Reading a museum notice with an exception clause
At a museum in Naples you read a sign: 'Ingresso gratuito ogni prima domenica del mese. Ridotto 50% per studenti under 26 con documento. Gratuito per minori di 18 anni e per i disabili e un accompagnatore. Ultimo ingresso un'ora prima della chiusura. Il biglietto ridotto non è cumulabile con altre promozioni.' Today is the first Sunday of the month. You are 24, a student, with a valid student card and passport. With you are your 16-year-old cousin and your aunt, who uses a wheelchair and has a companion with her.
1. For each of the four people (you, your cousin, your aunt, her companion), state the ticket and price category, citing the wording that decides it.
Read the worked answer
You: free. The first-Sunday rule applies to everyone, and the reduced student rate is irrelevant because the free entry is better; the 'non cumulabile' clause only prevents stacking discounts, not taking the free day. Cousin (16): free, both because of the first Sunday and because 'minori di 18 anni' are free anyway - two independent grounds. Aunt: free as a person with a disability ('per i disabili'). Her companion: free as 'un accompagnatore' - but note the singular: the sign covers one companion, which matches exactly one person here. The judgement is recognising that the free-day rule overrides the paid categories for all four, and that the companion's free entry is a separate entitlement tied to the disabled visitor, not a general plus-one.
2. It is 17:00 and the museum closes at 18:00. What does the sign imply about entry now, and what would you do?
Read the worked answer
'Ultimo ingresso un'ora prima della chiusura' means the last entry is at 17:00, so arriving exactly at 17:00 is borderline - you may be admitted or turned away depending on how strictly the gate is timed. The sign gives no grace period, so the safe reading is that you should not count on getting in. Practical response: ask at the desk ('Scusi, sono ancora in tempo per l'ultimo ingresso?' or 'L'ultimo ingresso è alle diciassette in punto?') rather than assuming, and be ready to return another day. The tested skill is converting a relative time rule ('one hour before closing') into an absolute clock time and recognising the risk at the boundary, rather than reading 'chiusura alle 18' and assuming you can enter at 17:30.