Read the following article from a website.
A committee of MPs in Ottawa is looking at whether foods made with genetically modified crops should carry a required label. At present, such labels are voluntary, and very few companies use them. The committee has heard from scientists, food makers, farmers and consumer groups over six days of hearings, and it is expected to send its report to Parliament before the summer break.
Anneliese Gruber, a food scientist in Guelph, told the committee that a required label would send the wrong message. “The crops sold here go through the same safety reviews as any other food,” Gruber said. “A big label on the front of a box tells shoppers to be afraid, and it teaches them nothing about nutrition. That is the opposite of what a label is for.” She would prefer a small code on each package that shoppers can scan with a phone for full details.
Iñaki Etxeberria, a spokesperson for a national consumer group, says the science is not the point. “People have a right to know what they are feeding their families, whatever any expert thinks,” Etxeberria said. “Our members want the words on the package itself. A code that needs a phone and a good signal is not a label. It is a treasure hunt.” He says his group’s survey found that seven in ten members want printed labels.
Huguette Faucher, who owns a family bakery in Kingston, warns that tracing every ingredient back through her suppliers would cost her real money. “I buy flour, oil and sugar from five different companies,” Faucher said. “If every province makes its own rules, I will need a different box for every market.” She asks for one national standard and two years to change her packaging. Lyle Gilchrist, a grain farmer who belongs to an environmental group, says labels miss the bigger issue. “What worries me is happening in the fields, where some weeds no longer die when we spray them,” Gilchrist said. “That will never show up on a box,” he added.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
The author presents the question as 2..
Overall, the article suggests that 3..
Huguette Faucher’s concerns would likely be supported by 4..
Iñaki Etxeberria would likely say that a scan code on the package 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: whether some foods should carry a required label
Why this is correct: A committee is looking at whether foods made with modified crops should carry a required label. Each speaker answers that question.
Passage Reference: A committee of MPs in Ottawa is looking at whether foods made with genetically modified crops should carry a required label.
Tips: Go through Gruber, Etxeberria, Faucher and Gilchrist, asking each time if the option fits. Watch for options that sound close to the text but go further than anyone says.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a new bakery opening in Kingston: Faucher owns a bakery in Kingston, but it is not new and it is not the subject.
- a study of weeds on Prairie farms: Gilchrist mentions weeds, but nobody reports on a study of them.
- the price of bread in Kingston: Faucher runs a bakery in Kingston, but bread prices are not discussed.
Correct Answer: one that many kinds of people want a say in
Passage Reference: The committee has heard from scientists, food makers, farmers and consumer groups
Why this is correct: The reporter says the committee has heard from scientists, food makers, farmers and consumer groups. That shows many kinds of people want to be part of this decision.
Tips: Cover every quotation and read only the reporter’s own lines. Test each choice against those lines alone.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a danger that shoppers have good reason to fear: Gruber says a big label would make shoppers afraid. The reporter never says shoppers should be afraid.
- a problem that scientists have already solved: The reporter says the committee is still holding hearings. Nothing in the reporter’s words says the question is settled.
- a silly fuss over a few words on a box: The reporter treats the hearings seriously and never makes fun of anyone.
Correct Answer: no single answer would satisfy every speaker
Passage Reference: She would prefer a small code on each package ... A code that needs a phone and a good signal is not a label. ... She asks for one national standard ... says labels miss the bigger issue
Why this is correct: Gruber wants a scan code, but Etxeberria rejects it. Faucher wants one national standard, and Gilchrist says labels miss the bigger issue. No answer pleases them all.
Tips: Read the article again from start to finish. Keep the statement that the text itself backs up, and drop any that goes beyond what it says.
Why the other options are wrong:
- modified crops have been shown to be unsafe: Gruber says the crops go through the same safety reviews as other food. No speaker says they are unsafe.
- a phone code would please every side: This is Gruber’s idea. Etxeberria calls a code a treasure hunt, so it does not please every side.
- the committee has already chosen printed labels: The committee is still hearing views and has not sent its report yet.
Correct Answer: companies paying for a new box design in every province
Passage Reference: If every province makes its own rules, I will need a different box for every market.
Why this is correct: Faucher warns that if every province makes its own rules, she will need a different box for every market. Companies paying for a new box in each province would back her up.
Tips: Read each sentence Faucher says, and the lines the reporter writes about her. Then decide which option, if true, would back up her case rather than someone else’s argument.
Why the other options are wrong:
- tests showing modified crops are as safe as others: This supports Gruber, who says the crops pass the same safety reviews. Faucher does not talk about safety.
- shoppers who will not use phone codes in stores: This backs Etxeberria, who calls a phone code a treasure hunt. Faucher does not mention codes.
- farmers finding weeds that sprays no longer kill: Weeds that no longer die fit Gilchrist’s point about the fields. They have nothing to do with Faucher’s packaging.
Correct Answer: would not work for every shopper
Passage Reference: A code that needs a phone and a good signal is not a label. It is a treasure hunt.
Why this is correct: Etxeberria says a code that needs a phone and a good signal is not a label. So a shopper without a phone or a signal could not read it.
Tips: Go through Etxeberria’s quoted sentences one at a time. Pick the view they lead to, and cross out any that matches another speaker.
Why the other options are wrong:
- would teach shoppers about nutrition: Gruber says a label should teach about nutrition. Etxeberria does not claim this for a code.
- would cost bakeries too much money: Faucher talks about the cost of new boxes, not about codes. Etxeberria does not mention costs.
- would fix the problem in the fields: Gilchrist says the problem in the fields will never show up on a box. Etxeberria does not link codes to it.
Correct Answer: six
Passage Reference: The committee has heard from scientists, food makers, farmers and consumer groups over six days of hearings
Why this is correct: The committee has heard from witnesses over six days of hearings.
Tips: Find how long the committee spent listening to witnesses.
Why the other options are wrong:
- two: The hearings lasted longer than two days.
- four: The hearings lasted longer than four days.
- ten: The hearings did not last ten days.
Correct Answer: seven in ten
Passage Reference: He says his group’s survey found that seven in ten members want printed labels.
Why this is correct: Etxeberria says his group’s survey found that seven in ten members want printed labels.
Tips: Look for the survey result the consumer group reports.
Why the other options are wrong:
- three in ten: This is a much smaller share than the survey found.
- five in ten: This is a smaller share than the survey found.
- nine in ten: This is a bigger share than the survey found.
Correct Answer: sugar
Passage Reference: I buy flour, oil and sugar from five different companies
Why this is correct: Faucher says she buys flour, oil and sugar from five different companies.
Tips: Find the ingredients the bakery owner names, and look for the one missing from the commenter’s sentence.
Why the other options are wrong:
- eggs: Faucher does not mention eggs.
- butter: Faucher does not mention butter.
- yeast: Faucher does not mention yeast.
Correct Answer: two years
Passage Reference: She asks for one national standard and two years to change her packaging.
Why this is correct: Faucher asks for one national standard and two years to change her packaging.
Tips: Find how much time the bakery owner asks for to make the switch.
Why the other options are wrong:
- six months: Faucher asks for more time than six months.
- one year: Faucher asks for more time than one year.
- five years: Faucher asks for less time than five years.
Correct Answer: the summer break
Passage Reference: it is expected to send its report to Parliament before the summer break
Why this is correct: The committee is expected to send its report to Parliament before the summer break.
Tips: Check the deadline the committee is aiming for with its findings.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the winter holidays: The winter holidays are not mentioned in the article.
- the next election: Elections are not mentioned in the article.
- the end of the year: The article gives a different deadline.
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