Keeping the reply relevant
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
The clerk said it would behoove the council to publish a clear reply, since an unexplained silence would leave many groups unable to plan. Questions about room size and access times pertain to the building request, while complaints about an unrelated footpath require a separate discussion. Several members chose to abstain from an optional walking tour because the written plans already answered the questions they needed to examine. The council kept attendance voluntary and made the same plans available to everyone reviewing the proposals.
A timely explanation would still behoove the council even if the final decision disappointed some applicants, because groups needed to know what arrangement they could use. The chair returned to questions that pertain to the room after noting where the unrelated footpath concern should be sent. Members could abstain from the optional tour without withdrawing from their responsibility to examine the request. The published reply eventually described the chosen arrangement and the reasons supporting it in language residents could follow.
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.