CAEC Reading Preparation Course: Content and context: word meaning, inferences and conclusions

1. Question 1 sur 18

   Read the sentence: "The new manager was candid about the cuts; she told us exactly which jobs would change." What does "candid" mean here?

   • AUnsure and confused
   • BHonest and open
   • CAngry and upset
   • DSecretive and quiet
   Voir la réponse

   Réponse: B. Honest and open

   The words after the semicolon explain the word: she told them exactly what would change. That is a definition clue for "honest and open."

2. Question 2 sur 18

   In the email, what does "make the switch" mean?

   Subject: New shift app starts Monday

   Hi team,

   Starting Monday, March 3, we will stop posting paper schedules in the lunchroom. Instead, you will see your shifts in the ShiftLink app on your phone or on the computer by the time clock.

   Please download the app this week and log in with your employee number. If you have trouble, Dana in HR can help you on Thursday or Friday between 1 and 3 p.m.

   Shift swaps will also move to the app. You will still need a supervisor to approve each swap, but you will no longer need to fill out the yellow form.

   One thing is not changing: vacation requests still go to me by email at least two weeks ahead.

   Thanks for your patience while we make the switch.

   Marco Silva
   Shipping Supervisor

   • AMove to a new department
   • BTurn on the time-clock computer
   • CTrade shifts with a co-worker
   • DChange to the new app system
   Voir la réponse

   Réponse: D. Change to the new app system

   The whole email is about moving from paper schedules and forms to an app, so "the switch" is that change.

3. Question 3 sur 18

   "Not everyone is convinced." What does "convinced" mean in this sentence?

   Library lends more than books

   Harbourview Public Library has started lending items that most people need only once in a while. Since September, card holders have been able to borrow a sewing machine, a stud finder, a telescope or one of 40 other items for up to seven days.

   "People told us they were buying things they used once and then stored for years," said branch manager Priya Nandal. "Sharing saves money and space, and it keeps items out of the landfill."

   The program has been popular. In its first two months, items were borrowed 610 times, and there is now a waiting list for the pressure washer.

   Not everyone is convinced. Hardware store owner Glen Byrne says the library is competing with local businesses. "We rent some of these tools too, and we pay taxes," he said.

   Nandal says the library will add more items next spring, chosen through a survey of members. Items must be returned clean. There are no late fees, but borrowers who keep an item more than two weeks past its due date will have their account paused.

   • AHappy to pay local taxes
   • BSure that the idea is a good one
   • CAble to borrow the items
   • DAware that the program exists
   Voir la réponse

   Réponse: B. Sure that the idea is a good one

   The next sentences give a person who thinks the program is unfair, so "convinced" means sure that it is a good idea.

4. Question 4 sur 18

   What does "as if he had been planted there" suggest about Grandpa Leo?

   The lake was a sheet of grey glass the morning Grandpa Leo taught me to wait. He drilled the hole in three slow turns, then sat on his overturned bucket as if he had been planted there.

   "Now we listen," he said.

   I listened. The wind combed the snow into thin white ribbons. Somewhere far off, the ice gave a deep groan, and I grabbed his sleeve.

   "That's just the lake talking," he said. "It's stretching in its sleep."

   An hour passed. My toes went from cold to sore to nothing at all. I checked the line every minute, pulling it up to make sure the bait was still there, until Grandpa put his mittened hand over mine.

   "A fish can't find a line that won't stay still," he said.

   So I stayed still. And when the line finally twitched, it was so small a movement that I almost missed it, the way you almost miss the first star coming out, until suddenly the whole sky is full of them.

   • AHe was stuck in the deep snow
   • BHe sat very still and settled
   • CHe grew vegetables as a hobby
   • DHe was so tired he fell asleep
   Voir la réponse

   Réponse: B. He sat very still and settled

   The phrase compares him to a plant with roots in the ground. It shows he was calm, still and ready to wait.

5. Question 5 sur 18

   "Words flew past me in meetings like birds I could not name." What does this sentence mean?

   When I arrived in Calgary at thirty-four, I could order a coffee in English and not much else. Words flew past me in meetings like birds I could not name. For the first year, I nodded a lot.

   What changed things was not a class but a hockey game. My neighbour, Doug, invited me to watch his daughter play. I understood almost nothing he said, but he kept talking anyway, pointing and explaining, laughing at his own jokes. By the third period, I knew "offside," "penalty" and "What a save!"

   I began to see that a language is not only learned at a desk. It grows in kitchens, rinks and bus shelters, wherever people are patient enough to keep talking.

   Today I lead meetings in English. I still don't understand offside.

   • APeople spoke too fast for him to understand
   • BHis meetings were held outdoors
   • CBirds often flew into his office
   • DHe kept forgetting the names of his new co-workers
   Voir la réponse

   Réponse: A. People spoke too fast for him to understand

   This is a simile. Like birds he could not name, the words went by before he could catch or understand them.

6. Question 6 sur 18

   What can you infer from "For the first year, I nodded a lot"?

   When I arrived in Calgary at thirty-four, I could order a coffee in English and not much else. Words flew past me in meetings like birds I could not name. For the first year, I nodded a lot.

   What changed things was not a class but a hockey game. My neighbour, Doug, invited me to watch his daughter play. I understood almost nothing he said, but he kept talking anyway, pointing and explaining, laughing at his own jokes. By the third period, I knew "offside," "penalty" and "What a save!"

   I began to see that a language is not only learned at a desk. It grows in kitchens, rinks and bus shelters, wherever people are patient enough to keep talking.

   Today I lead meetings in English. I still don't understand offside.

   • AHe had a sore neck for a year
   • BHe agreed with every decision at work
   • CHe was the most senior person in meetings
   • DHe often pretended to understand
   Voir la réponse

   Réponse: D. He often pretended to understand

   The paragraph says he knew little English. Nodding without speaking suggests he was hiding that he did not understand.

7. Question 7 sur 18

   Why does the narrator grab Grandpa Leo's sleeve?

   The lake was a sheet of grey glass the morning Grandpa Leo taught me to wait. He drilled the hole in three slow turns, then sat on his overturned bucket as if he had been planted there.

   "Now we listen," he said.

   I listened. The wind combed the snow into thin white ribbons. Somewhere far off, the ice gave a deep groan, and I grabbed his sleeve.

   "That's just the lake talking," he said. "It's stretching in its sleep."

   An hour passed. My toes went from cold to sore to nothing at all. I checked the line every minute, pulling it up to make sure the bait was still there, until Grandpa put his mittened hand over mine.

   "A fish can't find a line that won't stay still," he said.

   So I stayed still. And when the line finally twitched, it was so small a movement that I almost missed it, the way you almost miss the first star coming out, until suddenly the whole sky is full of them.

   • AThe narrator's hands are cold
   • BThe sound of the ice is frightening
   • CThe narrator wants to go home
   • DThe narrator has caught a fish
   Voir la réponse

   Réponse: B. The sound of the ice is frightening

   The narrator grabs his sleeve right after the ice gives "a deep groan." Grandpa then calms the narrator by saying it is just the lake.

8. Question 8 sur 18

   What does Grandpa mean by "A fish can't find a line that won't stay still"?

   The lake was a sheet of grey glass the morning Grandpa Leo taught me to wait. He drilled the hole in three slow turns, then sat on his overturned bucket as if he had been planted there.

   "Now we listen," he said.

   I listened. The wind combed the snow into thin white ribbons. Somewhere far off, the ice gave a deep groan, and I grabbed his sleeve.

   "That's just the lake talking," he said. "It's stretching in its sleep."

   An hour passed. My toes went from cold to sore to nothing at all. I checked the line every minute, pulling it up to make sure the bait was still there, until Grandpa put his mittened hand over mine.

   "A fish can't find a line that won't stay still," he said.

   So I stayed still. And when the line finally twitched, it was so small a movement that I almost missed it, the way you almost miss the first star coming out, until suddenly the whole sky is full of them.

   • AThe bait has already fallen off the hook, so check it again
   • BFish only bite when the wind stops
   • CChecking the line so often lowers the chance of a bite
   • DThe hole in the ice is too small
   Voir la réponse

   Réponse: C. Checking the line so often lowers the chance of a bite

   The narrator keeps pulling the line up every minute. Grandpa is telling the narrator to be patient and leave the line still.

9. Question 9 sur 18

   Ben has no driveway. At noon, the Town announces a parking ban. Based on the notice, what should Ben do?

   Snow Route Parking Ban – Town of Pine Hollow

   When more than 5 cm of snow falls, the Town will declare a parking ban on all marked snow routes. The ban starts at 7 p.m. on the day it is announced and lasts for 48 hours, unless the Town ends it sooner.

   During a ban, vehicles parked on a snow route may be ticketed and towed at the owner's expense. Snow route signs are blue with a white snowflake.

   You can find out about a ban in three ways: sign up for text alerts on the Town website, follow the Town on social media, or call the 24-hour information line. Local radio stations also share ban news, but the Town's own channels are updated first.

   Residents who have no driveway may park free of charge in the arena lot on Birch Street during a ban.

   • APark on the snow route and pay the fee
   • BLeave his car on the snow route until tomorrow night
   • CMove his car to the arena lot before 7 p.m.
   • DCall the radio station to ask for a parking pass
   Voir la réponse

   Réponse: C. Move his car to the arena lot before 7 p.m.

   The ban starts at 7 p.m. on the day it is announced, and residents with no driveway may park free in the arena lot. Combining these facts gives the answer.

10. Question 10 sur 18

    A borrower returns a telescope 20 days after its due date. Based on the article, what happens?

    Library lends more than books

    Harbourview Public Library has started lending items that most people need only once in a while. Since September, card holders have been able to borrow a sewing machine, a stud finder, a telescope or one of 40 other items for up to seven days.

    "People told us they were buying things they used once and then stored for years," said branch manager Priya Nandal. "Sharing saves money and space, and it keeps items out of the landfill."

    The program has been popular. In its first two months, items were borrowed 610 times, and there is now a waiting list for the pressure washer.

    Not everyone is convinced. Hardware store owner Glen Byrne says the library is competing with local businesses. "We rent some of these tools too, and we pay taxes," he said.

    Nandal says the library will add more items next spring, chosen through a survey of members. Items must be returned clean. There are no late fees, but borrowers who keep an item more than two weeks past its due date will have their account paused.

    • ANothing, because there are no late fees
    • BThe borrower's account is paused
    • CThe borrower must buy the telescope
    • DThe borrower pays a late fee
    Voir la réponse

    Réponse: B. The borrower's account is paused

    There are no late fees, but an item kept more than two weeks (14 days) past its due date leads to a paused account. 20 days is more than 14.

11. Question 11 sur 18

    In the last line, what does "the last one up, the first awake" suggest about the speaker?

    Night Shift

    The bus hums down an empty street,
    its windows full of tired light.
    I count the stops the way my mother
    counted rosary beads at night:

    one for the bakery, dark and shut,
    one for the bridge, one for the mall,
    one for the corner where the wind
    leans hard against the shelter wall.

    At home, the kettle waits for me,
    a small, round sun upon the stove.
    The city sleeps. I pour my tea,
    the last one up, the first awake.

    • AThe speaker always wakes up before the alarm
    • BThe speaker works at night and gets home as the day begins
    • CThe speaker is always the last passenger to leave the night bus
    • DThe speaker cannot sleep because of noise
    Voir la réponse

    Réponse: B. The speaker works at night and gets home as the day begins

    The title is "Night Shift," and the city is asleep when the speaker gets home. The speaker is still up from the night and awake before everyone else.

12. Question 12 sur 18

    What does Raj mean when he says, "Not this one"?

    A small apartment kitchen in Winnipeg. Early morning. RAJ, in his fifties, is packing a lunch. His daughter MEERA, 19, enters with a suitcase.

    RAJ: (without turning around) You're early. The bus doesn't leave until nine.
    MEERA: I wanted to say goodbye properly. Not at the station, with everyone watching.
    RAJ: (still packing) I made you a sandwich. Cheese and pickle. The kind you like.
    MEERA: Dad, I'm nineteen. They have sandwiches in Vancouver.
    RAJ: (finally turning, holding out the sandwich) Not this one.

    (MEERA takes the sandwich and puts it carefully in her bag. Neither of them speaks.)

    • AHe made the wrong kind of sandwich
    • BShe should not eat it on the bus
    • CSandwiches in Vancouver taste worse
    • DHis sandwich carries his love for her
    Voir la réponse

    Réponse: D. His sandwich carries his love for her

    Meera says Vancouver has sandwiches, and Raj answers that none will be like this one, made by her father. The sandwich stands for his care.

13. Question 13 sur 18

    Why does Raj keep packing without turning around at first?

    A small apartment kitchen in Winnipeg. Early morning. RAJ, in his fifties, is packing a lunch. His daughter MEERA, 19, enters with a suitcase.

    RAJ: (without turning around) You're early. The bus doesn't leave until nine.
    MEERA: I wanted to say goodbye properly. Not at the station, with everyone watching.
    RAJ: (still packing) I made you a sandwich. Cheese and pickle. The kind you like.
    MEERA: Dad, I'm nineteen. They have sandwiches in Vancouver.
    RAJ: (finally turning, holding out the sandwich) Not this one.

    (MEERA takes the sandwich and puts it carefully in her bag. Neither of them speaks.)

    • AHe is late for his own work shift
    • BHe finds the goodbye hard and is hiding his feelings
    • CHe is upset that Meera came early and interrupted his work
    • DHe did not hear Meera come in
    Voir la réponse

    Réponse: B. He finds the goodbye hard and is hiding his feelings

    He answers her right away, so he heard her. He made her favourite sandwich, so he is not angry. Avoiding her eyes shows the goodbye is hard for him.

14. Question 14 sur 18

    Based on the letter, which statement would the writer most likely agree with?

    Letter to the editor: Give Main Street a chance

    Every spring, city council asks how to bring shoppers back downtown. Every spring, the answer is the same: more parking. I think it is time to try something different.

    Last year, the town of Elm Falls replaced 30 parking spots on its main street with a protected bike lane and wider sidewalks. According to the town's own count, foot traffic rose by 18 per cent in the first summer. Store owners who had fought the plan now hold sidewalk sales every weekend.

    Some people say that our winters are too long for cycling. But a bike lane is not only for bikes. In Elm Falls, the lane is cleared first after a snowfall, so it also gives people with strollers and wheelchairs a safe path.

    Of course, change is hard. Nobody likes to circle the block looking for a spot. But are we really building a downtown for cars, or for people?

    I urge council to try a one-year pilot. If it fails, the paint can be removed. If it works, we will wonder why we waited so long.

    Andrea Kowalczyk, Main Street resident

    • AA downtown should be planned for people, not only cars
    • BCycling is impossible in a Canadian winter
    • CMore parking is the best way to bring shoppers back downtown
    • DTrial projects are a waste of city money
    Voir la réponse

    Réponse: A. A downtown should be planned for people, not only cars

    She asks whether the downtown is for cars or for people and urges a bike lane pilot. The other statements go against her letter.

15. Question 15 sur 18

    A member signs up for Aquafit. How much will it cost with the member discount?

    Fall programs at Westbrook Leisure Centre run for 8 weeks, starting September 15. Register online or at the front desk.

    Members save 10% on all paid programs. Any program with fewer than 6 people registered one week before the start date will be cancelled, and fees will be refunded in full.

    Program	Day and time	Ages	Cost (8 weeks)
    Aquafit	Mon and Wed, 7:00–8:00 p.m.	16+	$64
    Parent and Tot Swim	Sat, 9:30–10:00 a.m.	6 months–3 years, with an adult	$48
    Lane Swim	Mon to Fri, 6:00–7:30 a.m.	16+	Free with membership
    Junior Lifeguard Club	Thu, 5:00–6:30 p.m.	11–15	$96
    Senior Stretch	Tue and Thu, 10:00–11:00 a.m.	60+	$40

    • A$64.00
    • B$6.40
    • C$57.60
    • D$54.00
    Voir la réponse

    Réponse: C. $57.60

    Aquafit costs $64. Members save 10%: $64 × 0.10 = $6.40 off, and $64 − $6.40 = $57.60.

16. Question 16 sur 18

    Only 4 people have registered for Junior Lifeguard Club one week before the start date. What will most likely happen?

    Fall programs at Westbrook Leisure Centre run for 8 weeks, starting September 15. Register online or at the front desk.

    Members save 10% on all paid programs. Any program with fewer than 6 people registered one week before the start date will be cancelled, and fees will be refunded in full.

    Program	Day and time	Ages	Cost (8 weeks)
    Aquafit	Mon and Wed, 7:00–8:00 p.m.	16+	$64
    Parent and Tot Swim	Sat, 9:30–10:00 a.m.	6 months–3 years, with an adult	$48
    Lane Swim	Mon to Fri, 6:00–7:30 a.m.	16+	Free with membership
    Junior Lifeguard Club	Thu, 5:00–6:30 p.m.	11–15	$96
    Senior Stretch	Tue and Thu, 10:00–11:00 a.m.	60+	$40

    • AIt will be cancelled, with a full refund
    • BIt will run with only 4 people
    • CIt will move to a Saturday morning
    • DThe price will go up for each person
    Voir la réponse

    Réponse: A. It will be cancelled, with a full refund

    The note says any program with fewer than 6 people one week before the start will be cancelled and fees refunded in full.

17. Question 17 sur 18

    A 62-year-old wants a program that meets twice a week on weekday mornings. Which program fits best?

    Fall programs at Westbrook Leisure Centre run for 8 weeks, starting September 15. Register online or at the front desk.

    Members save 10% on all paid programs. Any program with fewer than 6 people registered one week before the start date will be cancelled, and fees will be refunded in full.

    Program	Day and time	Ages	Cost (8 weeks)
    Aquafit	Mon and Wed, 7:00–8:00 p.m.	16+	$64
    Parent and Tot Swim	Sat, 9:30–10:00 a.m.	6 months–3 years, with an adult	$48
    Lane Swim	Mon to Fri, 6:00–7:30 a.m.	16+	Free with membership
    Junior Lifeguard Club	Thu, 5:00–6:30 p.m.	11–15	$96
    Senior Stretch	Tue and Thu, 10:00–11:00 a.m.	60+	$40

    • ALane Swim
    • BSenior Stretch
    • CAquafit
    • DParent and Tot Swim
    Voir la réponse

    Réponse: B. Senior Stretch

    Senior Stretch is for ages 60+ and runs Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Lane Swim is five mornings a week, and Aquafit is in the evening.

18. Question 18 sur 18

    On which point do both writers agree?

    Text A – From a worker's blog

    Since my office let us work from home two days a week, I have more energy. I skip a 50-minute commute, so I sleep longer and start work fresh. I also get more done on quiet tasks, like writing reports. I do miss my co-workers, though. Our office days are now the days I save for meetings and problem-solving.

    Text B – From a manager's newsletter

    Our hybrid schedule has worked better than I expected. Reports arrive on time, and staff say they are less tired. Still, I have noticed that new employees learn more slowly when the team is apart. A quick question that took ten seconds at a desk can now take an hour by email. For that reason, new hires will spend their first three months fully in the office.

    • AWorking from home some days has left people less tired
    • BOffice days are no longer needed
    • CEmail is faster than asking at a desk
    • DNew employees should work from home during their first months
    Voir la réponse

    Réponse: A. Working from home some days has left people less tired

    Text A says the writer has more energy, and Text B says staff report being less tired. Both texts support this point.

Clavier : 1–4 pour répondre, Entrée pour la question suivante.

L’examen réel : 55% on each CAEC test