The Word "Stable"
A clinic newsletter reports: "Patient volumes remained stable through the winter, holding near 240 visits per week. Staff described the period as calm compared with last year's flu season. Administrators, however, warn that stable is not the same as safe: the clinic ran at 96% of capacity for six straight weeks, and a single nurse absence forced two diversions. The numbers did not move, but the margin did."
1. Explain the two senses of "stable" in this passage.
Read the worked answer
For the newsletter's opening, "stable" means unchanging volume, near 240 visits weekly. For administrators, "stable" describes the count but hides fragility: 96% capacity leaves almost no slack. The final line, "the numbers did not move, but the margin did," signals that stability of volume masked a shrinking safety margin. Context, not the dictionary, decides which sense is meant.
2. What is the author's attitude toward the word "stable," and how is it conveyed?
Read the worked answer
The author is skeptical of the word as a comfort. The turn at "however" and the closing epigram reframe stability as a warning. By letting staff call the period "calm" and then contrasting it with 96% capacity and forced diversions, the author shows that reassurance and risk can coexist in one statistic.