Read the following article from a website.
The province is considering a richer tax credit for film and television productions after two American series chose to shoot elsewhere last year. The current credit returns about a quarter of the wages a production pays to local workers. The finance department has proposed raising that share to a third, and a legislative committee heard from industry groups and town officials this week. Committee members are expected to report back before the end of the year.
Padraig Quilty, president of the local screen workers’ guild, says empty studios cost the province skilled people. “A carpenter who spends a winter without work does not wait for spring. She takes a job in Toronto and stays there,” he said. Quilty wants the credit tied to hours worked by people who live in the province, “not to the salary of an actor flown in for two weeks.”
Waltraud Reimer, who represents the province’s manufacturers, warns that a credit with no ceiling would put factories at a disadvantage. “Film crews and factories compete for the same electricians and the same warehouse space,” Reimer said. “If one industry gets an open-ended subsidy, everyone else pays for it in higher costs. We are not against cameras. We are against a blank cheque.” She says she welcomes film work, but she wants a public cap on the support that any single industry can receive.
Ottavio Rinaldi, the province’s finance minister, supports a richer credit, but he insists on an end date. “Every tax break looks temporary on the day it is announced,” Rinaldi said. “Without a five-year limit and an independent count of the jobs, this one would still be on the books in thirty years.” Jocelyne Ritchot, a development officer in the north, says the credit should be judged by what it does for small towns. “When a crew shoots near us, the motel fills up, the diner hires extra cooks and the hardware store sells out of lumber,” Ritchot said. “Count those jobs too, not just the ones on the studio payroll,” she added.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
Padraig Quilty’s view would likely be supported by 2..
All of the people quoted seem to agree that film work 3..
Jocelyne Ritchot would likely say that the jobs the credit creates 4..
The author presents the proposal as 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 increase support for film productions
Why this is correct: The finance department has proposed a bigger share for the film credit. All four speakers react to this proposal.
Passage Reference: The finance department has proposed raising that share to a third
Tips: A gist item is wider than any single quote. Test each option by asking whether all four speakers are talking about it, or only one of them.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a new studio being built in Toronto: Toronto is only where workers go when there is no work. No studio is being built.
- a strike by local film crews: No strike is mentioned in the article.
- a cap on salaries for visiting actors: Quilty mentions visiting actors, but nobody proposes a cap on their pay.
Correct Answer: figures showing crew members moved away in slow years
Passage Reference: empty studios cost the province skilled people ... She takes a job in Toronto and stays there
Why this is correct: Quilty says a carpenter without work all winter takes a job in Toronto and stays. Figures like this would back up his view.
Tips: Treat each option as new evidence. Ask whether it would help Quilty make his point, or whether it fits someone else’s argument better.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a study showing factories pay more for electricians: Higher costs for factories support Reimer’s case, not Quilty’s.
- records of tax breaks that lasted for decades: Tax breaks that never end support Rinaldi’s call for an end date.
- reports that town cafés filled up during filming: Busy cafés in town support Ritchot’s point about small towns.
Correct Answer: is welcome in the province
Passage Reference: empty studios cost the province skilled people ... She says she welcomes film work ... supports a richer credit ... When a crew shoots near us, the motel fills up, the diner hires extra cooks
Why this is correct: Quilty and Rinaldi want a richer credit, and Ritchot describes what a shoot does for her town. Even Reimer says she welcomes film work.
Tips: Check every option with Quilty, Reimer, Rinaldi and Ritchot in turn. Keep only an option that none of them would reject.
Why the other options are wrong:
- deserves support with no limit: Nobody asks for this. Reimer wants a cap, and Rinaldi wants an end date.
- takes workers from factories: Only Reimer says film crews and factories compete for workers.
- should count studio jobs only: Ritchot says the opposite. She wants jobs outside the studio counted too.
Correct Answer: reach well beyond the people working on the shoot
Passage Reference: When a crew shoots near us, the motel fills up, the diner hires extra cooks ... Count those jobs too, not just the ones on the studio payroll
Why this is correct: Ritchot describes what a shoot does for businesses in a small town. She wants those jobs counted too, not just the ones on the studio payroll.
Tips: Read Ritchot’s quotes and the line the reporter writes about her. Keep the option she would agree with, and drop any that fits another speaker.
Why the other options are wrong:
- should go only to people who live in the province: Tying the credit to local workers is Quilty’s idea.
- must be counted by an independent office: Rinaldi asks for an independent count. Ritchot only asks for more jobs to be counted.
- cost factories the electricians they need: Competition for electricians is Reimer’s point.
Correct Answer: a response to series that went elsewhere
Passage Reference: after two American series chose to shoot elsewhere last year
Why this is correct: In the reporter’s own words, the province is looking at a richer credit after two American series chose to shoot elsewhere.
Tips: Leave the quotes aside and read only what the reporter writes. Ask what picture those lines give, and check each option against that picture.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a waste of the province’s money: The reporter gives no opinion on the cost. Only speakers argue about it.
- a plan that is certain to pass: The reporter says the committee will report back later. Nothing is decided.
- a gift to famous visiting actors: The reporter never says this. Quilty only warns against paying for visiting actors.
Correct Answer: lumber
Passage Reference: the hardware store sells out of lumber
Why this is correct: Ritchot says the hardware store sells out of lumber when a crew shoots nearby.
Tips: The commenter owns the kind of shop the northern officer mentions. Find what she says that shop runs out of.
Why the other options are wrong:
- paint: Paint is not mentioned in the article.
- rope: Rope is not mentioned in the article.
- tools: Ritchot does not say the store sells out of tools.
Correct Answer: a quarter
Passage Reference: The current credit returns about a quarter of the wages a production pays to local workers.
Why this is correct: The current credit returns about a quarter of the wages a production pays to local workers.
Tips: Two shares of wages appear in the article. Decide which one describes the credit today.
Why the other options are wrong:
- half: Nobody in the article mentions half of the wages.
- a third: A third is the new share the department wants. It is not the current one.
- a tenth: The share in the article is bigger than a tenth.
Correct Answer: two weeks
Passage Reference: not to the salary of an actor flown in for two weeks.
Why this is correct: Quilty does not want the credit tied to the salary of an actor flown in for two weeks.
Tips: The guild president describes a short visit by an outside performer. Find how long that visit lasts.
Why the other options are wrong:
- two days: Quilty gives a longer stay than two days.
- a full season: No season of work is mentioned for the actor.
- two months: Quilty gives a shorter stay than two months.
Correct Answer: the end of the year
Passage Reference: Committee members are expected to report back before the end of the year.
Why this is correct: The article says committee members are expected to report back before the end of the year.
Tips: The commenter is quoting the article’s timetable for the committee. Find the sentence that gives a deadline and check the exact phrase used.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the start of summer: Summer is not mentioned as a deadline for the committee.
- the next election: No election is mentioned in the article.
- the spring session: The article does not mention a spring session.
Correct Answer: warehouse space
Passage Reference: Film crews and factories compete for the same electricians and the same warehouse space
Why this is correct: Reimer says film crews and factories compete for the same electricians and the same warehouse space.
Tips: The commenter is repeating the manufacturers’ spokesperson. Find the two things she says both industries need.
Why the other options are wrong:
- delivery trucks: Reimer does not mention trucks.
- parking lots: Parking is not mentioned in the article.
- rail cars: Rail cars are not mentioned in the article.
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