Recognize a period without progress
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
Stagnation sets in during a second puzzle when the team repeats familiar moves without gaining new information or moving closer to a solution. An interminable wait for one player to choose a turn makes a short session feel as though it will never end. The agreed termination of play at the final turn gives the team a clear ending even if the second puzzle remains unsolved. The organizer asks the players to save their notes, so a later attempt can begin with what they have already learned.
The team's stagnation is visible in the unchanged record, not simply in the fact that the puzzle has taken more than a few minutes. The wait feels interminable to the other players, although the clock shows that only part of the afternoon has passed. Termination of the session does not mean the puzzle can never be attempted again; it ends this particular period of play. The team closes the board and chooses one unanswered question to investigate before its next meeting, giving the later attempt a more specific starting point.
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.