Tips: Listen for the speaker's own plan, and check whether each choice keeps every part of it.

Why the other options are wrong:

• Simply allow native gardens, rather than paying homeowners to convert.: The speaker wants financial incentives as well as updated bylaws, so payments are part of the plan. Municipalities should update outdated bylaws, provide clear guidelines for what constitutes a well-maintained native garden, and offer financial incentives to help homeowners make the transition.
• Pay homeowners to convert, rather than changing the old bylaws.: The speaker says cities should update outdated bylaws. Payments alone are not enough. Municipalities should update outdated bylaws, provide clear guidelines for what constitutes a well-maintained native garden, and offer financial incentives to help homeowners make the transition.
• Require the change, rather than relying on rebates alone.: The speaker warns that forcing the change through mandates would likely cause backlash. Forcing the change through mandates would likely generate backlash, but making it easier and more attractive could gradually transform Canadian neighbourhoods for the better.

Correct Answer: A native garden can support over 200 insect species, while a lawn supports fewer than a dozen.

Why this is correct: Dr. Falk compares insect life. A typical lawn supports fewer than a dozen insect species, but a native garden of the same size can support over 200.

Tips: Several facts and sources come close together. Link each fact to the person or group that gives it.

Why the other options are wrong:

• A native garden uses about half the summer water that a lawn of the same size needs.: The 50 percent figure comes from Environment and Climate Change Canada. It is about lawn watering in residential use, not Dr. Falk's comparison. Traditional grass also demands enormous amounts of water - Environment and Climate Change Canada estimates that lawn irrigation accounts for roughly 50 percent of residential water use during summer months in cities like Calgary and Kelowna.
• Converting a lawn to a native garden can earn a homeowner up to $2,000 in rebates.: The $2,000 rebate is offered by the City of Guelph. Dr. Falk works at the University of Guelph but does not mention it. The City of Guelph offers rebates of up to $2,000 for homeowners who convert their front lawns to native plantings.
• Lawns were once required in front yards by some older property bylaws.: The old grass rule comes from the Oakville bylaw example, not from Dr. Falk. Oakville, Ontario, amended its property standards bylaw in 2024 to explicitly permit naturalized gardens, reversing a previous rule that required all front yards to be maintained as grass.

Correct Answer: That native gardens could lower the value of homes that have them.

Why this is correct: Homeowners and real estate professionals worry about property values. The survey backs this up: 54 percent of buyers prefer homes with traditional lawns.

Tips: When a survey is given, ask which worry it is meant to prove.

Why the other options are wrong:

• That native gardens may bring more ticks and allergens into neighbourhoods.: Ticks and allergens are mentioned as practical concerns, but no survey is given for them. There are also practical concerns about increased tick habitat and allergen-producing plants in residential areas.
• That native gardens look untidy before they are fully established.: Some neighbours complain about an untidy look. This complaint is not linked to the survey. Some neighbours complain that native plant gardens look untidy or overgrown, particularly before they are fully established.
• That lawn watering uses too much water in summer.: The summer water figure is 50 percent, from a government estimate. It supports the advocates, not this concern. Traditional grass also demands enormous amounts of water - Environment and Climate Change Canada estimates that lawn irrigation accounts for roughly 50 percent of residential water use during summer months in cities like Calgary and Kelowna.

Correct Answer: Some parts of government promote native gardens, while others penalise people who grow them.

Why this is correct: Many bylaws still define maintenance by grass height. So one arm of government promotes ecological gardening while another penalises it.

Tips: When a speaker names a problem, listen for who is on each side of it.

Why the other options are wrong:

• Some cities pay people to remove lawns, while most buyers still prefer lawns.: Rebates and buyers' preferences are both mentioned, but the speaker does not call this pair contradictory. The City of Guelph offers rebates of up to $2,000 for homeowners who convert their front lawns to native plantings. A survey by the Canadian Real Estate Association found that 54 percent of prospective buyers prefer homes with traditional, well-maintained lawns.
• Some cities now permit native gardens, while their bylaws once required grass in every front yard.: Oakville changed its old rule in 2024. That is a change over time, not the contradiction the speaker describes. Oakville, Ontario, amended its property standards bylaw in 2024 to explicitly permit naturalized gardens, reversing a previous rule that required all front yards to be maintained as grass.
• Advocates call lawns ecological deserts, while neighbours call native gardens untidy.: These are two sides of the debate. The contradiction is inside government, not between advocates and neighbours. This creates a contradictory situation where one arm of government promotes ecological gardening while another penalises it.

Correct Answer: Wary, saying it would likely make many people push back against it.

Why this is correct: The speaker says forcing the change through mandates would likely generate backlash. The speaker prefers making the change easier and more attractive.

Tips: For tone questions, listen to what the speaker says about this exact method, not about the goal in general.

Why the other options are wrong:

• Supportive, saying it is the fastest way to change neighbourhoods.: The speaker does not support mandates. The speaker expects change to come gradually through help and incentives. Forcing the change through mandates would likely generate backlash, but making it easier and more attractive could gradually transform Canadian neighbourhoods for the better.
• Wary, saying it would likely leave many gardens looking untidy.: Some neighbours complain about untidy gardens. The speaker does not give this as the problem with mandates. Some neighbours complain that native plant gardens look untidy or overgrown, particularly before they are fully established. Forcing the change through mandates would likely generate backlash, but making it easier and more attractive could gradually transform Canadian neighbourhoods for the better.
• Wary, saying it would likely lead to fines for homeowners.: Fines come from old grass-height bylaws today. The speaker does not link fines to mandates. Many municipalities still have bylaws that define property maintenance in terms of grass height, and homeowners who let native gardens grow have occasionally received fines or orders to mow. Forcing the change through mandates would likely generate backlash, but making it easier and more attractive could gradually transform Canadian neighbourhoods for the better.

Correct Answer: A homeowner with a native front garden could have broken a bylaw.

Why this is correct: Before 2024, Oakville required all front yards to be kept as grass. So a native front garden would likely have broken that rule.

Tips: When a speaker says a rule was changed, think about what the old rule meant for people.

Why the other options are wrong:

• A homeowner could get up to $2,000 for converting a front lawn.: The $2,000 rebate is offered by the City of Guelph, not Oakville. The City of Guelph offers rebates of up to $2,000 for homeowners who convert their front lawns to native plantings.
• Grass was required in back yards, but not in front yards.: The old Oakville rule was about front yards. Back yards are not mentioned. Oakville, Ontario, amended its property standards bylaw in 2024 to explicitly permit naturalized gardens, reversing a previous rule that required all front yards to be maintained as grass.
• Its bylaws had no rules about how front yards should look.: Oakville did have a rule. It required all front yards to be maintained as grass. Oakville, Ontario, amended its property standards bylaw in 2024 to explicitly permit naturalized gardens, reversing a previous rule that required all front yards to be maintained as grass.