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Canadian boy, 6, on list of high-risk air travelers

By The Guardian, adapted by Newsela
Image and text retrieved from Newsela with permission.

1 A Canadian 6-year-old is still on the no-fly list for high-risk travelers, despite his government’s promise to fix the problem.
2 Syed Adam Ahmed’s mother tweeted Friday that her son was unable to check in online for an Air Canada flight. The family was flying from Toronto to Edmonton for a weekend wedding.
3 “Our 6 year old is still on #NoFlyListKids. Still flagged at online checkin. When does it stop?” Khadija Cajee posted on Twitter, along with a picture of her son at the Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Similar Name Headache
4 Syed’s case drew international media attention in January when his father, Sulemaan Ahmed, tweeted to Air Canada. He asked why his son was consistently flagged by security when they traveled.
5 The family says the Ontario boy has endured airport security headaches ever since he was a toddler. Yet his parents have never received a concrete explanation from airlines or government officials and they assume he has a name similar to a person currently on the anti-terrorism watch list.
6 Since then, around two dozen Canadian families have come forward with similar stories of travel problems.

Cross-Referencing International Lists
7 Cajee told the Guardian that the family no longer has to go through layers of additional security clearance. While there has been some improvement, they still cannot check in online and her son has to be visually identified by airline staff.
8 “One step forward and that’s great, but the end goal is to have the children completely removed from the list,” she said.
9 Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has said he is committed to improving the reliability of the list. In a letter to the families in February, he assured them his department had contacted airlines and told them that additional security screening is not required for passengers younger than 18.
10 He also told them public safety officials were exploring changes to the Secure Air Travel regulations. These changes would help distinguish regular travelers from individuals on the no-fly list with the same or similar names. In interviews, he has said that could mean adding birth dates, addresses or social security numbers to the available security data.
11 But Goodale warned in the letter that it was possible some children were being stopped under foreign lists, like the U.S. no-fly list, or other lists kept by the air carriers themselves. All of which could also cause security delays.

Bureaucracy Is High On The List
12 Ontario resident Karen Ahmed said she wants the federal government to move more quickly. She says her son Adam Ahmed, whose name is similar to that of Cajee’s son, has also been flagged as a security risk since he was a youth. He turns 18 on March 21.
13 Karen Ahmed said the family used to laugh off the extra scrutiny until the day they were nearly denied boarding on a flight home from India because of her son. Now, she worries about what will happen when he starts traveling as an adult.
14 “He’s already asking if he can go to Miami with his friends,” she said. “He’s going to start traveling by himself and I don’t want him to be stranded God knows where.”
15 In a statement on Friday, Goodale’s spokesman Scott Bardsley said the minister is aware of Ahmed’s family’s concerns. He supports their efforts to improve the data on the no-fly list.
16 But Bardsley said he was unable to offer a timeline for promised reforms, saying only that “further details will be announced in due course.”
17 Air Canada did not respond to a request for a comment.

10.
Read the dictionary entry.

drew
/drOO/verb
To sketch
To produce
To pull or drag
To extract from a container

Which definition best matches the use of the word drew in paragraph 4?
A.Definition 1
B.Definition 2
C.Definition 3
D.Definition 4

11.
Based on the context, what does the word flagged mean in paragraph 3?
A.To raise in the air
B.To ignore
C.To mark with special attention
D.To permit someone or something to pass

12.
Based on the article, the reader can infer that Syed Adam Ahmed –
A.enjoys traveling and looks forward to flying.
B.faces recurring challenges when traveling
C.has never been questioned by airport security staff.
D.is no longer on the no-fly list.

13.
Which details from paragraphs 7-10 best support the key idea that there have been attempts to improve the overall flying experience?

Select TWO correct answers.
A.The end goal is to have the children completely removed from the list. (Paragraph 8)
B.Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has said he is committed to improving the reliability of the list. …his department had contacted airlines…(Paragraph 9)
C.…additional security screening is not required for passengers younger than 18. (Paragraph 9)
D.…they still cannot check in online and her son has to be visually identified by airline staff. (Paragraph 7)
E.…he has said that could mean adding birthdates, addresses or social security numbers… (Paragraph 10)

14.
Which quotation from the article shows the parents’ frustration with the no-fly list issue?
A.The family was flying from Toronto to Edmonton for a weekend wedding. (Paragraph 2)
B.“Our 6 year old is still on #NoFlyListKids. Still flagged at online checkin. When does it stop?” (Paragraph 3)
C.The family says the Ontario boy has endured airport security headaches ever since he was a toddler. (Paragraph 5)
D.Karen Ahmed said the family used to laugh off the extra scrutiny until the day they were nearly denied boarding. (Paragraph 13)

15.
Which quotation from the article shows the government’s awareness of the no-fly list issue?
A.Our 6 year old is still on #NoFlyListKids. (Paragraph 3)
B.The family says the Ontario boy has endured airport security headaches ever since he was a toddler. (Paragraph 5)
C.The end goal is to have the children completely removed from the list. (Paragraph 8)
D.Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has said he is committed to improving the reliability of the list. (Paragraph 9)

16.
Which sentence best summarizes the article?
A.The no-fly list is causing minor inconveniences for young travelers in Canada and the United States.
B.Canadian airlines and officials have successfully removed children under the age of 18 from the no-fly list.
C.Some children in Canada are mistakenly flagged as high-risk travelers, and efforts are being made to correct this issue.
D.Canadian families are struggling to understand travel rules and regulations.

17.
Which quotation best supports the thesis of the article?
A.“Our 6-year-old is still on #NoFlyListKids. Still flagged at online checkin. When does it stop?” (Paragraph 3)
B.The family was flying from Toronto to Edmonton for a weekend wedding. (Paragraph 2)
C.“…the end goal is to have the children completely removed from the list...” (Paragraph 8)
D.Air Canada did not respond to a request for a comment. (Paragraph 17)

18.
Which quotation provides the best evidence that families are still facing difficulties despite some improvements?
A.The family was flying from Toronto to Edmonton for a weekend wedding. (Paragraph 2)
B.…but the end goal is to have the children completely removed from the list. (Paragraph 8)
C.…the family no longer has to go through layers of additional security clearance. (Paragraph 7)
D.They still cannot check in online and her son has to be visually identified by airline staff. (Paragraph 7)

19.
What is the author’s main purpose for writing this article?
A.To illustrate stories about family travel.
B.To highlight ongoing issues with no-fly lists.
C.To emphasize that air travel should be avoided for children.
D.To list the complexities of international travel rules.

20.
Who is most likely the intended audience for this article?
A.Families and travelers interested in airline policies.
B.Airline employees seeking information about public opinion.
C.Children who frequently travel by air.
D.Canadian government officials only.

1 answer

Here are the answers to the questions based on the provided article:

  1. Which definition best matches the use of the word drew in paragraph 4?
  • C. Definition 3 (To pull or drag)
  1. Based on the context, what does the word flagged mean in paragraph 3?
  • C. To mark with special attention
  1. Based on the article, the reader can infer that Syed Adam Ahmed –
  • B. faces recurring challenges when traveling
  1. Which details from paragraphs 7-10 best support the key idea that there have been attempts to improve the overall flying experience?
  • B. Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has said he is committed to improving the reliability of the list. …his department had contacted airlines…(Paragraph 9)
  • C. …additional security screening is not required for passengers younger than 18. (Paragraph 9)
  1. Which quotation from the article shows the parents’ frustration with the no-fly list issue?
  • B. “Our 6 year old is still on #NoFlyListKids. Still flagged at online checkin. When does it stop?” (Paragraph 3)
  1. Which quotation from the article shows the government’s awareness of the no-fly list issue?
  • D. Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has said he is committed to improving the reliability of the list. (Paragraph 9)
  1. Which sentence best summarizes the article?
  • C. Some children in Canada are mistakenly flagged as high-risk travelers, and efforts are being made to correct this issue.
  1. Which quotation best supports the thesis of the article?
  • C. “…the end goal is to have the children completely removed from the list...” (Paragraph 8)
  1. Which quotation provides the best evidence that families are still facing difficulties despite some improvements?
  • D. They still cannot check in online and her son has to be visually identified by airline staff. (Paragraph 7)
  1. What is the author’s main purpose for writing this article?
  • B. To highlight ongoing issues with no-fly lists.
  1. Who is most likely the intended audience for this article?
  • A. Families and travelers interested in airline policies.