Read the following article from a website.
Saskatchewan’s power utility wants to build the province’s first small nuclear reactor on the site of the Wexford Lake coal plant, which is scheduled to close in 2029. The reactor would produce enough electricity for about 100,000 homes and could start running in the mid-2030s. Before the project can move ahead, the utility must hold public meetings in the town, and the first one, held last week, drew more than 300 people to the local arena.
Chiyo Mori, an engineer who plans the province’s power grid, says the reactor would fill a gap that wind and solar cannot. “In the coldest week of January, the wind often drops for days at a time,” she said. “That is exactly when demand is highest. A reactor runs at the same level whether it is sunny or dark, calm or windy.” Mori adds that building at the old coal site saves money, because the power lines are already there.
Mayor Zanele Mbatha says the town needs the jobs that the coal plant will take with it. “Two hundred and forty people work at that plant, and most of them have mortgages here,” Mbatha said. “Without a replacement, our school will lose families within five years.” Still, she wants the utility to pay for training local firefighters and paramedics before construction begins. Professor Torsten Nordin, who studies nuclear waste, says the plan leaves out the hardest question. “The province has not said where the used fuel will go in fifty years,” Nordin said. “Until it does, every small reactor also becomes a small storage site. That is a promise to our grandchildren that nobody has thought through,” he added.
Zdenek Novacek, whose family has farmed beside the lake for three generations, worries about the water. “The reactor would draw cooling water from the same lake our cattle drink from,” he said. “I want to see the temperature limits in writing before anyone pours concrete. Once it is built, nobody will listen to a farmer,” Novacek added.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
The author presents the proposal as 2..
Overall, the article suggests that 3..
Most likely, Zanele Mbatha sees the reactor as 4..
Torsten Nordin would likely say that the reactor plan 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 replace a coal plant with nuclear power
Why this is correct: The utility wants to build a small nuclear reactor on the site of a coal plant that will close. Every speaker reacts to that plan.
Passage Reference: wants to build the province’s first small nuclear reactor on the site of the Wexford Lake coal plant
Tips: Check every option against Mori, Mbatha, Nordin and Novacek, speaker by speaker. The option you keep should be something each of them could give a view on.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a new wind farm for the province’s coldest months: Wind comes up only in Mori’s argument. Nobody plans a wind farm.
- a shortage of doctors in rural Saskatchewan: Nobody in the article says there are too few doctors.
- a study of farm prices in the province: Novacek is a farmer, but no study of farm prices is described.
Correct Answer: a project that has drawn strong public interest
Passage Reference: drew more than 300 people to the local arena
Why this is correct: In the reporter’s words, the first public meeting drew more than 300 people to the local arena. That shows strong public interest.
Tips: Set the speakers aside and look at the facts the reporter gives in plain words. Decide which description those facts allow.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a plan that the town has already approved: The utility must still hold public meetings before the project can move ahead.
- a danger that the reporter wants stopped: No opinion comes from the reporter. Worries about fuel and water come from Nordin and Novacek.
- a minor change that few people care about: More than 300 people came to the first meeting, so many people care.
Correct Answer: the project brings gains but leaves key questions open
Passage Reference: says the town needs the jobs that the coal plant will take with it ... says the plan leaves out the hardest question
Why this is correct: Mori and Mbatha point to steady power and jobs. Nordin and Novacek want answers about used fuel and the lake first.
Tips: Weigh what Mori, Mbatha, Nordin and Novacek each say. Keep a choice only if it stays true for the article as a whole, not for one speaker.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the reactor is certain to warm the cattle’s lake: Novacek wants temperature limits in writing. Nobody says the lake will certainly warm.
- wind and solar can cover the coldest weeks: Mori says the reactor fills a gap that wind and solar cannot.
- most people in town want the coal plant kept open: The coal plant is already set to close. Nobody asks to keep it open.
Correct Answer: a way to keep families in the town
Passage Reference: says the town needs the jobs that the coal plant will take with it ... Without a replacement, our school will lose families within five years.
Why this is correct: Mbatha says the town needs the jobs the coal plant will take with it. Without a replacement, the school will lose families.
Tips: Collect everything Mbatha says and the reporter’s lines about her. Then ask which view of the reactor she would hold, judging only from those lines.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a danger to water that cattle drink: The lake is Novacek’s concern, not the mayor’s.
- a problem left for grandchildren to solve: The promise to grandchildren is Nordin’s point about used fuel.
- a backup for days when the wind drops: Steady power when the wind drops is Mori’s argument. Mbatha talks about jobs and families.
Correct Answer: is not ready until the used fuel has a home
Passage Reference: The province has not said where the used fuel will go in fifty years ... That is a promise to our grandchildren that nobody has thought through
Why this is correct: Nordin says the province has not said where the used fuel will go. Until it does, he calls the plan a promise nobody has thought through.
Tips: Go over Nordin’s quotes slowly. The right option follows from his words, while the others come from Mori, Mbatha, Novacek or nobody.
Why the other options are wrong:
- should move to a site with no lake: Nordin never talks about the lake. That is Novacek’s concern.
- should be built far from any town: Nordin never says where the reactor should go. His concern is the used fuel.
- should go ahead as soon as possible: Nordin wants an answer about fuel first, so he would not rush ahead.
Correct Answer: 2029
Passage Reference: which is scheduled to close in 2029
Why this is correct: The coal plant is scheduled to close in 2029.
Tips: Look for the date when the coal plant shuts its doors.
Why the other options are wrong:
- 2028: This year is not in the article.
- 2030: This year is not in the article.
- 2032: This year is not in the article.
Correct Answer: 100,000
Passage Reference: The reactor would produce enough electricity for about 100,000 homes
Why this is correct: The reactor would produce enough electricity for about 100,000 homes.
Tips: Find how many households the article says the reactor could serve.
Why the other options are wrong:
- 40,000: The article gives a bigger number.
- 70,000: The article gives a bigger number.
- 130,000: The article gives a smaller number.
Correct Answer: power lines
Passage Reference: Mori adds that building at the old coal site saves money, because the power lines are already there.
Why this is correct: Mori says building at the old coal site saves money, because the power lines are already there.
Tips: The commenter means the engineer. Find why she thinks the old location would cost less.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a rail line: A rail line is not mentioned in the article.
- cooling towers: Cooling towers are not mentioned. Novacek talks about water from the lake.
- a large parking lot: Parking is not mentioned in the article.
Correct Answer: firefighters and paramedics
Passage Reference: she wants the utility to pay for training local firefighters and paramedics before construction begins
Why this is correct: Mbatha wants the utility to pay for training local firefighters and paramedics before construction begins.
Tips: Here the writer means the mayor. Find the training she asks the utility to pay for.
Why the other options are wrong:
- police and nurses: Mbatha does not name police or nurses.
- teachers and nurses: Mbatha does not name teachers or nurses.
- plumbers and electricians: Mbatha does not name these trades.
Correct Answer: three generations
Passage Reference: whose family has farmed beside the lake for three generations
Why this is correct: Novacek’s family has farmed beside the lake for three generations.
Tips: Look at how the article introduces the farmer. Notice how long his family has been there.
Why the other options are wrong:
- two generations: The family has been there longer than this.
- four generations: The article gives a shorter time.
- five generations: The article gives a shorter time.
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