Noticing what others miss
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
A small gallery asked volunteers to review labels for a student exhibition. Jules was a discerning reader who noticed subtle differences between confident description and unsupported interpretation. His astute suggestion was to compare each label with the artist's own notes. A cursory glance could catch a missing title, but it would not reveal every mismatch in the wording.
The first cursory check found two blank labels and a repeated name. Jules then applied a more discerning approach to the remaining text, considering tone as well as accuracy. An astute question to one artist revealed that a sentence described an abandoned plan rather than the finished piece. The correction took only a moment once someone noticed the distinction.
Before you move on
Look away from the passage. Can you explain each focus word in your own words?
Original fictional passages for vocabulary practice.