Correct Answer: whether trains should have a quiet car
Passage Reference: our regional rail line said it was thinking about a quiet car on weekday morning trains
Why this is correct: The blogger explains that the rail line is thinking about a quiet car on weekday morning trains. The rest of the post reports views on that idea.
Tips: Read the last sentence of the first paragraph for the news the writer cheered about. Every speaker after that reacts to it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- whether fares should rise on morning trains: Fares are never discussed. The question is whether one car should be kept quiet.
- how to add more bike space on trains: Picard mentions bicycles only as something rush-hour trains already make room for. Adding bike space is not the topic.
- why the rail app keeps crashing: Nobody says the app crashes. Picard only wants it to show which car is quiet.
Correct Answer: Desmond Aucoin
Passage Reference: warning that crews could end up refereeing disputes
Why this is correct: Desmond Aucoin, a conductor, warns that crews could end up refereeing disputes when cars fill. So he is the one who worries about arguments on board.
Tips: Read each speaker’s lines and look for the word “warning”. Then check what that person fears could happen once the car is busy.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Annika Fenwick: Annika Fenwick argues that riders want quiet cars. She does not warn about arguments.
- Thea Nowak: Thea Nowak talks about riders with noise sensitivity and a polite warning, not about fights between riders and crews.
- Rafael Picard: Rafael Picard is concerned with bicycles, wheelchair spaces and the app, not with arguments on board.
Correct Answer: a survey showing riders want quiet on weekday mornings
Passage Reference: Her group’s rider survey found that people crave silence most during the weekday rush
Why this is correct: Fenwick argues that the demand for quiet cars is real. Her evidence is a survey showing people want quiet most on weekday mornings. More survey results like this would support her.
Tips: First find Fenwick’s evidence for saying the demand is real. Then pick the choice that matches it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a report that riders argue with conductors: Riders arguing with conductors would support Aucoin’s worry, not Fenwick’s case for a quiet car.
- a count of bikes on crowded peak trains: Crowded bicycle space would support Picard’s point about space on peak trains, not Fenwick’s point about demand.
- a finding that most riders ignore signs: If most riders ignored signs, Fenwick’s cheap ceiling signs and seat-back cards would not work, so this would weaken her case.
Correct Answer: the app would show riders which car is quiet
Passage Reference: the rail app must show riders which car is the quiet one
Why this is correct: Picard will back the trial on one condition: the rail app must show riders which car is the quiet one. That is the outcome his condition calls for.
Tips: Picard backs the trial “on one condition”. Read what comes after the colon.
Why the other options are wrong:
- bike cars would be taken off peak trains: Picard mentions bicycles as part of the crowding, but he never asks for them to be removed.
- riders would book quiet seats in advance: Nobody suggests booking seats. Picard wants the app to show where the quiet car is.
- the quiet car would be placed at the back: Nobody says the quiet car should be placed at the back of the train. Its position is never discussed.
Correct Answer: accepting, as long as it begins by spring
Passage Reference: I can accept a trial, as long as it starts before the spring timetable
Why this is correct: Look at the last paragraph. The writer says the one-car trial sounds slow. Then comes this line: “I can accept a trial, as long as it starts before the spring timetable.”
Tips: Attitude questions are answered in the writer’s own words. Read every sentence in the last paragraph that mentions the trial.
Why the other options are wrong:
- strongly opposed to any trial at all: The writer says “I can accept a trial”, so the writer is not against it.
- doubtful that one is needed at all: The writer cheered at the news and wants quiet cars on every train, so there is no doubt about the need.
- eager to fine noisy riders from day one: Fines are never requested. The post is about signs, a trial and the app.
Correct Answer: ceiling signs and seat-back cards
Passage Reference: she says a few ceiling signs and cards on the backs of seats would cost the agency very little
Why this is correct: Fenwick says a few ceiling signs and cards on the backs of seats would cost the agency very little. That is her practical idea for the quiet car.
Tips: The comment names Fenwick, so go to her lines. Look at what she says would cost the agency very little.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a staff member in every quiet car: Fenwick never asks for extra staff. Her idea is cheap signs and cards.
- sound-proof walls in one car: Nobody mentions building walls. Fenwick only suggests signs and cards.
- fines printed on every ticket: Fenwick does not talk about fines at all. She suggests ceiling signs and seat-back cards.
Correct Answer: complaint numbers made public
Passage Reference: with complaint numbers made public before the idea spreads to the whole line
Why this is correct: The conductor, Desmond Aucoin, wants a one-car trial with complaint numbers made public before the idea spreads.
Tips: The comment calls him the conductor. Read his last sentence for what he wants before the plan grows.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a fine for every loud call: Aucoin never asks for fines. He worries about arguments and wants complaint numbers published.
- extra conductors on each train: Aucoin does not ask for more staff. He asks for a trial and public complaint numbers.
- a vote by all regular riders: No vote is mentioned. Aucoin wants complaint numbers made public.
Correct Answer: a basic need, not a treat
Passage Reference: a quiet car is a basic need, not a treat
Why this is correct: Nowak explains that for riders with noise sensitivity, a quiet car is a basic need, not a treat.
Tips: The comment names Nowak, so go to her lines. Find the sentence that begins “For them”.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a pleasant extra at best: Nowak says the opposite: a quiet car is a need, not an extra.
- less useful than good earplugs: Earplugs are the blogger’s own backup plan. Nowak never compares quiet cars with earplugs.
- something only first class needs: First class is never mentioned. Nowak is talking about riders with noise sensitivity.
Correct Answer: the same polite warning from every conductor
Passage Reference: wants every conductor to use the same polite warning before quiet cars appear on other lines
Why this is correct: Nowak wants every conductor to use the same polite warning before quiet cars appear on other lines.
Tips: Nowak “backs the idea but” adds a request. Read what she wants in place before quiet cars reach other lines.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a separate car for families: Nowak never mentions families. Her concern is riders with noise sensitivity.
- free earplugs for every rider: Nowak never mentions earplugs. Earplugs are the blogger’s own backup plan, and Nowak asks for one polite warning from every conductor.
- a fine for anyone ignoring signs: Nowak asks for a polite warning, not a fine.
Correct Answer: rides home after night shifts
Passage Reference: Three nights a week I finish a twelve-hour shift at a Toronto hospital and catch the 7:15 train home to Oshawa.
Why this is correct: In the first paragraph, the writer finishes night shifts at a Toronto hospital and takes the morning train home to Oshawa.
Tips: The blank is about the writer’s own life. Look at the very first sentence of the post.
Why the other options are wrong:
- drives the train on weekends: The writer is a passenger who works at a hospital, not a train driver.
- works as a transit planner: Rafael Picard is the transit planner. The blogger works at a hospital.
- cycles to the station every day: Cycling is never mentioned by the writer. Bicycles come up only in Picard’s point.
