Correct Answer: her father’s zero-bill emergency surgery as proof of the public bargain
Passage Reference: her father’s emergency surgery, billed at zero at the hospital door
Why this is correct: Nguyen starts with her father’s emergency surgery, which cost nothing at the hospital door. She says that moment is why she still defends medicare.
Tips: Ask what kind of support a writer uses: a personal story, numbers, or an expert. The first paragraph about a person often shows it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- published wait-time data showing Canada outperforms other countries: Nguyen tells a family story and uses no statistics. She even admits that wait lists are real.
- a nurse’s account of safe staffing on hospital night shifts: The nurse in the text is Park, and Park says night shifts are unsafe, not safe.
- Craig’s dashboards proving that cancelled surgeries have become rare: Craig only asks for dashboards, and he treats cancelled surgeries as a problem. Nguyen does not use his numbers.
Correct Answer: pride without metrics is nostalgia that can hide failure
Passage Reference: Pride without metrics is nostalgia
Why this is correct: Craig says gratitude for one good result can hide failure in the system. In his words, “Pride without metrics is nostalgia.”
Tips: Short quotes like “X is Y” often hold a person’s main point. Put the quote in your own words and compare.
Why the other options are wrong:
- wait lists have disappeared since the public system began: Craig points to rising delays and cancelled surgeries. He clearly thinks the problems are still here.
- nurses have turned against publishing hospital performance dashboards: Craig wants published dashboards himself. He never says nurses are against them.
- pride in medicare is fully earned by its ethics: This sounds more like Nguyen. Craig warns that pride with no numbers can hide failure.
Correct Answer: honouring public ethics while insisting staffing problems be named
Passage Reference: We can honour the principle and still say night shifts are unsafe at current staffing
Why this is correct: Park says, “We can honour the principle and still say night shifts are unsafe.” She respects the ethics but names the staffing problem.
Tips: A person who “sits between” two others usually agrees with part of each. Look for an option with two sides.
Why the other options are wrong:
- rejecting both the public model’s ethics and published data: Park loves the public model’s ethics. She also backs Craig’s call for clear numbers.
- demanding full privatization to fix staffing on night shifts: Park never asks for privatization. She warns that two systems can hurt rural areas.
- cheering the system and claiming night shifts are already safe: Park refuses to cheer for the system. She says the night shifts are not safe right now.
Correct Answer: limited private parallel options for non-emergency care
Passage Reference: He suggests limited private parallel options for non-emergency care
Why this is correct: Look at the last paragraph. Brooks suggests limited private parallel options for non-emergency care, to take some pressure off.
Tips: Small words that narrow an idea really matter. Reject options that make the idea much bigger than the text does.
Why the other options are wrong:
- banning all elective surgery until wait lists shrink: Brooks wants to ease pressure with private options. He does not want to stop surgery.
- closing small rural hospitals to save public money: Brooks never talks about closing hospitals. Rural areas come up only in Park’s warning.
- ending public funding for emergency and elective care: Brooks limits his idea to non-emergency care. He never says public funding should end.
Correct Answer: be tightly regulated and never siphon public staff
Passage Reference: any private role must be tightly regulated and never siphon public staff
Why this is correct: Craig says any private role “must be tightly regulated and never siphon public staff.” Those are his two conditions.
Tips: Words like “must” and “never” signal a condition. Find them next to the person’s name.
Why the other options are wrong:
- replace medicare entirely within the next few years: Craig accepts only a small, controlled private role. He never talks about replacing medicare.
- hire only foreign doctors instead of public staff: Foreign doctors are never mentioned. Craig only says private care must not take public staff.
- operate only in cities where wait lists are longest: Craig sets no rule about cities. City wait lists come up in Park’s warning instead.
Correct Answer: rising off-load delays
Passage Reference: citing rising off-load delays and cancelled elective surgeries
Why this is correct: Craig supports his view with numbers on rising off-load delays and cancelled elective surgeries. Those are the figures the commenter means.
Tips: When the comment mentions “numbers”, look for a word like “citing” in the text. It usually comes before the evidence.
Why the other options are wrong:
- falling patient satisfaction: Patient satisfaction is never measured or mentioned in the text.
- shrinking nurse salaries: Nobody talks about nurse pay. Park talks about how many staff work, not how much they earn.
- empty hospital beds: Empty beds are never mentioned. Craig points to delays and cancelled surgeries.
Correct Answer: a slippery slope
Passage Reference: Nguyen rejects that as a slippery slope
Why this is correct: After Brooks makes his suggestion, Nguyen rejects that as a slippery slope. The commenter repeats her exact words.
Tips: Find the person’s reaction word, such as “rejects” or “accepts”. The words that follow it often fill the blank.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a practical compromise: Nguyen does not see the idea as a fair middle way. Nguyen rejects it completely.
- an overdue reform: Nguyen defends the public system. Nguyen does not welcome private care as a needed change.
- a rural solution: Rural care comes up only in Park’s warning. It is not part of Nguyen’s reply.
Correct Answer: dual systems can worsen rural shortages
Passage Reference: Park warns that dual systems can worsen rural shortages even if urban wait lists shrink
Why this is correct: Park warns that dual systems can worsen rural shortages even if city wait lists shrink. This is the risk the commenter fears for relatives up north.
Tips: The comment often gives a clue after the blank. Read to the end of the sentence before you choose.
Why the other options are wrong:
- urban wait lists always shrink fairly: Park only says city lists might shrink. Park never says “always”, and the worry is the cost to rural areas.
- nurses would prefer private clinics: Park never says what nurses prefer. Park’s warning is about staff shortages outside the cities.
- Nguyen has come around to Brooks: Nguyen rejects the idea from Brooks. Park never says Nguyen has changed her mind.
Correct Answer: keep care based on need
Passage Reference: care based on need, not wallet
Why this is correct: Nguyen says the core bargain is “care based on need, not wallet.” The commenter wants to keep that bargain.
Tips: When a text says “this, not that”, the answer is the first part. Options that describe the second part are traps.
Why the other options are wrong:
- treat patients in order of arrival: Nguyen talks about need, not about who arrives first.
- let patients pay to skip lines: Paying to go first means care based on wallet. Nguyen’s bargain says no to that.
- treat everyone within a week: Nguyen admits that wait lists are real. Nguyen never promises a time limit.
Correct Answer: publishing targets and reviewing misses
Passage Reference: He wants published dashboards and automatic reviews when targets are missed
Why this is correct: Craig wants published dashboards and automatic reviews when targets are missed. In simple words, publish the goals and check the failures.
Tips: The comment may describe a plan in simpler words than the text. Find the plan first, then match its meaning, not its exact words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- hiring more nurses from overseas: Overseas hiring is never mentioned. Craig’s plan is about dashboards and reviews.
- charging fees for missed appointments: Nobody suggests fees. Fees would also go against care based on need.
- opening private clinics in cities: This is closer to what Brooks suggests. Craig’s own plan is dashboards and reviews.
