Keep a counterexample within its proper scope
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
Lina checked the logic of a volunteer's claim that one misplaced label proved nobody had read the notice carefully. One bag's missing label could contradict the claim that every received container was labeled, without showing that all participants ignored instructions. Lina could gainsay the accusation that nobody had followed the recycling notice by pointing to several correctly prepared bags at the collection table. The coordinator asked the group to identify which conclusion each observation supported, so a small correction would not become a broad judgment about everyone who attended.
The revised tally improved the logic of the discussion by separating a claim about every container from a claim about any particular participant. A single unlabeled bag was enough to contradict the universal statement about labeling, but the record also showed many labeled containers. Volunteers could gainsay an unsupported generalization while still acknowledging the error that prompted it. The team corrected the tally, explained the limits of its conclusion, and avoided assigning motives that its observations had not established.
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.