Read the following article from a website.
The paper mill in Alder Cove, the largest employer in a Nova Scotia town of about twenty thousand people, will lay off six hundred of its twelve hundred workers by the end of January. The company is offering each of them three choices: a transfer to its other mill near Truro, early retirement for those with enough years of service, or a severance payment worth a little more than half a year’s wages. About three hundred workers have already accepted transfers. Town council is now debating how to keep the rest from leaving.
Gwendolyn Cormier and her husband have both worked at the mill for twenty-two years, and both lost their jobs. “We were told this place would outlast all of us, so we spent our money instead of saving it,” she said. “Houses near the other mill cost almost twice what ours is worth. If we move, we start over in debt in our fifties.” Cormier calls the severance offer “a cheque that looks bigger than it is,” because taxes will take a large share of it. “Three choices,” she said, “and not one of them works for people our age.”
Solenne Doucet, who moved to Alder Cove from France nine years ago, says she will take early retirement. “Life here costs very little, so stopping now makes sense for us,” Doucet said. “We already grow most of our vegetables and keep a few goats. I would rather have less money and stay in a place I love.” Tiago Coelho, who came from Brazil six years ago, says he sees it differently. “I came here because the rent was low and I could save,” Coelho said. “I was hoping to bring my wife and children over next year. Without a job, there is no reason for me to stay, so I am looking at work in Alberta.”
Mayor Fenella Crowley wants the province to fund a retraining centre in the company’s empty head office. “If people leave this winter, they will not come back, and the school and the hospital will lose staff next,” Crowley said. “Every family we keep for one more year gives us time to bring in new employers.” Cormier is not convinced. “Retraining is fine for someone who is thirty,” she said.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
The reporter’s tone is 2..
According to Cormier, workers her age 3..
At the moment, Tiago Coelho is 4..
This article would most likely be published in 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 effects of large layoffs on a small town
Why this is correct: The mill will lay off half of its workers in a town of about twenty thousand. Every speaker talks about how this changes their life or the town.
Passage Reference: will lay off six hundred of its twelve hundred workers by the end of January
Tips: Test each option against Cormier, Doucet, Coelho and Crowley, one by one. A minor fact from one person’s story cannot be the topic of the whole article.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a plan to build a second factory near Truro: The company already has a mill near Truro. Nobody plans to build a new one.
- rising house prices across Nova Scotia: House prices come up only once, in Cormier’s reason for not moving.
- a campaign to attract newcomers from Brazil: Coelho came from Brazil, but no campaign to bring people is described.
Correct Answer: serious and factual
Passage Reference: will lay off six hundred of its twelve hundred workers by the end of January
Why this is correct: The reporter gives the facts plainly: six hundred of twelve hundred workers will lose their jobs, and the offers are listed. No feeling is added to them.
Tips: Look at the writer’s own words outside the quotes. Decide what mood they create.
Why the other options are wrong:
- cheerful and hopeful: The reporter describes half the workforce losing their jobs. Nothing in those words is cheerful.
- angry at the company: The reporter lists the company’s offers without blaming it. Any complaints come from the people quoted.
- amused by the workers’ choices: The reporter treats each worker’s choice with respect. Nothing is mocked.
Correct Answer: are not helped by any of the choices
Passage Reference: and not one of them works for people our age
Why this is correct: Cormier says the company offers three choices, and not one of them works for people her age.
Tips: Cormier speaks in more than one place. Test each option against all of her words, not only one quote.
Why the other options are wrong:
- should all move to the other mill: Cormier says moving would put her family in debt, because houses near the other mill cost much more.
- will be the quickest to find new work: Cormier never says this. She worries about starting over in her fifties.
- will gain the most from retraining: Cormier says retraining is fine for someone who is thirty. She does not think it suits her age.
Correct Answer: living apart from his wife and children
Passage Reference: I was hoping to bring my wife and children over next year.
Why this is correct: Coelho says he was hoping to bring his wife and children over next year. So for now, his family lives somewhere else.
Tips: Read each of Coelho’s quoted sentences. Ask which option is true for him right now, and drop details that belong to another worker.
Why the other options are wrong:
- renting a house near the Truro mill: Coelho came to the town because rent was low. He does not say he lives near the other mill.
- about to take early retirement: Early retirement is Doucet’s choice. Coelho is looking for new work.
- growing most of his own food: Doucet is the one who grows most of her vegetables. Coelho does not mention food.
Correct Answer: a local newspaper in the region
Passage Reference: The paper mill in Alder Cove, the largest employer in a Nova Scotia town
Why this is correct: The story is about layoffs at the biggest employer in one Nova Scotia town. Local workers, the mayor and town council are all part of it.
Tips: Ask who would follow this story most closely. Then think about where they would read it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a guide for people planning to retire: Doucet mentions early retirement, but the article gives no advice. It reports what different people plan to do.
- a magazine about travel in Brazil and France: Two workers came from Brazil and France, but the story is about their lives in the town, not travel.
- a national report on world paper prices: No prices for paper are given. The article is about workers losing their jobs in one town.
Correct Answer: three hundred
Passage Reference: About three hundred workers have already accepted transfers.
Why this is correct: The article says about three hundred workers have already accepted transfers to the other mill.
Tips: The commenter means workers who agreed to move. Several numbers appear, so check which one counts that group.
Why the other options are wrong:
- two hundred: This is fewer than the number in the article.
- four hundred: This number does not appear in the article.
- six hundred: Six hundred is how many workers will lose their jobs, not how many accepted a move.
Correct Answer: a cheque that looks bigger than it is
Passage Reference: Cormier calls the severance offer “a cheque that looks bigger than it is,”
Why this is correct: Cormier calls the severance offer “a cheque that looks bigger than it is,” because taxes will take a large share.
Tips: The commenter repeats a description of the payment. Find the worker’s exact words about it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a small thank-you for a long career: Cormier is unhappy with the payment, but she never uses these words.
- money that will be gone within a year: Cormier does not say how long the money would last.
- an offer that nobody could live on: Cormier never says this. Cormier’s point is about taxes.
Correct Answer: goats
Passage Reference: We already grow most of our vegetables and keep a few goats.
Why this is correct: Doucet says her family already grows most of its vegetables and keeps a few goats.
Tips: The commenter mentions the vegetable garden. Find the animal that Doucet names in the same breath.
Why the other options are wrong:
- chickens: Chickens are not mentioned in the article.
- sheep: Sheep are not mentioned in the article.
- bees: Bees are not mentioned in the article. Doucet names a different animal.
Correct Answer: Alberta
Passage Reference: so I am looking at work in Alberta
Why this is correct: Coelho says that without a job he has no reason to stay, so he is looking at work in Alberta.
Tips: Find where Coelho talks about his next step. The province he names is where he hopes to find a job.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Saskatchewan: Saskatchewan is not mentioned in the article.
- Ontario: Ontario is not mentioned in the article.
- British Columbia: British Columbia is not mentioned in the article. Coelho names a different province.
Correct Answer: empty head office
Passage Reference: Mayor Fenella Crowley wants the province to fund a retraining centre in the company’s empty head office.
Why this is correct: Crowley wants the province to fund a retraining centre in the company’s empty head office.
Tips: The commenter is talking about the mayor’s idea. Find the building where she wants it to happen.
Why the other options are wrong:
- old fire hall: No fire hall is mentioned in the article.
- closed high school: No school building is mentioned in the article.
- unused church hall: No church hall is mentioned in the article.
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