The Book Flood Notice: Reading Between the Lines
Read this notice and the exchange that follows.
NOTICE: From 1 June, the school library will run a 'Book Flood' programme. Each Grade 10 class will spend 20 minutes of every English period reading self-chosen books. No book reports will be required. After four weeks, students will complete a short survey. The library has bought 300 new titles, including graphic novels and sports biographies. Books may be borrowed for two weeks and renewed once.
Aung tells his friend: 'So we just read anything and nobody checks? I'll bring my phone and read comics online.' His friend replies: 'The notice says self-chosen books from the library, not phones. And the librarian said the survey asks what we actually finished.'
Aung's teacher later says: 'The programme is not a test of speed. It is a test of habit.'
1. What does Aung's teacher mean by 'It is a test of habit'? Use evidence from the notice.
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The teacher is contrasting the programme with an assessment of reading speed or comprehension scores. The notice says there are no book reports and the survey comes after four weeks; the 20-minute slot is repeated every English period. So 'habit' means building a regular routine of choosing and finishing books. Aung's plan to read comics on his phone misses the point because the notice specifies library books and the survey asks what students 'actually finished'. The teacher is saying success is measured by whether students return to reading regularly, not by how fast they read. This is an inference: the notice does not define 'habit', but the absence of reports plus the daily 20 minutes supports it.
2. Aung says, 'So we just read anything and nobody checks?' Which detail in the notice most directly contradicts his interpretation, and why?
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The phrase 'self-chosen books' is limited by 'from the library' and by the survey item 'what we actually finished'. 'Anything' suggests no accountability, but the survey creates a check on completion, even without book reports. The notice also caps borrowing at two weeks with one renewal, which implies books must be returned, not simply ignored. The strongest contradiction is the survey: it does not grade students, but it does ask them to report finished books, so 'nobody checks' is false. Aung's friend is right that phones are excluded because the notice says 'books from the library'.
3. What is the librarian's likely attitude towards the programme? Infer from the details.
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The librarian probably supports the programme but expects honest reporting. The library bought 300 new titles, including graphic novels and sports biographies - choices that appeal to reluctant readers. That suggests a desire to attract students rather than police them. However, the librarian told Aung's friend that the survey asks what students 'actually finished', which shows concern about accuracy. So the attitude is cautiously positive: willing to invest in choice, but not willing to let the programme become a free period with no accountability.