Read the following article from a website.
Larkspur city council will decide in April whether to change the rules for its small-business grant program, which hands out about two million dollars a year in grants of up to twenty-five thousand dollars each. At present, any owner with a sound plan can apply. Under a proposal from the economic development committee, only owners who promise to add at least one full-time job within two years would qualify. Last year the program funded ninety-four businesses, from bakeries to repair shops.
Councillor Rupert Dunleavy, who chairs the committee, says the change is about results. “This is public money, so it should create jobs that show up in someone’s pay cheque, not just nicer shop windows,” he said. “If an owner takes the grant and nobody new is hired after two years, they should pay half of it back.” Dunleavy adds that taxpayers have a right to see what their money buys.
Esme Corrigan, who runs a bicycle repair shop with her partner, says the rule would shut out businesses like hers. “We used our grant to buy a second repair stand and a parts washer, and now we fix twice as many bikes,” Corrigan said. “We never wanted to be a big company. A shop that stays small and stays open for twenty years is a success too.” She worries that owners will feel pushed to hire before they can afford it. “The quickest way to close a small business is to take on wages you cannot pay in a slow winter,” she said.
Kenji Delaney, who advises new businesses at the local college, says he thinks the city is measuring the wrong thing. “Owners will promise a job to get the money, and some will hire a part-timer for a few months just to tick the box,” Delaney said. “I would rather see the city check whether a business is still open and paying its bills after three years.” Rashida Castellanos, who runs a job centre for young people, says she disagrees. “For the teenagers I work with, the first job is the hardest one to get,” Castellanos said. “If the city is handing out money, I want it to open doors for them.”
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
Kenji Delaney expects that the new rule would lead to 2..
Esme Corrigan would likely say that a grant 3..
The readers this article is most likely written for are 4..
All of the people quoted seem to agree that the grants should 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 proposed condition on city grants for small firms
Why this is correct: Council will decide whether only owners who promise to add a full-time job can get a grant. Every speaker reacts to that new condition.
Passage Reference: only owners who promise to add at least one full-time job within two years would qualify
Tips: Look for each option in what Dunleavy, Corrigan, Delaney and Castellanos say. Cross out the options that belong to one speaker, then compare what is left.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a new college course for business owners: Delaney works at the local college, but no new course is described.
- a plan to open a job centre for teenagers: Castellanos already runs a job centre. Nobody plans to open one.
- a bicycle shop that is closing down: Corrigan’s bike shop is doing well. She says it now fixes twice as many bikes.
Correct Answer: short-term hiring just to win the money
Passage Reference: Owners will promise a job to get the money, and some will hire a part-timer for a few months just to tick the box
Why this is correct: Delaney says owners will promise a job to get the money. He expects some to hire a part-timer for a few months just to tick the box.
Tips: Read Delaney’s quotes from start to end. Pick the result his words predict, not the rule in the item line.
Why the other options are wrong:
- fewer bakeries applying for help: Bakeries appear only as an example of past winners. Delaney does not predict fewer applications.
- owners paying back the whole amount: Dunleavy suggests paying back half when nobody is hired. Delaney does not mention paying anything back.
- more firms closing in the winter: A slow winter is Corrigan’s worry about wages. Delaney talks about owners gaming the rule.
Correct Answer: can do good even if no one is hired
Passage Reference: A shop that stays small and stays open for twenty years is a success too.
Why this is correct: Corrigan says a shop that stays small and stays open for twenty years is a success too. So in her view, a grant can help without new staff.
Tips: Read all of Corrigan’s quotes, then choose the option they lead to. Drop any option that matches another speaker instead.
Why the other options are wrong:
- should go to the biggest firms: Corrigan says she never wanted to be a big company. She defends small shops.
- should be paid back if sales fall: Corrigan never mentions paying a grant back. Dunleavy talks about repayment, and only when nobody is hired.
- works best when it pays for wages: Corrigan warns that wages you cannot pay can close a shop. She used her grant for equipment.
Correct Answer: people who live and work in the city
Passage Reference: Larkspur city council will decide in April whether to change the rules
Why this is correct: The article reports a decision Larkspur council will make about city money. It quotes a councillor, a shop owner, an adviser and a job centre leader from the city.
Tips: Ask what each kind of reader would get from this article. Rule out readers it offers nothing to.
Why the other options are wrong:
- students in a college accounting course: An adviser from the college is quoted, but the article teaches nothing. It reports a council decision.
- cyclists looking for repair tips: A bike repair shop is mentioned, but no repair advice is given.
- owners of large national companies: The grants are for small local firms. Large national companies are never mentioned.
Correct Answer: show a real result for the money
Passage Reference: it should create jobs that show up in someone’s pay cheque ... now we fix twice as many bikes ... check whether a business is still open and paying its bills ... I want it to open doors for them
Why this is correct: Dunleavy wants jobs, and Corrigan says her grant doubled the bikes she fixes. Delaney wants firms still open, and Castellanos wants doors opened for teenagers. Each wants the money to achieve something.
Tips: Check each option against Dunleavy, Corrigan, Delaney and Castellanos. Keep it only if not one of them would object to it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- create at least one full-time job: This is the rule Dunleavy supports. Corrigan and Delaney both argue against it.
- help shops stay small and steady: Only Corrigan defends staying small. Dunleavy and Castellanos want new jobs.
- go mainly to young people’s jobs: Only Castellanos speaks for young people. The others do not mention teenagers.
Correct Answer: twenty-five thousand dollars
Passage Reference: grants of up to twenty-five thousand dollars each
Why this is correct: The article says the program gives grants of up to twenty-five thousand dollars each.
Tips: The blank needs the most one owner can receive. Read the article’s description of the program carefully.
Why the other options are wrong:
- ten thousand dollars: This amount is not in the article.
- twenty thousand dollars: This amount is not in the article.
- forty thousand dollars: This amount is not in the article.
Correct Answer: a parts washer
Passage Reference: We used our grant to buy a second repair stand and a parts washer
Why this is correct: Corrigan says she used the grant to buy a second repair stand and a parts washer.
Tips: The commenter names one item the bike shop bought. Find the second thing Corrigan says the grant paid for.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a tire machine: A tire machine is not mentioned in the article.
- an air compressor: An air compressor is not mentioned in the article.
- a tool cabinet: A tool cabinet is not mentioned in the article.
Correct Answer: ninety-four
Passage Reference: Last year the program funded ninety-four businesses, from bakeries to repair shops.
Why this is correct: The article says the program funded ninety-four businesses last year, from bakeries to repair shops.
Tips: The blank needs a count of businesses. Find the figure the article gives for last year.
Why the other options are wrong:
- forty-nine: Forty-nine is not in the article.
- sixty-four: Sixty-four is not in the article.
- one hundred: One hundred is not in the article. The program funded fewer than this.
Correct Answer: three years
Passage Reference: I would rather see the city check whether a business is still open and paying its bills after three years.
Why this is correct: Delaney wants the city to check whether a business is still open and paying its bills after three years.
Tips: Two periods of time appear in the article. Make sure you take the one the adviser chooses.
Why the other options are wrong:
- two years: Two years is the hiring deadline in the proposal, not Delaney’s check.
- five years: Five years is not mentioned in the article.
- ten years: Ten years is not mentioned in the article.
Correct Answer: the hardest one to get
Passage Reference: For the teenagers I work with, the first job is the hardest one to get
Why this is correct: Castellanos says that for the teenagers she works with, the first job is the hardest one to get.
Tips: The commenter is repeating the job centre worker’s words. Find what she says about teenagers and their first job.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the one that teaches the most: Castellanos does not say what a first job teaches.
- the easiest one to lose: Castellanos never says first jobs are easy to lose.
- the one people remember: Castellanos does not talk about memories of a first job.
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