Read the following article from a website.
Cobourg council is considering a plan to add a Sunday farmers’ market twice a month and evening markets on Fridays in spring and fall. The Saturday market on the town square now draws about three thousand shoppers a week in summer, and organizers say more than thirty farmers are waiting for a stall. Council will make a decision after a public meeting in March.
Ottilia Haddock, who organizes the market, says one market day a week is not enough for growers. “When it pours on a Saturday, a farmer loses a whole week of sales, and the lettuce ends up in the compost,” Haddock said. “A second day gives everyone a backup. Farmers cannot control the weather, but we can control the calendar.” She adds that stall fees would pay for two parking officers on busy days, so taxes would not have to rise.
Gustav Ivanov, who leads the residents’ association, says the neighbours around the square already pay a price. “On market mornings, shoppers park in the fire lanes behind our houses,” Ivanov said. “If a fire truck needed to get through, it could not. Fix the parking first, and then we can talk about more days,” he added. Yewande Jelani, a dietitian who works with seniors, supports more market days for a different reason. “Many older people buy all their fresh vegetables at the market, because they cannot drive to the big stores at the edge of town,” Jelani said. “They need marked drop-off spots close to the stalls,” she added. She would also like benches near the stalls.
Torben Hjort, a transit planner for the town, says he thinks part of the answer is already there. “The bus loop beside the arena sits almost empty on Sundays,” Hjort said. “Put up clear signs and run a small shuttle, and many shoppers will leave their cars there instead of on people’s streets. The buses are already paid for. They just need passengers,” he said.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
Paragraph one mainly explains 2..
Gustav Ivanov is most likely 3..
Yewande Jelani would likely say that more market days 4..
The main point of the article is that 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 hold the market on more days
Why this is correct: Council is considering a Sunday market twice a month and Friday evening markets. Everyone in the article reacts to that plan.
Passage Reference: is considering a plan to add a Sunday farmers’ market twice a month and evening markets on Fridays
Tips: Several speakers raise their own concerns. Ask what council has to decide, and check your choice against the plain facts the reporter gives.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a plan to move the market out of town: The market stays on the town square. Nobody wants to move it.
- a new parking lot beside the town square: No new parking lot is planned for the square.
- a fee increase for shoppers at the square: Stall fees are mentioned, but shoppers do not pay a fee.
Correct Answer: the plan and when council will decide
Passage Reference: Cobourg council is considering a plan to add a Sunday farmers’ market twice a month ... Council will make a decision after a public meeting in March.
Why this is correct: Paragraph one sets out the plan for Sunday and Friday markets. It also says council will decide after a public meeting in March.
Tips: Return to “Paragraph one” and ask what those lines are there to do. Pick the description of that job, not a fact from another part of the article.
Why the other options are wrong:
- how the town could use its empty buses: Hjort’s idea for the empty bus loop comes in paragraph four.
- the dangers of blocked fire lanes: Ivanov warns about the fire lanes in paragraph three.
- why rain hurts the farmers’ sales: Haddock explains the problem with rain in paragraph two.
Correct Answer: someone who lives near the town square
Passage Reference: On market mornings, shoppers park in the fire lanes behind our houses
Why this is correct: Ivanov says shoppers park in the fire lanes behind our houses. So he most likely lives near the square himself.
Tips: Read each of Ivanov’s quotes closely. Ask what his own words let you work out about him, and test every option against them.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a farmer who rents a stall: The farmers are Haddock’s growers. Ivanov speaks for the neighbours, not the sellers.
- a firefighter at the local station: Ivanov mentions a fire truck only to show the danger. Nothing says he is a firefighter.
- a planner for the town’s buses: Hjort is the transit planner. Ivanov leads the residents’ association.
Correct Answer: would help shoppers who cannot reach big stores
Passage Reference: Many older people buy all their fresh vegetables at the market, because they cannot drive to the big stores at the edge of town
Why this is correct: Jelani says many older people buy all their fresh vegetables at the market. They cannot drive to the big stores at the edge of town.
Tips: Read all of Jelani’s quoted sentences and the line that introduces her. Keep the option her words lead to, and drop ideas another speaker gives.
Why the other options are wrong:
- should run only in the summer: Nobody says the market should run only in summer. The plan adds days in spring and fall.
- would give farmers a backup for rain: A backup day for rain is Haddock’s point about growers. Jelani talks about shoppers.
- should come with a shuttle bus: The shuttle is Hjort’s idea. Jelani asks for drop-off spots close to the stalls.
Correct Answer: the idea has support, but parking needs a solution
Passage Reference: Fix the parking first, and then we can talk about more days ... Yewande Jelani, a dietitian who works with seniors, supports more market days for a different reason.
Why this is correct: Haddock and Jelani want more market days. Ivanov wants the parking fixed first, and Hjort suggests a shuttle, so parking is the problem to solve.
Tips: Read what Haddock, Ivanov, Jelani and Hjort each say. Drop any statement that is false or that belongs to a single speaker, and keep what is left.
Why the other options are wrong:
- farmers need a backup day for rainy weather: This is only Haddock’s argument. Other speakers talk mostly about cars and getting to the stalls.
- the town has already agreed to add Sundays: Council will decide after a public meeting in March. Nothing is agreed yet.
- shoppers refuse to use the shuttle bus: Hjort expects many shoppers to use the shuttle. Nobody says they refuse.
Correct Answer: three thousand
Passage Reference: draws about three thousand shoppers a week in summer
Why this is correct: The Saturday market draws about three thousand shoppers a week in summer.
Tips: The comment wants the size of the summer crowd. Read every word of the figure carefully.
Why the other options are wrong:
- two thousand: The article gives a larger number.
- four thousand: Four thousand is not in the article.
- five thousand: Five thousand is not in the article.
Correct Answer: thirty
Passage Reference: more than thirty farmers are waiting for a stall
Why this is correct: Organizers say more than thirty farmers are waiting for a stall.
Tips: Find what the organizers say about growers who want to join. Note how many there are.
Why the other options are wrong:
- forty: The organizers give a smaller number than forty.
- fifty: Fifty is not the figure in the article. The organizers say thirty.
- sixty: Sixty does not appear in the article. The organizers’ number is lower.
Correct Answer: two
Passage Reference: stall fees would pay for two parking officers on busy days
Why this is correct: Haddock says stall fees would pay for two parking officers on busy days.
Tips: The commenter is repeating the organizer’s plan for busy days. Find how many people the fees would pay for.
Why the other options are wrong:
- one: Haddock gives a higher number than one.
- three: Three is not the number Haddock gives.
- four: Four is not in the article.
Correct Answer: the arena
Passage Reference: The bus loop beside the arena sits almost empty on Sundays
Why this is correct: Hjort says the bus loop beside the arena sits almost empty on Sundays.
Tips: The commenter means the transit planner. Find the building he says the bus loop is beside.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the library: The library is not mentioned in the article.
- the high school: A school is not mentioned in the article.
- the hospital: A hospital is not mentioned in the article.
Correct Answer: benches
Passage Reference: She would also like benches near the stalls.
Why this is correct: Jelani would also like benches near the stalls.
Tips: The commenter means the dietitian. Find the extra thing she wants near the stalls.
Why the other options are wrong:
- shade tents: Tents are not mentioned in the article.
- water fountains: The article never mentions water fountains.
- handrails: Handrails are not mentioned in the article.
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