OSSLT: Reading: information paragraphs

All 24 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

1. Most smartphones and tablets use a type of touchscreen called a capacitive screen, and it works because the human body can conduct electricity. Just beneath the glass is a very thin, see-through layer arranged in a grid of tiny lines. A small electrical charge is spread evenly across this grid. When a fingertip touches the glass, it changes the charge at that exact point. The phone's processor measures where the change happened and treats it as a tap, a swipe or a pinch. Because the screen can detect more than one point at once, a user can zoom in on a photo by spreading two fingers apart. This design also explains a common winter problem in Canada. Ordinary wool or leather gloves do not conduct electricity well, so the screen cannot sense the finger inside them, and the phone seems to ignore the user. To solve this, some companies make gloves with special threads in the fingertips that carry the charge through the fabric. A plastic pen will not work on these screens either, unless its tip is made of a conductive material. In short, a capacitive screen does not respond to pressure at all; it responds to the electrical properties of whatever touches it.

   What is the main idea of the paragraph about how capacitive touchscreens work?

   1. Special gloves with threads let people use phones outside
   2. Spreading two fingers apart is how users zoom in on photos
   3. These screens sense the electrical properties of a touch
   4. Cold Canadian winters make phone screens stop working properly

2. Many teenagers feel tired in the morning, and the reason is not always that they stay up late on purpose. During the teen years, the body's internal clock shifts, so many teens do not feel sleepy until later at night than they did as children. Canadian guidelines recommend that young people aged 14 to 17 get eight to ten hours of uninterrupted sleep each night, yet many get much less on school nights. Sleep is not wasted time. While a person sleeps, the brain sorts and stores what was learned during the day, and the body repairs muscles and other tissues. A teen who regularly misses sleep may find it harder to concentrate, remember information and manage feelings such as frustration. Screens can make the problem worse. The bright light from phones and tablets can signal to the brain that it is still daytime, which delays the release of melatonin, a hormone that helps the body prepare for sleep. Experts suggest a few simple habits: going to bed and waking up at about the same time every day, putting devices away an hour before bed, and keeping the bedroom cool, dark and quiet. These changes may seem small, but together they can help a tired student feel more alert in class and more energetic after school.

   Why does the writer include the short sentence "Sleep is not wasted time" in the paragraph about teen sleep?

   1. To explain why bright screens make sleep problems worse
   2. To argue that teens should be allowed to sleep in on school days
   3. To introduce the useful work the brain and body do during sleep
   4. To show that most teens dislike going to bed early

3. The Rideau Canal, which links Ottawa and Kingston, is one of the oldest canals in North America that is still in use. It was built between 1826 and 1832, not long after the War of 1812, when British leaders worried about a possible attack from the United States. At the time, supplies travelling between Montréal and Kingston had to move along the St. Lawrence River, close to the American border. The canal offered a safer inland route. Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers led the project, and thousands of workers, many of them Irish and French-Canadian labourers, cut through forests, swamps and rock with simple tools. Their work was dangerous, and many fell ill with malaria, a disease that was common in the region's swamps at the time. Instead of digging one long channel, the builders connected existing rivers and lakes and used locks and dams to raise and lower boats along a route of about 200 kilometres. The attack that the canal was meant to defend against never came. Over time, the canal became a route for trade and, later, for pleasure boating. In 2007, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, in winter, part of the canal in Ottawa becomes a long skating path, giving one of Canada's oldest engineering projects a new purpose.

   Which conclusion is best supported by the paragraph about the Rideau Canal?

   1. The canal was used to defend Kingston from an American attack
   2. Most of the canal's workers were trained engineers
   3. The canal is valued today for reasons other than its first purpose
   4. The canal can no longer be used by any boats

4. Most smartphones and tablets use a type of touchscreen called a capacitive screen, and it works because the human body can conduct electricity. Just beneath the glass is a very thin, see-through layer arranged in a grid of tiny lines. A small electrical charge is spread evenly across this grid. When a fingertip touches the glass, it changes the charge at that exact point. The phone's processor measures where the change happened and treats it as a tap, a swipe or a pinch. Because the screen can detect more than one point at once, a user can zoom in on a photo by spreading two fingers apart. This design also explains a common winter problem in Canada. Ordinary wool or leather gloves do not conduct electricity well, so the screen cannot sense the finger inside them, and the phone seems to ignore the user. To solve this, some companies make gloves with special threads in the fingertips that carry the charge through the fabric. A plastic pen will not work on these screens either, unless its tip is made of a conductive material. In short, a capacitive screen does not respond to pressure at all; it responds to the electrical properties of whatever touches it.

   In the paragraph about touchscreens, what does "conduct" mean in "the human body can conduct electricity"?

   1. Lead an orchestra
   2. Store it for later use
   3. Let it pass through
   4. Behave in a certain way

5. Every spring, maple syrup producers in Ontario, Quebec and other parts of eastern Canada watch the weather closely, because the sap of the sugar maple flows only under certain conditions. Sap moves best when nights fall below freezing and days warm up above freezing. During the cold nights, the tree draws water up from its roots; during the mild days, pressure inside the trunk pushes the sap out through any opening, including the small holes, called taps, that producers drill into the bark. This season usually lasts only four to six weeks, so producers call it the sugaring season and work long hours while it lasts. Fresh sap looks almost like water and tastes only slightly sweet, because it is mostly water with a small amount of sugar. To turn it into syrup, producers boil it in a wide, shallow pan called an evaporator until most of the water escapes as steam. The process takes a great deal of sap: about forty litres are needed to make just one litre of syrup. Many Indigenous peoples of the region were making maple sugar long before Europeans arrived, and they shared their knowledge with early settlers. Today, Canada produces most of the world's maple syrup, and Quebec alone produces the largest share.

   Based on the maple syrup paragraph, what would most likely happen in a spring when the nights never fell below freezing?

   1. The sap would not flow well, so less syrup would be made
   2. The sugaring season would last much longer than six weeks
   3. The sap would become sweeter and need less boiling to finish
   4. Producers would need to drill deeper taps into every tree

6. Many teenagers feel tired in the morning, and the reason is not always that they stay up late on purpose. During the teen years, the body's internal clock shifts, so many teens do not feel sleepy until later at night than they did as children. Canadian guidelines recommend that young people aged 14 to 17 get eight to ten hours of uninterrupted sleep each night, yet many get much less on school nights. Sleep is not wasted time. While a person sleeps, the brain sorts and stores what was learned during the day, and the body repairs muscles and other tissues. A teen who regularly misses sleep may find it harder to concentrate, remember information and manage feelings such as frustration. Screens can make the problem worse. The bright light from phones and tablets can signal to the brain that it is still daytime, which delays the release of melatonin, a hormone that helps the body prepare for sleep. Experts suggest a few simple habits: going to bed and waking up at about the same time every day, putting devices away an hour before bed, and keeping the bedroom cool, dark and quiet. These changes may seem small, but together they can help a tired student feel more alert in class and more energetic after school.

   Based on the paragraph about teen sleep, what can be concluded about a student who scrolls on a phone in bed until midnight?

   1. The student will remember more of the day's lessons
   2. The student's body will release melatonin earlier
   3. The student may fall asleep later and be less alert in class
   4. The student will need less sleep than most other teens

7. Most smartphones and tablets use a type of touchscreen called a capacitive screen, and it works because the human body can conduct electricity. Just beneath the glass is a very thin, see-through layer arranged in a grid of tiny lines. A small electrical charge is spread evenly across this grid. When a fingertip touches the glass, it changes the charge at that exact point. The phone's processor measures where the change happened and treats it as a tap, a swipe or a pinch. Because the screen can detect more than one point at once, a user can zoom in on a photo by spreading two fingers apart. This design also explains a common winter problem in Canada. Ordinary wool or leather gloves do not conduct electricity well, so the screen cannot sense the finger inside them, and the phone seems to ignore the user. To solve this, some companies make gloves with special threads in the fingertips that carry the charge through the fabric. A plastic pen will not work on these screens either, unless its tip is made of a conductive material. In short, a capacitive screen does not respond to pressure at all; it responds to the electrical properties of whatever touches it.

   Based on the touchscreen paragraph, which of these would most likely work on a capacitive screen?

   1. The rubber eraser on a pencil
   2. A finger in a leather glove
   3. The handle of a plastic spoon
   4. A pen with a conductive tip

8. Which sentence from the touchscreen paragraph best supports the claim that pressing harder will not help a person wearing ordinary gloves?

   1. "…a capacitive screen does not respond to pressure at all…"
   2. "Just beneath the glass is a very thin, see-through layer…"
   3. "A small electrical charge is spread evenly across this grid."
   4. "Because the screen can detect more than one point at once…"

9. The Rideau Canal, which links Ottawa and Kingston, is one of the oldest canals in North America that is still in use. It was built between 1826 and 1832, not long after the War of 1812, when British leaders worried about a possible attack from the United States. At the time, supplies travelling between Montréal and Kingston had to move along the St. Lawrence River, close to the American border. The canal offered a safer inland route. Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers led the project, and thousands of workers, many of them Irish and French-Canadian labourers, cut through forests, swamps and rock with simple tools. Their work was dangerous, and many fell ill with malaria, a disease that was common in the region's swamps at the time. Instead of digging one long channel, the builders connected existing rivers and lakes and used locks and dams to raise and lower boats along a route of about 200 kilometres. The attack that the canal was meant to defend against never came. Over time, the canal became a route for trade and, later, for pleasure boating. In 2007, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, in winter, part of the canal in Ottawa becomes a long skating path, giving one of Canada's oldest engineering projects a new purpose.

   Why does the writer of the Rideau Canal paragraph mention that supplies moved along the St. Lawrence "close to the American border"?

   1. To prove that an attack on Kingston really took place
   2. To explain why a safer inland route was wanted
   3. To show that the St. Lawrence was too shallow for boats
   4. To describe where most of the canal workers came from

10. Many teenagers feel tired in the morning, and the reason is not always that they stay up late on purpose. During the teen years, the body's internal clock shifts, so many teens do not feel sleepy until later at night than they did as children. Canadian guidelines recommend that young people aged 14 to 17 get eight to ten hours of uninterrupted sleep each night, yet many get much less on school nights. Sleep is not wasted time. While a person sleeps, the brain sorts and stores what was learned during the day, and the body repairs muscles and other tissues. A teen who regularly misses sleep may find it harder to concentrate, remember information and manage feelings such as frustration. Screens can make the problem worse. The bright light from phones and tablets can signal to the brain that it is still daytime, which delays the release of melatonin, a hormone that helps the body prepare for sleep. Experts suggest a few simple habits: going to bed and waking up at about the same time every day, putting devices away an hour before bed, and keeping the bedroom cool, dark and quiet. These changes may seem small, but together they can help a tired student feel more alert in class and more energetic after school.

    Which statement best expresses the main idea of the paragraph about teenagers and sleep?

    1. Melatonin is a hormone that the body releases at night
    2. Teens stay up late mainly because they enjoy their phones
    3. Teens need enough sleep, and simple habits can help them get it
    4. A cool bedroom is the most important part of good sleep

11. The Rideau Canal, which links Ottawa and Kingston, is one of the oldest canals in North America that is still in use. It was built between 1826 and 1832, not long after the War of 1812, when British leaders worried about a possible attack from the United States. At the time, supplies travelling between Montréal and Kingston had to move along the St. Lawrence River, close to the American border. The canal offered a safer inland route. Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers led the project, and thousands of workers, many of them Irish and French-Canadian labourers, cut through forests, swamps and rock with simple tools. Their work was dangerous, and many fell ill with malaria, a disease that was common in the region's swamps at the time. Instead of digging one long channel, the builders connected existing rivers and lakes and used locks and dams to raise and lower boats along a route of about 200 kilometres. The attack that the canal was meant to defend against never came. Over time, the canal became a route for trade and, later, for pleasure boating. In 2007, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, in winter, part of the canal in Ottawa becomes a long skating path, giving one of Canada's oldest engineering projects a new purpose.

    In the paragraph about the Rideau Canal, what are the "locks" used for?

    1. Keeping boats from being stolen at night
    2. Raising and lowering boats between water levels
    3. Blocking enemy ships from entering the canal
    4. Storing supplies for the workers along the route

12. Every spring, maple syrup producers in Ontario, Quebec and other parts of eastern Canada watch the weather closely, because the sap of the sugar maple flows only under certain conditions. Sap moves best when nights fall below freezing and days warm up above freezing. During the cold nights, the tree draws water up from its roots; during the mild days, pressure inside the trunk pushes the sap out through any opening, including the small holes, called taps, that producers drill into the bark. This season usually lasts only four to six weeks, so producers call it the sugaring season and work long hours while it lasts. Fresh sap looks almost like water and tastes only slightly sweet, because it is mostly water with a small amount of sugar. To turn it into syrup, producers boil it in a wide, shallow pan called an evaporator until most of the water escapes as steam. The process takes a great deal of sap: about forty litres are needed to make just one litre of syrup. Many Indigenous peoples of the region were making maple sugar long before Europeans arrived, and they shared their knowledge with early settlers. Today, Canada produces most of the world's maple syrup, and Quebec alone produces the largest share.

    What is the main idea of the paragraph about how maple syrup is made?

    1. Sugar maples need very cold winters in order to grow tall
    2. Indigenous peoples shared their knowledge of maple sugar with settlers
    3. Making maple syrup depends on spring weather and long boiling
    4. Quebec produces the largest share of the world's maple syrup

13. Many teenagers feel tired in the morning, and the reason is not always that they stay up late on purpose. During the teen years, the body's internal clock shifts, so many teens do not feel sleepy until later at night than they did as children. Canadian guidelines recommend that young people aged 14 to 17 get eight to ten hours of uninterrupted sleep each night, yet many get much less on school nights. Sleep is not wasted time. While a person sleeps, the brain sorts and stores what was learned during the day, and the body repairs muscles and other tissues. A teen who regularly misses sleep may find it harder to concentrate, remember information and manage feelings such as frustration. Screens can make the problem worse. The bright light from phones and tablets can signal to the brain that it is still daytime, which delays the release of melatonin, a hormone that helps the body prepare for sleep. Experts suggest a few simple habits: going to bed and waking up at about the same time every day, putting devices away an hour before bed, and keeping the bedroom cool, dark and quiet. These changes may seem small, but together they can help a tired student feel more alert in class and more energetic after school.

    In the paragraph about teen sleep, what does the phrase "the body's internal clock shifts" mean?

    1. The body stops needing as much rest as before
    2. The natural timing of sleepiness changes
    3. Teens start to wake up earlier on their own
    4. Teens lose track of the time on their phones

14. Every spring, maple syrup producers in Ontario, Quebec and other parts of eastern Canada watch the weather closely, because the sap of the sugar maple flows only under certain conditions. Sap moves best when nights fall below freezing and days warm up above freezing. During the cold nights, the tree draws water up from its roots; during the mild days, pressure inside the trunk pushes the sap out through any opening, including the small holes, called taps, that producers drill into the bark. This season usually lasts only four to six weeks, so producers call it the sugaring season and work long hours while it lasts. Fresh sap looks almost like water and tastes only slightly sweet, because it is mostly water with a small amount of sugar. To turn it into syrup, producers boil it in a wide, shallow pan called an evaporator until most of the water escapes as steam. The process takes a great deal of sap: about forty litres are needed to make just one litre of syrup. Many Indigenous peoples of the region were making maple sugar long before Europeans arrived, and they shared their knowledge with early settlers. Today, Canada produces most of the world's maple syrup, and Quebec alone produces the largest share.

    In the maple syrup paragraph, what does "draws" mean in the phrase "the tree draws water up from its roots"?

    1. Ties
    2. Sketches
    3. Chooses
    4. Pulls

15. Most smartphones and tablets use a type of touchscreen called a capacitive screen, and it works because the human body can conduct electricity. Just beneath the glass is a very thin, see-through layer arranged in a grid of tiny lines. A small electrical charge is spread evenly across this grid. When a fingertip touches the glass, it changes the charge at that exact point. The phone's processor measures where the change happened and treats it as a tap, a swipe or a pinch. Because the screen can detect more than one point at once, a user can zoom in on a photo by spreading two fingers apart. This design also explains a common winter problem in Canada. Ordinary wool or leather gloves do not conduct electricity well, so the screen cannot sense the finger inside them, and the phone seems to ignore the user. To solve this, some companies make gloves with special threads in the fingertips that carry the charge through the fabric. A plastic pen will not work on these screens either, unless its tip is made of a conductive material. In short, a capacitive screen does not respond to pressure at all; it responds to the electrical properties of whatever touches it.

    According to the touchscreen paragraph, why do ordinary wool gloves stop a phone from responding?

    1. Wool makes the screen too cold
    2. Wool presses too lightly on the glass
    3. Wool does not conduct electricity well
    4. Wool scratches the see-through layer

16. Every spring, maple syrup producers in Ontario, Quebec and other parts of eastern Canada watch the weather closely, because the sap of the sugar maple flows only under certain conditions. Sap moves best when nights fall below freezing and days warm up above freezing. During the cold nights, the tree draws water up from its roots; during the mild days, pressure inside the trunk pushes the sap out through any opening, including the small holes, called taps, that producers drill into the bark. This season usually lasts only four to six weeks, so producers call it the sugaring season and work long hours while it lasts. Fresh sap looks almost like water and tastes only slightly sweet, because it is mostly water with a small amount of sugar. To turn it into syrup, producers boil it in a wide, shallow pan called an evaporator until most of the water escapes as steam. The process takes a great deal of sap: about forty litres are needed to make just one litre of syrup. Many Indigenous peoples of the region were making maple sugar long before Europeans arrived, and they shared their knowledge with early settlers. Today, Canada produces most of the world's maple syrup, and Quebec alone produces the largest share.

    Why does the writer of the maple syrup paragraph mention that fresh sap "tastes only slightly sweet"?

    1. To explain why producers drill taps into the bark
    2. To compare maple sap with the sap of other kinds of trees
    3. To warn readers never to drink sap straight from a tree
    4. To show why so much boiling is needed to make syrup

17. Most smartphones and tablets use a type of touchscreen called a capacitive screen, and it works because the human body can conduct electricity. Just beneath the glass is a very thin, see-through layer arranged in a grid of tiny lines. A small electrical charge is spread evenly across this grid. When a fingertip touches the glass, it changes the charge at that exact point. The phone's processor measures where the change happened and treats it as a tap, a swipe or a pinch. Because the screen can detect more than one point at once, a user can zoom in on a photo by spreading two fingers apart. This design also explains a common winter problem in Canada. Ordinary wool or leather gloves do not conduct electricity well, so the screen cannot sense the finger inside them, and the phone seems to ignore the user. To solve this, some companies make gloves with special threads in the fingertips that carry the charge through the fabric. A plastic pen will not work on these screens either, unless its tip is made of a conductive material. In short, a capacitive screen does not respond to pressure at all; it responds to the electrical properties of whatever touches it.

    Why does the writer of the touchscreen paragraph mention zooming in on a photo with two fingers?

    1. To give an example of the screen sensing several points at once
    2. To explain why plastic pens do not work on these screens
    3. To describe how the grid of lines under the glass is built
    4. To show that viewing photos is the most common use of phones

18. Many teenagers feel tired in the morning, and the reason is not always that they stay up late on purpose. During the teen years, the body's internal clock shifts, so many teens do not feel sleepy until later at night than they did as children. Canadian guidelines recommend that young people aged 14 to 17 get eight to ten hours of uninterrupted sleep each night, yet many get much less on school nights. Sleep is not wasted time. While a person sleeps, the brain sorts and stores what was learned during the day, and the body repairs muscles and other tissues. A teen who regularly misses sleep may find it harder to concentrate, remember information and manage feelings such as frustration. Screens can make the problem worse. The bright light from phones and tablets can signal to the brain that it is still daytime, which delays the release of melatonin, a hormone that helps the body prepare for sleep. Experts suggest a few simple habits: going to bed and waking up at about the same time every day, putting devices away an hour before bed, and keeping the bedroom cool, dark and quiet. These changes may seem small, but together they can help a tired student feel more alert in class and more energetic after school.

    Which sentence from the paragraph about teen sleep best supports the idea that missing sleep can affect schoolwork?

    1. "The bright light from phones and tablets can signal to the brain that it is still daytime…"
    2. "Many teenagers feel tired in the morning…"
    3. "A teen who regularly misses sleep may find it harder to concentrate…"
    4. "Sleep is not wasted time."

19. The Rideau Canal, which links Ottawa and Kingston, is one of the oldest canals in North America that is still in use. It was built between 1826 and 1832, not long after the War of 1812, when British leaders worried about a possible attack from the United States. At the time, supplies travelling between Montréal and Kingston had to move along the St. Lawrence River, close to the American border. The canal offered a safer inland route. Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers led the project, and thousands of workers, many of them Irish and French-Canadian labourers, cut through forests, swamps and rock with simple tools. Their work was dangerous, and many fell ill with malaria, a disease that was common in the region's swamps at the time. Instead of digging one long channel, the builders connected existing rivers and lakes and used locks and dams to raise and lower boats along a route of about 200 kilometres. The attack that the canal was meant to defend against never came. Over time, the canal became a route for trade and, later, for pleasure boating. In 2007, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, in winter, part of the canal in Ottawa becomes a long skating path, giving one of Canada's oldest engineering projects a new purpose.

    Which sentence from the paragraph about the Rideau Canal best supports the idea that building it was hard work?

    1. "…cut through forests, swamps and rock with simple tools."
    2. "The canal offered a safer inland route."
    3. "In 2007, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site."
    4. "The attack that the canal was meant to defend against never came."

20. Every spring, maple syrup producers in Ontario, Quebec and other parts of eastern Canada watch the weather closely, because the sap of the sugar maple flows only under certain conditions. Sap moves best when nights fall below freezing and days warm up above freezing. During the cold nights, the tree draws water up from its roots; during the mild days, pressure inside the trunk pushes the sap out through any opening, including the small holes, called taps, that producers drill into the bark. This season usually lasts only four to six weeks, so producers call it the sugaring season and work long hours while it lasts. Fresh sap looks almost like water and tastes only slightly sweet, because it is mostly water with a small amount of sugar. To turn it into syrup, producers boil it in a wide, shallow pan called an evaporator until most of the water escapes as steam. The process takes a great deal of sap: about forty litres are needed to make just one litre of syrup. Many Indigenous peoples of the region were making maple sugar long before Europeans arrived, and they shared their knowledge with early settlers. Today, Canada produces most of the world's maple syrup, and Quebec alone produces the largest share.

    Which sentence from the maple syrup paragraph best supports the idea that the sugaring season is short?

    1. "This season usually lasts only four to six weeks…"
    2. "The process takes a great deal of sap…"
    3. "Every spring, maple syrup producers … watch the weather closely…"
    4. "Fresh sap looks almost like water…"

21. The Rideau Canal, which links Ottawa and Kingston, is one of the oldest canals in North America that is still in use. It was built between 1826 and 1832, not long after the War of 1812, when British leaders worried about a possible attack from the United States. At the time, supplies travelling between Montréal and Kingston had to move along the St. Lawrence River, close to the American border. The canal offered a safer inland route. Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers led the project, and thousands of workers, many of them Irish and French-Canadian labourers, cut through forests, swamps and rock with simple tools. Their work was dangerous, and many fell ill with malaria, a disease that was common in the region's swamps at the time. Instead of digging one long channel, the builders connected existing rivers and lakes and used locks and dams to raise and lower boats along a route of about 200 kilometres. The attack that the canal was meant to defend against never came. Over time, the canal became a route for trade and, later, for pleasure boating. In 2007, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, in winter, part of the canal in Ottawa becomes a long skating path, giving one of Canada's oldest engineering projects a new purpose.

    According to the paragraph about the Rideau Canal, who led the building project?

    1. The governor of Upper Canada
    2. Lieutenant-Colonel John By
    3. A team of Irish labourers
    4. A Montréal merchant

22. Many teenagers feel tired in the morning, and the reason is not always that they stay up late on purpose. During the teen years, the body's internal clock shifts, so many teens do not feel sleepy until later at night than they did as children. Canadian guidelines recommend that young people aged 14 to 17 get eight to ten hours of uninterrupted sleep each night, yet many get much less on school nights. Sleep is not wasted time. While a person sleeps, the brain sorts and stores what was learned during the day, and the body repairs muscles and other tissues. A teen who regularly misses sleep may find it harder to concentrate, remember information and manage feelings such as frustration. Screens can make the problem worse. The bright light from phones and tablets can signal to the brain that it is still daytime, which delays the release of melatonin, a hormone that helps the body prepare for sleep. Experts suggest a few simple habits: going to bed and waking up at about the same time every day, putting devices away an hour before bed, and keeping the bedroom cool, dark and quiet. These changes may seem small, but together they can help a tired student feel more alert in class and more energetic after school.

    According to the paragraph on teen sleep, how much sleep is recommended each night for people aged 14 to 17?

    1. Nine to eleven hours
    2. Eight to ten hours
    3. Six to eight hours
    4. Seven to nine hours

23. Every spring, maple syrup producers in Ontario, Quebec and other parts of eastern Canada watch the weather closely, because the sap of the sugar maple flows only under certain conditions. Sap moves best when nights fall below freezing and days warm up above freezing. During the cold nights, the tree draws water up from its roots; during the mild days, pressure inside the trunk pushes the sap out through any opening, including the small holes, called taps, that producers drill into the bark. This season usually lasts only four to six weeks, so producers call it the sugaring season and work long hours while it lasts. Fresh sap looks almost like water and tastes only slightly sweet, because it is mostly water with a small amount of sugar. To turn it into syrup, producers boil it in a wide, shallow pan called an evaporator until most of the water escapes as steam. The process takes a great deal of sap: about forty litres are needed to make just one litre of syrup. Many Indigenous peoples of the region were making maple sugar long before Europeans arrived, and they shared their knowledge with early settlers. Today, Canada produces most of the world's maple syrup, and Quebec alone produces the largest share.

    According to the maple syrup paragraph, about how much sap is needed to make one litre of syrup?

    1. About four litres
    2. About six litres
    3. About fourteen litres
    4. About forty litres

24. The Rideau Canal, which links Ottawa and Kingston, is one of the oldest canals in North America that is still in use. It was built between 1826 and 1832, not long after the War of 1812, when British leaders worried about a possible attack from the United States. At the time, supplies travelling between Montréal and Kingston had to move along the St. Lawrence River, close to the American border. The canal offered a safer inland route. Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers led the project, and thousands of workers, many of them Irish and French-Canadian labourers, cut through forests, swamps and rock with simple tools. Their work was dangerous, and many fell ill with malaria, a disease that was common in the region's swamps at the time. Instead of digging one long channel, the builders connected existing rivers and lakes and used locks and dams to raise and lower boats along a route of about 200 kilometres. The attack that the canal was meant to defend against never came. Over time, the canal became a route for trade and, later, for pleasure boating. In 2007, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, in winter, part of the canal in Ottawa becomes a long skating path, giving one of Canada's oldest engineering projects a new purpose.

    What is the main idea of the paragraph about the history of the Rideau Canal?

    1. Skating is a popular winter activity in the city of Ottawa
    2. The War of 1812 was fought along the St. Lawrence River
    3. Workers who built the Rideau Canal faced many serious dangers
    4. A canal built for defence has found new uses over time