Read the following article from a website.
Coquitlam council is reviewing how its four community centres charge for programs, after waiting lists grew longer than ever this fall. At one centre, 160 people are waiting for a spot in a single swimming class. Fees at the centres have not changed since 2019, and staff say demand has never been higher. Council will choose between three options in January: keep the current fees, charge based on family income, or make most programs free. Each option has strong supporters.
Wilhelmina Lund, the city’s recreation director, wants fees based on income for popular classes. “Paid classes are what keep our instructors on staff,” she said. “If everything becomes free, the first thing we lose when money runs short is the people who teach.” Lund says families with low incomes could apply for a waiver. “The form has to take less than five minutes, or nobody will fill it out,” Lund added.
Faisal Khoury, who helps newcomer families settle in the city, says the waiver idea misses the point. “Many of the parents I meet are too embarrassed to ask for a discount at a front desk,” Khoury said. “They would rather stay home. A centre that calls itself welcoming should not make people prove they are poor.” He wants free drop-in hours at every centre, with fees only for special courses.
Solveig Lockhart, a finance clerk with the city, is worried about the budget. “Free programs are not free for the city,” she said. “When people pay nothing, many of them skip the class without cancelling, and the seat sits empty.” Lockhart says council must find a new source of money before it drops any fees. Thaddeus Kirwan, a father of three who swims at the centre, agrees with parts of each plan. “I want to keep good instructors, so I don’t mind paying for lessons,” he said. “But the open gym should stay free for any kid who walks in off the street,” Kirwan added.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
The main point of the article is that 2..
Solveig Lockhart thinks that making programs free would lead to 3..
Paragraph two mainly presents 4..
Thaddeus Kirwan would likely say that a mix of paid and free programs 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: how community centres should charge for programs
Why this is correct: Council is reviewing how its community centres charge for programs. Every speaker gives a view on fees.
Passage Reference: Coquitlam council is reviewing how its four community centres charge for programs
Tips: Read the quotes from Lund, Khoury, Lockhart and Kirwan and check each option with them. Drop the options the article mentions only in passing or not at all.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a new swimming pool for Coquitlam: A swimming class has a waiting list, but nobody plans a new pool.
- a shortage of class instructors: Lund wants to keep instructors. A shortage is not the topic of the article.
- a plan to welcome newcomer families: Khoury helps newcomers, but he is talking about fees, not a welcome plan.
Correct Answer: council faces a hard choice with good points on every side
Passage Reference: Each option has strong supporters.
Why this is correct: Council must pick one of three fee options, and each one has strong supporters. Lund, Khoury, Lockhart and Kirwan each give real reasons for their view.
Tips: Go over what Lund, Khoury, Lockhart and Kirwan each say. Keep the option that the whole article backs up, not a claim from one speaker.
Why the other options are wrong:
- free programs would cost the city nothing: Lockhart says the opposite. Free programs are not free for the city.
- most families are happy with the current fees: Nobody says families are happy with the fees. The article is about changing them.
- council has decided to drop most of its fees: Council has not decided anything yet. It will choose between the options later.
Correct Answer: seats left empty by people who skip
Passage Reference: When people pay nothing, many of them skip the class without cancelling, and the seat sits empty.
Why this is correct: Lockhart says that when people pay nothing, many skip the class without cancelling. The seat then sits empty.
Tips: Read Lockhart’s sentences, quoted and reported. Keep only the outcome she herself expects, and rule out results that other speakers give.
Why the other options are wrong:
- instructors losing their jobs first: This is what Lund fears if everything becomes free. Lockhart talks about empty seats and the budget.
- families too shy to ask for a discount: Embarrassed parents are Khoury’s point about the waiver, not a result Lockhart predicts.
- more children using the open gym: Kirwan wants the open gym to stay free. Nobody says free programs would bring more children to it.
Correct Answer: a recreation director’s plan to charge by income
Passage Reference: Wilhelmina Lund, the city’s recreation director, wants fees based on income for popular classes.
Why this is correct: Paragraph two gives Lund’s plan. She wants fees based on income for popular classes, with a waiver for families with low incomes.
Tips: Read “Paragraph two” and describe its job to yourself in a few words. Then test each choice against what those lines actually do.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a newcomer helper’s objection to the waiver: Khoury, who helps newcomers, gives his objection in paragraph three.
- a finance clerk’s worry about the budget: Lockhart, the finance clerk, speaks in paragraph four.
- the long waiting lists at the centres: The waiting lists are described in paragraph one, as the reason for the review.
Correct Answer: could keep good teachers and still welcome every child
Passage Reference: I want to keep good instructors, so I don’t mind paying for lessons ... But the open gym should stay free for any kid who walks in off the street
Why this is correct: Kirwan will pay for lessons to keep good instructors. He also wants the open gym free for any kid, so a mix suits him.
Tips: Look at Kirwan’s quotes again. Ask whether each option follows from his words, and drop any that matches what someone else says.
Why the other options are wrong:
- would make poor families prove their income: Khoury worries about people having to prove they are poor. Kirwan does not say this.
- should wait until council finds new money: Waiting for a new source of money is Lockhart’s condition, not Kirwan’s.
- would be too hard for staff to run: Nobody in the article says a mix of fees would be too hard to run.
Correct Answer: 160
Passage Reference: 160 people are waiting for a spot in a single swimming class
Why this is correct: At one centre, 160 people are waiting for a spot in a single swimming class.
Tips: This blank needs a count of people. Look for how many are hoping to get into one class.
Why the other options are wrong:
- 120: The waiting list is longer than 120 people.
- 140: The waiting list is longer than 140 people.
- 200: The waiting list is shorter than 200 people.
Correct Answer: January
Passage Reference: Council will choose between three options in January
Why this is correct: Council will choose between the three options in January.
Tips: Find the month when council makes its choice. Do not confuse it with the season when demand grew.
Why the other options are wrong:
- November: November is not mentioned in the article.
- December: The vote is set for a later month than December.
- March: March is not mentioned in the article.
Correct Answer: five minutes
Passage Reference: The form has to take less than five minutes, or nobody will fill it out
Why this is correct: Lund says the waiver form has to take less than five minutes, or nobody will fill it out.
Tips: The commenter is talking about the recreation director’s waiver. Find the time limit she sets for it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- one minute: Lund allows more time than this for the form.
- two minutes: Lund gives a longer limit than this.
- three minutes: Lund’s limit is longer than three minutes.
Correct Answer: special courses
Passage Reference: with fees only for special courses
Why this is correct: Khoury wants free drop-in hours at every centre, with fees only for special courses.
Tips: Read what the newcomer worker wants to stay free. Then find the only thing he would still charge for.
Why the other options are wrong:
- swimming lessons: Swimming lessons are Kirwan’s example. Khoury names special courses.
- evening classes: Khoury does not single out evening classes.
- summer camps: Camps are never mentioned in the article.
Correct Answer: three
Passage Reference: a father of three who swims at the centre
Why this is correct: Kirwan is described as a father of three who swims at the centre.
Tips: The article gives a number for the centres and for the swimmer’s family. Check which one fits the commenter’s words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- two: Kirwan has more children than two.
- four: Four is the number of community centres, not Kirwan’s children.
- five: Kirwan has fewer children than five.
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