What counts as improvement?
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
The model builder kept the first bridge prototype as a benchmark, recording how much weight it held before the classroom test ended. Reliability became the team's touchstone when judging later designs, so a beautiful model that failed repeatedly would not win their approval. The builders hoped to surpass the first prototype's performance without increasing its size. They changed one support at a time and wrote down the results instead of assuming that every more elaborate design would be better.
The benchmark remained the original prototype's recorded performance, even after later bridges produced more impressive results. Reliability still served as the touchstone, which meant the team compared repeated trials rather than celebrating one unusually good attempt. A new bridge would surpass the earlier model only by exceeding the relevant performance, not merely by looking different. The students selected a plain design whose dependable results gave them a clear reason for their choice.
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.