Read the following article from a website.
Alberta’s parks agency wants hikers to book a time slot before visiting five of the busiest trailheads west of Calgary, starting next summer. Last August, rangers counted more than sixty cars parked along the highway shoulder on a single Saturday because the lots were full. The agency is taking public comments until the end of the month and will publish its final rules in the spring.
Imke Rautenberg, a park ecologist, says the meadows around the busiest lakes cannot recover from the crowds. “After a long weekend, the trampled ground near the shore looks like a parking lot,” she said. “Wildflowers that took twenty years to spread are gone in a single season. Some of those patches may never come back.” Rautenberg wants a daily cap at each trailhead, with some permits held back and released at seven o’clock on the same morning.
Jomo Rotich, who leads a hiking club for shift workers, says booking weeks ahead suits people with office hours. “Most of our members find out their days off on Thursday for the coming weekend,” Rotich said. “If every spot is gone a month early, the system shuts out nurses, bus drivers and cooks. Those are the people who need the mountains most.” He can live with caps at the most damaged sites, but he says public land should never feel like a concert that sold out online.
Honorine Rheault, who manages park operations, says not everyone can book on a screen. “Plenty of rural families have weak internet or none at all,” she said. “Before any rule covers the whole park, we need walk-up spaces and booking help by phone and in person,” Rheault said. Torleif Ruest, who runs an outfitting shop in Canmore, worries about his customers. “Half my business is visitors who decide to hike over breakfast,” he said. “If they cannot get in, they will drive straight past my store to another province,” Ruest said. He says the town’s shops and cafés depend on these walk-in visitors from May to October.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
Jomo Rotich’s position would likely be supported by 2..
Honorine Rheault would likely say that a booking system 3..
Paragraph two mainly explains 4..
This article would most likely appear in 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 require bookings at busy trails
Why this is correct: The parks agency wants hikers to book a time slot before visiting the busiest trailheads. All four speakers react to that rule.
Passage Reference: wants hikers to book a time slot before visiting
Tips: Go through Rautenberg, Rotich, Rheault and Ruest, asking each time if the option fits. Reject an option that only repeats a place, a number or a name from the text.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a new highway to the mountain parks: The highway is only where cars park when the lots are full. No new highway is planned.
- a fee increase for park camping: Camping fees are not mentioned in the article.
- a study of wildflowers near lakes: Wildflowers are part of Rautenberg’s evidence. They are not the subject of the whole article.
Correct Answer: proof that many workers learn their days off late
Passage Reference: Most of our members find out their days off on Thursday for the coming weekend ... the system shuts out nurses, bus drivers and cooks
Why this is correct: Rotich says his members find out their days off only days before the weekend. Proof that this is common would back his position.
Tips: Treat each option as a new fact. Would it help Rotich argue his point, or would it suit a different speaker?
Why the other options are wrong:
- a study of damaged ground near mountain lakes: Damage near the lakes supports Rautenberg’s call for caps.
- figures on rural homes with weak internet: Weak internet supports Rheault’s point about booking by phone.
- sales records from shops near the trails: Shop sales support Ruest’s worry about lost visitors.
Correct Answer: must work for people who are not online
Passage Reference: Plenty of rural families have weak internet or none at all ... Before any rule covers the whole park, we need walk-up spaces and booking help by phone and in person
Why this is correct: Rheault says many rural families have weak internet or none. She wants walk-up spaces and booking by phone and in person.
Tips: Read Rheault’s quotes and test each option against her words. Drop any idea that belongs to a different speaker or to nobody.
Why the other options are wrong:
- should set a daily limit at each trailhead: A daily limit at each trailhead is Rautenberg’s idea.
- should cover only the most damaged sites: Rotich can live with caps at the most damaged sites.
- would drive tourists to another province: Losing tourists to another province is Ruest’s fear.
Correct Answer: an ecologist’s case for limiting hikers
Passage Reference: the meadows around the busiest lakes cannot recover from the crowds ... Rautenberg wants a daily cap at each trailhead
Why this is correct: In paragraph two, Rautenberg says the meadows cannot recover from the crowds. She wants a daily cap at each trailhead.
Tips: Read “Paragraph two” once more and ask what those lines are there to do. Keep only the choice that does the same thing.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a club leader’s fear for shift workers: Rotich speaks for shift workers in paragraph three.
- a shop owner’s fear of losing visitors: Ruest talks about his shop in paragraph four.
- how rangers count cars on busy days: Paragraph one gives one count of cars. No paragraph explains how rangers count.
Correct Answer: a newspaper sold across Alberta
Passage Reference: will publish its final rules in the spring
Why this is correct: It is a report on a plan by Alberta’s parks agency and what different people think of it. A newspaper sold across Alberta fits it.
Tips: Ask who this text is meant for, just as it stands. Check each option against what the article reports, not against single details.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a guidebook listing the best mountain hikes: Only views on a rule are reported. No hikes are recommended.
- a science journal about rare wildflowers: Wildflowers come up once in a quote. The article reports no research.
- a magazine for people who run outfitting shops: Only one speaker runs a shop. The article speaks to everyone who uses the parks.
Correct Answer: more than sixty
Passage Reference: Last August, rangers counted more than sixty cars parked along the highway shoulder on a single Saturday because the lots were full.
Why this is correct: Rangers counted more than sixty cars parked along the highway shoulder on a single Saturday.
Tips: Find what the rangers counted on one busy Saturday. Make sure the number belongs to cars.
Why the other options are wrong:
- about twenty: Twenty is the number of years wildflowers took to spread, not a count of cars.
- nearly forty: Forty is not in the article. The rangers counted more cars than that.
- over a hundred: A hundred is not in the article. The rangers’ figure is more than sixty.
Correct Answer: seven o’clock
Passage Reference: Rautenberg wants a daily cap at each trailhead, with some permits held back and released at seven o’clock on the same morning.
Why this is correct: Rautenberg wants some permits held back and released at seven o’clock on the same morning.
Tips: The ecologist keeps some permits for hikers who decide late. Find the hour she says they would be released.
Why the other options are wrong:
- five o’clock: Rautenberg gives a later hour than five.
- eight o’clock: Rautenberg gives an earlier hour than eight.
- six o’clock: Rautenberg gives a later hour than six.
Correct Answer: the end of the month
Passage Reference: The agency is taking public comments until the end of the month
Why this is correct: The agency is taking public comments until the end of the month.
Tips: The commenter mentions the deadline for comments. Find where the article says how long the agency will listen.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the start of spring: Spring is when the final rules will be published, not the deadline for comments.
- the end of summer: Summer is not mentioned as a deadline.
- the end of next week: The article gives a longer period than a week.
Correct Answer: five
Passage Reference: book a time slot before visiting five of the busiest trailheads
Why this is correct: The agency wants hikers to book before visiting five of the busiest trailheads.
Tips: The commenter is counting trailheads. Find where the article says how many the booking rule would cover.
Why the other options are wrong:
- three: The article names more trailheads than three.
- eight: The article names fewer trailheads than eight.
- ten: Ten is not in the article. The rule covers fewer trailheads than ten.
Correct Answer: breakfast
Passage Reference: Half my business is visitors who decide to hike over breakfast
Why this is correct: Ruest says half his business is visitors who decide to hike over breakfast.
Tips: The commenter repeats the shop owner’s words about his customers. Find what he says they decide over.
Why the other options are wrong:
- coffee: Ruest does not mention coffee.
- a map: Maps are not mentioned in the article.
- a quick snack: Ruest does not mention snacks.
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