Inference from a six-month lease
A PAU reading text describes the 'Library of Things' in the fictional town of Alboraya. Members pay €12 a year and can borrow 1,200 items, from drills to camping tents. In 2024 the library had 340 members and recorded 2,100 loans; the most borrowed item was a pressure washer (87 times). The coordinator says: 'We are not replacing ownership, but we are filling a gap.' The council has renewed the library's lease for only six months, even though demand has doubled since 2023. The text adds that a local hardware store has donated 40 tools but has also complained that borrowers no longer buy small items. Question 8 asks: 'What can be inferred about the library's future?' Option A: It is guaranteed to close. B: Its long-term security is uncertain despite rising demand. C: It has replaced ownership for most residents. D: The hardware store has stopped supporting it. Candidate chooses C because 'filling a gap' sounds like replacement.
1. Evaluate the candidate's choice against the evidence and explain the inference chain that supports option B.
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C is contradicted by the coordinator's own words: 'not replacing ownership'. The candidate has read 'filling a gap' as if it meant 'taking over', but the sentence explicitly separates the two. A is too strong: a six-month lease suggests insecurity, not guaranteed closure. D is contradicted by the donated 40 tools. B is the only option that matches both facts: demand has doubled, yet the lease is short. The inference is not stated in one sentence; it comes from combining the lease duration with the demand trend. In an exam, this is why you should locate all the relevant details before choosing, rather than matching a single phrase to an option.
2. The sentence 'They are not replacing ownership, but they are filling a gap' contains a reference question. What does 'They' refer to, and why might a candidate misread it?
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'They' refers to the Library of Things and its borrowing service, not to the members or the items. The preceding sentence is about members and items, so a candidate can be distracted by the plural nouns. But the coordinator is contrasting a service with ownership: the library is not replacing ownership; it is filling a gap. If 'they' meant the members, the sentence would claim that members are not replacing ownership, which is odd. If it meant the items, 'filling a gap' would be illogical. Reference questions require you to test the pronoun in the sentence, not just choose the nearest plural noun.