Comparing the final versions
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
A divergence of opinion developed when some editors favored a scenic detour and others preferred the shortest possible route through the neighborhood. Two proposed page requirements were incompatible: one demanded a single small sheet, while the other required every label to remain larger than that sheet could accommodate. At the chosen print size, two route symbols were indistinguishable, causing readers to confuse the main path with the alternative. The group separated differences of preference from requirements that could not work together and marks that readers could not tell apart.
The divergence over scenic value did not disappear when the editors measured the route lengths, because they were weighing different benefits. The incompatible page requirements required an actual revision to at least one constraint; enthusiasm could not create the missing space. Making the symbols distinguishable solved the problem of previously indistinguishable marks without deciding which route deserved priority. The finished guide offered a short route and an optional detour, each identified by a clearly different symbol.
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.