Read the following article from a website.
Kingston city council is deciding whether to install twenty new bottle-refill stations in public squares and along the waterfront trail. Each station would cost about $6,000. The plan has a catch: the city earns money from bottled water sold in its vending machines, and that money helps pay for cleaning public washrooms. Last summer, crews collected more than 30,000 plastic bottles from bins along the water. Council will vote on the plan at its meeting next Tuesday.
Zainab Laporte, the city’s sustainability officer, has worked on the city’s waste plan since 2021. She says people buy bottled water only when they have no better choice. “If the nearest fountain is ten minutes away, people will buy a bottle every time,” she said. “When other cities added refill stations, their litter crews picked up far fewer bottles.” Laporte wants the first stations placed near the busiest playgrounds and bus stops. “That is where families are thirsty and in a hurry,” Laporte said.
Calum Kristiansen, the facilities manager, warns that the vending money matters. “Those sales keep our washrooms clean,” Kristiansen said. “If we cut them with nothing to replace them, the washroom budget suffers first. Right now, six of our fountains are taped shut while we wait for spare parts. Building new ones before we fix those makes no sense.” He wants a small fee on food and drink sellers at city events before any new stations are ordered.
Ailsa Kwan, who leads a local cycling club, says riders often leave the trail to find water. “On a hot afternoon, half my group ends up at a corner store buying water,” she said. Her club has about 150 members. Kwan wants stations at trail crossings and a public report on how often each one works. Teodora Lysenko, a public health inspector, says people must be able to trust the water. “Every station should show its latest water test results,” Lysenko said. “A tap that looks new tells you nothing about what comes out of it,” she added.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
Overall, the article suggests that 2..
Calum Kristiansen warns that losing the vending sales would lead to 3..
Paragraph four mainly presents 4..
Teodora Lysenko would likely say that a new-looking station 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: adding water refill stations in public places
Why this is correct: Council is deciding whether to install twenty new bottle-refill stations in squares and along the trail. Every speaker reacts to that plan.
Passage Reference: Kingston city council is deciding whether to install twenty new bottle-refill stations in public squares and along the waterfront trail.
Tips: Check each option against what Laporte, Kristiansen, Kwan and Lysenko say. An option that one person raises and the others ignore is too small to be the topic.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a new splash pad in a city square: The article never mentions a splash pad. The squares would get refill stations.
- a ban on plastic bottles at events: Nobody proposes a ban. Kristiansen only wants a fee on event sellers.
- new bike lanes on the waterfront trail: Kwan talks about riders on the trail, but no bike lanes are planned.
Correct Answer: the plan is welcome, but on different terms
Passage Reference: He wants a small fee on food and drink sellers at city events before any new stations are ordered.
Why this is correct: Laporte and Kwan want stations in certain places, and Lysenko wants test results shown. Kristiansen wants a fee first. Each one shapes the plan differently.
Tips: Check each option against what Laporte, Kristiansen, Kwan and Lysenko say. Pick the one the whole article shows, not one line or one person.
Why the other options are wrong:
- bottled water should be banned in the city: No speaker asks for a ban. Laporte only says people buy bottles when they have no better choice.
- the old fountains are working well: Kristiansen says some fountains are taped shut while staff wait for spare parts.
- council has already ordered the stations: Council has not voted yet, so nothing has been ordered.
Correct Answer: less money for cleaning the washrooms
Passage Reference: Those sales keep our washrooms clean ... If we cut them with nothing to replace them, the washroom budget suffers first.
Why this is correct: Kristiansen says vending sales keep the washrooms clean. If they are cut with nothing to replace them, the washroom budget suffers first.
Tips: Find each sentence Kristiansen says. Choose the outcome he names himself, and drop any that another speaker raises.
Why the other options are wrong:
- more plastic bottles in waterfront bins: Laporte expects fewer bottles, not more. Kristiansen does not talk about bins.
- riders leaving the trail to find water: Kwan says her riders leave the trail for water. Kristiansen does not mention riders.
- people doubting what comes out of the taps: Lysenko talks about trusting the water. Kristiansen does not.
Correct Answer: a cycling leader’s wishes and an inspector’s demand
Passage Reference: Kwan wants stations at trail crossings and a public report on how often each one works. ... Every station should show its latest water test results
Why this is correct: “Paragraph four” quotes Kwan, who leads a cycling club and wants stations at trail crossings. Then Lysenko, a health inspector, asks for water test results at every station.
Tips: Say in your own words what “Paragraph four” does. Choose the option that describes those lines and no other part.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the bottles crews picked up along the water: The bottle count opens the article. It is not in “Paragraph four”.
- a manager’s case for waiting before building: Kristiansen makes this case before “Paragraph four”.
- an officer’s case for stations near playgrounds: Laporte asks for stations near playgrounds. Her words come before “Paragraph four”.
Correct Answer: does not prove the water is safe to drink
Passage Reference: Every station should show its latest water test results ... A tap that looks new tells you nothing about what comes out of it
Why this is correct: Lysenko says a tap that looks new tells you nothing about what comes out of it. So looks do not show the water is safe.
Tips: Go through each sentence Lysenko says. Keep the view her words lead to, and cross out any that matches another speaker.
Why the other options are wrong:
- should be placed at trail crossings: Kwan wants stations at trail crossings. Lysenko talks about test results, not places.
- costs the city too much to build: Lysenko never talks about the price of a station.
- will cut the litter along the shore: Laporte links stations to less litter. Lysenko does not.
Correct Answer: Tuesday
Passage Reference: Council will vote on the plan at its meeting next Tuesday.
Why this is correct: Council will vote on the plan at its meeting next Tuesday.
Tips: This blank needs a day of the week. Look for the date of the meeting where the plan is decided.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Monday: The article does not name Monday.
- Thursday: Thursday is not mentioned in the article.
- Friday: The vote is not on a Friday.
Correct Answer: $6,000
Passage Reference: Each station would cost about $6,000.
Why this is correct: Each station would cost about $6,000.
Tips: The commenter is talking about the price of one station. Count the zeros with care.
Why the other options are wrong:
- $4,000: A station costs more than this.
- $8,000: A station costs less than this.
- $9,000: A station costs less than this.
Correct Answer: ten minutes
Passage Reference: If the nearest fountain is ten minutes away, people will buy a bottle every time
Why this is correct: Laporte says that if the nearest fountain is ten minutes away, people will buy a bottle every time.
Tips: The commenter repeats the sustainability officer’s example about distance. Find how far away she says the fountain is.
Why the other options are wrong:
- five minutes: Laporte gives a longer walk than this.
- fifteen minutes: Laporte gives a shorter walk than this.
- thirty minutes: Laporte gives a much shorter walk than this.
Correct Answer: six
Passage Reference: Right now, six of our fountains are taped shut while we wait for spare parts.
Why this is correct: Kristiansen says six of the city’s fountains are taped shut while crews wait for spare parts.
Tips: Read what the facilities manager says about broken fountains. Find how many are out of use.
Why the other options are wrong:
- two: More fountains are closed than two.
- four: More fountains are closed than four.
- eight: Fewer fountains are closed than eight.
Correct Answer: corner store
Passage Reference: On a hot afternoon, half my group ends up at a corner store buying water
Why this is correct: Kwan says half her group ends up at a corner store buying water on a hot afternoon.
Tips: The commenter is comparing a hot run with the cycling club’s rides. Find where the club leader says her riders go.
Why the other options are wrong:
- gas station: Kwan does not mention a gas station.
- coffee shop: No coffee shop is mentioned in the article.
- fruit stand: Kwan does not mention a fruit stand.
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