Consider how firmly a rule is applied
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
A temporary assistant gave a categorical refusal to accept any alternative container, declaring that no exception was possible. His inflexible response continued even after a student showed him the procedure permitting suitable substitutes. The coordinator was more lenient about a first-time paperwork error, allowing the student to correct it instead of applying the usual restriction immediately. These choices involved different qualities: an absolute statement, unwillingness to adapt, and a less severe response to a particular mistake.
The coordinator corrected the categorical claim by pointing to the explicit allowance in the written procedure. She asked the assistant not to remain inflexible when the relevant facts and instructions supported a different decision. Her lenient handling of the paperwork error still required a complete and accurate record before the student borrowed another camera. Reduced severity did not erase the requirement; it changed how the office responded to the initial failure while preserving a clear path to compliance.
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.