Reading a School Notice About a Changed Excursion
Your Indonesian class has received a short notice from the school office. The notice says the excursion to the museum has been moved from Tuesday to Thursday because the museum is closed for a public holiday. It adds that students must bring a signed permission letter by Wednesday afternoon, that the bus will leave at 7.15 a.m. instead of 8 a.m., and that students who have not returned their letter will not be allowed on the bus. It ends by saying the cost has risen from Rp50,000 to Rp65,000 and that the extra money must be paid to the office by Wednesday. You read the notice quickly in class and think you understand it, but your friend says she read that the trip is cancelled.
1. Identify the four key facts a student must act on, and explain which word in the notice could cause your friend's misreading.
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The four action facts are: (1) new day is Thursday, not Tuesday; (2) signed letter due Wednesday afternoon; (3) bus leaves 7.15 a.m.; (4) extra Rp15,000 due Wednesday, total now Rp65,000. The likely misreading is the word for 'closed' applied to the museum (tutup) or a phrase like 'dibatalkan' if present; a fast reader can attach the closure to the excursion instead of the museum. The notice says the museum is closed for a holiday, which is the reason for the move, not a cancellation. The exam tests exactly this: distinguishing the reason for a change from the outcome of a change.
2. A classmate says 'So I just need to bring the money on Thursday.' Explain why this is wrong using two separate clauses from the notice.
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Two separate conditions are broken. First, the money deadline is Wednesday, not Thursday; the notice ties payment to the office by Wednesday, so bringing cash on Thursday is late. Second, the permission letter must be in by Wednesday afternoon, and the notice says students without a returned letter will not be allowed on the bus. So even with money, the classmate could be refused boarding. The reasoning skill is to separate deadlines (Wednesday) from the event date (Thursday) and to notice that one condition is about money and another is about permission. A strong answer quotes or paraphrases both clauses and shows they are independent.
3. Write two short Indonesian sentences you could say to the office to confirm your place, using polite forms.
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Model: 'Selamat pagi, saya ingin menanyakan tentang karyawisata hari Kamis. Apakah surat izin saya sudah diterima?' These work because they open with a greeting, state the topic (karyawisata hari Kamis), and ask a yes/no question with 'apakah'. A second option: 'Saya sudah membayar tambahan Rp15.000. Apakah saya masih perlu membawa surat izin?' The point is not translation but function: greeting, topic, polite question, and a specific fact (the amount, the day) so the office can check records.