Read the following article from a website.
The board of the Lakeshore Stage, the publicly funded theatre in Sudbury, will vote in November on a rule that would keep at least two of every five leading roles each season for actors who live in the region. Last season, fourteen of the theatre’s sixteen leading roles went to performers hired in Toronto and Vancouver. The city and the province together cover about forty percent of the budget, and a petition signed by nine hundred residents has asked the board to act.
Zenaida Ibarra, a local actor who has worked as an understudy at the Lakeshore for six years, started the petition. “I have learned every lead in three productions, and I have stood in the wings for all of them,” she said. “Our taxes help pay for this stage. People who live here deserve a fair chance to stand on it.” Ibarra adds that young performers leave once they see the big parts always going to outsiders. “Right now we are training actors for other cities,” Ibarra said.
Artistic director Graham Holloway, who chooses the casts, says a fixed share would tie his hands. “My job is to put the strongest show in front of the audience, and sometimes the right person lives two thousand kilometres away,” Holloway said. “If I must fill a lead from a short list, the reviews will suffer and ticket sales will follow.” He points out that the theatre already hires local actors for most supporting parts.
Councillor Rosamund Jaswal, who sits on the theatre’s board, wants a middle path. “I would start with one lead in five and pay for a coaching program so local actors are ready when they audition,” she explained. “A rule without training would only set people up to fail,” Jaswal added. Ambrose Hartigan, a retired teacher who has held season tickets for twenty years, says he and most of the audience simply want a good night out. “I don’t check an actor’s home address before I clap. A good show is a good show,” Hartigan said. “Still, I love seeing a face I know from the grocery store up on that stage.”
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
Graham Holloway warns that a fixed share of leads would result in 2..
Paragraph four mainly presents 3..
According to Ibarra, people who live in the region 4..
The writer presents the question as 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 proposal to reserve lead roles for regional performers
Why this is correct: The board will vote on keeping two of every five leading roles for actors from the region. Every person quoted reacts to that plan.
Passage Reference: a rule that would keep at least two of every five leading roles each season for actors who live in the region
Tips: For each option, ask which of Ibarra, Holloway, Jaswal and Hartigan speak to it. Leave aside any option that only matches a passing detail.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a petition to build a second theatre downtown: There is a petition, but it asks the board to act on casting. Nobody wants a new building.
- a plan to cut city funding for the arts: The city and the province pay part of the budget. Nobody plans to cut that money.
- a contest that sends young actors to Toronto: Toronto is where many lead actors come from. No contest is described.
Correct Answer: poorer reviews and then smaller audiences
Passage Reference: If I must fill a lead from a short list, the reviews will suffer and ticket sales will follow.
Why this is correct: Holloway says that if he must fill a lead from a short list, the reviews will suffer and ticket sales will follow.
Tips: Read every sentence Holloway says. Choose the result his words predict, and cross out any that another speaker raises.
Why the other options are wrong:
- fewer shows staged each season: Holloway never says the theatre would stage fewer shows. He talks about reviews and ticket sales.
- more coaching for local performers: Jaswal wants a coaching program. Holloway does not say the rule would bring one.
- higher prices for season tickets: Ticket prices are never mentioned. Holloway talks about ticket sales.
Correct Answer: a softer plan and a view from the audience
Passage Reference: I would start with one lead in five and pay for a coaching program so local actors are ready when they audition ... A good show is a good show
Why this is correct: “Paragraph four” gives Jaswal’s smaller plan of one lead in five with coaching. It then gives the view of Hartigan, who goes to the theatre.
Tips: Reread “Paragraph four” and put its job into a few words of your own. Then check each choice against those lines, not the rest of the article.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the director’s case against a fixed share: Holloway argues against a fixed share, but his words are not in “Paragraph four”.
- the petition and the actor who started it: Ibarra and her petition come earlier, not in “Paragraph four”.
- the theatre’s plans for its next season: No plans for next season are described anywhere in the article.
Correct Answer: have earned a real chance at the big roles
Passage Reference: Our taxes help pay for this stage. People who live here deserve a fair chance to stand on it.
Why this is correct: Ibarra says local taxes help pay for the stage. So people who live here deserve a fair chance to stand on it.
Tips: Go over Ibarra’s quotes and the lines that report her view. Keep the option one of her sentences says in other words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- only care about seeing a good show: Hartigan says the audience simply wants a good night out. Ibarra does not say this.
- should be coached before they audition: Jaswal wants coaching before auditions. Ibarra does not ask for it.
- would rather watch actors from Toronto: No one says local people would rather watch actors from Toronto.
Correct Answer: a real issue that residents have pushed forward
Passage Reference: a petition signed by nine hundred residents has asked the board to act
Why this is correct: The reporter says nine hundred residents signed a petition asking the board to act. So the reporter shows a real issue that local people raised.
Tips: Look only at what the reporter writes outside the quotation marks. Ask which choice those plain sentences support.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a selfish demand by a few local actors: The reporter never judges the actors. Calling them selfish would be an opinion the reporter does not give.
- a choice the board has already made: The reporter says the board will vote in November, so nothing is decided yet.
- a joke that nobody takes seriously: A petition with nine hundred names and a board vote show the issue is taken seriously.
Correct Answer: fourteen
Passage Reference: fourteen of the theatre’s sixteen leading roles went to performers hired in Toronto and Vancouver
Why this is correct: Last season, fourteen of the sixteen leading roles went to performers hired in Toronto and Vancouver.
Tips: The article gives two numbers about last season. Decide which one counts the whole group and which counts only part of it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- twelve: Twelve does not appear in the article.
- sixteen: Sixteen is the total number of leading roles. Not all of them went to outside performers.
- ten: Ten does not appear in the article.
Correct Answer: three productions
Passage Reference: I have learned every lead in three productions
Why this is correct: Ibarra says she has learned every lead in three productions and watched all of them from the wings.
Tips: The understudy gives two numbers about herself. Check which one counts shows and which one counts time.
Why the other options are wrong:
- two productions: Ibarra gives a larger number than two.
- four productions: Ibarra gives a smaller number than four.
- six productions: Six is the number of years Ibarra has worked as an understudy. It is not a number of shows.
Correct Answer: other cities
Passage Reference: Right now we are training actors for other cities
Why this is correct: Ibarra says the theatre is training actors for other cities. Young performers learn here and then leave.
Tips: Find Ibarra’s quote with the words “training actors for”. The words that come after them fill the gap.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the big festivals: Festivals are not mentioned in the article.
- television and film: Television and film are not mentioned in the article.
- touring companies: Touring companies are not mentioned in the article.
Correct Answer: supporting parts
Passage Reference: the theatre already hires local actors for most supporting parts
Why this is correct: Holloway points out that the theatre already hires local actors for most supporting parts.
Tips: The commenter is giving the director’s defence. Find what he says local actors already receive.
Why the other options are wrong:
- understudy jobs: Ibarra is an understudy, but Holloway does not say local actors get most of those jobs.
- chorus parts: Chorus parts are not mentioned in the article.
- children’s show roles: Shows for children are not mentioned in the article.
Correct Answer: twenty years
Passage Reference: who has held season tickets for twenty years
Why this is correct: Hartigan is a retired teacher who has held season tickets for twenty years.
Tips: The ticket holder describes himself briefly. Find how long he has kept his seats.
Why the other options are wrong:
- ten years: Ten years is not in the article.
- six years: Six years is how long Ibarra has been an understudy.
- forty years: Forty is the percentage of the budget paid by the city and the province.
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