Correct Answer: the monarchy
Passage Reference: just 15 percent named the monarchy
Why this is correct: Look at the end of the second paragraph. Just 15 percent named the monarchy, the lowest number in the survey.
Tips: For “least” or “most” questions, list the numbers first. Then pick the smallest or the biggest.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the Canadian passport: The passport got 70 percent. That is one of the highest scores, so people are very proud of it.
- the national health-care system: Health care came first with 73 percent. It is the biggest source of pride, not the smallest.
- the Canadian flag: The flag got 67 percent. That is far above the 15 percent for the monarchy.
Correct Answer: people prize what shapes daily life
Passage Reference: People prize what shapes daily life
Why this is correct: Okoro says it herself: “People prize what shapes daily life.” Okoro’s examples are a health card and a passport.
Tips: When a question asks for someone’s explanation, find their name. Then read their own quoted words closely.
Why the other options are wrong:
- symbols of the monarchy remain the strongest unifiers: Okoro never praises the monarchy. Also, only 15 percent of people named it.
- historical milestones outrank modern services: This is backwards. Historical milestones ranked much lower than services in the survey.
- surveys should ignore tangible services: Okoro says people value tangible things like a health card. She does not want surveys to ignore them.
Correct Answer: dismissing founding documents treats history as optional décor
Passage Reference: dismissing founding documents teaches citizens to treat history as optional décor
Why this is correct: In the third paragraph, Tremblay worries that dismissing founding documents teaches people to treat history as optional décor.
Tips: Words like “worries” or “fears” often point straight to a person’s main concern. Look for them near the name.
Why the other options are wrong:
- health care should be privatized: Tremblay never asks for private health care. Tremblay links medicare to the founding documents instead.
- passports encourage too many people to emigrate: Tremblay never talks about people leaving Canada. The worry is about how people see history.
- the Charter should replace the flag: Tremblay does not compare the Charter and the flag. The worry is about founding documents in general.
Correct Answer: celebrating services while reconnecting them to hard-won rights
Passage Reference: she wants schools to reconnect pride in services with the hard-won rights that protect them
Why this is correct: Sandhu agrees health care should rank high. But she also wants schools to link pride in services to the rights that protect them.
Tips: “Takes a middle line” tells you the person agrees with both sides a little. Look for an answer that joins two ideas.
Why the other options are wrong:
- rejecting both medicare and the Charter: Sandhu rejects neither one. Sandhu praises health care and wants the Charter taught too.
- abolishing history courses in public schools: Sandhu wants schools to add lessons about rights. Sandhu never asks to remove history.
- ranking the monarchy above all else: Sandhu never mentions the monarchy. Sandhu talks about services and rights.
Correct Answer: flattens disagreement and lets governments claim credit for symbols
Passage Reference: flattens disagreement” and lets governments claim credit for symbols
Why this is correct: Ellison says checklist pride “flattens disagreement.” Ellison adds that it lets governments take credit for symbols while they underfund programs.
Tips: A word like “skeptical” warns you the person sees a problem. Choose a negative idea, not a positive one.
Why the other options are wrong:
- deepens citizens’ understanding of Confederation and the founding statutes: Ellison doubts survey pride. He never says it teaches people about Confederation.
- guarantees better hospital funding and shorter wait times for patients: Ellison says the opposite. Governments take credit while they underfund the programs people list.
- proves that Ellison’s readers prefer the monarchy to modern services: Ellison says nothing about his readers or the monarchy. Ellison’s complaint is about checklist pride.
Correct Answer: everyday services
Passage Reference: Universal health care topped the list at 73 percent, followed by the Canadian passport (70 percent)
Why this is correct: Health care and the passport sit at the top of the survey. These are everyday services, and people value them more than old documents.
Tips: Read the words after the blank. Here “more than distant founding documents” tells you to look for the opposite kind of thing.
Why the other options are wrong:
- monarchy rituals: Only 15 percent named the monarchy, so it is near the bottom of the list, not the top.
- Confederation statutes: Only 37 percent named Confederation. The commenter also puts founding documents on the other side of this comparison.
- national holidays: Holidays are not on the survey list at all, so the survey cannot show this.
Correct Answer: we risk a thinner civic memory
Passage Reference: Tremblay still wants history taught alongside health-care pride
Why this is correct: Tremblay still wants history taught alongside health-care pride. If students skip 1867, their memory of the country’s past gets thinner.
Tips: When the comment says a person “is right that”, go back to that person’s last words in the text. The idea usually matches.
Why the other options are wrong:
- we weaken public support for medicare: Tremblay never says that skipping history hurts support for medicare. Tremblay’s concern is remembering history.
- we make pride surveys useless: Tremblay does not judge whether surveys are useful. Okoro and Ellison talk about that.
- we lose respect for the flag: The flag appears only in the survey numbers. Tremblay never mentions it.
Correct Answer: pairs medicare stories with Charter rights
Passage Reference: Sandhu is organizing classroom modules that pair medicare case studies with Charter clauses
Why this is correct: Look at the last paragraph. Sandhu’s modules pair medicare case studies with Charter clauses, so they join services and rights.
Tips: Plans often appear at the end of an article. Check the final paragraph when the comment talks about someone’s idea or project.
Why the other options are wrong:
- replaces history with health statistics: The modules add Charter clauses to medicare lessons. They do not remove any history.
- asks students to ignore wait times: Sandhu says people can celebrate the Charter and still demand better wait times.
- promotes Ellison’s checklist skepticism: The modules are Sandhu’s own project. They have nothing to do with Ellison’s doubts about surveys.
Correct Answer: empty government public relations
Passage Reference: Ellison plans a follow-up column asking whether pride scores rise when funding announcements do
Why this is correct: Ellison wants to check if pride scores rise when funding news comes out. That treats the scores as a reaction to government publicity.
Tips: Ask yourself what a person’s plan suggests they believe. A plan to test something often shows a doubt about it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a tool for hospital managers: Ellison’s follow-up is about government funding news. Hospital managers are not part of it.
- proof that history no longer matters: Ellison does not talk about history. The follow-up looks at pride scores and funding.
- evidence that passports outrank health care: Health care scored higher than the passport. Ellison does not compare the two.
Correct Answer: start harder conversations about funding and rights
Passage Reference: surveys do not replace politics; they reveal priorities
Why this is correct: Okoro says surveys do not replace politics but show what people care about. So the commenter wants pride lists to start debate about funding and rights.
Tips: The last blank often sums up the whole comment. Choose the option that fits everything the commenter said before it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- replace political debate about public services: Okoro says surveys do not replace politics. This option says the opposite.
- decide which programs get funding cuts: No one wants a survey to decide cuts. Ellison is actually worried about programs that get too little money.
- be taught in place of Canadian history: The commenter likes teaching rights and history together. Replacing history goes against that.
