Read the following passage.
A. The Rideau Canal began as an answer to a military problem. In the War of 1812, the St. Lawrence River was the vital water link between Montreal and the Great Lakes, but much of its southern shore was in American possession, so the route could easily be cut off. After the war, surveys looked for a second, safer route. The one chosen went up the Ottawa River to the mouth of the Rideau, south along that river and a chain of small lakes, and down the Cataraqui River to Lake Ontario at Kingston. British authorities, wary of the expense, showed little enthusiasm until the Duke of Wellington took up the cause.
B. Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers arrived in 1826 to oversee the project. His headquarters near the mouth of the Rideau River grew into a settlement called Bytown, renamed Ottawa in 1855. By persuaded his superiors to approve larger locks, 134 feet long and 33 feet wide, so that the new steamboats could pass. The work was done almost entirely by hand. Many labourers came from French-Canadian settlements, and many others were immigrants from Ireland. Malaria, which the men called swamp fever, was the greatest danger, and in the summer of 1828 so many were sick that work was shut down for weeks.
C. The canal officially opened in the summer of 1832. Along its 202 kilometres it had 47 masonry locks and 52 dams. The British Parliament was shocked by the cost and recalled By to face an inquiry; he was later cleared of mismanagement. The canal itself became a busy commercial artery, since it was easier to navigate than the dangerous rapids of the St. Lawrence. Timber, potash, mica and iron ore were shipped along it by steamer and barge. By 1849, however, a series of locks had tamed those rapids, and shippers were quick to switch to the more direct route.
D. After the First World War, commercial traffic almost disappeared, and today the canal is used entirely by pleasure craft. Boaters and paddlers travel through 22 lockstations between Ottawa and Kingston. Except for three hydraulic locks, the locks are still operated by the muscle power of staff who crank the gates open with winches. In winter, the National Capital Commission turns a 7.8-kilometre stretch of the canal into the Rideau Canal Skateway. The skating season typically runs from January to early March, depending on the weather, and while the Skateway is open it is free and accessible 24 hours a day.
E. Not given in any of the above paragraphs.
Decide which paragraph, A to D, has the information given in each statement below. Select E if the information is not given in any of the paragraphs.
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Correct Answer: C
Why this is correct: Paragraph C lists timber, potash, mica and iron ore as goods shipped along the canal by steamer and barge. Timber is wood, and it sits in a list of several goods, so wood was one cargo among many.
Passage Reference: Timber, potash, mica and iron ore were shipped along it by steamer and barge.
Tips: Two paragraphs mention trade on the canal. Look for the one that actually names the goods.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Paragraph A explains the wartime reasons for a new route. No cargo is listed there.
- B: Paragraph B mentions steamboats only as the reason for bigger locks, and it never says what they would carry.
- D: The fourth paragraph says commercial traffic almost disappeared after the First World War, but it does not name any goods.
- E: The shipments of timber, potash, mica and iron ore by steamer and barge are listed in Paragraph C.
Correct Answer: D
Passage Reference: After the First World War, commercial traffic almost disappeared, and today the canal is used entirely by pleasure craft.
Why this is correct: Paragraph D says that today the canal is used entirely by pleasure craft. Pleasure craft are boats people use for enjoyment, and entirely means no other kind of traffic.
Tips: Find how the use of the waterway changed over time. Check that it now carries only boats for fun, and nothing for business.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Notice that paragraph A is about why a safer military route was wanted, long before anyone boated for fun.
- B: The building work, the locks and the illness of the workers fill Paragraph B, with no mention of leisure boating.
- C: Notice that paragraph C describes a busy trade route with steamers and barges, which is the opposite of boating for fun.
- E: Look at paragraph D: it states that pleasure craft are now the canal's only users.
Correct Answer: B
Passage Reference: Malaria, which the men called swamp fever, was the greatest danger, and in the summer of 1828 so many were sick that work was shut down for weeks.
Why this is correct: Paragraph B names malaria, or swamp fever, as the greatest danger to the men. It says that in the summer of 1828 so many were sick that the work was shut down for weeks.
Tips: Look for the name of a disease. Then check whether it made the builders stop.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Notice that paragraph A deals with plans and politics before any digging began, so no workers fall ill there.
- C: The third paragraph follows By to an inquiry about money, but it reports no sickness among the canal workers.
- D: Notice that paragraph D describes lock staff and skaters today. No disease or work stoppage is mentioned.
- E: Swamp fever that halted the digging for weeks in 1828 is described in Paragraph B.
Correct Answer: A
Passage Reference: In the War of 1812, the St. Lawrence River was the vital water link between Montreal and the Great Lakes, but much of its southern shore was in American possession, so the route could easily be cut off.
Why this is correct: Paragraph A explains that much of the river's southern shore was in American possession, so the route could easily be cut off. Being cut off easily means an enemy could block it without much difficulty.
Tips: More than one route comes up in the passage. Decide which one is the older route, and check whether an enemy could block it without much difficulty.
Why the other options are wrong:
- B: The second paragraph describes how By and his workers built the canal, not the weakness of the earlier route.
- C: The dangerous St. Lawrence rapids, which slowed boats, come up in paragraph C. An enemy blocking the river does not.
- D: Paragraph D turns to boating and skating today. There is no talk of war or supply lines.
- E: The risk that the St. Lawrence route could easily be cut off is the starting point of Paragraph A.
Correct Answer: D
Passage Reference: Except for three hydraulic locks, the locks are still operated by the muscle power of staff who crank the gates open with winches.
Why this is correct: Paragraph D says that, except for three hydraulic locks, the locks are still operated by muscle power. Staff use winches. So most locks depend on human strength.
Tips: Notice that paragraph B mentions hand work during building. This statement is about running the locks today.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: The first paragraph never describes a lock. It is about choosing a route after the war.
- B: The size of the locks and the hand labour used to build them are in paragraph B. How the locks are worked now is not.
- C: Notice that paragraph C counts 47 masonry locks when the canal opened, without saying how their gates move.
- E: Notice that paragraph D explains that all but three locks are still worked by the muscle power of staff.
Correct Answer: E
Passage Reference: Many labourers came from French-Canadian settlements, and many others were immigrants from Ireland.
Why this is correct: Paragraph B says many labourers came from French-Canadian settlements and many others were immigrants from Ireland. It stops there. It does not tell us where these workers went or whether they stayed after the canal opened.
Tips: The second paragraph says where the workers came from. Check whether any paragraph says where they went afterwards.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Look at paragraph A: it explains the wartime planning, before any workers were hired.
- B: Where the workers came from is told in Paragraph B. Their lives after the project are not described.
- C: The third paragraph follows the canal after it opened and what happened to By, not to the labourers.
- D: Notice that paragraph D describes lock staff and visitors today, with nothing about the original builders.
Correct Answer: C
Passage Reference: The British Parliament was shocked by the cost and recalled By to face an inquiry; he was later cleared of mismanagement.
Why this is correct: Paragraph C says the British Parliament was shocked by the cost and recalled By to face an inquiry. He had overseen the project, and an inquiry means answering questions.
Tips: Money worries come up more than once. Ask where someone is called back to answer questions about the spending.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: The first paragraph notes that officials worried the work would be expensive, but no one is called back to explain spending.
- B: Look at paragraph B: it shows By arriving and asking for bigger locks. The inquiry into costs comes later.
- D: The canal today is the subject of paragraph D. By and the inquiry are not mentioned there.
- E: The British Parliament recalling By to face an inquiry over the cost is reported in Paragraph C.
Correct Answer: E
Passage Reference: British authorities, wary of the expense, showed little enthusiasm until the Duke of Wellington took up the cause.
Why this is correct: Notice that paragraph A says British authorities showed little enthusiasm until the Duke of Wellington took up the cause. Paragraph B says By arrived to oversee the project. Neither paragraph says who chose By for the job.
Tips: Wellington and By appear in different paragraphs. Look for a sentence that connects them directly.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Wellington backs the plan in Paragraph A, yet that paragraph never says he selected By.
- B: The second paragraph introduces By and his work, but it does not say who appointed him.
- C: Paragraph C does mention the British Parliament recalling By. But that is about the end of his work, not its start.
- D: Notice that paragraph D is about present-day boating and skating, and neither man appears.
Correct Answer: D
Passage Reference: The skating season typically runs from January to early March, depending on the weather, and while the Skateway is open it is free and accessible 24 hours a day.
Why this is correct: Paragraph D describes the Rideau Canal Skateway, made each winter on part of the canal. It says that while the Skateway is open it is free, so skaters pay nothing.
Tips: Find where the frozen canal is described. Then check what it says about the cost of using it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: The first paragraph covers the War of 1812 and the planning of the route, not winter use of the canal.
- B: A summer shutdown during construction appears in paragraph B. It has nothing to do with skating.
- C: In paragraph C, the writer talks about the cost of building the canal, not what skaters pay.
- E: The fact that the Skateway is free while it is open is stated at the end of Paragraph D.
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