Read the following article from a website.
The City of Brackenridge has released a plan to cut the energy used by its homes and other buildings, and council will vote on it next month. The plan has two main parts. Homeowners could borrow money at a low interest rate for heat pumps, insulation and new windows, and repay it through their property tax bill, so they would pay nothing up front. New buildings would also have to meet a higher energy standard from 2028.
Mirela Dragomir, the city’s energy manager, says buildings are the right place to start. “Homes and other buildings produce about half of the pollution from our city,” she said. “This is where the city has real power, and the loans make it easy for owners to act.” Anders Carvalho, who speaks for the region’s home builders, says the stricter standard would push up the price of a first home by several thousand dollars. “Young families are already struggling to buy their first house,” Carvalho said. “Give builders three years to phase it in, so we can train our crews and find suppliers,” he added.
Esther Cardinal, who works with seniors on low incomes, argues that loans alone will miss the people who need help most. “If all we offer is a loan, the people in the draftiest houses will simply say no,” Cardinal said. “Many of my clients lived through hard times and are afraid of any new debt.” She would rather see grants than loans for owners whose income falls below a set level. She also wants landlords who join the program to promise that the cost of the work will not show up in higher rents.
Emrys Dempsey, treasurer of a local taxpayers’ group, says he is not against the plan but wants to know what each dollar buys. “Every year, the city should publish how much pollution was cut for every dollar spent,” Dempsey said. “If the numbers are good, I will be the first to say so. If they are poor, council should change course. That is how any business would do it.”
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
Esther Cardinal’s views would likely be supported by 2..
The author presents the plan as 3..
According to Dempsey, the city should 4..
All of the people quoted seem to agree that the city 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 city plan to make buildings use less energy
Why this is correct: Brackenridge has a plan to cut the energy used by homes and other buildings. Every speaker gives a view on that plan.
Passage Reference: The City of Brackenridge has released a plan to cut the energy used by its homes and other buildings
Tips: Ask what council will vote on next month. Every person quoted is reacting to that.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a new tax on families who buy their first house: Carvalho talks about the price of starter homes, but no new tax is planned.
- a program that pays seniors to move into apartments: Cardinal works with seniors, but nobody suggests moving them.
- a report on how the city spends its budget: Dempsey asks for a yearly report, but only as one part of his view.
Correct Answer: reports of tenants paying higher rent after repairs
Passage Reference: She also wants landlords who join the program to promise that the cost of the work will not show up in higher rents.
Why this is correct: Cardinal wants landlords to promise that the cost of the work will not show up in higher rents. Reports of rents rising after repairs would show her worry is real.
Tips: Read Cardinal’s quotes and the sentences about what she wants. Then choose the evidence that would give her case more weight.
Why the other options are wrong:
- data showing buildings cause much of the pollution: This fits Dragomir’s reason for starting with buildings. It says nothing about tenants or rents.
- figures showing that new homes now cost much more: Home prices support Carvalho, who speaks for builders. Cardinal talks about seniors and renters, not first homes.
- a yearly report on pollution cut per dollar: A yearly report is what Dempsey asks for. It says nothing about what happens to rents.
Correct Answer: a proposal that council has not yet approved
Passage Reference: The City of Brackenridge has released a plan to cut the energy used by its homes and other buildings, and council will vote on it next month.
Why this is correct: Outside the quotes, the reporter says council will vote on the plan next month. Nothing has been decided, so it is still a proposal.
Tips: Cover the quotes and read what is left. Test each option against those words only, and drop any that claims more than they say.
Why the other options are wrong:
- an idea that only builders object to: Carvalho speaks for builders, but Cardinal and Dempsey also want changes. So builders are not the only people with concerns.
- a mistake that council should reject: Nowhere does the reporter give an opinion on the plan. Only the people quoted say what they think of it.
- a success that has already cut pollution: The plan has not started yet, so the reporter reports no results. Dempsey asks for reports on results in the future.
Correct Answer: report each year on what its spending achieves
Passage Reference: Every year, the city should publish how much pollution was cut for every dollar spent
Why this is correct: Dempsey says the city should publish every year how much pollution was cut for every dollar spent. He wants to see what the money buys.
Tips: Read Dempsey’s quotes in full. Choose the option that says, in other words, what one of his sentences asks for.
Why the other options are wrong:
- drop the plan before any money is spent: Dempsey says he is not against the plan. He wants to judge it by its results, not stop it.
- charge every owner a new yearly fee: Dempsey never mentions new charges for owners. Nobody in the article suggests a fee of any kind.
- stop asking builders to meet higher standards: The building standard is Carvalho’s concern, and even he only wants more time. Dempsey does not discuss it.
Correct Answer: can go ahead with some version of the plan
Passage Reference: the loans make it easy for owners to act ... so we can train our crews and find suppliers ... She would rather see grants than loans ... he is not against the plan
Why this is correct: Dragomir backs the plan, and Dempsey says he is not against it. Carvalho and Cardinal ask for changes, but neither asks council to throw it out.
Tips: Test each choice against every speaker in turn. Drop any choice that fits only one person.
Why the other options are wrong:
- should give builders extra time to prepare: Only Carvalho, who speaks for builders, asks for more time. The others do not mention it.
- should offer grants to owners on low incomes: Grants are Cardinal’s idea for owners with low incomes. No other speaker asks for them.
- should pay the full cost of every repair: Nobody asks the city to cover all repair costs. The plan only offers loans that owners pay back.
Correct Answer: half
Passage Reference: Homes and other buildings produce about half of the pollution from our city
Why this is correct: Dragomir says homes and other buildings produce about half of the pollution from the city.
Tips: The blank needs a share. Find what the energy manager says about where the city’s pollution comes from.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a quarter: Dragomir gives a bigger share than a quarter.
- a third: Dragomir gives a bigger share than a third.
- most: Dragomir gives a smaller share than most.
Correct Answer: property tax bill
Passage Reference: repay it through their property tax bill, so they would pay nothing up front
Why this is correct: The article says owners would repay the loan through their property tax bill.
Tips: The commenter is talking about how owners would pay the money back. Find which payment the article links to the loan.
Why the other options are wrong:
- monthly hydro bill: The article never mentions a hydro bill.
- home insurance bill: The article never mentions insurance.
- city water bill: The article never mentions a water bill.
Correct Answer: three years
Passage Reference: Give builders three years to phase it in, so we can train our crews and find suppliers
Why this is correct: Carvalho asks the city to give builders three years to phase in the new standard.
Tips: The commenter means the builders’ spokesperson. Find how long he asks for.
Why the other options are wrong:
- six months: Carvalho asks for much more time than six months.
- a full year: Carvalho asks for more time than a year.
- five years: Five years is not mentioned in the article.
Correct Answer: 2028
Passage Reference: New buildings would also have to meet a higher energy standard from 2028.
Why this is correct: The article says new buildings would have to meet a higher energy standard from 2028.
Tips: The blank needs a year. Find when the rule for new buildings would begin.
Why the other options are wrong:
- 2026: This year is not in the article.
- 2027: This year is not in the article.
- 2030: This year is not in the article.
Correct Answer: new debt
Passage Reference: Many of my clients lived through hard times and are afraid of any new debt.
Why this is correct: Cardinal says many of her clients lived through hard times and are afraid of any new debt.
Tips: The commenter compares a neighbour to the seniors in the article. Find what Cardinal says those seniors fear.
Why the other options are wrong:
- workers in her home: Cardinal does not say seniors fear workers.
- noise and dust: Cardinal never mentions noise or dust.
- big changes: Cardinal names something more specific than change.
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