Correct Answer: how quickly the city should switch to battery buses
Passage Reference: the city wants to replace its diesel fleet with battery buses
Why this is correct: The blogger explains that the city wants to replace its diesel fleet with battery buses. The people in the post disagree mainly about how fast to do it and in what order.
Tips: For an “about” question, find the plan in the first paragraph. Then check that every speaker talks about it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- whether to move the bus garage out of the city: The garage near the blogger will be rebuilt for charging, not moved. Nobody suggests moving it out of the city.
- why bus fares will rise next winter: Bus fares are never discussed. The costs in the blog post are for garages, chargers and grid upgrades.
- a plan to add new bus routes downtown: No new routes are proposed. Dumont only wants to start with the routes that already carry the most riders.
Correct Answer: Obinna Adebayo
Passage Reference: says one big wave of rebuilding would drain the money that keeps buses on the road
Why this is correct: Obinna Adebayo says one big wave of rebuilding would drain the money that keeps buses running. He adds that the Sunday and late-evening riders are the ones who would pay.
Tips: The question is about riders losing service. Read each speaker’s worry and ask who it would hurt: the grid, the mechanics or the riders.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Cecily Dumont: Cecily Dumont wants to go garage by garage, but she never warns that riders could lose service. Her concern is the fumes near the garages.
- Sylvie Tanguay: Sylvie Tanguay warns that the local substation could be overloaded. That is a problem for the power grid, not a loss of service for riders.
- Leif Halvorson: Leif Halvorson wants spare buses for cold days. But he does not say that a fast rebuild would drain the money for bus service.
Correct Answer: records of battery buses losing range in the cold
Passage Reference: battery buses lose range in deep cold
Why this is correct: Halvorson says battery buses lose range in deep cold. That is why he wants spare buses for the worst days. A record showing this loss of range would support his concern.
Tips: Find Halvorson’s reason in his lines. The right choice is evidence that makes that reason stronger.
Why the other options are wrong:
- air readings showing fumes near the garages: Readings of fumes near the garages would support Dumont, who showed air monitor data, not Halvorson’s point about the cold.
- a substation that failed during overnight charging: A failed substation would support Tanguay’s warning about the grid. Halvorson talks about range in the cold, training and fire drills.
- a budget report that cut late-evening routes: Cut late-evening routes would support Adebayo’s warning about service, not Halvorson’s concern about winter range.
Correct Answer: the utility would confirm capacity before buses were ordered
Passage Reference: only if the utility signs off on capacity before the city orders any buses
Why this is correct: Tanguay would support Dumont’s schedule only if the utility signs off on capacity before the city orders any buses. So capacity is confirmed first and the buses are ordered after.
Tips: Read Tanguay’s condition to the end. Then match it to a choice in other words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the utility would pay for the new battery buses: Tanguay asks the utility to sign off on capacity, not to pay for the buses themselves.
- buses would charge only during the daytime: Tanguay talks about charging overnight and upgrading the substation. She never says buses should charge only in the daytime.
- each garage would build its own power station: Nobody suggests a power station at each garage. Tanguay wants the local substation upgraded in time.
Correct Answer: glad, but ready for a long wait
Passage Reference: So I ought to be thrilled that the city wants to replace its diesel fleet with battery buses, and mostly I am. ... I can wait, as long as the schedule is public.
Why this is correct: The blogger says “mostly I am” thrilled about battery buses, which shows gladness. The post ends by expecting “a few more smoky winters” and saying “I can wait, as long as the schedule is public.”
Tips: Read the last paragraph. Note how the writer talks about the plan there, then test each choice.
Why the other options are wrong:
- eager to rebuild every garage at once: The writer backs Dumont’s garage-by-garage plan and expects to wait, so the writer does not want every garage rebuilt at once.
- opposed until more air tests are done: Notice that the writer does not ask for more air tests and already backs the plan. The smell outside the window is proof enough.
- indifferent, since the blogger never rides: In the last paragraph, the writer rides the late bus home after work and cares a great deal about the plan.
Correct Answer: the routes that carry the most riders
Passage Reference: starting with the routes that carry the most riders
Why this is correct: Dumont wants to go garage by garage, starting with the routes that carry the most riders.
Tips: The comment names Dumont and asks where she would start. Look for “starting with” in her lines.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the garages closest to schools: Schools are never mentioned in the blog post. Dumont starts with the busiest routes.
- the oldest buses in the fleet: Dumont does not talk about the age of the buses. She starts with the routes that carry the most riders.
- the routes with the fewest stops: The number of stops is never mentioned. Dumont’s starting point is the routes with the most riders.
Correct Answer: every morning when the shifts change
Passage Reference: nitrogen dioxide jumps every morning when the shifts change
Why this is correct: Dumont’s air monitors near two garages show that nitrogen dioxide jumps every morning when the shifts change.
Tips: The comment is about the air monitors. Find the readings Dumont showed and read when the fumes rise.
Why the other options are wrong:
- on the hottest summer afternoons: Summer afternoons are never mentioned. The readings jump in the morning at shift change.
- whenever buses sat idle overnight: The readings do not rise overnight. They jump in the morning when the shifts change.
- during the evening rush downtown: The monitors are near two garages, not downtown, and the jump comes in the morning.
Correct Answer: the part nobody talks about
Passage Reference: says the wires are the part nobody talks about
Why this is correct: Tanguay says the wires are the part nobody talks about, and then explains how charging could overload the substation.
Tips: The comment calls her the utility planner. Look at her first sentence, where she describes the wires.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the city’s job, not the utility’s: Tanguay wants the utility itself to sign off on capacity, so she does not say the wires are only the city’s job.
- the cheapest part of the plan: Tanguay never says the wires are cheap. She warns that upgrades are needed.
- already paid for by the province: The province is never mentioned in the blog post.
Correct Answer: paid retraining for mechanics
Passage Reference: He also wants paid retraining for mechanics
Why this is correct: Halvorson wants paid retraining for mechanics and clear drills for battery fires before the first new bus arrives.
Tips: The comment names Halvorson and his request before the first new bus. He asks for two things, so read his last sentence closely.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a raise for every bus driver: Halvorson speaks about mechanics, and he never asks for a raise for drivers.
- shorter night shifts at the garage: Night shifts are never mentioned. Halvorson wants retraining and fire drills.
- a new lunchroom for the mechanics: Halvorson asks for retraining for mechanics, not a new lunchroom.
Correct Answer: a Sunday shift
Passage Reference: I ride the late bus home from my Sunday shift
Why this is correct: The blogger says, “I ride the late bus home from my Sunday shift,” which is why Adebayo’s worry feels personal.
Tips: The comment says the writer rides home late. Look in the last paragraph for the late bus and read what the writer is coming home from.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a hockey game downtown: Hockey is never mentioned. The blogger rides the late bus home from work on Sunday.
- a class at the college: No classes are mentioned. The late ride is after work.
- a late movie with friends: No movie is mentioned. The blogger takes the late bus home after a Sunday shift.
