Read the following article from a website.
Saskatoon city council is debating a tougher rule for snowy sidewalks. Under the proposal, homeowners and businesses would have twenty-four hours after a snowfall ends to clear their walks, or face a fine of $150. The current rule allows three days, and the city received more than 900 complaints about icy sidewalks last winter. A final vote is expected before the first big storm of the season.
Mireya Krantz, a bylaw officer who worked on a pilot project in two neighbourhoods, says quick tickets get results. “When people knew a ticket could arrive the next day, most walks were clear by noon,” she said. “Packed snow on a curb ramp traps anyone who uses a wheelchair or a walker.” Krantz wants the fine money spent on sand and salt for the worst corners. “People respond to a clear date. The pilot showed that again and again,” Krantz said.
Cornelius Lavoie, who speaks for a local seniors’ group, warns that the rule will hit older people hardest. “Many of our members live alone and simply cannot lift a shovel,” Lavoie said. “A fine will not move any snow. It will only frighten people who are already struggling.” He is asking for forty-eight hours instead, with volunteer shovellers sent out before any ticket is written.
Dagny Kealey, a city councillor, likes a clear deadline but wants help in place first. “Let’s build the volunteer program, and then fine the people who just can’t be bothered,” she said. “A deadline with no help behind it is just a way to collect money,” Kealey added. Zoltan Lamontagne, who runs a bakery on the main street, says one icy walk can hurt a whole block. “If my neighbour never clears his walk, my customers slip on the way to my door,” Lamontagne said. “I would like an online map that shows which blocks are often left uncleared, so neighbours can lend a hand,” he added.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
Everyone quoted in the article wants 2..
According to Krantz, the threat of a next-day ticket 3..
Dagny Kealey would likely say that fines with no help in place 4..
The reporter presents the proposal 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 stricter deadline for clearing sidewalks
Why this is correct: Council is debating a rule that gives people twenty-four hours to clear their walks, instead of three days. Every speaker reacts to it.
Passage Reference: homeowners and businesses would have twenty-four hours after a snowfall ends to clear their walks, or face a fine
Tips: Look at the options one at a time and ask whether all four speakers talk about it. The topic is the one they all address.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a new salt supply for city roads: Krantz mentions sand and salt, but only as a use for fine money.
- a volunteer group for older residents: Volunteers come up as one condition, not as the main topic.
- a plan to send snow trucks to side streets: Nobody plans more snow trucks. The rule is about walks people must clear.
Correct Answer: walks cleared for people on foot
Passage Reference: Packed snow on a curb ramp traps anyone who uses a wheelchair or a walker. ... A fine will not move any snow. ... Let’s build the volunteer program ... If my neighbour never clears his walk, my customers slip on the way to my door
Why this is correct: Each person wants the walks cleared, though they differ on how. Lavoie, for example, says a fine will not move any snow, so he wants it moved another way.
Tips: Read what Krantz, Lavoie, Kealey and Lamontagne each say. Keep an option only if all four of them show it in their own words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a fine for anyone who waits a full day: Only Krantz pushes for quick tickets. Lavoie and Kealey want help in place before any fine.
- more time before anyone gets a ticket: Only Lavoie asks for more time. Krantz wants a short, clear deadline.
- neighbours paying to clear each other’s walks: Nobody suggests that neighbours pay each other. Lamontagne hopes neighbours will lend a hand.
Correct Answer: got most walks cleared by noon
Passage Reference: When people knew a ticket could arrive the next day, most walks were clear by noon
Why this is correct: Krantz worked on the pilot. She says that when people knew a ticket could come the next day, most walks were clear by noon.
Tips: Read Krantz’s own sentences and check each option against them. Rule out what another person says or what she never says.
Why the other options are wrong:
- frightened older people who live alone: Lavoie says fines would frighten people. Krantz does not say this happened in the pilot.
- made little change in the pilot areas: Krantz says the opposite. The pilot showed that people respond to a clear date.
- led businesses to complain to the city: Krantz says nothing about businesses complaining.
Correct Answer: would raise money but fix nothing
Passage Reference: A deadline with no help behind it is just a way to collect money
Why this is correct: Kealey says a deadline with no help behind it is just a way to collect money. She wants the volunteer program built first.
Tips: Look closely at the quotes from Kealey. Keep the option that her words lead to, and drop anything said by Krantz, Lavoie or Lamontagne.
Why the other options are wrong:
- are the quickest way to clear the walks: This is closer to Krantz’s view. Kealey wants help in place before any fine.
- would help the shops on the main street: The main street shops are Lamontagne’s concern. Kealey does not mention them.
- should not be used at any time: Kealey would still fine people who just cannot be bothered, once help is in place.
Correct Answer: an issue that needs a decision soon
Passage Reference: A final vote is expected before the first big storm of the season.
Why this is correct: The reporter says a final vote is expected before the first big storm. That frames the rule as a choice that must be made soon.
Tips: Read what the reporter writes outside the quotation marks. Ask which option those sentences show, not what any speaker feels.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a plan that most people in the city oppose: The reporter never says how many people oppose the rule. Speakers on several sides are quoted.
- a small matter that hardly deserves notice: The reporter reports many complaints about icy sidewalks. The matter is not treated as small.
- a change that has already been approved: The final vote has not happened yet. It is expected later.
Correct Answer: $150
Passage Reference: or face a fine of $150
Why this is correct: People who do not clear their walks in time would face a fine of $150.
Tips: Look for the amount a person would pay for an uncleared walk.
Why the other options are wrong:
- $200: The fine is lower than $200.
- $250: The fine is lower than $250.
- $300: The fine is half of this amount.
Correct Answer: 900
Passage Reference: the city received more than 900 complaints about icy sidewalks last winter
Why this is correct: The city received more than 900 complaints about icy sidewalks last winter.
Tips: Look for a count of complaints from last winter. Read the number carefully.
Why the other options are wrong:
- 1,200: The article says more than 900, not 1,200.
- 1,500: The article never mentions 1,500. Its figure is 900.
- 1,900: The number in the article is 900, not 1,900.
Correct Answer: forty-eight hours
Passage Reference: He is asking for forty-eight hours instead
Why this is correct: Lavoie is asking for forty-eight hours instead, with volunteers sent out before any ticket.
Tips: The article gives several time limits. Find the one the seniors’ spokesperson asks for.
Why the other options are wrong:
- thirty-six hours: Lavoie asks for more time than this.
- seventy-two hours: Seventy-two hours is the current three-day rule, not Lavoie’s request.
- one full week: Lavoie asks for much less than a week.
Correct Answer: bakery
Passage Reference: Zoltan Lamontagne, who runs a bakery on the main street
Why this is correct: Lamontagne runs a bakery on the main street.
Tips: Look at how the article introduces the business owner. Find the kind of shop he runs.
Why the other options are wrong:
- pharmacy: No pharmacy is mentioned in the article.
- bookstore: No bookstore is mentioned in the article.
- hair salon: Lamontagne’s shop sells food, not haircuts.
Correct Answer: map
Passage Reference: I would like an online map that shows which blocks are often left uncleared
Why this is correct: Lamontagne would like an online map that shows which blocks are often left uncleared.
Tips: The commenter is describing the shop owner’s idea. Find what he wants to put online.
Why the other options are wrong:
- sign-up sheet: Lamontagne asks for a map, not a sign-up sheet.
- forum: Lamontagne does not ask for a forum.
- newsletter: Lamontagne does not ask for a newsletter.
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