Correct Answer: severance package
Passage Reference: many feel this has little appeal
Why this is correct: Look at the end of the first paragraph. Many workers feel the severance package “has little appeal,” because taxes will take at least 40 percent of it.
Tips: For a “least attractive” question, look for negative words like “little appeal” or “ridiculous.” Then check which choice they describe.
Why the other options are wrong:
- moving reimbursement: The feature never mentions any money to cover moving costs.
- early retirement: About 200 workers are thinking about early retirement, and Ginny Rousseau chose it happily.
- relocation: One hundred fifty workers chose to move to another factory, so moving was not the least popular choice.
Correct Answer: backgrounds
Passage Reference: Like Ginny, many Queenston Paper employees are not native to Canada
Why this is correct: Ginny is from France and David is from Brazil. The third paragraph says that, like Ginny, many workers “are not native to Canada.” So they share a similar background.
Tips: For a “what do they have in common” question, write one fact about each person. Then look for the fact that is true for both.
Why the other options are wrong:
- goals: Ginny plans to stay and retire, but David plans to leave and find work.
- outlooks: Ginny is hopeful, but David calls the situation “unfortunate” and sees no point in staying.
- savings: Only David talks about saving a lot. The feature says nothing about Ginny’s savings.
Correct Answer: housing is affordable in their town
Passage Reference: With the low cost of rent, I have managed to save a lot
Why this is correct: David says, “With the low cost of rent, I have managed to save a lot.” Janice says homes cost far more in the other factory town. So both find housing cheap where they live now.
Tips: When two people must agree, the idea may appear in different words for each person. Find the same topic in what both of them say.
Why the other options are wrong:
- layoffs should be based on seniority: Janice mentions her seniority, but neither person says how layoffs should be decided.
- relocation is the best choice: Janice says moving is not an option. David is leaving to find any work, not moving with the company.
- retirement is an attractive option: Janice says none of the three choices works for her family, and David still wants to work.
Correct Answer: They took jobs at another manufacturing plant
Passage Reference: One hundred fifty of the previous employees opted to relocate to another Queenston Paper factory in Nova Scotia.
Why this is correct: In the first paragraph, 150 workers chose to move to “another Queenston Paper factory in Nova Scotia.” So some people are moving away to keep working at another plant.
Tips: A “why” question may have more than one possible reason in the text. Choose the option that the text states clearly, not one you guess.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Industry salaries are higher in Western Canada: Some workers “headed west in search of work,” but the feature never compares salaries.
- Getting into farming is easier elsewhere: Farming is mentioned only as something Ginny does where she already lives.
- They do not feel welcome in the community: Nobody says they feel unwelcome. Ginny loves the area, and David calls it a great place for children.
Correct Answer: The town is a pleasant place to settle down
Passage Reference: This would have been a great place for my kids to grow up
Why this is correct: Ginny “loves the area” and plans to stay. David says, “This would have been a great place for my kids to grow up.” So the two of them see the town as a good place to live.
Tips: If two people must agree, test each option with both of them. An option that fits only one person is wrong.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Farming is becoming more common in the area: Only Ginny mentions farming, and she is talking about her own family, not a trend.
- People need to go where the jobs are: David may leave for work, but Ginny is staying and retiring. So they would not both say this.
- It is difficult for newcomers to find work: Newcomers without jobs have little reason to stay, but Ginny is not looking for work.
Correct Answer: 20,000 people
Passage Reference: Consider a community of about 20,000 people
Why this is correct: Look at the first paragraph. It asks you to consider “a community of about 20,000 people.”
Tips: Numbers in a text often describe different things. Before you choose, check what each number counts.
Why the other options are wrong:
- 1,200 people: About 1,200 people worked at the business. The whole community is about 20,000.
- 600 people: Six hundred is the number of workers who lost their jobs, not the size of the town.
- 200 people: About 200 workers are thinking about retirement. The town is much bigger.
Correct Answer: spending their good salaries
Passage Reference: they have been spending instead of saving
Why this is correct: In the second paragraph, Janice says that, feeling safe in their jobs, “they have been spending instead of saving.” They were spending their good Queenston salaries.
Tips: Words like “instead of” in the comment often come straight from the text. Search for them and read what comes before.
Why the other options are wrong:
- paying off their mortgage: No mortgage is mentioned. Janice says they have been spending their money.
- sending money to family: Sending money to family is David’s hope, not something the Witherspoons have done.
- investing in the stock market: Investing is never mentioned anywhere in the feature.
Correct Answer: fifty years
Passage Reference: Feeling secure in working at the 50-year-old factory
Why this is correct: The second paragraph calls Queenston Paper “the 50-year-old factory.” So it had run for fifty years.
Tips: Texts often contain several numbers. When a blank needs a number, check what each number in the text is counting.
Why the other options are wrong:
- twenty years: Twenty years is never mentioned in the feature.
- five years: Five years is how much longer the Witherspoons hoped to work, not the age of the factory.
- a hundred years: The factory is 50 years old, not a hundred.
Correct Answer: a large enough pension
Passage Reference: About 200, primarily those having built up a large enough pension, are considering retirement.
Why this is correct: In the first paragraph, about 200 workers are thinking about retirement. These are “primarily those having built up a large enough pension.”
Tips: Look for the same verb in the text and the comment, such as “built up.” The words after it usually fill the blank.
Why the other options are wrong:
- long seniority at the plant: Janice has seniority but is not planning to retire. The feature links retirement to pensions.
- large personal savings: Only David talks about saving, and David wants to keep working, not retire.
- a second family income: A second income is never given as a reason to retire.
Correct Answer: Rousseau
Passage Reference: Ginny Rousseau is more optimistic
Why this is correct: The third paragraph begins, “Ginny Rousseau is more optimistic.” Ginny loves the area and finds her new life “very rewarding.” That is looking on the bright side.
Tips: “Look on the bright side” means staying positive. Search for positive words like “optimistic” or “rewarding” to find the right person.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the company: The company is never quoted. The feature only lists the choices it offered.
- Santos: David Santos calls the situation “unfortunate” and sees no point in staying.
- Witherspoon: Janice Witherspoon laughs at the severance package and says no choice works for her family.
