What deserves attention?
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
During a planning meeting for a small exhibition, the most salient issue was whether the main room could hold the proposed display. A debate about the lettering on souvenir bags was peripheral to that decision, though it might matter later. Omar noticed overt disagreement when two designers openly rejected each other's layouts. He recorded their reasons and brought the discussion back to the room's dimensions, which would determine whether either proposal could be used.
The disagreement remained overt, but it became easier to discuss once Omar separated the salient question of available space from peripheral preferences about merchandise. Both designers could point to the same floor plan and explain what their arrangements required. Omar did not dismiss the smaller choices permanently; he placed them on a later agenda. The group first needed a layout that visitors could actually move through before choosing the lettering printed on items in the shop.
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.