Correct Answer: why a student who drives is watching a debate over bus discounts
Passage Reference: This fall our transit commission began debating deeper student fares, and I have been to every meeting since.
Why this is correct: The blogger drives to campus because the student discount is too small. Now the blogger follows the commission’s debate on deeper student fares at every meeting.
Tips: Read the first paragraph for the topic the writer introduces. Then check that later paragraphs keep returning to it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- how a nursing student chose a college with free parking: The blog post never says how the writer chose a college or mentions free parking. It is about bus fares.
- why a transit commission has already made student travel free: Student travel has not been made free. The commission is still debating deeper student fares.
- how a student union plans to replace night buses with car pools: The student union does not plan car pools. Elena Lachance brings traffic counts and supports a semester package.
Correct Answer: evidence that ridership rose in cities with bigger student discounts
Passage Reference: She pointed to other cities where student ridership climbed and parking demand near campus dropped after fares came down
Why this is correct: Kaur points to cities where student ridership climbed after fares came down, so evidence like this supports her.
Tips: First find the reason Kaur gives for her view. Then pick the proof that points the same way.
Why the other options are wrong:
- evidence that night buses already earn a large profit: Nobody says night buses earn a large profit. Petrov says evening buses barely break even.
- evidence that cheaper fares did not change how students travel: Kaur’s whole case is that lower fares change how students travel, so evidence that they did not would weaken her position.
- evidence that parking demand near campus rose after fares fell: Kaur says parking demand near campus dropped after fares came down, so evidence that it rose would work against her.
Correct Answer: Tom Petrov
Passage Reference: the money will run out on night routes first
Why this is correct: Petrov warns that an uncapped discount means the money runs out on night routes first. He talks about paying for it with the last bus home.
Tips: Read each speaker’s lines for a warning verb such as “warned”. Then check what that person says riders could lose.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Farah Kaur: Farah Kaur argues for a deeper discount. She does not warn about losing late buses.
- Elena Lachance: Elena Lachance talks about exam traffic and a semester package, not about late buses disappearing.
- Sam Adeyemi: Sam Adeyemi asks for monthly numbers so council can react. Adeyemi is not the one who warns that the money will run out on night routes.
Correct Answer: Council would see revenue and ridership figures every month
Passage Reference: any pilot must publish fare revenue and ridership numbers every month
Why this is correct: Adeyemi’s condition is that any pilot publishes revenue and ridership numbers every month, so council would see those figures.
Tips: Adeyemi’s condition starts with “any pilot must”. Read exactly what it asks for and match it to a choice.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Students would pay the full adult fare until the pilot ended: Adeyemi never asks students to pay the full adult fare until the pilot ends.
- The student union would set the new fares each year: Adeyemi’s condition says nothing about who sets the fares. It is about publishing revenue and ridership numbers.
- Night buses would be cut before the pilot even started: Adeyemi wants council able to pull back if night service suffers. So cutting night buses before the pilot is the opposite of Adeyemi’s aim.
Correct Answer: doubt at first, then a plan to buy one
Passage Reference: I came around to Petrov’s pass slowly. At first a cap sounded like a trick to keep students paying more
Why this is correct: Look at the last paragraph: “I came around to Petrov’s pass slowly.” At first the cap sounded like a trick. Now the plan is to buy one right away if it is priced well below the adult fare.
Tips: Read the final paragraph closely. Put the writer’s feeling about the pass in your own words, then test each choice.
Why the other options are wrong:
- firm rejection because student fares stay too high: The writer does not reject the pass. The plan is to buy one right away if it is priced well below the adult fare.
- no real interest since driving is cheaper anyway: This writer cares a lot about the pass and wants a price that beats the car. That is not a lack of interest.
- support only if the late buses are cut: The night bus matters to this writer, who wants it to survive. So support that depends on cutting late buses makes no sense.
Correct Answer: a discount close to the adult fare keeps part-timers driving
Passage Reference: A discount that barely differs from the adult fare will never pull part-timers out of their cars
Why this is correct: Kaur told the commission that a discount that barely differs from the adult fare will never pull part-timers out of their cars. In other words, a small discount keeps them driving.
Tips: Go back to Kaur’s quote to the commission. The right choice says the same thing in different words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- most students would rather cycle to campus: Kaur never talks about cycling. Her argument is about the size of the discount.
- students care more about bus speed than about price: Kaur never talks about bus speed. Her whole argument is about the price of the fare.
- parking fees near campus should rise before fares fall: Kaur never asks for higher parking fees. She wants the fare itself to come down.
Correct Answer: campus roads were packed with part-timers
Passage Reference: showing campus roads packed with part-timers like me
Why this is correct: Lachance brought traffic counts from exam week that showed campus roads packed with part-timers.
Tips: The comment names Lachance and her counts from exam week. Find those counts in the third paragraph and see what they showed.
Why the other options are wrong:
- most drivers on campus were full-time staff: The counts showed part-timers on the roads, not full-time staff.
- campus roads were quieter than in a normal week: The counts showed the roads were packed, so they were not quieter than usual.
- buses near campus were full while lots sat empty: The counts were about drivers packing the roads. Nothing says the buses were full or the lots were empty.
Correct Answer: your old car is already paid off
Passage Reference: My old car, meanwhile, is already paid off.
Why this is correct: Early in the blog post, the blogger says the old car is already paid off. That is one reason driving still feels cheap.
Tips: The blank says “you also mention”, so it is about the writer’s own life. Check the first paragraph for the details the writer gives.
Why the other options are wrong:
- your clinical shifts end at noon: The writer’s clinical shifts end at ten, not at noon.
- your college charges nothing for parking: The blog post never says parking at the college is free.
- your children ride the bus to school: The writer mentions being a mother of two but says nothing about the children riding a bus.
Correct Answer: bill students for semester passes in bulk
Passage Reference: the college could bill students for semester passes in bulk to cover part of the lost revenue
Why this is correct: Kaur says the college could bill students for semester passes in bulk to cover part of the lost revenue.
Tips: Kaur has a second idea about the college. Look near the end of her lines in the second paragraph.
Why the other options are wrong:
- close the parking lots during exam week: Nobody in the blog post suggests closing the parking lots during exam week.
- run its own shuttle in place of city buses: Kaur never says the college should run a shuttle. Her idea is about paying for passes.
- raise tuition to pay for the night buses: Kaur never mentions tuition or night bus funding. Her idea for the college is about billing for passes.
Correct Answer: a semester package should be the main product
Passage Reference: she sides with Petrov on making a semester package the main product so the budget stays predictable
Why this is correct: Lachance agrees with Kaur on a deeper discount. But she sides with Petrov on making a semester package the main product, so the budget stays predictable.
Tips: Lachance agrees with one person on one point and with another person on a different point. Read the part after “but she sides with”.
Why the other options are wrong:
- students should pay the adult fare after ten: Lachance never talks about fares after ten. She wants a deeper student discount.
- the late buses should stop running in summer: Lachance says nothing about stopping late buses in summer.
- each tap should get a discount with no limit: Lachance sides with Petrov on a semester package. Petrov is the one who warns against a discount on every tap with no limit.
