Assess the scale and direction of a change
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
A drastic change to a fictional parcel service replaces daily collection with a single collection each month, leaving customers with a sharply reduced service. An exacerbation of the existing backlog follows when the depot also stops sorting parcels for an entire week. The manager's mitigation plan aims to reduce the effects by arranging temporary storage and restoring part of the collection schedule. The staff compare the proposed arrangements with the specific difficulties already recorded, asking which changes would actually reduce the severity customers experienced.
The drastic reduction has consequences beyond a small adjustment to the timetable, since ordinary senders must wait through much longer intervals. The exacerbation caused by suspended sorting adds to a problem that was already present rather than creating an unrelated inconvenience. The mitigation plan therefore addresses both storage pressure and the delay between collections, with separate responsibilities for each action. At the next review, staff examine whether the backlog has become smaller and whether the restored service matches what the revised notice promises.
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.