Correct Answer: how the region should pay for bridge repairs
Passage Reference: the decks of our region’s two oldest river bridges need major repairs within ten years, and property taxes alone will not cover the bill
Why this is correct: The editorial starts from the fact that the two oldest bridges need major repairs that property taxes cannot cover. It then weighs a toll and a property levy as ways to pay.
Tips: For a “mainly about” question, ask what problem the first paragraph sets up. Then check that every speaker is answering that same problem.
Why the other options are wrong:
- whether the region should build a third bridge: Nobody suggests a new bridge. The question is how to pay for repairing the two old ones.
- how to cut truck traffic in the downtown core: Mahmoud talks about trucks avoiding the bridges, but the downtown core and cutting truck traffic are not the topic.
- why property taxes rose sharply this year: The first paragraph says property taxes will not cover the repairs. It never says taxes rose this year.
Correct Answer: Clement Larocque
Passage Reference: He would take discounted tolls outside rush hour, provided the new rapid bus lanes are already carrying riders on the first day of tolling.
Why this is correct: Clement Larocque would take discounted tolls outside rush hour. His condition is that the new rapid bus lanes are already carrying riders on the first day of tolling. That links discounts directly to new bus lanes.
Tips: Several speakers set conditions, so read each one to the end. Look for a condition word like “provided” that joins a discount to transit.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Rosalind Hiebert: Rosalind Hiebert wants a monthly cap and a sealed fund. She never mentions bus lanes.
- Fatou Mahmoud: Fatou Mahmoud wants cheaper overnight crossings for trucks, but she does not tie them to bus lanes.
- Bram Wojcik: Bram Wojcik links his support to shared waiver lists, not to bus lanes.
Correct Answer: cities where separate toll accounts cut repair backlogs
Passage Reference: She points to cities where tolls kept in a separate account cut repair backlogs within a few years
Why this is correct: Hiebert wants toll money kept in a sealed repair fund. Examples of cities where separate toll accounts cut repair backlogs are exactly the kind of evidence that supports her.
Tips: Start with what Hiebert points to as proof for her idea. The right choice is the kind of evidence that would make that same case stronger.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a count of trucks that cross each night: Night-time truck numbers relate to Mahmoud’s request for cheaper overnight crossings, not to Hiebert’s sealed fund.
- surveys of workers who start before the first bus: Workers starting before the first bus would back Larocque’s worry about tolls without transit.
- a study of drivers who dislike paying online: Drivers disliking online payment would, if anything, weaken Hiebert’s plan to bill by licence plate.
Correct Answer: waiver lists would be shared before tolls begin
Passage Reference: provided that the lists of people who qualify for waivers are shared among every municipality before the tolls switch on
Why this is correct: Wojcik supports the sealed fund. His condition is that the lists of people who qualify for waivers are shared among every municipality before the tolls switch on.
Tips: Wojcik’s condition comes after “provided that”. Read the whole clause and match its idea in other words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- disabled drivers would mail in rebate forms: Wojcik says permit holders should never have to fill in rebate forms, so this is the opposite of his condition.
- the toll fund would go into general revenue: Wojcik supports Hiebert’s sealed fund, so he would not want the money moved into general revenue.
- paratransit riders would lose their service: Wojcik wants paratransit riders protected by automatic waivers. Nobody suggests cutting their service.
Correct Answer: respectful but unconvinced
Passage Reference: We respect Larocque’s concern, but a levy on every home in the region would charge people who rarely cross the river, and we are not persuaded it is fairer than a toll.
Why this is correct: The editorial says “We respect Larocque’s concern” and even agrees with him about bus lanes. But it is “not persuaded” that his levy is fairer than a toll.
Tips: Read the sentence about Larocque in the last paragraph. Restate the paper’s view of his levy in your own words, then test each choice.
Why the other options are wrong:
- strongly in favour of it: In the last paragraph, the paper says it is not persuaded that the levy is fairer than a toll. So it does not favour the levy.
- mocking and dismissive: The paper respects Larocque’s concern and agrees with him about the bus lanes, so it does not mock him.
- neutral, with no view: You can see a clear view in the last paragraph: the levy would charge people who rarely cross the river.
Correct Answer: a monthly cap on plate billing
Passage Reference: she wants drivers billed by licence plate with a cap on each monthly bill
Why this is correct: Hiebert wants drivers billed by licence plate with a cap on each monthly bill. That way nobody faces a shock after a busy month.
Tips: Go back to Hiebert’s lines and read each thing she proposes. Match the detail she adds to her main idea, in other words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- free crossings on weekends: Hiebert never suggests free weekends. She wants a cap on the monthly bill.
- a yearly pass sold at city hall: Hiebert talks about billing by licence plate, not about passes sold at city hall.
- tolls that rise at rush hour: Hiebert wants to protect drivers from shocks, and rush-hour pricing is never mentioned.
Correct Answer: through residential streets
Passage Reference: drivers will cut through residential streets to avoid the bridges
Why this is correct: Mahmoud warns that if truck tolls climb too high, drivers will cut through residential streets to avoid the bridges.
Tips: Find Mahmoud’s warning about what happens if prices for her members climb too high. The blank asks where the drivers would go.
Why the other options are wrong:
- onto the highway ring road: Mahmoud never mentions a ring road. Her worry is trucks in residential streets.
- onto narrow rural roads: Mahmoud never mentions rural roads. Her warning is that drivers will cut through residential streets.
- into the downtown core: The downtown core is never mentioned in Mahmoud’s warning. She says drivers will cut through residential streets.
Correct Answer: can take months to pay out
Passage Reference: rebate forms that take months to pay out
Why this is correct: Wojcik notes that paratransit riders and permit holders should never have to fill in rebate forms that take months to pay out.
Tips: The comment names Wojcik, so return to his sentence about forms. Read it to the end and match the problem he describes.
Why the other options are wrong:
- are too hard to find online: Wojcik complains about how long rebates take, not about finding the forms.
- cost ten dollars to file: No filing fee is mentioned. The problem Wojcik names is the months-long wait.
- need a doctor’s signature: Wojcik never mentions a doctor’s signature. His point is the delay in paying out.
Correct Answer: people earning the least
Passage Reference: In his view the same charge for everyone would land hardest on people earning the least
Why this is correct: The suburban mayor, Clement Larocque, says the same charge for everyone would land hardest on people earning the least.
Tips: The comment calls him “the suburban mayor”. Find the mayor’s words about who would be hurt most if everyone paid the same charge.
Why the other options are wrong:
- retired homeowners: Larocque worries about workers whose jobs start before the first bus, not retirees.
- large trucking firms: Trucking firms are Mahmoud’s concern, and Larocque does not say a flat toll hurts them most.
- families with several cars: Larocque never mentions families with several cars. He says the same charge for everyone would land hardest on people earning the least.
Correct Answer: axle-based truck rates
Passage Reference: we agree with Hiebert about the sealed fund and with Mahmoud about axle-based truck rates
Why this is correct: In the last paragraph, the paper says it agrees with Mahmoud about axle-based truck rates.
Tips: The comment asks what the paper supports. Read the “we agree” sentence in the last paragraph and see which speaker it sides with.
Why the other options are wrong:
- one rate for all trucks: The paper agrees with Mahmoud that truck rates should depend on the number of axles. So it does not support one rate for every truck.
- free weekend crossings: Free crossings on weekends are never supported. The paper backs a capped toll.
- tolls in general revenue: Look at the last paragraph: the writer wants tolls held in a sealed repair fund, not general revenue.
