Read the following article from a website.
Halifax council will decide in March whether to let towers of up to thirty storeys rise on a stretch of the downtown waterfront where buildings are now limited to six. The change would apply only to lots near the ferry terminal and the main bus routes. A petition against it has gathered about four thousand names, while housing groups say the city can no longer afford to leave valuable land empty.
Fidelma Quigley, a city planner, says the height limit has kept several lots vacant for more than a decade. “Nobody can make a six-storey building pay on land this expensive, so the lots just sit there as gravel parking,” she said. “In exchange for the extra height, every builder would have to rebuild the public boardwalk in front of the tower.” Quigley said the plan could bring about two thousand new homes within walking distance of downtown jobs.
Lennox Renwick, who chairs a local heritage society, says tall buildings would change the harbour for good. “From November to February, those towers would throw long shadows across the harbour parks,” he said. “People walking down the hill would lose the glimpse of water at the bottom of every street. A view that is blocked stays blocked for a hundred years.” Renwick said he could accept one or two taller buildings near the ferry, “but not a wall of glass along the whole shore.”
Bushra Qureshi, an engineer with the city, pointed to a problem under the street. “The storm drains under those old blocks are already close to full,” she said. “Add thousands of new residents without bigger pipes, and the water ends up in basements further up the hill,” Qureshi warned. Thiago Rosales, who organizes tenants in the north end, wants a firm promise in each deal. “If some of these apartments are not kept at rents a cook or a nurse can pay, we are building a view for people who already have one,” he said. “Make the cheaper units a legal condition of every permit, so a future owner cannot simply sell them off,” Rosales added.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
According to Renwick, tall towers by the harbour 2..
Paragraph four mainly adds 3..
The writer presents the change as 4..
Thiago Rosales would likely say that a builder’s promise of cheaper rents 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 plan to allow taller buildings by the water
Why this is correct: Council will decide whether to let towers of up to thirty storeys rise on the waterfront. Every speaker gives a view on that change.
Passage Reference: whether to let towers of up to thirty storeys rise on a stretch of the downtown waterfront
Tips: Several of these options borrow a word or a place from the article. Pick the one that every speaker, for or against, is responding to.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a petition to save an old ferry terminal: The petition is against the towers. Nobody wants to save the ferry terminal.
- a new ferry route across the harbour: The ferry terminal is only mentioned as a location. Nobody talks about a new route.
- rising rents in the city’s north end: Rents come up only in Rosales’s condition. They are not what the whole article is about.
Correct Answer: would take away views of the water for good
Passage Reference: People walking down the hill would lose the glimpse of water at the bottom of every street. A view that is blocked stays blocked for a hundred years.
Why this is correct: Renwick says people walking down the hill would lose the glimpse of water. A view that is blocked stays blocked for a hundred years.
Tips: Read Renwick’s quotes in order. Test each option against his words, and drop any idea that comes from another speaker or from nobody.
Why the other options are wrong:
- would leave valuable land unused: Quigley says the height limit leaves land unused. Renwick does not.
- would push water into basements up the hill: Qureshi warns about water in basements. Renwick talks about views and shadows.
- would price out cooks and nurses: Rosales talks about rents for cooks and nurses. Renwick does not.
Correct Answer: a problem under the ground and a demand about rents
Passage Reference: Bushra Qureshi, an engineer with the city, pointed to a problem under the street. ... Make the cheaper units a legal condition of every permit
Why this is correct: “Paragraph four” quotes Qureshi on a problem under the street. It then quotes Rosales, who wants cheaper rents written into every permit.
Tips: Look only at the lines in “Paragraph four”. Ask what they add to the report, and match that to an option.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the planner’s case for building higher: Quigley makes this case before “Paragraph four”.
- a heritage leader’s fears about shadows: Renwick talks about shadows before “Paragraph four”.
- the size of the petition against the towers: The petition opens the article. It is not in “Paragraph four”.
Correct Answer: a choice that pulls residents in different directions
Passage Reference: A petition against it has gathered ... while housing groups say the city can no longer afford to leave valuable land empty
Why this is correct: In the reporter’s own words, a petition is against the change, while housing groups say the land should not stay empty.
Tips: Read only the reporter’s words outside the quotes. Keep the option those words show, and rule out any that gives the reporter a view.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a plan the city should reject at once: The reporter never says the city should reject the plan.
- a quick fix for the housing shortage: Housing groups want the change, but the reporter does not take their side.
- a small matter few people notice: A petition has gathered many names, so people clearly notice.
Correct Answer: means little unless the law holds future owners to it
Passage Reference: Make the cheaper units a legal condition of every permit, so a future owner cannot simply sell them off
Why this is correct: Rosales wants cheaper units written into every permit, so a future owner cannot sell them off. A promise without the law would not be enough.
Tips: Go through everything Rosales says. Choose the option his own words point to, and set aside ideas he never raises.
Why the other options are wrong:
- matters less than saving the harbour views: Renwick cares most about views. Rosales cares about rents.
- should wait until the pipes are bigger: Qureshi talks about pipes. Rosales does not.
- should come only after the boardwalk is rebuilt: Quigley talks about the boardwalk. Rosales never mentions it.
Correct Answer: four thousand
Passage Reference: A petition against it has gathered about four thousand names
Why this is correct: The petition against the towers has gathered about four thousand names.
Tips: The commenter signed something. Find how many names it collected.
Why the other options are wrong:
- fourteen hundred: This number does not appear in the article.
- forty thousand: This is too large. The petition has about a tenth of this.
- four hundred: The petition is far bigger. It has about ten times this many names.
Correct Answer: gravel parking
Passage Reference: the lots just sit there as gravel parking
Why this is correct: Quigley says the empty lots just sit there as gravel parking.
Tips: The commenter borrows the planner’s own words for the empty lots. Find the planner’s quote about those lots and take the exact phrase she uses.
Why the other options are wrong:
- storage yards: Quigley does not say the lots are used for storage.
- bare dirt: Quigley says the lots are used for parking, not left as bare dirt.
- overgrown fields: Quigley does not describe the lots as fields.
Correct Answer: two thousand
Passage Reference: Quigley said the plan could bring about two thousand new homes within walking distance of downtown jobs.
Why this is correct: Quigley says the plan could bring about two thousand new homes near downtown jobs.
Tips: Two large numbers appear in the article. One counts names and one counts homes, so choose carefully.
Why the other options are wrong:
- two hundred: The number Quigley gives is ten times larger.
- twelve hundred: This number does not appear in the article.
- five thousand: Quigley gives a smaller number of homes than this.
Correct Answer: a wall of glass
Passage Reference: Renwick said he could accept one or two taller buildings near the ferry, “but not a wall of glass along the whole shore.”
Why this is correct: Renwick could accept one or two taller buildings, but not a wall of glass along the whole shore.
Tips: Find Renwick’s sentence about what he could accept. The words he uses after naming it belong in this gap.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a block of offices: Renwick never mentions offices. The picture he paints is about glass along the shore.
- a ring of billboards: Billboards are not mentioned in the article.
- a row of hotels: Renwick does not mention hotels.
Correct Answer: storm drains
Passage Reference: The storm drains under those old blocks are already close to full
Why this is correct: Qureshi says the storm drains under the old blocks are already close to full.
Tips: The engineer describes something beneath the streets. Find what she says is nearly at its limit.
Why the other options are wrong:
- water mains: Qureshi talks about drains that carry storm water away, not the mains that bring water in.
- gas pipes: Qureshi talks about pipes for water, not gas.
- sewer lines: The engineer names storm drains. Sewers are not mentioned in the article.
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