Describe what is happening to the work
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
The degradation of a repeatedly reused stencil becomes visible when its once-clear edges begin to produce blurred shapes on the workshop's posters. An impervious supervisor remains unaffected by repeated criticism of the print quality, insisting that no observation can change his preferred method. A sleazy seller spreads a story he knows is false about a rival stealing designs, hoping to win the workshop's orders. A volunteer separates those unsupported accusations from the sample prints and asks the group to base its purchase on the quality it can actually inspect.
The stencil's degradation cannot be corrected merely by choosing a more flattering name for the increasingly blurred impression. The supervisor remains impervious to the criticism until another worker asks the group to judge the prints without knowing who produced them. The seller's sleazy effort to discredit a rival collapses when the volunteer produces an earlier note in which the seller admits inventing the accusation. Members reject the rumor and compare the actual prints, distinguishing dishonest persuasion from evidence that a material or method meets their needs.
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.