Trace where people and resources go
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
An influx of new participants arrived at the neighborhood board-game evening after the library added it to the printed events list. The organizers checked the distribution of players across tables, finding that most had gathered around two familiar games. Scarcity arose at those tables because there were too few sets for the number of people who wanted them, even while other games sat unused. Volunteers invited newcomers to try alternatives and recorded the pattern so the next session could be arranged more usefully.
The influx changed the evening's needs, but counting arrivals alone did not explain where people waited. The distribution across tables revealed a concentrated demand that the overall stock of games concealed. Scarcity was relative to that demand: four sets might have been enough for a smaller group, yet they were insufficient for the people seeking those games now. The organizers moved from a general impression of crowding to a clearer account of the arriving group, its choices, and the resources those choices required.
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.