Read the following passage.
A. In August 1828, work began on a new fort at the top of the hill that overlooks Halifax Harbour. Tensions between Britain and the United States were running high, and the British believed American forces might try to seize Halifax, possibly by land. This time they wanted a permanent fort that would protect the naval base for generations. Colonel Gustavus Nicolls of the Royal Engineers designed a star-shaped stone fortress that was expected to take just six years. Flaws in his design caused delays, and the Citadel was not completed until 1856.
B. The hill had been fortified long before. On 21 June 1749, Edward Cornwallis arrived with 2,576 colonists from Britain, and on 11 September British troops completed the first Citadel, a wooden fort near the top of the hill. Fog, rain, cold winters and neglect caused it to decay. A second fort, built during the American Revolution, had a large eight-sided tower that served as a barracks for 100 soldiers, but by 1784 it too was in ruins. Work on a third fort got under way in 1796, and Maroon men, brought from Jamaica against their will, worked on its defences.
C. Soon after the stone fort was completed, rifled artillery, with greater range and accuracy than earlier guns, made it out of date. It was partly rearmed in the 1860s and 1870s and stayed in use as a barracks. In 1906 the British passed control of the fort to the Canadian Department of Militia and Defence. In World War I the fort was used as barracks and a command centre for the harbour defences, and from 1 October 1914 it also held an internment camp, which at one point had just over 180 men. In World War II it again housed troops, and for those heading overseas it was their final view of Canada.
D. Today Parks Canada operates the Citadel, which has been restored to its Victorian look. From May to October, historical re-enactors take visitors back to 1869, when the 78th Highland Regiment was stationed in Halifax, and a guided walking tour comes free with paid admission. Visitors can explore period rooms such as the barracks, tailor shop and school, watch the firing of the noon gun and visit the Army Museum. Admission is free for youth 17 and under. The site also shows artwork by the Mi'kmaw artist Leonard Paul depicting Kjipuktuk and Mi'kma'ki as they were before the British arrived.
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: The third paragraph says that soon after the stone fort was completed, rifled artillery made it out of date. Rifled artillery was a newer kind of weapon, and out of date means old-fashioned.
Passage Reference: Soon after the stone fort was completed, rifled artillery, with greater range and accuracy than earlier guns, made it out of date.
Tips: Find the finished stone fort. Then look for a newer weapon that left it behind the times.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: The stone fort is planned and built in paragraph A. The work there is slow, but no new guns make it old.
- B: Paragraph B tells how the earlier forts fell apart from weather and neglect, not from newer guns.
- D: Notice that paragraph D is about what visitors do today, such as watching the noon gun fire.
- E: Rifled artillery making the fort out of date is the first point of Paragraph C.
Correct Answer: E
Passage Reference: Admission is free for youth 17 and under.
Why this is correct: The fourth paragraph says admission is free for youth 17 and under and that a tour comes with paid admission. It never gives the price that adults pay.
Tips: The fourth paragraph mentions paying. Check whether it ever names a dollar amount.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Paragraph A is set in 1828 and tells how the fort was planned, not what a visit costs.
- B: Paragraph B follows the earlier forts from 1749 to 1796. Tickets do not appear.
- C: Notice that paragraph C follows the fort's uses up to World War II, with no prices at all.
- D: Paragraph D is the closest, since it talks about admission. It gives the youth rule but no adult price.
Correct Answer: A
Passage Reference: Colonel Gustavus Nicolls of the Royal Engineers designed a star-shaped stone fortress that was expected to take just six years.
Why this is correct: Look at paragraph A: it says Colonel Nicolls designed a star-shaped stone fortress that was expected to take just six years. Six years is a few years, even though the work really lasted until 1856.
Tips: Find who made the plan for the fort. Then check how many years he thought the work would need.
Why the other options are wrong:
- B: Paragraph B gives dates for the earlier forts, but no one there predicts how long building will take.
- C: Notice that paragraph C starts after the stone fort was finished, so the plan for its building time is not there.
- D: The fourth paragraph describes a visit today and does not mention the designer.
- E: The six years expected for the stone fortress are stated in Paragraph A.
Correct Answer: D
Passage Reference: Admission is free for youth 17 and under.
Why this is correct: Paragraph D says admission is free for youth 17 and under. Aged 17 or younger is the same group, so they do not pay to enter.
Tips: The statement is about 'visitors aged 17 or younger'. Find the costs for visitors, then check which rule applies to that age.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Building the fort in the 1800s is the story of the first paragraph. Young visitors are not mentioned.
- B: Notice that paragraph B mentions colonists and soldiers of the 1700s, not visitors or entry costs.
- C: Paragraph C lists the fort's uses in two world wars and says nothing about entry fees.
- E: Free admission for youth 17 and under is given in Paragraph D.
Correct Answer: A
Passage Reference: Tensions between Britain and the United States were running high, and the British believed American forces might try to seize Halifax, possibly by land.
Why this is correct: The first paragraph says tensions with the United States were high and the British believed American forces might try to seize Halifax. That fear is why work began on the permanent fort in 1828.
Tips: Two paragraphs mention Americans. Pick the one about the stone fort.
Why the other options are wrong:
- B: The second paragraph covers the earlier forts on the hill, including one built during the American Revolution. But it gives no reason for starting the stone fort.
- C: By the later wars in paragraph C, the fort was already built and used as barracks.
- D: Notice that paragraph D describes a visit today and gives no reason for building the fort.
- E: The fear of American forces that led to the 1828 fort is explained in Paragraph A.
Correct Answer: B
Passage Reference: On 21 June 1749, Edward Cornwallis arrived with 2,576 colonists from Britain, and on 11 September British troops completed the first Citadel, a wooden fort near the top of the hill.
Why this is correct: The second paragraph says that in September 1749 British troops completed the first Citadel. It was a wooden fort near the top of the hill. Timber is wood.
Tips: Several forts stood on the hill, one after another. Find the oldest one and check what it was made of.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Notice that paragraph A describes a stone fortress begun in 1828, which was not the first one.
- C: The third paragraph discusses the stone fort after 1856 and gives no material for any earlier fort.
- D: Notice that paragraph D mentions the restored fort today, not what the first fort was made of.
- E: The wooden first Citadel of 1749 is described in Paragraph B.
Correct Answer: D
Passage Reference: From May to October, historical re-enactors take visitors back to 1869, when the 78th Highland Regiment was stationed in Halifax, and a guided walking tour comes free with paid admission.
Why this is correct: From May to October, historical re-enactors take visitors back to 1869, as paragraph D explains. Re-enactors are performers who dress and act like people from the past, so they bring that year back to life.
Tips: Find the year 1869. Then check who helps visitors step back into that time, and whether they are real soldiers or performers.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Notice that paragraph A ends in 1856 with the fort completed. There are no performers.
- B: Look at paragraph B: it describes real soldiers and colonists of the 1700s, not people acting for visitors.
- C: The third paragraph lists real uses of the fort as barracks and a camp, not shows for visitors.
- E: The re-enactors who bring back 1869 are part of Paragraph D.
Correct Answer: B
Passage Reference: Work on a third fort got under way in 1796, and Maroon men, brought from Jamaica against their will, worked on its defences.
Why this is correct: The second paragraph says work on the third fort began in 1796. Maroon men, brought from Jamaica against their will, worked on its defences. Against their will means by force.
Tips: Find Jamaica, then check which fort those men worked on.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: The designer of the stone fort is named in paragraph A, but no workers from Jamaica.
- C: Paragraph C mentions men held in an internment camp in 1914, not workers from Jamaica.
- D: Notice that paragraph D names a Mi'kmaw artist, not the people who built the forts.
- E: The Maroon men from Jamaica are mentioned in Paragraph B, with the third fort.
Correct Answer: C
Passage Reference: In World War I the fort was used as barracks and a command centre for the harbour defences, and from 1 October 1914 it also held an internment camp, which at one point had just over 180 men.
Why this is correct: The third paragraph says that from 1 October 1914 the Citadel held an internment camp. At one point it had just over 180 men. An internment camp is a place where prisoners are kept.
Tips: Find 1914 first. Then check what kind of place for locked-up people the Citadel became.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: The first paragraph covers the 1820s, almost a century before any camp was set up.
- B: The second paragraph mentions the Maroons, who were brought against their will to work on a fort. But they are not described as prisoners held in the Citadel.
- D: Paragraph D lists the barracks as a room visitors see today. No prisoners are mentioned.
- E: The internment camp opened in October 1914 is described in Paragraph C.
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