Read the following article from a website.
Three companies have asked to connect large data centres to Manitoba’s power grid, at sites near Steinbach and Brandon. Together the three campuses would use as much electricity as about two hundred thousand homes. Each campus would employ between forty and sixty people once it is running. The provincial utility board will hold public hearings on the requests in January, and officials say the board could approve one, two, all three or none of them.
Ilona Prochazka, who leads the province’s investment office, sees an opportunity. “A big, steady customer that helps pay for new wind farms can bring clean power to everyone sooner,” Prochazka said. “But only if it signs a firm contract first. Other provinces have done this well, and we can learn from them.” She also wants the waiting list for grid connections made public, so towns can see who is ahead of them.
Cosimo Pakula, a planner at the provincial utility, warns that others are already in line. “Hospitals, factories and families are waiting for new connections right now,” Pakula said. “If a data centre switches on before the new line is ready, somebody else’s lights will dim. Nobody wants to explain that to a hospital.” He wants backup capacity secured before any campus is allowed to connect. Mayor Maude Odegaard, whose town of five thousand sits beside one proposed site, worries about something else. “Our water plant was built for our residents, not for cooling computers,” Odegaard said. “Before council votes, I want to see how much water each campus will use and what it will pay the town,” she added.
Caspian Pengelly, who speaks for a Winnipeg climate group, says the green claims need checking. “A company that says it runs on green power should prove the power is new,” Pengelly said. “Taking hydro that already serves our homes is not green. It is just moving the line.” He wants every contract to name the new source that will supply the campus.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
Cosimo Pakula’s concerns would likely be supported by 2..
Caspian Pengelly would likely say that a company’s green claims 3..
The reporter presents the decision as 4..
All of the people quoted seem to agree that the campuses 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: requests to connect large data centres to the grid
Why this is correct: Three companies have asked to connect data centres to the power grid. The four speakers react to these requests.
Passage Reference: Three companies have asked to connect large data centres to Manitoba’s power grid
Tips: Decide what all the speakers are reacting to, which is also what the hearings will cover. Pick the option that names it without detail.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a new highway across the prairies: No highway is discussed in the article.
- a strike at the provincial utility: Pakula works for the utility, but nobody mentions a strike.
- a rise in electricity prices for homes: Home electricity prices are not discussed.
Correct Answer: a study showing the local power lines are nearly full
Passage Reference: Hospitals, factories and families are waiting for new connections right now ... If a data centre switches on before the new line is ready, somebody else’s lights will dim.
Why this is correct: Pakula says hospitals, factories and families are already waiting, and lights could dim. Proof that the lines are nearly full would back him up.
Tips: Read every sentence Pakula says. Picture each option as true, and ask whether it would make his argument stronger or fit someone else instead.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a town water plant running near its limit: This fits Odegaard, who worries about her town’s water plant.
- a company calling old hydro power green: This fits Pengelly, who wants green claims checked.
- a province that gained clean power from a big customer: This fits Prochazka, who sees a steady customer as a chance.
Correct Answer: mean little unless it adds new power
Passage Reference: A company that says it runs on green power should prove the power is new ... Taking hydro that already serves our homes is not green.
Why this is correct: Pengelly says a company should prove its power is new. Taking hydro that already serves homes is not green, so the claim means little without new power.
Tips: Read everything Pengelly says or is said to want. Test each option against those lines, and drop any that another speaker says or no one says.
Why the other options are wrong:
- matter less than the jobs a campus brings: Nobody says jobs matter more than green claims.
- should be checked by the town’s council: Odegaard wants council to see water figures. Pengelly wants contracts to name the source.
- would bring clean power to everyone sooner: Prochazka says a steady customer can bring clean power sooner. Pengelly does not.
Correct Answer: one with several possible results
Passage Reference: officials say the board could approve one, two, all three or none of them
Why this is correct: Outside the quotes, the reporter says the board could approve one, two, all three or none of the requests. So many results are possible.
Tips: Read only the reporter’s own words, not the quotes. Ask which option they show, and rule out any that gives the reporter a view.
Why the other options are wrong:
- already made in favour of the companies: The hearings are still to come, so nothing has been decided.
- a simple choice about jobs alone: Jobs are one fact. Speakers also raise power, water and green claims.
- a plan the reporter strongly opposes: The reporter only reports what the speakers say and never gives an opinion.
Correct Answer: should meet certain terms before going ahead
Passage Reference: But only if it signs a firm contract first. ... If a data centre switches on before the new line is ready, somebody else’s lights will dim. ... Before council votes, I want to see how much water each campus will use and what it will pay the town ... He wants every contract to name the new source that will supply the campus.
Why this is correct: Prochazka wants a firm contract first, and Pakula wants the new line ready. Odegaard wants water figures before the vote, and Pengelly wants a named new source.
Tips: Check each option against Prochazka, Pakula, Odegaard and Pengelly one at a time. Accept it only if each person’s own words show it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- would use far less power than people fear: Together they would draw as much electricity as a huge number of homes. Nobody plays this down.
- should be built only near Winnipeg: The sites are near Steinbach and Brandon. Nobody asks to move them to Winnipeg.
- will create a large number of new jobs: Each campus would employ only forty to sixty people. No speaker praises the job count.
Correct Answer: two hundred thousand
Passage Reference: Together the three campuses would use as much electricity as about two hundred thousand homes.
Why this is correct: Together the three campuses would use as much electricity as about two hundred thousand homes.
Tips: The commenter compares the campuses with a number of homes. Find that comparison, and do not mix it up with the size of the town.
Why the other options are wrong:
- fifty thousand: The number in the article is four times bigger.
- one hundred thousand: The number in the article is twice as big.
- four hundred thousand: The number in the article is half of this.
Correct Answer: wind farms
Passage Reference: A big, steady customer that helps pay for new wind farms can bring clean power to everyone sooner
Why this is correct: Prochazka says a big, steady customer that helps pay for new wind farms can bring clean power to everyone sooner.
Tips: The commenter means the investment official. Find what kind of new project she says a customer could help pay for.
Why the other options are wrong:
- solar farms: Solar farms are not mentioned in the article.
- hydro dams: Hydro comes up in Pengelly’s words, as power that already serves homes. Prochazka does not mention it.
- battery plants: Battery plants are not mentioned in the article.
Correct Answer: backup capacity
Passage Reference: He wants backup capacity secured before any campus is allowed to connect.
Why this is correct: Pakula wants backup capacity secured before any campus is allowed to connect.
Tips: The commenter means the utility planner. Find what he wants in place before a campus connects.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a lower power rate: Pakula does not talk about power rates.
- a public hearing: The board will hold hearings, but Pakula does not ask for one.
- a new substation: Substations are not mentioned in the article.
Correct Answer: five thousand
Passage Reference: whose town of five thousand sits beside one proposed site
Why this is correct: The article says Odegaard’s town has five thousand people and sits beside one proposed site.
Tips: The commenter needs the size of the mayor’s town. Do not mix it up with the comparison to homes.
Why the other options are wrong:
- five hundred: The town in the article is ten times bigger.
- two thousand: The town in the article is bigger than this.
- twenty thousand: The town in the article is four times smaller.
Correct Answer: January
Passage Reference: The provincial utility board will hold public hearings on the requests in January
Why this is correct: The provincial utility board will hold public hearings on the requests in January.
Tips: The commenter wants to attend the hearings. Find the month they are planned for.
Why the other options are wrong:
- November: November is not mentioned in the article.
- March: March is not mentioned in the article.
- June: June is not mentioned in the article.
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