Correct Answer: whether GM foods in Canada should carry required labels
Passage Reference: whether foods made from genetically modified crops should carry a required label
Why this is correct: The blogger follows a committee debate on whether foods made from GM crops should carry a required label. Every person quoted gives a view on that question.
Tips: For a “mainly about” question, find what the committee is studying in the first paragraph. Then check that each speaker answers that same question.
Why the other options are wrong:
- how parents can manage a child’s food allergy: Timo’s allergy explains why the blogger reads labels, but managing allergies is not what the blog post is about.
- why small bakeries in Moncton are closing: Cleo Weller runs a bakery in Moncton, but nobody says bakeries there are closing.
- whether farmers should stop using weed killers: Weed killers come up in the science summary and in Pickett’s point, but nobody asks farmers to stop using them.
Correct Answer: Katya Hendry
Passage Reference: it would teach shoppers nothing about nutrition
Why this is correct: Katya Hendry argues that a required label would hint at a danger the evidence does not show. She adds that it would teach shoppers nothing about nutrition.
Tips: Two speakers seem cool about labels, so read both closely. Ask which one says a label would not inform shoppers and which one simply cares more about something else.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Tahir Gorski: Tahir Gorski wants labels printed on the package, so he thinks they would be useful to shoppers.
- Cleo Weller: Cleo Weller worries about the cost of tracing ingredients, not about whether a label informs shoppers.
- Otto Pickett: Otto Pickett says labels matter less to him than the fields, but he does not say they would tell shoppers nothing.
Correct Answer: a poll in which most Canadians ask for labels
Passage Reference: he points to national polls in which most Canadians ask for labels
Why this is correct: Gorski points to national polls in which most Canadians ask for labels. So a poll like that would back his position.
Tips: Find what Gorski “points to” as support for his view. The right choice is the same kind of evidence.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a study finding that GM crops pass safety reviews: Passing safety reviews is Hendry’s argument against a required label, so this study would help her, not Gorski.
- a survey showing few shoppers read labels: If few shoppers read labels, printed words would matter less, so this survey would weaken Gorski’s case.
- a finding that scannable codes are easy to use: Easy scannable codes would help Hendry, who prefers a code, while Gorski wants the words printed on the package.
Correct Answer: bakeries would have two years to change packaging
Passage Reference: She asks for one national standard and two years to change her packaging.
Why this is correct: Weller asks for one national standard and two years to change her packaging. So the outcome is time for bakeries to switch.
Tips: Read the sentence that starts “She asks for” in Weller’s lines. She asks for two things, and the right choice matches one of them.
Why the other options are wrong:
- each province would write its own rules: Weller wants one national standard, so separate provincial rules go against her condition.
- only imported foods would need a label: Weller never limits labels to imported foods. She asks for time to change her own packaging.
- bakeries would pay a yearly labelling fee: Weller asks for time and one standard. She never mentions a yearly fee.
Correct Answer: call for printed labels worded in a calm way
Passage Reference: the wording should be calm and plain, not a warning sign
Why this is correct: The writer backs Gorski on printed words and agrees with Hendry that the wording should be calm and plain. The writer also plans to write to an MP saying so.
Tips: For a purpose question, read the last three sentences of the post. Ask what the whole post sets out to do, then test each choice.
Why the other options are wrong:
- warn parents that GM foods cause allergies: Timo’s allergy is to sesame, and the blogger never links GM foods to allergies.
- explain how to scan a code at the store: There is no time to scan a code with Timo pulling at a sleeve, so scanning is not the aim.
- defend the current voluntary system: The blogger says the voluntary system should change, so the blog post does not defend it.
Correct Answer: its genes changed in a laboratory
Passage Reference: a plant whose genes were changed in a laboratory
Why this is correct: The blog post explains what a GM crop is. It is a plant whose genes were changed in a laboratory to give it a useful trait.
Tips: The comment points to the plain summary in the second paragraph. Read its first sentence closely.
Why the other options are wrong:
- its seeds soaked in chemicals: Seeds being soaked are never described. The change happens to the plant’s genes in a laboratory.
- its parents crossed over many seasons: Crossing plants over many seasons is the older breeding method, not what makes a crop genetically modified.
- its roots grown without any soil: Growing roots without soil is never mentioned in the explanation of GM crops.
Correct Answer: the power of a few seed companies
Passage Reference: the power of a few seed companies
Why this is correct: The groups give three reasons. The third is the power of a few seed companies, after harm to wild plants and insects and health questions.
Tips: The comment lists two worries and leaves out the third. Find the words “three broad reasons” and read to the end of that list.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the price of organic vegetables: The three reasons listed do not include the price of organic vegetables.
- the taste of modified fruit: Taste is never one of the objections. The groups worry about wildlife, health and seed companies.
- the loss of farm jobs overseas: Jobs overseas are never mentioned among the groups’ reasons.
Correct Answer: tracing every ingredient through suppliers
Passage Reference: tracing every ingredient back through her suppliers costs real money
Why this is correct: Weller warns that tracing every ingredient back through her suppliers costs real money.
Tips: The comment calls her “the baker”, so find Weller’s lines at the start of the last paragraph. Look for the words “costs real money”.
Why the other options are wrong:
- hiring a food scientist full time: The food scientist in the blog post is Hendry, and Weller never plans to hire one.
- switching to organic flour only: Weller never talks about organic flour. Her cost is tracing ingredients.
- buying grain straight from farmers: Weller buys through suppliers and never mentions buying grain from farmers.
Correct Answer: weeds that have learned to survive
Passage Reference: some weeds have learned to survive the spray
Why this is correct: Pickett says what matters to him is the fields, where some weeds have learned to survive the spray.
Tips: The comment calls him the farmer in the environmental group, so find his lines. Read his sentence to the end and match its last idea.
Why the other options are wrong:
- bees that avoid modified canola: Pickett never mentions bees. His point is about weeds.
- soil that loses its goodness faster: Soil quality is not part of Pickett’s point about what happens in the fields.
- prices that rise every single spring: Pickett talks about weeds in the fields, not about rising prices.
Correct Answer: has a serious sesame allergy
Passage Reference: my son Timo was diagnosed with a serious sesame allergy
Why this is correct: In the first sentence, the writer explains reading every label for eight years because Timo was diagnosed with a serious sesame allergy.
Tips: The comment talks about “your son”, so go back to the first sentence of the post. Read why the writer checks every box.
Why the other options are wrong:
- refuses to eat anything with wheat: Timo’s allergy is to sesame, and nothing is said about refusing wheat.
- helps pick groceries each week: Timo pulls at the blogger’s sleeve in the store, but the blog post never says he helps choose groceries.
- wants to become a food scientist: The food scientist in the blog post is Hendry. Nothing is said about Timo’s plans.
