Read the following article from a website.
Victoria council wants cafés to give customers a bigger discount for bringing their own cups. Under a plan going to a committee on May 6, cafés would take at least thirty cents off each drink served in a reusable cup, and the city would pay back half of that discount for the first two years. Most cafés in the city now give ten cents off, and many give nothing at all. The idea has strong support, but it also has careful critics.
Itzel Laframboise, who owns a small café near the university, says the plan would pay for itself. “My regulars who bring their own mugs come back more often and stay longer,” she said. “Every paper cup and plastic lid I don’t buy is money I can spend on something better.” Laframboise would like to put a rinse sink beside the counter. “Then a customer with a dirty mug can clean it in ten seconds,” Laframboise said.
Joost Kaminski, a public health inspector, warns that a dirty cup can spread germs. “Old milk inside a mug can touch the steam wand, and from there it can get into other people’s drinks,” Kaminski said. “One paper cup saved is not worth a stomach bug passed to the next customer. I have nothing against mugs, but they have to be clean.” He wants a six-month trial in a few cafés before the city pays any money.
Mahsa Lindholm, a student who buys coffee every morning, says the size of the discount matters most. “Ten cents changes nothing for me,” she said. “At thirty cents, I would start remembering my cup, because that adds up over a month.” Kwabena Leclair, who runs the waste program at city hall, supports the rebate with conditions. “Every café in the program should follow a short cleaning checklist,” he said. “We will also count how many cups staff turn away each month, so we can end the program if complaints go up,” Leclair added.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
All of the people quoted agree that 2..
The reporter treats the plan as 3..
At present, Lindholm feels that a ten-cent discount 4..
According to Leclair, the city will count 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 larger discount for reusable cups
Why this is correct: Council wants cafés to give a bigger discount to customers who bring their own cups. Every speaker reacts to that plan.
Passage Reference: Victoria council wants cafés to give customers a bigger discount for bringing their own cups.
Tips: Check each option against what Laframboise, Kaminski, Lindholm and Leclair say. Do not choose an option just because one of its words appears in the text.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a ban on paper cups in cafés: Paper cups would still be allowed. The plan only rewards people who bring their own.
- new health rules for coffee machines: Kaminski talks about the steam wand, but no new machine rules are proposed.
- a student program for cheaper coffee: Lindholm is a student, but there is no program for students.
Correct Answer: customers bringing their own cups can be a good thing
Passage Reference: My regulars who bring their own mugs come back more often and stay longer ... I have nothing against mugs, but they have to be clean. ... At thirty cents, I would start remembering my cup ... supports the rebate with conditions
Why this is correct: Laframboise likes regulars with mugs, and Lindholm would bring her cup. Kaminski has nothing against mugs, and Leclair supports the rebate.
Tips: Look at Laframboise, Kaminski, Lindholm and Leclair one by one. Keep an option only when each person’s own words show it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- every café should have a rinse sink: Only Laframboise wants a rinse sink, and only in her own café.
- the city should pay nothing until a trial ends: Only Kaminski asks for a trial before the city pays. Leclair supports the rebate now, with conditions.
- paper cups should be banned in cafés: Nobody in the article asks for a ban on paper cups.
Correct Answer: a popular idea that still faces careful questions
Passage Reference: The idea has strong support, but it also has careful critics.
Why this is correct: The reporter writes that the idea has strong support but also careful critics. So the plan is treated as popular but still questioned.
Tips: Read the reporter’s words that sit outside any quote. Decide which option they back up, and ignore how any single speaker feels.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a waste of money for the city: The reporter never gives an opinion on the cost. Only speakers comment on money.
- a plan that has already been approved: The plan is still going to a committee. It has not been approved.
- an idea that only café owners want: A student and a city official also support it, so it is not only café owners.
Correct Answer: is too small to change her habits
Passage Reference: Ten cents changes nothing for me
Why this is correct: Lindholm says ten cents changes nothing for her. Only at thirty cents would she start remembering her cup.
Tips: Read Lindholm’s quotes and compare each option with her words. Set aside an option that comes from a different speaker or from nobody.
Why the other options are wrong:
- is enough to make her bring a cup: Lindholm says the opposite. Ten cents changes nothing for her.
- should be paid back by the city: The city paying back part of the discount is part of the plan. Lindholm does not talk about it.
- is unfair to small café owners: Lindholm never talks about café owners or fairness.
Correct Answer: the cups staff turn away each month
Passage Reference: We will also count how many cups staff turn away each month
Why this is correct: Leclair says the city will count how many cups staff turn away each month. That way it can end the program if complaints go up.
Tips: Read Leclair’s sentences and match the options with what he says. Rule out an option that another speaker gives or that he never mentions.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the mugs customers bring each day: Leclair does not talk about counting the mugs people bring.
- the paper cups each café saves: Laframboise talks about saving paper cups. Leclair does not say the city will count them.
- the cafés that offer thirty cents off: Leclair does not say the city will count cafés. He talks about cups turned away.
Correct Answer: May 6
Passage Reference: Under a plan going to a committee on May 6
Why this is correct: The plan is going to a committee on May 6.
Tips: This blank needs a date. Find when the committee will look at the plan.
Why the other options are wrong:
- March 6: March is not mentioned in the article.
- May 16: The committee meets earlier in May than this.
- June 6: The committee meets in May, not June.
Correct Answer: half
Passage Reference: the city would pay back half of that discount for the first two years
Why this is correct: The city would pay back half of the discount for the first two years.
Tips: The commenter is talking about the city’s share of the cost. Find how much of the discount the city returns.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a quarter: The city would pay back more than a quarter.
- a third: The city would pay back more than a third.
- all: The city would not pay back the whole discount.
Correct Answer: ten seconds
Passage Reference: Then a customer with a dirty mug can clean it in ten seconds
Why this is correct: Laframboise says a customer with a dirty mug could clean it in ten seconds at a rinse sink.
Tips: Read what the café owner says about her sink. Find how long she thinks the job would take.
Why the other options are wrong:
- thirty seconds: Laframboise gives a shorter time than this.
- one minute: Laframboise gives a much shorter time than this.
- two minutes: Laframboise gives a much shorter time than this.
Correct Answer: six-month
Passage Reference: He wants a six-month trial in a few cafés before the city pays any money.
Why this is correct: Kaminski wants a six-month trial in a few cafés before the city pays any money.
Tips: The article gives two lengths of time. Make sure you choose the one the inspector wants.
Why the other options are wrong:
- four-month: Kaminski asks for a longer trial than this.
- eight-month: Kaminski asks for a shorter trial than this.
- one-year: Kaminski asks for a shorter trial than this.
Correct Answer: cleaning checklist
Passage Reference: Every café in the program should follow a short cleaning checklist
Why this is correct: Leclair says every café in the program should follow a short cleaning checklist.
Tips: The commenter means the man who runs the waste program. Find what he wants every café to follow.
Why the other options are wrong:
- hand-washing guide: Leclair asks for a cleaning checklist, not a hand-washing guide.
- hygiene course: Leclair does not ask for a course.
- safety poster: No poster is mentioned in the article.
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