The Library Notice With Two Deadlines
You are a second-year student at a Saga high school. On May 15 you find this notice on the library door: 'Exam-week hours: May 20-24, the library will open at 8:00 and close at 18:30. Regular hours are 8:30-17:00. Books borrowed before May 20 are due May 19. If a book is returned late, the borrower cannot borrow new books for three days. Reservations for study rooms are accepted only at the front desk and only for the same day.' You borrowed a book on May 10 and plan to return it on May 21. You also want to reserve a study room on May 22 for a group project. A friend tells you, 'The library is open late all month, so we can return the book anytime.'
1. What happens if you return the book on May 21? Explain the consequence using the notice, and state what the notice does not say.
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The book is due May 19. Returning it on May 21 is two days late. The notice says a late return blocks new borrowing for three days. The natural reading is three days from the late return, so the student cannot borrow new books on May 21, 22, or 23. The notice does not say the student cannot enter the library or use materials there. So the consequence is a borrowing restriction, not a ban on using the library. The key reading skill is to apply the rule exactly as written and not add penalties the notice never mentions.
2. Can you reserve a study room on May 22? Use the reservation rule and the late-return rule to justify your answer.
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The study-room rule says reservations are accepted only at the front desk and only for the same day. On May 22, the student can go to the front desk and request a room for that same day. The late-return restriction concerns borrowing new books, not reserving a room, so it does not block the request. The friend's comment that the library is open late all month does not change the reservation rule. The answer depends on keeping two separate rules separate, which is what the exam is testing.
3. Evaluate the friend's claim that the library is open late all month and that the book can be returned anytime.
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The claim is false in two ways. Extended hours apply only May 20-24, not all month. 'Anytime' also ignores the due date: books borrowed before May 20 are due May 19, and a late return triggers a three-day borrowing block. The safe plan is to return the book by May 19, before exam week, and then reserve the room at the front desk on May 22. A good reader notices that a general statement from a friend can conflict with a specific written notice.