Put a principle into practice
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
An ethic of shared responsibility shaped a student studio's decision to maintain equipment collectively instead of leaving repairs to the newest member. In an ethics discussion, the tutor connected a careful decision about limited materials with prudence, a traditional cardinal virtue. A sapient suggestion from one student balanced present needs with the need to leave enough material for the next class. The group checked the quantities together and agreed on a workable allocation before anyone began cutting pieces for a model.
The studio's ethic also required students to report damaged tools instead of passing them quietly to the next user. Justice provided another cardinal virtue for discussing whether the allocation treated comparable needs fairly. The earlier sapient suggestion proved useful when a late-arriving student needed material, because the plan had left room for an ordinary change in attendance. The tutor asked the group to explain its reasons, and members revised one small allocation while preserving enough stock for the following class.
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.