Read the following article from a website.
After three years, the province’s basic income pilot is in its final evaluation, and the legislature must decide this winter whether to expand it. About four thousand people in two cities have received a monthly payment of eleven hundred dollars, with no conditions on how they spend it. The alternative is to put the same money into targeted programs such as rent supplements and disability support.
Ludovic Ruhl, a pharmacy clerk who raises his nine-year-old son alone, has been in the pilot since it began. “The year before the pilot, I took out two payday loans just to heat the apartment,” he said. “Since the payments started, I have not needed one, and I finished an evening course in pharmacy assisting.” Ruhl says the best part is knowing the date. “The money comes on the same day every month, so I finally know what next month looks like,” Ruhl said.
Benedicta Quansah, a labour economist who testified before the committee, says one simple payment is cheaper to run. “Every separate program needs its own forms, its own office and its own staff to check them,” Quansah said. “A single monthly payment costs far less to deliver, and nobody falls through the gaps between programs. That is money that could go to people instead of paperwork,” she added.
Edvard Rowe, who studies public spending for a taxpayers’ group, argues that the money would go further if it were targeted. “A flat payment goes to some families who are already doing fine,” Rowe said. “Give the same cheque to everyone, and people with heavy care costs still wait in line for the help they need,” he added. Olwen Ravel, a social-policy analyst, says the province should first publish its clawback rules. “People need to know how much of the payment they lose for every extra dollar they earn,” she said. “Without that, workers turn down extra shifts because they are afraid of losing more than they gain,” Ravel said.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
These days, Ludovic Ruhl feels 2..
The main point of the article is that 3..
This article would most likely be published in 4..
Edvard Rowe’s argument would likely be supported by 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: whether to expand a monthly payment program
Why this is correct: The legislature must decide this winter whether to expand the basic income pilot. Every speaker gives a view on that choice.
Passage Reference: the legislature must decide this winter whether to expand it
Tips: Look for each option in what Ruhl, Quansah, Rowe and Ravel say. The answer is the subject they share, not a fact about one of them.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a rise in the cost of heating: Heating comes up only in Ruhl’s story about payday loans.
- a rise in payday loan rates: Ruhl mentions payday loans, but nobody talks about their rates.
- a plan to build more rental housing: Rent supplements are mentioned, but no new housing is planned.
Correct Answer: able to plan the month ahead
Passage Reference: The money comes on the same day every month, so I finally know what next month looks like
Why this is correct: Ruhl says the money comes on the same day every month. He finally knows what next month looks like.
Tips: Gather what Ruhl says about his life since the payments began. Pick the option that matches his life now, and drop any his words contradict.
Why the other options are wrong:
- worried about his payday loans: Ruhl says he has not needed a payday loan since the payments started.
- ready to quit his pharmacy job: Ruhl never talks about leaving his job. He finished a course in pharmacy assisting.
- unsure when his money will come: Ruhl says the money comes on the same day every month.
Correct Answer: people measure success in very different ways
Passage Reference: so I finally know what next month looks like ... says one simple payment is cheaper to run ... argues that the money would go further if it were targeted ... says the province should first publish its clawback rules
Why this is correct: Ruhl looks at his own life, and Quansah at the cost of running programs. Rowe asks who gets the money, and Ravel asks for clear rules.
Tips: Hold each option up against what Ruhl, Quansah, Rowe and Ravel say. Keep the one that every quote leaves standing.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the pilot has failed the people it served: Ruhl describes how the pilot helped him. Nobody says it failed.
- a single payment costs less than other programs: This is Quansah’s claim. Rowe argues for targeted programs.
- the legislature has decided to end the pilot: The legislature has not decided. It must decide this winter.
Correct Answer: a newspaper read across the province
Passage Reference: the legislature must decide this winter whether to expand it
Why this is correct: The article reports a decision the province must make and gives views from several people. A newspaper read across the province fits it.
Tips: Consider who would want a story like this and where they would find it. Test each option against the article as it is written.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a guide that helps people apply for the pilot: The article reports views on the pilot. It explains nothing about applying.
- a textbook on running a pharmacy: Ruhl works in a pharmacy, but the article teaches nothing about one.
- a magazine about payday loan companies: Payday loans come up once in Ruhl’s story. The article is about the pilot.
Correct Answer: data showing many cheques went to families doing well
Passage Reference: A flat payment goes to some families who are already doing fine
Why this is correct: Rowe says a flat payment goes to some families who are already doing fine. Data showing this would back his argument.
Tips: Ask of each option: would this fact help Rowe make his case, or would it help a different speaker more?
Why the other options are wrong:
- a study showing one payment costs less to deliver: Lower delivery costs support Quansah, who wants one payment.
- stories of workers turning down extra shifts: Refused shifts support Ravel’s call for clear rules.
- accounts of families no longer taking payday loans: Fewer payday loans fit Ruhl’s story in favour of the pilot.
Correct Answer: four thousand
Passage Reference: About four thousand people in two cities have received a monthly payment of eleven hundred dollars
Why this is correct: About four thousand people in two cities have received the monthly payment.
Tips: Find how many people have taken part in the pilot. Read the size of the figure with care.
Why the other options are wrong:
- four hundred: This is far fewer people than the article reports.
- fourteen thousand: Fourteen thousand does not appear in the article.
- forty thousand: This is far more people than the article reports.
Correct Answer: eleven hundred
Passage Reference: a monthly payment of eleven hundred dollars
Why this is correct: Each person receives a monthly payment of eleven hundred dollars.
Tips: The commenter wants the amount each person gets per month. Find the dollar figure tied to the payment.
Why the other options are wrong:
- seven hundred: The payment in the article is larger than this.
- fifteen hundred: The payment in the article is smaller than this.
- eight hundred: Eight hundred dollars is not the amount in the article.
Correct Answer: nine
Passage Reference: Ludovic Ruhl, a pharmacy clerk who raises his nine-year-old son alone, has been in the pilot since it began.
Why this is correct: Ruhl is raising his nine-year-old son alone.
Tips: The commenter describes the pharmacy clerk’s family. Find the age of his child.
Why the other options are wrong:
- six: Ruhl’s son is older than six.
- seven: Seven is not the age given for Ruhl’s son.
- twelve: Ruhl’s son is younger than twelve.
Correct Answer: three years
Passage Reference: After three years, the province’s basic income pilot is in its final evaluation
Why this is correct: The pilot has run for three years and is now in its final evaluation.
Tips: The commenter is giving the length of the pilot so far. Find the sentence that introduces the pilot and check the time it gives, not a time from a speaker’s story.
Why the other options are wrong:
- two years: Two years is not in the article. The pilot has run longer than that.
- five years: Five years does not appear in the article.
- one year: The article mentions the year before the pilot started, but the pilot itself has run longer than one year.
Correct Answer: disability
Passage Reference: The alternative is to put the same money into targeted programs such as rent supplements and disability support.
Why this is correct: The alternative to the pilot is to put the same money into targeted programs such as rent supplements and disability support.
Tips: Find where the article describes the other choice lawmakers have. Read the two programs it names.
Why the other options are wrong:
- housing: The article names rent supplements separately. The second program it names is disability support, not housing support.
- child care: Child care support is not mentioned in the article.
- food: Food support is not mentioned in the article.
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