Correct Answer: whether a paved-area fee should pay for flood work
Passage Reference: Council is considering a stormwater fee charged by how much of a property is covered in hard surfaces
Why this is correct: Council is considering a stormwater fee charged by how much of a property is covered in hard surfaces. The editorial weighs whether and how that fee should pay for flood work.
Tips: For a “mainly about” question, find the proposal council is considering in the first paragraph. Every speaker’s view is about that one proposal.
Why the other options are wrong:
- whether the city should ban new driveways: Driveways are mentioned only as hard surfaces that would be charged. Nobody suggests banning them.
- how to repair basements after a flood: Flooded basements are the reason for the debate, but repairing them is not what the editorial discusses.
- why the spring melt came early this year: The spring melt is mentioned only because the list of postponed repairs grows after it. Its timing is never discussed.
Correct Answer: Wendell Macaulay
Passage Reference: warns that a sudden charge on large lots could turn residents against the whole idea
Why this is correct: Wendell Macaulay warns that a sudden charge on large lots could turn residents against the whole idea.
Tips: Several speakers raise worries, so check each one. The question is about how residents would feel, not about spending or renters.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Zara Chiasson: Zara Chiasson argues for the fee. She does not warn that residents will turn against it.
- Beatrix Ghosh: Beatrix Ghosh worries that the fee will look like a black box. That is about trust in the spending, not a sudden charge on large lots.
- Tariq Loewen: Tariq Loewen worries that renters will end up paying, not that residents will reject the plan.
Correct Answer: a growing list of delayed culvert repairs
Passage Reference: the list of postponed culvert repairs grows longer after every spring melt
Why this is correct: Chiasson argues that flood projects lose out inside the general tax budget. Her evidence is that the list of postponed culvert repairs keeps growing. A growing list of delayed repairs supports her.
Tips: Find what Chiasson told council as proof of her point. The right choice repeats that proof in different words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- complaints from families with large driveways: Complaints from owners of large lots would back Macaulay’s warning about sudden charges, not Chiasson’s case.
- a survey of renters facing higher rents: Renters facing higher rents would support Loewen’s call for limits on what landlords pass on.
- a finding that rebates are hard to claim: Rebates that are hard to claim would support Ghosh’s demand for clear rebate rules, not Chiasson’s point about delayed repairs.
Correct Answer: credit and rebate rules would be public before billing
Passage Reference: if the rules for credits and the income cut-offs for rebates are published before the first bills are mailed
Why this is correct: Ghosh backs Chiasson’s model if two things are published first. The rules for credits and the income cut-offs for rebates must be out before the first bills are mailed.
Tips: Ghosh’s condition begins with “if” in the third paragraph. Read that clause to the end and match its idea in other words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- bills would go out before the rules are set: This reverses Ghosh’s condition, which puts the published rules before the first bills.
- the fee would be folded into property tax: Ghosh backs Chiasson’s separate fee. She does not want it folded back into property tax.
- rebates would go only to large lots: Ghosh wants rebates tested against income, not rebates limited to large lots.
Correct Answer: sympathetic, but it still backs the fee
Passage Reference: We share Macaulay’s worry about bill shock, but it is not a reason to leave flood work buried in the tax base
Why this is correct: The editorial says “We share Macaulay’s worry about bill shock”. But it adds that this is not a reason to keep flood work in the tax base. It goes on to recommend the fee.
Tips: Read the first sentence of the last paragraph. Restate the paper’s view of Macaulay’s warning simply, then test each choice.
Why the other options are wrong:
- fully persuaded by it: In the last paragraph, the paper does not accept Macaulay’s warning as a reason to drop the fee. It still recommends adopting it.
- dismissive of it as selfish: The paper says it shares Macaulay’s worry, so it does not dismiss it.
- unsure what to make of it: You can see a clear position on the warning in the last paragraph, and the paper recommends phasing the fee in.
Correct Answer: credits for porous paving and rain cisterns
Passage Reference: She wants credits for porous paving and rain cisterns
Why this is correct: Chiasson wants credits for porous paving and rain cisterns.
Tips: The comment says this idea gives owners something practical to do. Find what Chiasson wants besides a bill that shows the paved area.
Why the other options are wrong:
- discounts for paying early: Chiasson never mentions paying early. Her credits are for porous paving and rain cisterns.
- free sandbags every spring: Sandbags are never mentioned in the editorial.
- fines for paving over a lawn: Chiasson talks about credits that lower a bill, not fines for new paving.
Correct Answer: green drainage projects
Passage Reference: He says he supports green drainage projects
Why this is correct: The homeowners’ spokesperson, Wendell Macaulay, says he supports green drainage projects even though he fears a surprise bill.
Tips: The comment calls him “the homeowners’ spokesperson”. Look for the words “he supports” in his lines and read what comes next.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a freeze on fees: Macaulay objects to a sudden charge, but he never asks for a freeze on fees.
- higher property taxes: Macaulay does not say he supports higher property taxes. He supports green drainage projects.
- a smaller culvert budget: Macaulay never asks for less culvert spending. His worry is how the charge would land.
Correct Answer: a multi-year calendar of projects
Passage Reference: without a multi-year calendar of projects and rebates tested against income, the fee will look like money disappearing into a black box
Why this is correct: Ghosh names two things the city needs: a multi-year calendar of projects, and rebates tested against income. Without them, she says, the fee will look like money disappearing into a black box.
Tips: Ghosh’s sentence starts with “without”, and it names what the city lacks. The blank matches the first of those things.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a new drainage office: Ghosh never asks for a new office. She asks for a calendar of projects and clear rebates.
- a public vote on the fee: No public vote is mentioned. Ghosh wants the plans and rules made public.
- more staff at city hall: Ghosh does not talk about staff. Her concern is a clear calendar of projects.
Correct Answer: limits on what landlords pass on
Passage Reference: renters will pay in the end unless the city limits how much landlords can pass on
Why this is correct: Loewen points out that renters will pay in the end unless the city limits how much landlords can pass on.
Tips: Loewen’s point uses the word “unless”. What comes after that word is what he is asking the city to do.
Why the other options are wrong:
- rent-free months after floods: Loewen never asks for rent-free months. He wants limits on what landlords can pass on.
- a renters’ vote on the fee: No vote is mentioned. Loewen wants limits and posted incentives.
- free rain barrels for tenants: Loewen talks about incentives for green roofs, not free rain barrels.
Correct Answer: phase the fee in over three years
Passage Reference: Council should adopt the fee, phase it in over three years
Why this is correct: In the last paragraph, the paper recommends that council adopt the fee and phase it in over three years.
Tips: The comment talks to the newspaper, so read its advice to council in the last paragraph. Match the choice to what it says.
Why the other options are wrong:
- fold the fee into property tax: The paper wants flood work taken out of the tax base, not folded back into it.
- bill only the largest parking lots: Notice that the fee is charged by paved area on properties generally, not only on the largest lots.
- delay the fee for five years: The paper wants the fee adopted now and phased in over three years, not put off for five.
