Read the following article from a website.
Westbrook, a public high school in Kamloops, may become the first high school in its district to stop buying printed science textbooks. Under a proposal from the school’s science department, the $46,000 normally spent every six years on new books would instead pay for teachers to build and update a shared collection of online readings, videos and practice problems. The district’s curriculum committee must approve the change, and it is expected to rule in May after hearing from parents, teachers and students.
Severin Avery, who heads the science department, argues that printed books cannot keep up with the subject. “By the time a textbook reaches our shelves, some of its examples are already five years old,” Avery said. “My colleagues know these students. We can choose material that fits our labs, our local rivers and our timetable, and we can fix a mistake the same afternoon we find it.” He adds that students would still be able to print any page they need in the library.
Ingeborg Beaumont, who has taught chemistry at the school for twenty-two years, is not convinced that teachers have the time. “Writing good material is a full-time job, and publishers pay whole teams of experts to check every page,” she said. “If each of us is building lessons at night, quality will depend on who has the most energy that month,” Beaumont warned. Sabela Arceneaux, whose son is in Grade 10, worries about families like hers. “We share one laptop among four people, and our internet is slow,” Arceneaux said. “A book never runs out of battery.”
Ugo Bertolini, a Grade 12 student who sits on the student council, says most of his classmates already learn from screens. “Nobody I know carries the textbook home anymore. It weighs almost three kilograms,” Bertolini said. “But the school should lend a device to anyone who needs one before it gets rid of the books.” Avery says the department would set aside part of the savings for that purpose.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
What matters to everyone quoted is 2..
Paragraph two mainly sets out 3..
Ingeborg Beaumont would likely say that lessons written by busy teachers 4..
At present, Sabela Arceneaux has 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: a plan to swap printed textbooks for teacher-made online lessons
Why this is correct: The science department wants to stop buying printed books and pay teachers to build online material instead. Every speaker reacts to this plan.
Passage Reference: would instead pay for teachers to build and update a shared collection of online readings, videos and practice problems
Tips: Check every option against Avery, Beaumont, Arceneaux and Bertolini, speaker by speaker. Pick the option that all four are arguing about, not a side point that comes up along the way.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a shortage of science teachers in Kamloops: Nobody says the school lacks science teachers.
- a program to give every student a laptop: Bertolini asks the school to lend devices to those who need them. That is a condition, not the main subject.
- a debate over the cost of new science labs: Labs are mentioned only by Avery as something material could fit.
Correct Answer: students having learning material they can rely on
Passage Reference: we can fix a mistake the same afternoon we find it ... quality will depend on who has the most energy that month ... A book never runs out of battery. ... the school should lend a device to anyone who needs one before it gets rid of the books
Why this is correct: Avery wants to fix mistakes quickly, and Beaumont worries about quality. Arceneaux wants something that always works, and Bertolini wants a device for anyone who needs one. Each of them cares about dependable material for students.
Tips: Test each option on Avery, Beaumont, Arceneaux and Bertolini in turn. Keep it only if each of them shows, in their own words, that it matters to them.
Why the other options are wrong:
- saving money on new books: Saving money is part of the department’s plan. Beaumont and Arceneaux never say money is what matters to them.
- giving teachers more time to plan: Only Beaumont talks about teachers’ time. Arceneaux and Bertolini do not mention it.
- keeping printed books in every class: Avery wants to stop buying printed books. Bertolini says nobody he knows carries the textbook home.
Correct Answer: the department head’s case for the change
Passage Reference: argues that printed books cannot keep up with the subject
Why this is correct: Paragraph two is about Avery, who heads the science department. He argues that printed books cannot keep up and explains what teachers could do instead.
Tips: Go back to the part of the article the item line names. Say in a few words what its speaker is doing there, then pick the matching choice.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the cost of new books and who must approve: The book money and the committee vote are described in paragraph one.
- a parent’s worry about internet at home: Arceneaux talks about her slow internet in paragraph three, not paragraph two.
- a student’s view of the heavy books: Bertolini, the student, speaks in paragraph four. Paragraph two does not mention the weight of the books.
Correct Answer: would be uneven in quality
Passage Reference: If each of us is building lessons at night, quality will depend on who has the most energy that month
Why this is correct: Beaumont says that if teachers build lessons at night, quality will depend on who has the most energy that month. So she expects the quality to go up and down.
Tips: Read Beaumont’s quoted sentences. Pick the answer they lead to, not one that comes from another speaker.
Why the other options are wrong:
- would be more up to date than books: Avery is the one who says teachers can keep material current. Beaumont doubts they have the time.
- would be easier for students to carry: The weight of books is Bertolini’s point. Beaumont talks about the work of writing lessons.
- would cost the district more than books: Beaumont never compares costs. She talks about time, experts and quality.
Correct Answer: one laptop for the whole family
Passage Reference: We share one laptop among four people, and our internet is slow
Why this is correct: Arceneaux says the four people in her home share one laptop. That is what her family has right now.
Tips: Read Arceneaux’s quotes about her own house. Then check each answer against the details she gives.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a laptop for each of her children: Arceneaux says four people share a single laptop, so the children do not each have one.
- fast internet but no printer: Arceneaux says her internet is slow. She does not mention a printer.
- a son who has finished high school: Her son is in Grade 10, so he is still in school.
Correct Answer: $46,000
Passage Reference: the $46,000 normally spent every six years on new books
Why this is correct: The school normally spends $46,000 on new books every six years.
Tips: This blank asks for an amount of money. Find what the school usually pays for a new set of books.
Why the other options are wrong:
- $36,000: The school spends more than this.
- $56,000: The school spends less than this.
- $66,000: The school spends less than this.
Correct Answer: five years
Passage Reference: By the time a textbook reaches our shelves, some of its examples are already five years old
Why this is correct: Avery says some textbook examples are already five years old when the book arrives.
Tips: The commenter repeats the department head’s complaint about printed books. Find how out of date he says the content is.
Why the other options are wrong:
- two years: Avery says the examples are older than this.
- ten years: Avery says the examples are newer than this.
- twenty years: Avery says the examples are much newer than this.
Correct Answer: twenty-two years
Passage Reference: who has taught chemistry at the school for twenty-two years
Why this is correct: Beaumont has taught chemistry at the school for twenty-two years.
Tips: Find how long the chemistry teacher has worked at Westbrook.
Why the other options are wrong:
- twelve years: Beaumont has taught there for longer than this.
- twenty years: Beaumont has taught there for a little longer than this.
- thirty-two years: Beaumont has taught there for less time than this.
Correct Answer: three kilograms
Passage Reference: It weighs almost three kilograms
Why this is correct: Bertolini says the textbook weighs almost three kilograms.
Tips: Find the student’s comment about how heavy the book is.
Why the other options are wrong:
- two kilograms: Bertolini says the book is heavier than this.
- four kilograms: Bertolini says the book is lighter than this.
- five kilograms: Bertolini says the book is lighter than this.
Correct Answer: May
Passage Reference: it is expected to rule in May
Why this is correct: The curriculum committee is expected to rule in May.
Tips: Look for the month the committee is expected to decide.
Why the other options are wrong:
- March: This month is not in the article.
- April: This month is not in the article.
- June: This month is not in the article.
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