Correct Answer: how far a new law on repairing electronics should go
Passage Reference: Ottawa is now drafting a law that would give Canadians a right to repair
Why this is correct: The editorial supports Ottawa’s repair law but weighs the fear that it could go too far. So it is about how far the law should go.
Tips: For an “about” question, read the last three sentences of the first paragraph. Then check that every speaker talks about the same thing.
Why the other options are wrong:
- how Ottawa should ban independent repair shops: The law would help independent shops by giving them parts and manuals. Nobody wants to ban them.
- why new phones break sooner than older ones: How long new and older phones last is never compared. The topic is the repair law.
- whether repair cafés should charge for their work: Bassett runs a volunteer repair café, but whether cafés should charge is never discussed.
Correct Answer: Colm Goyette
Passage Reference: If the codes that unlock a device’s security are handed to anyone who asks, he argues, counterfeiters and hackers will be first in line
Why this is correct: Colm Goyette argues that if security codes are handed to anyone who asks, counterfeiters and hackers will be first in line.
Tips: Two speakers talk about software, so read both of them closely. Ask which one names who would misuse the codes and which one offers a fix.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Eleni Bassett: Eleni Bassett wants parts sold at fair prices. She does not raise any worry about criminals.
- Zina Kirby: Zina Kirby worries that companies will delay selling parts, which is a worry about timing, not about criminals.
- Maxim Dorsey: Maxim Dorsey shares a concern about software and suggests accounts and logs, but the warning about counterfeiters and hackers is Goyette’s.
Correct Answer: towns that dumped fewer phones once parts were sold
Passage Reference: half the phones her volunteers see could be fixed in twenty minutes with a battery that nobody is allowed to buy
Why this is correct: Bassett says many phones could be fixed if owners could buy the part. Towns that dumped fewer phones once parts were sold would show that selling parts works.
Tips: Find Bassett’s main claim in her lines. Pick the evidence that would make that claim stronger.
Why the other options are wrong:
- reports of hackers who used leaked repair codes: Hackers using leaked codes would support Goyette’s warning, not Bassett’s case for selling parts.
- shops that failed a security check in the last year: Failed security checks would back Dorsey’s call for accounts and checks, not Bassett’s argument.
- owners who would rather buy a brand-new phone: Owners preferring new phones would weaken Bassett’s case, because her argument is that phones should be fixed.
Correct Answer: batteries and screens would be sold from the first day
Passage Reference: require wear parts such as batteries and screens from the day a device is sold
Why this is correct: Kirby wants wear parts such as batteries and screens required from the day a device is sold. Security parts would come only after the warranty ends.
Tips: Read Kirby’s condition in her lines closely. Match the choice to exactly what her sentence says.
Why the other options are wrong:
- every security part would be released at once: Kirby wants security-related parts only once the warranty ends, so they would not all be released at once.
- makers would stop selling parts after the warranty: Kirby wants security parts to become available after the warranty, not to stop then.
- repair shops would need a licence from Ottawa: Kirby never mentions licences for shops. Registered accounts are Dorsey’s idea.
Correct Answer: back repair rights with limits on software access
Passage Reference: Parliament should pass the law this year, with Kirby’s two deadlines and Dorsey’s registered accounts written into it.
Why this is correct: The writers say “We support that law”. But they add Kirby’s later deadline for security parts and Dorsey’s registered accounts. These are limits on software access.
Tips: For a purpose question, read what the writers ask for in the last paragraph. Ask what the whole editorial is trying to do.
Why the other options are wrong:
- defend makers who refuse to sell parts: The writers want makers to be required to sell parts, so they do not defend them.
- report on a repair café in Kingston: The Kingston café is only one example. The editorial’s aim is to argue for the law.
- warn readers against fixing their own phones: The writers want ordinary owners to be able to buy parts. So they do not warn them against repairs.
Correct Answer: a battery should cost far less than a phone
Passage Reference: arguing that a replacement battery should never cost nearly as much as a new phone
Why this is correct: Bassett, the repair café organizer, argues that a replacement battery should never cost nearly as much as a new phone.
Tips: The comment calls her the repair cafe organizer, so find her lines. Look for the word “arguing” and read what follows.
Why the other options are wrong:
- every phone should come with a spare battery: Bassett wants batteries sold at fair prices, not included with every phone.
- repair cafés should be paid by the government: Bassett’s café uses volunteers, and she never asks for government money.
- makers should fix phones free for five years: Bassett never asks makers to do repairs for free. She wants them to sell parts.
Correct Answer: companies might hold back parts until models are old
Passage Reference: companies will delay selling parts until a model is too old to be worth fixing
Why this is correct: Kirby, the competition lawyer, warns about what happens without a deadline. Companies will delay selling parts until a model is too old to be worth fixing.
Tips: The comment says the lawyer gave a “warning”, so find the word “warns” in Kirby’s lines. The right choice says the same thing in different words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- small shops could steal customers’ data: Kirby never says shops might steal data. Her warning is about companies delaying parts.
- hackers could copy a phone’s security codes: The warning about hackers comes from Goyette, not from the competition lawyer.
- batteries could become dangerous after repairs: Nobody in the editorial says repaired batteries are dangerous.
Correct Answer: registered accounts that record each repair
Passage Reference: He proposes that repair shops register accounts, with every repair recorded in a log
Why this is correct: Dorsey, the security researcher, proposes that repair shops register accounts, with every repair recorded in a log.
Tips: The comment calls him “the researcher”, so find his lines at the end of the third paragraph. Read the word “proposes” and what follows.
Why the other options are wrong:
- free training courses for repair shops: Dorsey never mentions training courses. His idea is accounts, logs and security checks.
- a single repair shop in each province: Dorsey does not limit the number of shops. He wants every shop to register an account.
- security codes given to every owner: Dorsey shares Goyette’s concern about software, so he does not want codes given to everyone.
Correct Answer: report on parts prices after two years
Passage Reference: ask the Competition Bureau to report on parts prices after two years
Why this is correct: In the last paragraph, the writers say Parliament should ask the Competition Bureau to report on parts prices after two years.
Tips: Look for the Competition Bureau in the last paragraph. Read what the writers want it to do.
Why the other options are wrong:
- fine makers that glue batteries: Glued batteries are a complaint in the first paragraph, but the Bureau is never asked to fine anyone.
- approve each new phone before sale: Approving phones before sale is never suggested. The Bureau’s job would be a report on prices.
- run its own chain of repair shops: The Bureau is never asked to run shops. It is asked for a report on parts prices.
Correct Answer: glued in place
Passage Reference: the battery is glued in place and the maker will not sell the part
Why this is correct: Look at the first paragraph. It opens with a laptop whose battery is glued in place and whose maker will not sell the part.
Tips: The comment talks about “your example”, so go back to the battery in the opening lines. Match what the writers say about it to a choice.
Why the other options are wrong:
- sold out in every store: The part is not sold out. The maker refuses to sell it at all.
- too hot to touch: Nothing in the editorial says the battery overheats. It is glued in place.
- shipped only overseas: Shipping is never mentioned. The problem is that the battery is glued in and not sold.
