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The Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) helps Canadian families set aside money for a child's education after high school. Parents, grandparents, or friends can open a plan and contribute to it over the years, and the savings grow tax-free until the child is ready to study. The main attraction is the Canada Education Savings Grant, through which the federal government adds a percentage to each contribution, up to a yearly limit.

In effect, the government tops up what families manage to save. Many people believe that saving for education should be left entirely to individual families, but supporters argue that the grant gives every child a better chance, not just those from wealthy homes. A common criticism of the plan is that the families who need help the most are often the ones who benefit the least.

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1The first part of the article mainly serves to
Aoutline how the savings plan works.
Bpredict future government payments.
Coffer a personal story.
Dpropose a new solution.
2One criticism is that the plan benefits the least
Awealthy families.
Bhigh-income households.
Chouseholds with the least income.
Dgrandparents and friends.
3According to the article, lower-income families
Areceive a smaller grant.
Bcannot open a plan at all.
Cmust contribute the most money.
Dare guaranteed the full grant.
4If a child does not study after high school, the government grant must usually be
Aleft tax-free in the account.
Bpaid back to the government.
Ckept by the family.
Dinvested for retirement.
5Supporters reply that, in many cases, the savings can be
Atransferred to a brother or sister.
Bspent on any purchase at all.
Cclaimed only by wealthy families.
Dturned into a direct payment.
6The government adds to each contribution through a
Atop-up.
Bloan.
Ctax.
Dfee.
7Households with little spare income end up at a
Abenefit.
Bprofit.
Cdisadvantage.
Dadvantage.
8Some critics argue that families should instead simply
Aopen a second savings plan.
Brepay the grant early.
Cavoid saving altogether.
Dreceive a direct payment.
9Besides the RESP, the article says families can also use other forms of
Afederal grant money.
Bpersonal savings plans.
Cstudent aid available to them.
Dinvestment income.
10Critics seem to forget that the matching grant gives families a reason to keep
Aworking.
Bcontributing.
Cborrowing.
Dspending.
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