Read the following article from a website.
Workers in Nova Scotia could soon take up to three paid mental health days a year without a note from a doctor. The province’s labour ministry has proposed the change for every employer with more than fifty staff, and it is collecting comments until the end of February. Under the current rules, a worker who is off sick for more than two days can be asked for a medical note, which often costs twenty-five dollars at a walk-in clinic.
Joaquin Serrano, who studies workplace health at a university in Halifax, says the rule would keep small problems from becoming big ones. “Right now many people come to work exhausted because getting a note costs time and money,” he said. “A few days of early rest are cheap compared with a long leave six months later.” Serrano added, “In our surveys, workers who took short breaks early were much less likely to need extended time off.”
Hannele Toivonen, the operations director at a fish-processing plant in Lunenburg, says she worries about the shop floor. “On a crew of eight, two empty spots can stop a whole line,” Toivonen said. “I am not against mental health support, but I need to know who is coming in. Days with no note will turn into extra long weekends for a few people, and the rest of the crew will pay for it.” Toivonen would rather see the province pay for more counselling through workplace assistance programs.
Kobina Tetteh, a labour lawyer, supports the days but warns that a rule on paper is not enough. “If people believe that taking a day will hurt their chances of promotion, they simply will not use it,” he explained. “The law must say clearly that no worker can be punished for it.” Berenike Sauvageau, who leads a peer-support group for health care workers, likes the idea but wants a short conversation when people return. “A quiet check-in on the first morning back can catch a problem early,” Sauvageau said. “It should be a kind word, not an interview.”
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
Joaquin Serrano’s position would most likely be supported by 2..
Overall, the article suggests that 3..
Kobina Tetteh would likely say that the new days 4..
All of the people quoted seem to agree that 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: paid mental health days with no doctor’s note
Why this is correct: The province wants to let workers take paid mental health days without a doctor’s note. Every speaker reacts to this idea.
Passage Reference: paid mental health days a year without a note from a doctor
Tips: The main subject is the one thing every quoted person has an opinion on. Check that your choice is not a detail mentioned only once.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a new safety rule at a fish plant: Toivonen works at a fish plant, but no new safety rule is described.
- the price of visits to walk-in clinics: The cost of a note is one small fact. It is not what the article is about.
- rules about promoting staff who take leave: Promotion comes up only in Tetteh’s warning. It is not the main topic.
Correct Answer: a company where short early breaks led to fewer long leaves
Passage Reference: A few days of early rest are cheap compared with a long leave six months later.
Why this is correct: Serrano says a few days of early rest cost far less than a long leave later. A company that saw this happen would back his case.
Tips: Read all of Serrano’s sentences. For each option, ask whether it would make Serrano’s case stronger, or whether it belongs with somebody else.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a finding that note-free leave is often added to weekends: This fits Toivonen’s fear of misuse, not Serrano’s case.
- a poll showing staff fear for promotions after time off: This fits Tetteh’s warning about punishment.
- a report that check-ins on return catch problems early: This fits Sauvageau’s idea of a quiet check-in.
Correct Answer: the change has wide support, though several want extra steps
Passage Reference: The law must say clearly that no worker can be punished for it.
Why this is correct: Serrano, Tetteh and Sauvageau all back the days. Tetteh wants a law against punishment, and Sauvageau wants a check-in. Only Toivonen is against them.
Tips: Read the quotes from Serrano, Toivonen, Tetteh and Sauvageau in turn. Keep the statement that still describes the whole article once every quote is read.
Why the other options are wrong:
- employers across the province reject the change: Toivonen is the only employer quoted, so the article does not show what employers across the province think.
- the plan has already cut long absences in the province: This is only a proposal, so it has no results yet. Serrano’s surveys are his own research.
- workers mostly want longer weekends off: Only Toivonen fears this, and the article does not show it is true.
Correct Answer: will help only if workers feel safe taking them
Passage Reference: If people believe that taking a day will hurt their chances of promotion, they simply will not use it
Why this is correct: Tetteh says people will not use the days if they think it will hurt their chances of promotion. So the days only work when workers feel safe taking them.
Tips: Read Tetteh’s quotes once more. Weigh each option against what Tetteh actually says, and remove any that comes from a different person or from no one.
Why the other options are wrong:
- should be limited to staff in health care: Tetteh supports days without a note.
- will mostly be used for long weekends: That is Toivonen’s fear, not Tetteh’s.
- need a formal meeting each time a worker returns: A check-in on return is Sauvageau’s idea, and it should be a kind word, not an interview.
Correct Answer: workers under strain should get some kind of help
Passage Reference: I am not against mental health support
Why this is correct: Serrano, Tetteh and Sauvageau all back the days. Even Toivonen, who is against them, says she is not against mental health support.
Tips: Take each quoted person one at a time. Keep an option only if Serrano, Toivonen, Tetteh and Sauvageau could each accept it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- employers should be able to check every absence: Only Toivonen says she needs to know who is coming in. The others support days without a note.
- workers should get more than a few days: Nobody asks for more days than the proposal gives.
- returning workers should have a check-in: Only Sauvageau asks for a check-in when people come back.
Correct Answer: up to three
Passage Reference: take up to three paid mental health days a year without a note from a doctor
Why this is correct: Under the proposal, workers could take up to three paid mental health days a year. Three is the highest number allowed.
Tips: Here you need a number and the word that goes with it. Check what the proposal offers, and do not mix it up with other numbers in the article.
Why the other options are wrong:
- at least three: The article says up to three, which is a top limit. It does not promise at least three.
- up to five: Five is not in the article. The proposal allows fewer days than that.
- at least six: Six is not in the article, and the proposal sets a top limit, not a minimum.
Correct Answer: twenty-five dollars
Passage Reference: which often costs twenty-five dollars at a walk-in clinic
Why this is correct: The article says a medical note often costs twenty-five dollars at a walk-in clinic.
Tips: You need a price. Find what the article says about getting a note under the current rules.
Why the other options are wrong:
- ten dollars: The article gives a higher price than ten dollars.
- forty dollars: Forty dollars is not in the article.
- sixty dollars: Sixty dollars is not in the article. The real price is lower.
Correct Answer: line
Passage Reference: On a crew of eight, two empty spots can stop a whole line
Why this is correct: Toivonen says that on a crew of eight, two empty spots can stop a whole line.
Tips: The commenter repeats the plant director’s own words about a small crew. Find what she says can stop.
Why the other options are wrong:
- shift: Toivonen does not say a shift would stop.
- delivery: Deliveries are not mentioned in the article.
- week: Toivonen does not talk about a whole week stopping.
Correct Answer: counselling
Passage Reference: Toivonen would rather see the province pay for more counselling through workplace assistance programs.
Why this is correct: Toivonen would rather see the province pay for more counselling through workplace assistance programs.
Tips: The commenter is still talking about the plant director. Find the sentence where the reporter sums up her preferred alternative, and take the exact noun used there.
Why the other options are wrong:
- training: Training is not mentioned in the article.
- child care: Child care is not mentioned in the article.
- fitness classes: Fitness classes are not mentioned in the article.
Correct Answer: more than fifty
Passage Reference: The province’s labour ministry has proposed the change for every employer with more than fifty staff
Why this is correct: The labour ministry has proposed the change for every employer with more than fifty staff.
Tips: Here you need a number of staff. Find which employers the ministry’s proposal would cover.
Why the other options are wrong:
- about twenty: Twenty is not in the article. The ministry draws its line at fifty staff.
- fewer than fifty: The proposal covers the bigger employers, with more than fifty staff, not the smaller ones.
- about two hundred: Two hundred is not in the article.
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