Tips: Listen for the speaker's own view and what the speaker asks the government to do.

Why the other options are wrong:

• electric school buses are the right goal, but cities should switch first while rural routes wait.: Cities first is the analysts' phased plan. The speaker worries that this kind of split leaves rural boards behind.
• electric school buses are the right goal, and current subsidies already cover most of the cost.: Subsidies cover up to half the cost, and rural boards still cannot afford the difference. The speaker asks for more funding.
• electric school buses are the right goal, but cold weather makes them unusable for now.: Cold weather can cut battery performance by 30 to 40 percent. The report never says the buses cannot be used.

Correct Answer: children on diesel buses breathe air up to five times dirtier than outdoor air.

Why this is correct: The Health Canada study found that children on diesel buses face particle levels up to five times higher than outdoor air. It supports the health case for electric buses.

Tips: Several health and climate sources come close together. Match each result to the source that gives it.

Why the other options are wrong:

• diesel exhaust raises children's risk of asthma by about 30 percent.: The asthma figure comes from Dr. Fiona Cheng, a respiratory specialist. The Health Canada study is about particle levels on the bus.
• electric buses would cut 1.2 million tonnes of emissions every year.: The emissions figure comes from Transport Canada and is about climate. The Health Canada study is about the air children breathe.
• children on diesel buses breathe air up to five times dirtier than on electric buses.: The study compares the air on diesel buses with outdoor air. It does not compare diesel buses with electric buses.

Correct Answer: boards may have to cut other programmes to pay for buses.

Why this is correct: The association cautions that without sustained multi-year funding, boards may be forced to cut programmes elsewhere to pay for bus purchases.

Tips: Listen for the named group and the result it warns about.

Why the other options are wrong:

• boards may have to keep diesel buses on their rural routes.: Keeping diesel on rural routes is part of the analysts' phased plan. It is not the association's warning.
• boards may lose the federal subsidies they already receive.: Federal subsidies are mentioned, but nobody says boards could lose them.
• boards may face higher fuel costs on their longest routes.: The pilots found lower fuel costs per kilometre. Nobody warns about higher fuel costs.

Correct Answer: very cold winters can sharply cut how far electric buses can go.

Why this is correct: Winter in those cities often drops below minus thirty. Electric buses lose range in extreme cold, and battery performance can fall by 30 to 40 percent.

Tips: Notice why the two cities are named and what problem follows.

Why the other options are wrong:

• northern power grids may not handle charging many buses.: The grid problem is mentioned in the same part of the report. But the two cities are named to show how cold it gets.
• pilot programmes in those cities had positive early reviews.: The pilots with positive reviews were in Quebec and British Columbia. Winnipeg and Thunder Bay are mentioned for their cold winters.
• electric buses cost more to buy there than in other cities.: The price of an electric bus is given for the whole country. The report does not compare prices between cities.

Correct Answer: sceptical of how simple they make the change sound.

Why this is correct: The speaker says the change is far more complicated than its most enthusiastic supporters suggest. So the speaker doubts how simple they make it sound, while still backing electric buses.

Tips: Listen to how the speaker compares the real situation with what supporters say.

Why the other options are wrong:

• impatient that they are moving far too slowly.: The speaker worries that the current pace is a risk for rural boards. The speaker does not want things to go faster.
• fully convinced by their health and climate case.: The speaker supports the long-term direction but says the change is far more complicated than supporters suggest.
• scornful of their claims about children's health.: The speaker never questions the health evidence. The doubt is about cost and practical problems.

Correct Answer: likely to leave rural boards behind the cities.

Why this is correct: The phased plan electrifies cities first and keeps diesel on rural routes. The speaker fears a two-tier system where urban boards electrify while rural boards are left behind.

Tips: Compare the order of the plan with what the speaker fears.

Why the other options are wrong:

• a sensible start, since city routes are shorter.: Shorter city routes are the analysts' reason for their plan. The speaker fears that cities first means rural boards are left behind.
• too slow to deal with the health risks to children.: Urgency about health is the proponents' frame. The speaker worries about fairness between regions, not speed.
• too costly for well-funded city boards to manage.: The speaker calls urban boards well funded. Cost is a problem for rural boards, not city boards.