Correct Answer: how to widen bilingual service without overloading staff
Passage Reference: it leans too hard on the clerks who already carry the load
Why this is correct: The editorial supports wider bilingual service rules. But it worries that the plan moves faster than hiring and leans too hard on the clerks who already do the work.
Tips: For a “mainly about” question, read the whole first paragraph. Ask what topic every speaker after it talks about.
Why the other options are wrong:
- whether hospitals should hire more nurses: Hospital intake desks are discussed, but nobody proposes hiring more nurses.
- why French lessons should start earlier: Training programs for staff are mentioned, but French lessons for children are not.
- how cities can cut their call-centre costs: Call-centre logs are used as evidence of long holds, not as a reason to cut costs.
Correct Answer: Ewan Maheu
Passage Reference: warns that designating hundreds of posts at once would leave desks empty
Why this is correct: Ewan Maheu warns about designating hundreds of posts at once. It would leave desks empty in towns where few applicants can pass a fluency test.
Tips: Sort the speakers by what they worry about. Then ask whose worry is about how fast the plan moves compared with hiring.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Adele Bernier: Adele Bernier wants a map of designated posts. She does not warn that designating them would leave desks empty.
- Galina Pratt: Galina Pratt worries about bilingual employees working without a break, not about empty desks.
- Kemal Klassen: Kemal Klassen agrees with phasing, but the warning about empty desks comes from Maheu, not from him.
Correct Answer: records showing French callers wait longer on hold
Passage Reference: call-centre logs in which French callers wait on hold far longer at triage lines
Why this is correct: Bernier showed legislators call-centre logs in which French callers wait on hold far longer, so records like that would support her.
Tips: Find what Bernier put in front of the legislators. Pick the proof of the same problem she describes.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a finding that few local applicants pass fluency tests: Few applicants passing fluency tests supports Maheu’s warning about empty desks, not Bernier’s case.
- a study showing video interpretation works well: Video interpretation is Klassen’s backup idea, and a study praising it would not show that French callers are left waiting.
- a survey of towns that already share their staff: Sharing staff with nearby towns is Maheu’s phasing idea, not evidence for Bernier.
Correct Answer: schedules would set aside time for translation work
Passage Reference: only if schedules set aside protected blocks of time for language work
Why this is correct: Pratt will back the premium only if schedules set aside protected blocks of time for language work. So the outcome is set time for translation.
Tips: Look for “only if” in Pratt’s lines. Notice the word “instead”, which tells you what she wants to stop.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the premium would be paid with no schedule change: Pratt makes the premium depend on a schedule change, so paying it with no change fails her condition.
- anyone bilingual would be called over when needed: Grabbing whoever speaks both languages is exactly what Pratt wants to end.
- bilingual staff would work only at night: Pratt never asks for night shifts. She wants protected blocks within the schedule.
Correct Answer: in favour of its aim but not its speed
Passage Reference: the plan now before the legislature moves faster than hiring can follow
Why this is correct: In the first paragraph the writers say the province is right to widen the rules. They add that the plan moves faster than hiring can follow.
Tips: For an attitude question, read the first and last paragraphs, where the writers give their own view. Restate that view simply, then test each choice.
Why the other options are wrong:
- opposed to widening the bilingual rules at all: The writers say the province is right to widen the rules, so they are not opposed to them.
- fully satisfied with the plan exactly as written: The writers ask for a slower timetable, protected blocks and funded training. So they are not satisfied with the plan as written.
- unsure whether language rights matter in practice: The editorial opens by saying callers and patients should be served in their language, so it is sure they matter.
Correct Answer: a map of designated posts and their hours
Passage Reference: she wants a map of designated posts with bilingual hours listed for each one
Why this is correct: Bernier wants a map of designated posts with bilingual hours listed for each one.
Tips: The comment calls her “the lawyer”, so go back to Bernier’s lines in the second paragraph. She asks for more than one thing, so match the choice to one request exactly.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a new call centre in every region: Bernier cites call-centre logs, but she never asks for new call centres.
- a fluency test for every applicant: Fluency tests come up in Maheu’s warning, not in the lawyer’s request.
- a French-only line for emergencies: Bernier wants bilingual hours at designated posts, not a separate French-only line.
Correct Answer: is no longer unpaid overtime
Passage Reference: so that bilingual work stops being unpaid overtime
Why this is correct: Bernier asks for a pay premium so that bilingual work stops being unpaid overtime.
Tips: Find the words “so that” in Bernier’s sentence about a premium. They tell you what the extra pay would change.
Why the other options are wrong:
- is shared among more offices: The premium is meant to pay for the work, not to spread it among offices.
- counts toward early retirement: Retirement is never mentioned. The premium ends unpaid overtime.
- is done only by volunteers: Bernier wants the work paid, which is the opposite of leaving it to volunteers.
Correct Answer: translate for entire departments with no break
Passage Reference: pulled away to translate for entire departments with no break
Why this is correct: Pratt says bilingual employees are already pulled away to translate for entire departments with no break.
Tips: The comment calls her “the union steward”, so find the speaker for front-line workers. Read the words right after “pulled away”.
Why the other options are wrong:
- answer phones on the night shift: Pratt never mentions night shifts or phones. She describes translating for entire departments.
- train new hires in French: Training is Bernier’s and Maheu’s topic, not what Pratt says her members are pulled away to do.
- cover desks in other towns: Borrowing staff from nearby towns is Maheu’s idea, not Pratt’s complaint.
Correct Answer: interpreters are booked too late
Passage Reference: intake mistakes climb whenever interpreters are booked at the last minute
Why this is correct: Klassen notes that intake mistakes climb whenever interpreters are booked at the last minute.
Tips: The comment calls him “the patient navigator”, so find the person who guides patients. Look for the word “whenever” in his lines.
Why the other options are wrong:
- patients arrive without a health card: Health cards are never mentioned. Klassen links mistakes to late interpreters.
- forms are printed only in English: Printed forms are not part of Klassen’s point about intake mistakes.
- nurses work double shifts: Klassen wants bilingual staff on every triage shift, but he does not blame double shifts for mistakes.
Correct Answer: pay for training seats right away
Passage Reference: the legislature must fund training seats now
Why this is correct: In the last paragraph the writers say the legislature must fund training seats now. A phased plan with no graduates is only a delay.
Tips: Look for the word “must” in the last paragraph. The answer says the same thing in different words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- designate every post next month: The writers back Maheu’s phased timetable, so designating every post next month goes against it.
- drop the premium for bilingual work: In the last paragraph, the writers want the premium kept, together with protected blocks.
- replace interpreters with video calls: Video is only a backup in Klassen’s plan, which the editorial supports. It does not replace interpreters.
