Correct Answer: whether old mill dams should be removed to help fish
Passage Reference: The province has offered money to take some of them out so that fish can move upstream again
Why this is correct: The editorial explains that the province has offered money to remove some old mill dams so fish can move upstream. Every person in it gives a view on which dams should go.
Tips: For a “mainly about” question, find the offer that splits the towns in the first paragraph. Then check that every speaker is reacting to it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- how to build a new hydro plant for farms: Stroud already runs a small hydro plant, and no one proposes building a new one.
- why school tours of old mills are growing: Carrier mentions school tours as a reason to keep the dams, but no one says the tours are growing.
- whether trout fishing should be banned for a season: Trout come up only as fish that need cold water. No one suggests banning fishing.
Correct Answer: Anselm Carrier
Passage Reference: He would rather build a rock-lined channel around each dam so fish can pass while the old stone wall stays
Why this is correct: Anselm Carrier would rather build a rock-lined channel around each dam so fish can pass while the old stone wall stays. He wants to help fish and keep the dam.
Tips: Read what each speaker would build or remove at a dam. Then ask whose plan leaves the dam standing.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Demetra Salcedo: Demetra Salcedo argues for removing dams that fail inspection, so she does not want to keep them standing.
- Jiwoo Stroud: Jiwoo Stroud wants a scorecard so the worst barriers are removed first. She does not propose keeping the old walls.
- Lorcan Estrada: Lorcan Estrada agrees that dams failing inspection should go. The channel around the dam is Carrier’s idea.
Correct Answer: records of warmer water in pools above the dams
Passage Reference: temperature records show much warmer water in the pools above the weirs
Why this is correct: Salcedo wants failing dams removed because they harm fish. Records of warmer water in the pools above the dams support her position, because warm water is bad for trout.
Tips: Find Salcedo’s reason for taking out the old weirs. The right choice is proof that would make that reason stronger.
Why the other options are wrong:
- counts of school tours at the old mills: School tours are part of Carrier’s case for keeping the dams, not Salcedo’s case for removal.
- bills showing electricity prices climbing in July: Rising electricity prices relate to Stroud’s point that some dams still earn their keep, which argues for keeping a few of them.
- a survey of visitors who love the stone walls: Visitors who love the walls would support Carrier’s wish to keep them, not Salcedo’s argument.
Correct Answer: the most harmful barriers would be removed first
Passage Reference: so that the worst barriers go first and not simply the easiest ones
Why this is correct: Stroud wants a scorecard that ranks every dam by power and harm to fish. That way, the worst barriers go first and not simply the easiest ones.
Tips: Read the words after “so that” in Stroud’s lines. They tell you what the scorecard is meant to achieve.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the easiest dams would be taken out first: Stroud’s scorecard is meant to stop exactly this. She wants the worst barriers first, not the easiest ones.
- every turbine would be shut down this year: Stroud accepts retiring only the turbines that no longer pay their way, not every turbine.
- the stone walls would be rebuilt as museums: Museums are never mentioned. The scorecard ranks dams by power and harm to fish.
Correct Answer: back a ranked plan for deciding which dams go
Passage Reference: Stroud’s scorecard should come first, because it replaces argument with a ranked list ... Dams that fail inspection and rank high for harm should be removed
Why this is correct: The editorial wants Stroud’s scorecard first and then the removal of dams that fail inspection and rank high for harm. Its purpose is to back a ranked plan for deciding which dams go.
Tips: For purpose, read the last paragraph, where the writers say what should come first and what they ask council to do.
Why the other options are wrong:
- defend every dam as a heritage site: The writers treat only some treasured dams as heritage worth keeping, so they do not defend every one as a heritage site.
- report on a fish study from the province: The province offers money, but the editorial does not report on a provincial fish study.
- demand that all fourteen dams come down: In the last paragraph, sound dams that towns treasure are kept with Carrier’s channel. So the writers do not want all fourteen removed.
Correct Answer: paying for a mud plan before any cutting
Passage Reference: Salcedo also insists that a plan for the mud trapped behind each dam be paid for before any cutting starts
Why this is correct: Salcedo insists that a plan for the mud trapped behind each dam be paid for before any cutting starts.
Tips: The comment names Salcedo, so go back to her lines. Notice the order of events in what she “insists” on.
Why the other options are wrong:
- hiring divers to count trout each spring: Salcedo uses temperature records, and she never asks for divers to count trout.
- blasting the dams during the winter: Salcedo wants a mud plan paid for before any cutting, and she never mentions blasting in winter.
- closing the river to anglers for a year: No one suggests closing the river to anglers. Salcedo’s demand is a paid plan for the mud.
Correct Answer: power nearby farms in the summer
Passage Reference: a few of these dams still power small grids for nearby farms when summer electricity prices peak
Why this is correct: Stroud points out that a few of the dams still power small grids for nearby farms when summer electricity prices peak.
Tips: Look for the hydro plant owner’s lines in the third paragraph. She explains why a few dams still matter today.
Why the other options are wrong:
- hold water for the town’s taps: Drinking water is never mentioned. Stroud says some dams still power farm grids.
- carry a road across the river: No dam in the editorial carries a road. The point is that some still make power for farms.
- hold back water for fire trucks: Fire trucks are never mentioned. Stroud talks about power for nearby farms.
Correct Answer: insurance costs are outpacing tourist money
Passage Reference: insurance on failing dams now climbs faster than the tourist money they bring in
Why this is correct: Estrada, the county engineer, notes that insurance on failing dams now climbs faster than the tourist money they bring in.
Tips: The comment names the county engineer, so find his lines in the third paragraph. Match the blank to his first point, not to the condition he adds after it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- tourists rarely visit the old mills: Estrada does not say tourists stay away. He says the money they bring in grows more slowly than insurance.
- fish ladders are cheap to repair: Salcedo says fish ladders have not worked for years, and Estrada says nothing about repairing them cheaply.
- the dams could last another century: Estrada talks about failing dams, so he does not claim they could last another century.
Correct Answer: trail detours and water testing
Passage Reference: provided the county budgets for trail detours and water testing while each reservoir drains
Why this is correct: Estrada backs removal where a dam fails inspection, provided the county budgets for trail detours and water testing while each reservoir drains.
Tips: The engineer’s request comes after the word “provided”. Read what he wants the county to budget for.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a new bridge at each dam: Estrada does not ask for bridges. He asks for trail detours and water testing.
- free fishing licences for residents: Fishing licences are never mentioned. Estrada wants a budget for detours and water testing.
- a museum in each old mill: Museums are never mentioned. Estrada’s request is about detours and water testing during draining.
Correct Answer: has offered money for removals
Passage Reference: The province has offered money to take some of them out
Why this is correct: In the first paragraph, you can read that the province has offered money to take some of the dams out. That would let fish move upstream again.
Tips: The comment is about something the province did. Look for the province in the opening paragraph.
Why the other options are wrong:
- has banned new dams on every river: The writers never say the province has banned new dams. It has offered money for removals.
- owns every dam in the county: Nothing in the passage says who owns the dams. It says the province has offered money.
- plans to sell the old mills: No sale of mills is mentioned. The province’s offer is money to take dams out.
