The Book Donation Rule
Read this passage about a community bookshelf. In April, Haruka, a second-year student, started a 'give-one, take-one' bookshelf at the community center in Kasama. Her first rule was simple: 'Books must be clean.' In the first month, 40 books arrived. By July, the shelf held 300 books. But Haruka noticed that 120 of them were old encyclopedias from 1995 and cookbooks with stained pages. Almost no one borrowed those books. She changed the rule to: 'No encyclopedias. Cookbooks only if published after 2015. Other books must be published in the last ten years.' Six volunteers now sort donations every Saturday from 9:00 to 10:30. In August, borrowing rose from 15 books a month to 45. Haruka says, 'The shelf is not a storage room. A book that nobody takes is not a donation; it is a delay.'
1. The passage gives 40, 300, and 120. Explain what the 120/300 relationship suggests and how it supports Haruka's rule change.
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The numbers show that 120 of 300 books, or 40%, were old encyclopedias or stained cookbooks that almost no one borrowed. The shelf looked full, but nearly half of it was not useful to visitors. That supports Haruka's change because the new rule targets exactly that 40%: no encyclopedias, cookbooks only after 2015, and other books only from the last ten years. The result is also consistent: borrowing rose from 15 to 45 books a month. The ratio is evidence that quantity is not quality. A large collection can still fail if much of it is unwanted, so the rule change is about making the shelf usable rather than merely full.
2. Haruka says, 'A book that nobody takes is not a donation; it is a delay.' What does 'delay' mean here? Use passage details.
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'Delay' does not mean the book arrives late, and it does not mean the volunteers sort slowly. It means an unwanted book takes shelf space and volunteer time that could go to books people actually want. The 120 old encyclopedias and stained cookbooks sat there while borrowing was only 15 books a month. In that situation, keeping them postpones the moment when a useful book gets space and a reader finds it. So 'delay' means the shelf is held back by books nobody takes. This reading fits Haruka's contrast between a 'storage room' and a working bookshelf.
3. A family offers a 2018 cookbook with a torn cover. The new rule says: 'No encyclopedias. Cookbooks only if published after 2015. Other books must be published in the last ten years.' Should the volunteers accept it? What missing information matters?
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The date qualifies: a 2018 cookbook is after 2015, so the cookbook rule does not exclude it. But the cover is torn, and the new rule as stated does not mention condition. The missing information is whether the original 'Books must be clean' rule still applies alongside the new date rules. The passage never says Haruka cancelled the clean rule; it says she changed the rule to add date limits. So volunteers should not decide by date alone. They should check the full current rule or ask Haruka. If the clean rule still applies, the book should be rejected or repaired first. This is a judgement about how rules interact, not a fact to recall.