Reading — Everyday Texts
⏱ ~4-min readAceMark GuideWhat this topic is really about
The warranty does not cover damage caused by limescale, misuse, or dropping the appliance, only manufacturing faults.. The warranty excludes damage caused by limescale, so a build-up from hard water falls outside the cover.
The pottery studio has a specific deadline for glazing pieces, and late submissions are fired the following week.. The notice sets a 4pm Thursday deadline, and a piece arriving at 5pm misses it.
See the mechanism
The notice clearly states that pieces must be left on the labelled shelf by 4pm on Thursday to be glazed. A diagram for this topic isn't available yet — the worked example below walks the same reasoning step by step.
An exam-style question, fully explained
Read this notice from a community centre: "Pottery Studio: Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-6pm. The kiln is fired every Thursday evening, so any pieces you wish to have glazed must be left on the labelled shelf by 4pm Thursday. Pieces left after this time will be fired the following week." If you bring a piece to be glazed at 5pm on Thursday, when will it most likely be fired?
- Identify what the question tests: Read this notice from a community centre: "Pottery Studio: Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-6pm..
- The notice sets a 4pm Thursday deadline, and a piece arriving at 5pm misses it.
- The stated consequence is that late pieces are fired the following week, which falls on the next Thursday firing.
- Why it matters: The notice clearly states that pieces must be left on the labelled shelf by 4pm on Thursday to be glazed. Since 5pm is after the deadline, the piece will not be fired on the same Thursday evening. The notice also specifies that late pieces will be fired the following week, which means the next scheduled firing day. The community centre only fires the kiln on Thursday evenings, so the piece will most likely be fired the following Thursday.
Traps the examiner sets
- Some people may think that the piece can still be glazed on the same day if it's only an hour late, or that it will be fired on a different day such as Saturday. However, the notice clearly states the deadline and the consequence of missing it.
- Some people may confuse the ten-working-day period mentioned for deposit return with the notice period, or they may misunderstand the requirement for written notice by thinking verbal communication is sufficient.
- Many people may mistakenly assume that all types of damage or faults are covered under a warranty, without considering the specific exclusions like limescale build-up. This oversight can lead to misunderstandings about what is covered and what is not.
- Some people may think that piercing the film lid or leaving it on is acceptable, but the instructions clearly state that it should be removed. This is a common point of confusion, as some packaging may allow for piercing or leaving the lid on, but in this case, it is explicitly stated to remove it.
- Some people may get confused and think that the three-week period applies to all items, including DVDs. However, the leaflet clearly distinguishes between the borrowing periods for different types of items.
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