Read the following article from a website.
British Columbia’s annual school report came out this week, and with it the yearly argument over province-wide tests. Every spring, students in Grade 4 and Grade 7 write reading, writing and math exams that take about five hours in total. The results are used to publish a ranking of every elementary school in the province, and a group of teachers is now asking the education ministry to stop releasing the rankings. The ministry has said it will answer the teachers before the end of the school year.
Margarida Aguiar, whose daughter is in Grade 4 at Cedar Hollow Elementary, says the rankings helped her choose a school. “Before we moved, I compared every school within twenty minutes of our new house,” Aguiar said. “Report cards tell you how your own child is doing. The test results tell you how the whole school is doing. Parents deserve both,” she added.
Principal Benedetta Arnott of Lakeview Elementary says she has mixed feelings about the rankings. “Schools are paid for by the public, and the public has a right to see results,” Arnott said. “What worries me is a ranking that puts a school in a wealthy neighbourhood next to one where half the children are still learning English. That comparison tells you about families, not teaching.” Zenon Balcombe, who teaches Grade 4 at another school, gives the tests because he must, but he doubts their value. “A single test is a snapshot,” Balcombe said. “It tells me nothing about how much a child has grown since September.”
Quentin Barrowman, a Grade 7 teacher, objects most to the time spent getting ready. “For about three weeks each spring, my class practises filling in bubbles instead of reading real books,” he said. “Every hour of test prep is an hour taken from something better.” Barrowman would keep the tests if the province stopped publishing school rankings. “Let teachers use the results to help students. Just stop turning them into a contest between schools,” he said.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
According to Barrowman, the weeks of test practice 2..
This article would most likely appear in 3..
The main point of the article is that 4..
Most likely, Zenon Balcombe is 5..
The following is a comment by a visitor to the website page. Complete the comment by choosing the best option to fill in each blank.
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Correct Answer: the use of yearly provincial tests to rank schools
Why this is correct: The tests are used to rank every elementary school, and some teachers want the rankings stopped. Every speaker gives a view on this.
Passage Reference: The results are used to publish a ranking of every elementary school in the province
Tips: Go through the four speakers one by one and ask whether each would have something to say about the option. Keep the option every speaker speaks to.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a new report card for elementary students: Report cards are mentioned by Aguiar, but nobody describes a new one.
- a shortage of Grade 7 teachers in the province: Barrowman teaches Grade 7, but nobody talks about a shortage.
- a plan to add science to the spring exams: The exams cover reading, writing and math. Nobody suggests adding science.
Correct Answer: take class time away from real reading
Passage Reference: my class practises filling in bubbles instead of reading real books ... Every hour of test prep is an hour taken from something better.
Why this is correct: Barrowman says his class practises filling in bubbles instead of reading real books. He adds that every hour of test prep is taken from something better.
Tips: Go over Barrowman’s quotes about the weeks before the exams. Then compare each choice with what he describes.
Why the other options are wrong:
- help weaker students catch up in math: Barrowman does not say the practice helps anyone. He calls it time taken from something better.
- show parents how the whole school is doing: This is what Aguiar says about the test results. Barrowman is talking about the weeks of preparation.
- are short enough to cause no harm: Barrowman objects most to this time. He says about three weeks are lost each spring.
Correct Answer: a newspaper read by parents across the province
Passage Reference: British Columbia’s annual school report came out this week
Why this is correct: The story starts with a provincial school report that came out this week. Parents, teachers and a principal in the province then give their views, which is regional news.
Tips: Decide which people would care most about this argument. Then ask where they would usually find a story like it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a guide that shows children how to pass tests: Nobody gives children advice on passing tests. People only argue about whether the tests and rankings are useful.
- a research journal about how the brain learns: No study of learning is presented. The article reports opinions about a yearly report.
- a magazine for private schools in Europe: Every school in the story is a public elementary school in the province. Nothing is about Europe.
Correct Answer: people who value the results disagree about the rankings
Passage Reference: says the rankings helped her choose a school ... says she has mixed feelings about the rankings ... Barrowman would keep the tests if the province stopped publishing school rankings.
Why this is correct: Aguiar says the rankings helped her choose a school. Arnott wants the public to see results but dislikes unfair comparisons. Barrowman would keep the tests if the rankings stopped.
Tips: Go through all four speakers. Pick the statement the whole article backs up, not one person’s claim.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the province plans to add more exams: No new exams are mentioned. The argument is about the rankings and the tests that already exist.
- parents trust report cards more than test results: Aguiar, the only parent quoted, says parents deserve both report cards and test results.
- the ministry has agreed to stop the rankings: The ministry has only promised to answer the teachers. It has not agreed to anything.
Correct Answer: a teacher who would skip the tests if he could
Passage Reference: gives the tests because he must, but he doubts their value
Why this is correct: Balcombe gives the tests because he must, but he doubts their value. So if the choice were his, he would most likely not give them.
Tips: Read every line about Balcombe, the reporter’s words as well as his quote. Check each option against those lines and keep the one they point to.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a principal who helped design the provincial exams: Balcombe teaches Grade 4. Arnott is the principal, and nobody in the article helped design the exams.
- a teacher who wants rankings for every school: Balcombe doubts the tests are useful at all. He does not ask for more rankings.
- a parent who chose a school by its results: Choosing a school by its results is what Aguiar did. Balcombe is a teacher.
Correct Answer: five hours
Passage Reference: exams that take about five hours in total
Why this is correct: The exams take about five hours in total.
Tips: This blank asks for a length of time. Find how long the exams take altogether.
Why the other options are wrong:
- four hours: The exams take longer than this.
- six hours: The exams take less time than this.
- seven hours: The exams take less time than this.
Correct Answer: twenty minutes
Passage Reference: I compared every school within twenty minutes of our new house
Why this is correct: Aguiar says she compared every school within twenty minutes of her new house.
Tips: Find how far the mother searched when she picked a school.
Why the other options are wrong:
- thirty minutes: Aguiar gives a shorter travel time than this.
- forty-five minutes: Aguiar gives a shorter travel time than this.
- one hour: Aguiar gives a shorter travel time than this.
Correct Answer: half
Passage Reference: one where half the children are still learning English
Why this is correct: Arnott describes a school where half the children are still learning English.
Tips: The commenter repeats the principal’s example. Find what share of the children she says are new to English.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a third: Arnott gives a bigger share than this.
- two thirds: Arnott gives a smaller share than this.
- three quarters: Arnott gives a smaller share than this.
Correct Answer: September
Passage Reference: It tells me nothing about how much a child has grown since September.
Why this is correct: Balcombe says a test tells him nothing about how much a child has grown since September.
Tips: Find the starting point the teacher gives for measuring a child’s progress.
Why the other options are wrong:
- October: Balcombe does not mention October.
- November: Balcombe does not mention November.
- January: Balcombe does not mention January.
Correct Answer: the end of the school year
Passage Reference: The ministry has said it will answer the teachers before the end of the school year.
Why this is correct: The ministry has said it will answer the teachers before the end of the school year.
Tips: Find the promise made to the teachers, and check the deadline it gives.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the end of this month: The article gives a later deadline than this.
- the start of spring break: The article does not mention spring break.
- the next provincial election: The article does not mention an election.
The rest of this explanation is for members. Sign in free to read why the other options are wrong, key words and tips.
Sign in to read the full explanation