Distinguish repayment from unwillingness to share
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
A tutor who had bought paper for the course submitted receipts for reimbursement, asking to recover the amount she had already spent. The treasurer approved that request but resisted replacing any broken pencils despite a comfortable supply budget, a miserly response to a small and necessary expense. Several students faced deprivation of basic drawing materials at home. The group therefore considered access to working supplies a central purpose of the course rather than an optional luxury for its participants.
Once the treasurer saw how the shortage affected the exercises, he processed the reimbursement and authorized a reasonable replacement order. He acknowledged that his miserly refusal had protected a small balance while frustrating the course's purpose. The organizers also discussed deprivation carefully: lacking suitable materials limited these students' opportunities, but it did not describe their talent or every aspect of their lives. Their plan focused on the specific missing resource that the course could actually provide.
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.