Correct Answer: whether high schools should require a speaking unit
Passage Reference: debates whether every high school student should take a required unit on public speaking
Why this is correct: The blogger says the school board is debating whether every high school student should take a required unit on public speaking. Each person in the post gives a view on it.
Tips: For an “about” question, find the debate named at the end of the first paragraph. Then check that every person in the post talks about that same debate.
Why the other options are wrong:
- how to join a speaking club at the library: The writer mentions joining a library club, but the blog post does not explain how to join one.
- why wedding toasts should be kept short: The wedding toast is the blogger’s own memory of fear. Nobody argues about how long toasts should be.
- a plan to hire more English teachers: Roussel teaches English, but nobody proposes hiring more teachers.
Correct Answer: Damian Roussel
Passage Reference: warns that anxious students could lose marks simply for being nervous
Why this is correct: Damian Roussel, the English teacher, warns that anxious students could lose marks simply for being nervous.
Tips: Read the sentence after each speaker’s name and job, and look for the verb “warns”. Check whose warning is about losing marks.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Bernadette Proulx: Bernadette Proulx wants the unit because employers find applicants weak at interviews. She does not talk about marks.
- Aiko Hayashi: Aiko Hayashi once froze during a report, but her condition is about choosing topics. The warning about marks comes from Roussel.
- Fergus Mackay: Fergus Mackay says practice matters more than talent and offers volunteers. He never mentions marks.
Correct Answer: employers who say young applicants struggle in interviews
Passage Reference: local employers keep telling the board that young applicants struggle to answer interview questions out loud
Why this is correct: Proulx says local employers keep telling the board that young applicants struggle to answer interview questions out loud. Employers saying this is the evidence her position rests on.
Tips: Find the reason Proulx gives the board, not just her plan. Pick the choice that repeats that reason in different words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- students who fear speaking in front of a class: Students who fear speaking would support Roussel’s worry about nervous students, not Proulx’s reason for the unit.
- club members who improved with regular practice: Club members who improved would support Mackay’s view that practice matters more than talent. Proulx’s reason is what employers say.
- teachers who say the school year is already full: Nobody in the blog post says the year is too full, and such a claim would count against adding the unit.
Correct Answer: students would pick their own speech topics
Passage Reference: only if students may pick their own topics
Why this is correct: Hayashi supports the unit, but only if students may pick their own topics. So her condition calls for students to choose what they speak about.
Tips: Look for the words “but only if” in Hayashi’s lines. What comes after them is her condition.
Why the other options are wrong:
- every speech would be given to the whole school: Hayashi never asks for speeches to the whole school. Her condition is about choosing topics.
- shy students would be excused from the unit: Hayashi supports the unit for everyone. She does not ask for anyone to be excused.
- speeches would be marked by classmates: Marking by classmates is never mentioned. Hayashi’s condition is that students choose their own topics.
Correct Answer: back the unit while asking for a gentle start
Passage Reference: I am firmly on Proulx’s side. ... Start the unit gently
Why this is correct: Look at the last paragraph. The writer says “I am firmly on Proulx’s side”. Then comes a request for free choice of topics and small groups, with the words “Start the unit gently.”
Tips: For a purpose question, read the whole last paragraph. Ask what the writer wants readers to take away.
Why the other options are wrong:
- explain how to write a good speech: Advice on writing a speech is never given. The blog post is about the board’s plan.
- complain about a speech that went badly: The wedding toast is mentioned as the start of the blogger’s story, not as a complaint.
- argue that shy students should be excused: The blogger wants shy students helped with small groups and free topics, not excused from the unit.
Correct Answer: Grade 10
Passage Reference: argues that the unit belongs in Grade 10
Why this is correct: Proulx argues that the unit belongs in Grade 10.
Tips: The comment names Proulx, so go back to her first sentence in the second paragraph. Be careful, because a student’s year is also mentioned later.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Grade 9: Grade 9 is never mentioned. Proulx wants the unit in Grade 10.
- Grade 11: Grade 11 is the grade Hayashi is in, not the grade Proulx proposes.
- Grade 12: Grade 12 is never mentioned. Proulx’s choice is Grade 10.
Correct Answer: record a talk at home
Passage Reference: he would let those students record a talk at home
Why this is correct: The English teacher would let anxious students record a talk at home or present to a small group.
Tips: The comment calls him “the English teacher”, so find the teacher’s lines. He offers two choices, and the right answer is one of them.
Why the other options are wrong:
- hand in a written report: The teacher still wants students to speak. He offers a recording or a small group, not a written report.
- give their talk in French: French is never mentioned in the blog post.
- skip the unit entirely: The teacher is not against the unit, so he does not want nervous students to skip it.
Correct Answer: give friendly feedback on practice talks
Passage Reference: to give friendly feedback on practice talks
Why this is correct: Mackay has offered to send club members into classrooms to give friendly feedback on practice talks.
Tips: The comment names Mackay, so go to his lines at the end of the third paragraph. Read what the club members would do in classrooms.
Why the other options are wrong:
- judge the final speeches: The club members would help with practice talks, not judge the final speeches.
- coach the school debate team: No debate team is mentioned. Mackay’s offer is feedback on practice talks.
- lead warm-up games before class: Warm-up games are never mentioned. The volunteers would give feedback on practice talks.
Correct Answer: four sentences
Passage Reference: I sat down after four sentences.
Why this is correct: Describing the wedding toast, the writer says, “I sat down after four sentences.”
Tips: Go back to the wedding story in the opening lines. Look at how the writer measures the toast, and do not mix it up with the talk at the club.
Why the other options are wrong:
- two sentences: The toast lasted four sentences, not two.
- one minute: The toast is measured in sentences, and one minute is never mentioned.
- ten minutes: Ten minutes is the length of the talk the blogger will give at the club on Thursday, not the wedding toast.
Correct Answer: a book report
Passage Reference: she once froze during a book report in Grade 8
Why this is correct: Hayashi told the trustees that she once froze during a book report in Grade 8.
Tips: The comment talks about the student who froze, so find the student’s lines. Read what she was doing when the silence came.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a science fair: A science fair is never mentioned. Hayashi froze during a book report.
- a class election: No election is mentioned. Hayashi’s memory is of a book report.
- a school play: Hayashi does not mention a play. She froze during a book report.
