Tips: For a main-argument question, listen for the speaker's own opinion. Check who it is for and what the speaker asks others to do.

Why the other options are wrong:

• Co-housing suits many older Canadians, and the federal housing agency should fund more of it.: The speaker does mention federal grants, but only as support that already exists. The speaker's own request is for cities to change zoning.
• Co-housing suits mainly seniors on fixed incomes, and the federal housing agency should fund more of it.: Seniors on fixed incomes are one group that gains. The speaker says co-housing suits many older Canadians, and asks cities to act.
• Co-housing suits mainly seniors on fixed incomes, and cities should change zoning to help build it.: The zoning part is right. But the speaker says co-housing suits many older Canadians, not mainly those on fixed incomes.

Correct Answer: quality of life improving sharply within a few months.

Why this is correct: The teacher says her quality of life improved dramatically within months. She no longer spent whole days without a real conversation.

Tips: When a speaker tells a story about one person, note what changed for that person and how quickly.

Why the other options are wrong:

• housing costs falling sharply within a few months.: Lower costs in Halifax are mentioned later, as a general figure. The teacher talks about her quality of life, not money.
• quality of life improving slowly over several years.: Her quality of life did improve. But it changed dramatically, and within months, not slowly over years.
• housing costs falling slowly over several years.: Cost savings come from the financial part of the report. The teacher's story is about having people to talk to.

Correct Answer: living so closely can lead to disagreements about noise and shared rules.

Why this is correct: Critics say co-housing needs a lot of cooperation. Disagreements about shared tasks, noise, or rules can create tension.

Tips: When critics are described, list each point they make. Check the details, such as places, before you choose.

Why the other options are wrong:

• shared meals and group activities can leave some residents feeling lonely.: The report says shared meals and activities create social connections. No one says they make people lonely.
• finding land in Halifax can take years of talks with city planners.: The land problem is real, but it is in Toronto and Vancouver. Halifax is where the teacher lives.
• co-housing can cost more each month than a long-term care bed.: The speaker says co-housing costs less than long-term care, not more. Critics do not talk about this.

Correct Answer: begun funding developers who include co-housing units.

Why this is correct: The speaker says this agency recently began offering grants to developers. The grants go to projects that include co-housing units.

Tips: When an organisation is named, note exactly what it does and who it helps.

Why the other options are wrong:

• begun changing zoning rules near transit and healthcare.: Zoning is the speaker's request to city governments. The national agency is not changing zoning rules.
• begun offering grants directly to seniors who join.: The grants go to developers, not straight to the seniors who live there.
• begun studying how many older Canadians feel isolated.: The isolation figure comes from the National Institute on Ageing, a different source.

Correct Answer: Enthusiastic, while accepting that it does not suit everyone.

Why this is correct: The speaker calls co-housing 'an excellent option' and lists clear advantages. But the speaker also says it is not the right choice for everyone.

Tips: For tone questions, listen to the speaker's own describing words, and pick the attitude they show.

Why the other options are wrong:

• Cautious, while accepting that it does not suit everyone.: The limit is right. But the speaker is not cautious. The speaker calls co-housing an excellent option with clear advantages.
• Cautious, while accepting that it costs more than living alone.: Both parts are wrong. The speaker is enthusiastic, and co-housing costs less than living alone, not more.
• Enthusiastic, while accepting that it costs more than living alone.: The feeling is right. But the report says co-housing costs less than living alone, not more.

Correct Answer: About $1,750.

Why this is correct: A long-term care bed in Ontario costs about $2,700 a month. Halifax co-housing costs roughly 35 percent less, which is about $1,750.

Tips: You need two figures here. Find the starting cost, then work out how much lower the other cost is.

Why the other options are wrong:

• About $1,900.: This is 30 percent lower, the top of the savings compared with living alone. The Halifax figure is 35 percent lower.
• About $950.: This is 35 percent of the care cost. But the resident pays 35 percent less, not 35 percent of it.
• About $2,150.: This is only 20 percent lower. That figure compares co-housing with living alone, not with long-term care.