The Two Notices on the Junta Board
Sofia works Tuesday to Saturday, 09:00–17:00, at a café in Cacilhas and takes the ferry to Lisbon. Today is Monday, 13 May. On the noticeboard at the Junta de Freguesia she sees two papers. Notice A: «Passeio a Sintra - sábado, 18 de maio. Saída às 08:30, regresso às 19:00. Inscrição até 15 de maio. Preço: 12 €. Pagamento na Junta (segunda a sexta, 09:00–16:00).» Notice B: «Reunião de moradores - quinta-feira, 16 de maio, às 18:30, no salão da Junta. Entrada livre.» Sofia has a dentist appointment in Lisbon on Thursday at 17:00; the appointment usually takes 45 minutes, and the ferry crossing plus walk to the Junta takes about 30 minutes. On Saturday she agreed to cover a colleague's shift until 15:00. She has 15 € in cash until Friday.
1. Can Sofia take part in the passeio a Sintra? Separate what is possible about the registration from what is possible about the trip itself.
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Answer: She cannot go on the trip, although the registration is technically possible.
Why:
- The trip leaves at 08:30 and returns at 19:00 on Saturday. Sofia's Saturday shift runs until 15:00, so she is working for most of the excursion. This is the blocking fact.
- Registration is a separate issue: today is Monday, the Junta is open 09:00–16:00, the deadline is 15 May and the price is 12 €, which she can pay with her 15 €. So she could register - but it would be pointless and would waste money.
The judgement is to notice that a deadline being met does not mean the event fits her life.
2. Can she realistically get to the reunião de moradores? Explain your reasoning with the times.
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Answer: Yes, but with almost no margin.
Why:
- Dentist at 17:00 + 45 minutes = about 17:45 in Lisbon.
- Ferry plus walk = about 30 minutes, so she arrives at roughly 18:15–18:20.
- The meeting starts at 18:30, so she can be there, but any delay (late dentist, missed ferry) makes her late.
Sensible conclusion: she can attend, but she should go straight from the ferry and not plan anything else in between.
3. Which notice asks her to do something before Friday, and what should she actually do about it?
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Answer: Notice A asks for action (inscription and payment by 15 May). She should do nothing about it, because she already knows she cannot attend the trip.
Why: The real skill is not to act on every deadline. Notice B has no inscription and no payment, so it requires no action. Paying 12 € for a trip she cannot take would be a mistake.