Notice and Text Messages: Why Practice Moved to 8:30
Read this club notice and the text messages that followed it.
NOTICE (Cycling Club): Saturday's practice starts at 8:30, one hour earlier than usual, because the riverside path will be closed from 10:00 for a race. Meet at the east gate of the school. Bring a spare tube and water. If you cannot come, send a message to Ken by Friday 6:00 p.m.
Miki: I have a dental appointment at 9:00 on Saturday. Can I come after that? Ken: The path closes at 10:00, so we will be back at school by 10:30. If you want to help with the bikes, come to the east gate at 8:15 - but 8:30 is fine too. Miki: Thanks. I will ask my mother to change the appointment to next week. I will bring two tubes, one for you.
Miki is a first-year student and this is her second practice.
1. A new member reads only the first line and says, 'So practice is at the usual time, 9:30.' Is the new member right about the usual time? Explain using the notice.
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The new member is right about the usual time, but wrong about Saturday.
The notice says practice starts at 8:30 and that this is 'one hour earlier than usual'. Working backwards: 8:30 + 1 hour = 9:30, so 9:30 is the normal start time. Saturday's start is 8:30.
The new member has read 'one hour earlier than usual' as if it described the usual time instead of the change. This is the standard trap with comparatives: the sentence gives you the new time and the size of the change, and you must calculate the old time yourself if a question asks for it. For Saturday, the only number to remember is 8:30.
2. Ken's reply answers more than Miki's question. What does 'we will be back at school by 10:30' tell Miki about coming late?
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It tells her that coming at 9:00 or later is not worth it.
Miki asked whether she could come after her 9:00 appointment. Ken does not simply say yes or no; he gives her the information she needs to decide:
- Riding finishes when the path closes at 10:00.
- The group is back at school by 10:30, so the whole activity ends around then.
- If Miki arrived after 9:00, she would have almost no riding time and would mainly be travelling.
That is why Ken offers 8:15 (helping with the bikes) or 8:30 (the normal start) instead. He is quietly telling her that the appointment and the practice cannot both be kept. Recognising this kind of indirect answer - where the reason is in the details, not in a 'yes' or 'no' - is what these dialogue questions test.
3. What two things does Miki's last message show about her decision and her attitude?
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Decision: she chose the practice. Attitude: she is thoughtful and cooperative.
- Decision. She does not ask Ken to change anything; she says she will ask her mother to move the appointment to next week. Comparing the two commitments, a dental appointment can be rescheduled and a race closure cannot, so the club activity wins.
- Attitude. She offers to bring two tubes, 'one for you'. Ken's message had mentioned helping with the bikes and the notice asks members to bring a spare tube, so she has read both texts and is offering something Ken actually needs.
A one-word answer such as 'kind' would not earn full credit: the message must connect her words to evidence in the notice or in Ken's reply.