Distinguish imitation from skillful adjustment
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
A tabletop simulation let students test how parcels moved among imaginary islands without sending real boats or goods across a harbor. Careful manipulation of cardboard gates controlled which channels the small model boats could enter during each round. A deft adjustment by one student reopened a narrow gate quickly without disturbing the nearby floating markers. The class recorded the model's rules and the movements it allowed, separating the imitation of a transport process from the skill involved in handling its pieces during a particular trial.
The simulation represented selected features of transport, so its results belonged first to the invented rules rather than proving how every real harbor would operate. The manipulation of gates was ordinary physical handling, with no deception implied by the word in this context. Another deft movement kept two markers in place while the student changed the channel, showing quickness and control together. The observers noted those actions separately from the parcel counts, avoiding the assumption that a smoothly handled model automatically gave a complete account of the situation it represented.
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.