Hostel Notice: True, False or Not Stated
At a Leipzig Jugendherberge, a Namibian exchange group finds this notice in the reception area: 'Liebe Gäste, unser Frühstück gibt es montags bis freitags von 7 bis 9 Uhr, am Wochenende bis 10 Uhr. Die Küche ist ab 21 Uhr geschlossen. Fahrräder können Sie im Hof abstellen, aber nicht im Flur. WLAN erhalten Sie an der Rezeption; ein Passwort pro Person. Bitte beachten Sie: Am 3. Oktober bleibt die Rezeption geschlossen.' The group's teacher asks four learners to check statements before they sign the house rules. Learner A says: 'On Sunday breakfast ends at 10, so we can eat at 10:15.' Learner B says: 'Bicycles are allowed in the corridor because im Hof means in the hallway.' Learner C says: 'The kitchen closes at 9 pm, so we cannot cook after 9.' Learner D says: 'Reception is closed on 3 October, but we can still get Wi-Fi.' The class must decide which statements are true, false, or not stated. No dictionary is allowed.
1. Evaluate Learner A's statement: true, false, or not stated? Explain the time expression.
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Learner A's conclusion that they can eat at 10:15 is false. The notice says weekend breakfast is available bis 10 Uhr; bis gives the end point, so breakfast is served up to 10:00, not after. The statement On Sunday breakfast ends at 10 is true, but the inference so we can eat at 10:15 does not follow. This is a reading judgement: distinguish the literal time from the learner's added inference. It is not not stated, because the text does give the closing time. The correct answer to a true/false/not-stated item would be false for the 10:15 claim.
2. Learner B's claim: what does 'im Hof' mean, and how does 'aber nicht im Flur' affect the answer?
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Im Hof means in the courtyard, not in the hallway. Der Flur is the corridor/hallway, so the second half of the sentence explicitly forbids exactly what Learner B claims: Fahrräder können Sie im Hof abstellen, aber nicht im Flur. The contrast aber nicht is decisive. Learner B has guessed from a vaguely familiar word and ignored the negative. The statement Bicycles are allowed in the corridor is therefore false, not not stated. A useful reading strategy is to locate the contrast conjunction and the negative, then check the noun after nicht.
3. Learner C and D: Which is supported? Explain 'ab 21 Uhr' and the Wi-Fi detail.
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Learner C is supported: Die Küche ist ab 21 Uhr geschlossen means the kitchen is closed from 21:00, so cooking after 9 pm is not possible. Ab marks the start of a state, unlike bis. Learner D is not stated. The text says Wi-Fi is available at reception and each person needs a password, but it does not say what happens to Wi-Fi when reception is closed on 3 October. D's claim that we can still get Wi-Fi is an inference, not a fact in the notice. This is the key distinction between false (text contradicts) and not stated (text is silent).