Correct Answer: whether middle schools should keep strict uniforms
Passage Reference: our school board is right to question mandatory uniforms in its middle schools
Why this is correct: The columnist writes that the board is questioning mandatory uniforms in its middle schools. Every speaker gives a view on whether to keep them.
Tips: Read the first sentence, where the writer says what the board is questioning. Every speaker after that responds to it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- how schools should teach students to sew: Sewing is never mentioned. Saini only says some students roll their cuffs.
- whether the school day should start later: School start times are never discussed in the column.
- why winter coats cost so much this year: Saini mentions boots and snow pants as costs families already face, but the column does not explain their prices.
Correct Answer: Paloma Cloutier
Passage Reference: worries that brand-name bullying would return if uniforms disappeared before supports were ready
Why this is correct: Paloma Cloutier worries that brand-name bullying would return if uniforms disappeared before supports were ready.
Tips: Read each speaker’s lines and look for the verb “worries”. Then check what that person fears would happen after a quick change.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Teodora Pham: Teodora Pham says uniforms reduce hallway competition, but the warning about bullying after a quick change comes from Cloutier.
- Emeka Saini: Emeka Saini wants to move away from identical shirts. He does not warn about bullying.
- Benedikt Quintal: Benedikt Quintal is concerned with religious and gender-affirming clothing, not with bullying over brands.
Correct Answer: reports of teachers enforcing the dress code differently
Passage Reference: enforcement depends on the teacher: one lets pins and rolled cuffs pass, and the next one sends students to the office
Why this is correct: Saini says enforcement depends on the teacher: one lets pins pass and another sends students to the office. Reports of uneven enforcement would support his view that the rule does not work.
Tips: First find Saini’s complaint about how the rule is applied. Then pick the evidence that would show that problem is real.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a drop in dress-code referrals after a uniform update: Fewer referrals after an update is Pham’s evidence for keeping uniforms, so it works against Saini.
- a survey of parents who want uniforms kept: Parents wanting uniforms kept would support Pham, not Saini’s call for a colour palette.
- complaints about offensive slogans on shirts: Saini wants the slogan ban kept, so complaints about slogans would not support his case against uniforms.
Correct Answer: students would not need a special request each term
Passage Reference: without students having to file a special request each term
Why this is correct: Quintal says any new code must make room for religious headwear and for gender-affirming clothing. Students should not have to file a special request each term.
Tips: Quintal’s condition ends with a “without” phrase. Read that part closely.
Why the other options are wrong:
- all religious clothing would be banned: Quintal wants religious headwear allowed, so a ban is the opposite of his condition.
- every student would wear the same polo: Quintal never asks for one polo for every student. He wants room for headwear and gender-affirming choices.
- teachers would approve each outfit daily: Quintal wants the wording in the policy so students do not depend on individual teachers.
Correct Answer: argue for a gradual move away from identical uniforms
Passage Reference: the answer is a slow change, not a sudden one ... The board should adopt it for next fall and keep the current kit legal for one more year.
Why this is correct: In the first paragraph, the writer says the answer is a slow change, not a sudden one. The last paragraph recommends a colour palette for next fall while keeping the current kit legal for one more year.
Tips: Purpose questions ask what the whole column sets out to do. Compare each choice with the writer’s view in the first paragraph and the plan in the last one.
Why the other options are wrong:
- defend the current uniform rule as it is: The writer wants the identical polo replaced by a colour palette, so the rule would not stay as it is.
- report the results of a student vote: No student vote is described. Saini speaks as a student representative.
- complain about the price of school shoes: Shoes are never mentioned. The columnist’s cost example is a $38 polo.
Correct Answer: taking away logos reduces hallway competition
Passage Reference: When the logos go, so does half the competition in the hallway
Why this is correct: Pham told the board, “When the logos go, so does half the competition in the hallway.”
Tips: The comment names Pham, so go to her quote to the board. The right choice says the same thing in plain words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- uniforms make students work harder: Pham talks about competition in the hallway, not about how hard students work.
- logos should be printed on every polo: Pham says uniforms help because logos disappear, so she would not want logos on every polo.
- most parents prefer brand-name clothes: Pham never says what parents prefer. Her point is about logos causing competition.
Correct Answer: a palette of colours instead of matching shirts
Passage Reference: His proposal is a set of approved colours in place of identical shirts
Why this is correct: Saini’s proposal is a set of approved colours in place of identical shirts, with the ban on offensive slogans kept.
Tips: The comment names Saini, so find the sentence that begins “His proposal is”.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a free uniform for every student: Saini complains about costs, but he wants to replace the uniform, not hand it out free.
- a blazer for formal events only: Blazers are never mentioned. Saini proposes approved colours for everyday wear.
- a vote each year on the uniform: Saini never suggests a yearly vote. He proposes approved colours.
Correct Answer: online forms in several languages
Passage Reference: with online forms in several languages
Why this is correct: Cloutier wants the hardship fund to be much simpler to use, with online forms in several languages.
Tips: The comment calls her the parent association lead. Read what she wants the hardship fund to have.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a bigger budget from the province: Cloutier asks for an easier way to claim, not more money from the province.
- a raffle at every school fair: Raffles are never mentioned in the column.
- one form signed by the principal: Cloutier wants online forms that families can fill in, not a paper form signed by the principal.
Correct Answer: a shelf where families swap used pieces
Passage Reference: a shelf where families can swap used pieces
Why this is correct: Pham wants the rule kept, along with a hardship fund and a shelf where families can swap used pieces.
Tips: Pham has three ideas in one sentence. The blank asks about the last one.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a yearly sale of new polos: Pham wants families to swap used pieces, not buy new polos at a sale.
- a store run by the students: No student store is mentioned in the column.
- a fund for new winter coats: Winter clothing is Saini’s example of other costs. Pham’s fund is for uniforms.
Correct Answer: outgrew a $38 polo by November
Passage Reference: her navy polo cost $38, and she had outgrown it by November
Why this is correct: The columnist says the daughter’s navy polo cost $38 and she had outgrown it by November.
Tips: The blank is about the writer’s own daughter. Look at the second sentence of the column.
Why the other options are wrong:
- lost her uniform on the first day: The polo was not lost. The daughter grew out of it.
- wore her brother’s old shirts all year: No brother is mentioned. The daughter had a new $38 polo.
- refused to wear the school tie: No tie is mentioned. The only story about the daughter is that she outgrew her polo.
