Correct Answer: whether workers should get note-free mental-health days
Passage Reference: I think every large employer in this province should offer a small bank of mental-health days that require no note from a doctor
Why this is correct: The columnist opens by arguing for a small bank of mental-health days that require no note from a doctor. The rest of the column weighs views on that idea.
Tips: For a “mainly about” question, look at the proposal in the first sentence. Then check that each speaker is reacting to it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- how to shorten waits at walk-in clinics: Clinic visits come up only as a cost for workers. Shortening waits is never discussed.
- why sick-leave costs have doubled this year: Nobody says sick-leave costs have doubled. The column is about whether to add note-free days.
- how managers should plan summer holidays: Holiday planning is not the topic. The column is about days off for mental health without a note.
Correct Answer: Noemi Ouellette
Passage Reference: She warns that a small group would treat note-free days as extra vacation
Why this is correct: Noemi Ouellette warns that a small group of workers would treat note-free days as extra vacation, which means using them as holidays.
Tips: Read what each speaker is afraid might go wrong. The question is about misuse, not about fear of punishment or cost.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Callum Guerin: Callum Guerin argues that early rest saves money. He does not warn that workers would misuse the days.
- Eamon Fong: Eamon Fong worries that workers will fear losing a promotion, not that they will treat the days as holidays.
- Una Trudel: Una Trudel worries that short absences could turn into resignations, not that people would use the days as vacation.
Correct Answer: evidence that working while unwell leads to longer leaves
Passage Reference: His surveys link that habit to longer leaves later on
Why this is correct: Guerin argues that early rest saves money, and his surveys link coming to work unwell with longer leaves later on. More evidence of that link would support him.
Tips: Find what Guerin’s surveys show. The right choice is more proof of that same finding.
Why the other options are wrong:
- reports of shifts left short after sudden absences: Short-staffed shifts would support Ouellette’s worry about coverage, not Guerin’s case for early rest.
- a study showing clinic visits cost workers nothing: If clinic visits were free, Guerin’s point that an appointment costs a day’s pay would be weaker, so this works against him.
- a poll of workers who prefer longer vacations: Workers wanting longer vacations would, if anything, support Ouellette’s fear of misuse, not Guerin’s argument.
Correct Answer: yearly usage reports would be published without names
Passage Reference: but only if employers publish yearly reports on how the days are used, with no names attached
Why this is correct: Fong supports a modest bank of days only if employers publish yearly reports on how the days are used. The reports must have no names attached, and there must be rules against punishment. So one outcome his condition calls for is published reports without names.
Tips: Fong’s condition follows “but only if”. Read that clause to the end and match it in other words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- workers would name their illness when calling in: Fong wants reports with no names attached, so he would not ask workers to reveal their illness.
- managers would approve each day in advance: Fong never asks for advance approval. His condition is published reports and rules against punishment.
- unused days would be paid out at year end: Paying out unused days is never mentioned. Fong’s condition is about reports and protection.
Correct Answer: admit that some people do misuse sick days
Passage Reference: Ouellette’s worry is real, and I will not brush it aside. ... But one person’s habit is no reason to push everyone else to work while unwell.
Why this is correct: The writer says Ouellette’s worry is real and then tells the story of a reporter who called in sick every Friday. The story admits that misuse happens. Then the columnist argues that one person’s habit is no reason to deny everyone else.
Tips: Ask why the writer tells this story at this point in the column. Read the sentences just before and after it, then restate the reason.
Why the other options are wrong:
- prove that note-free days always fail: The writer uses the story to accept that misuse happens, then argues for the days anyway. So it is not proof that they fail.
- show why newsrooms need stricter managers: Stricter newsroom managers are never argued for. The story supports the point that Ouellette’s worry is real.
- explain why the columnist left journalism: The column never says why or whether the columnist left journalism.
Correct Answer: a disability claim
Passage Reference: he argues that a few days of early rest cost employers far less than a disability claim
Why this is correct: Guerin argues that a few days of early rest cost employers far less than a disability claim.
Tips: Find Guerin’s cost comparison in the second paragraph. The blank matches what he says early rest is cheaper than.
Why the other options are wrong:
- hiring temporary staff: Temporary staff are never mentioned. Guerin compares early rest with a disability claim.
- a week of overtime: Overtime is never mentioned in Guerin’s argument.
- a new wellness program: Guerin does not compare early rest with a wellness program. That kind of program is Ouellette’s preference.
Correct Answer: expand the assistance program and train managers
Passage Reference: She would rather expand the employee assistance program and train managers before adding any new days.
Why this is correct: The operations director, Noemi Ouellette, would rather expand the employee assistance program and train managers before adding any new days.
Tips: The comment calls her “the operations director”. Look for “She would rather” and read to the words “before adding”.
Why the other options are wrong:
- hire more part-time staff for each crew: Ouellette never mentions hiring. Her alternative is a bigger assistance program and manager training.
- cut the number of regular sick days: Ouellette does not propose cutting existing sick days. She simply wants other steps before new days.
- require doctor’s notes for every absence: Ouellette’s alternative is to expand the assistance program and train managers, not to demand a note for every absence.
Correct Answer: losing a promotion
Passage Reference: workers will still fear that a mental-health day could cost them a promotion
Why this is correct: Fong is the labour lawyer. He says that without rules against punishment, workers will still fear that a mental-health day could cost them a promotion.
Tips: The comment says “without the lawyer’s rules”. Find the sentence in the third paragraph that starts with the same word, “Without”.
Why the other options are wrong:
- losing a day’s pay: Losing a day’s pay is Guerin’s point about clinic visits. Fong’s concern is fear of losing a promotion.
- being asked for a note: Fong does not say workers fear being asked for a note. He says they fear the day could cost them a promotion.
- being moved to night shifts: Night shifts are never mentioned in the column.
Correct Answer: a brief check-in after each absence
Passage Reference: short absences need a brief check-in when the person returns
Why this is correct: Una Trudel argues that short absences need a brief check-in when the person returns.
Tips: Find Trudel’s sentence that names her idea. Read it to the end and put it in your own words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a weekly group lunch for staff: Group lunches are never mentioned. Trudel wants a brief check-in when the person returns.
- a support line open all night: Trudel never mentions a phone line. Her idea is a check-in after a short absence.
- a day off after every busy month: Trudel does not ask for extra days off. She asks for a check-in when people come back.
Correct Answer: three days without a note
Passage Reference: Give workers three days, publish the numbers, protect the people who use them
Why this is correct: In the last sentence, the writer says, “Give workers three days”. That means three days off that need no doctor’s note.
Tips: The comment speaks to the writer about her plan. Look for the list of short orders at the very end of the column.
Why the other options are wrong:
- one day off every month: The writer asks for three days, not a day every month.
- a full week without a note: A full week is more than the columnist asks for. The plan is three days.
- two paid days each season: Seasons are never mentioned. The plan is to give workers three days.
