Notice what the expectation does to action
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
A defeatist member of a student storytelling team declared that losing was certain and urged everyone to cancel the remaining rehearsals. A pessimistic teammate expected a disappointing response but still practiced and prepared a shorter version in case the room felt restless. A fatalist in their fictional performance believed that every outcome was fixed by fate, so no decision could alter the appointed result. The director kept the attitudes distinct during discussion, asking whether each statement expressed a forecast, discouraged effort, or made a claim about how events were determined.
The defeatist argument treated expected failure as a reason to stop trying before the team had completed its preparation. The pessimistic teammate also expected trouble, yet her practical rehearsal plan showed that an unfavorable outlook need not eliminate action. The fatalist character made a different claim: effort could not change a destiny already settled. By giving the speakers separate lines, the director made their reasoning audible and avoided reducing all concern about the performance to the same kind of resignation or discouragement.
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.