with firm rules, and they recommend a trial. So the tone is firm but balanced.
Tips: For a tone question, look closely at the writers’ word choices. Decide what tone they create, then test each choice.
Why the other options are wrong:
- angry and dismissive: The writers hear each speaker out and say their demands can sit side by side. So they do not dismiss anyone or sound angry.
- amused and playful: The writers discuss jobs and wheelchair access seriously. Nothing in the editorial is written as a joke.
- uncertain and neutral: The tone is not neutral or unsure. The writers say the idea deserves a yes with firm rules and recommend a one-winter trial.
Correct Answer: officers could ticket sheds left in the way
Passage Reference: so bylaw officers can ticket any shed still in the way
Why this is correct: Lafleur’s idea ends with bylaw officers being able to ticket any shed still in the way. That is what the commenter likes about Lafleur’s plan.
Tips: The comment names Lafleur, so go back to Lafleur’s lines. Read the “so” part of that idea closely.
Why the other options are wrong:
- restaurants would set their own clearing hours: Under Lafleur’s plan the city publishes each block’s clearing time. Restaurants do not set these hours.
- crews would clear every block within an hour: Lafleur only asks for the clearing time to be published. Lafleur never promises that crews will clear every block within an hour.
- restaurants would shovel the walk beside each shed: Lafleur’s plan says nothing about restaurants shovelling. It relies on posted times and tickets from bylaw officers.
Correct Answer: restaurants pull sheds back before major snowfalls
Passage Reference: He wants restaurants to move sheds back from the curb whenever a major snowfall is forecast
Why this is correct: The public-works supervisor in the editorial is Delacroix. He wants restaurants to move sheds back from the curb whenever a major snowfall is forecast.
Tips: The comment calls him the public-works supervisor. Find the last thing he asks for in the second paragraph.
Why the other options are wrong:
- every planter be removed from downtown sidewalks: Delacroix mentions planters only as an example of drifts last winter. He never asks for every planter to be removed.
- restaurants pay crews for extra plowing: Delacroix asks restaurants to move their sheds back, not to pay crews for extra plowing.
- plows skip blocks where patio sheds stand: Delacroix wants the walking path cleared, so he would not ask plows to skip blocks with sheds.
Correct Answer: narrow cleared strips cost wheelchair users their routes
Passage Reference: People who use wheelchairs already lose routes when patio furniture and sidewalk signs narrow the cleared strip
Why this is correct: Nkemelu said people who use wheelchairs lose routes when furniture and signs narrow the cleared strip.
Tips: The comment names Nkemelu, so go to her lines. Find her main point and match it to a choice.
Why the other options are wrong:
- wheelchair users should stay off downtown streets after storms: Nkemelu wants curb ramps opened after every storm so wheelchair users can get through. She never tells them to stay away.
- patio heaters leave sidewalks too icy for wheelchairs: Nkemelu blames patio furniture and sidewalk signs for narrowing the path. She says nothing about heaters or ice.
- winter dining should wait until sidewalks are widened: Nkemelu supports winter dining now, as long as curb ramps are open within posted hours. She does not ask for wider sidewalks first.
Correct Answer: packing patios away in late fall cuts servers’ shifts
Passage Reference: taking patios down in late fall cuts servers’ shifts while visitors are still arriving for holiday weekends
Why this is correct: Hirano told council that taking patios down in late fall cuts servers’ shifts, and the commenter calls this a fair case.
Tips: The comment names Hirano, so go back to what she told council. The right choice says her point with different words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- winter patio permits cost restaurants too much: Hirano never mentions the cost of permits. Her point is that servers lose shifts.
- diners avoid downtown once the first snow falls: Hirano says visitors are still arriving in late fall, so she does not claim that diners stay away.
- patio sheds keep the sidewalks warmer for walkers: Hirano talks about staff and shifts. She never says the sheds warm the sidewalk for people walking by.
Correct Answer: end the trial early if ramps are blocked
Passage Reference: The sensible course is for council to end the trial early if curb ramps are blocked
Why this is correct: Look at the last paragraph. The writers say council should end the trial early if curb ramps are blocked. The commenter doubts council will have the nerve to do it.
Tips: Look at the last paragraph for “the sensible course”. It tells you what council should be ready to do.
Why the other options are wrong:
- charge each restaurant a winter plowing fee: No plowing fee is proposed. The rules are a plow-width lane, a storm pull-back and posted clearing times.
- ban sheds on every block with a curb ramp: The writers want sheds approved for a trial and only end it early if ramps are blocked. They do not ban sheds near ramps.
- close all downtown patios in November: The trial keeps heated sheds open in winter, so closing all patios in November is not what the editorial proposes.
