Ask what the language actually establishes
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
At a neighborhood exhibition meeting, Felix admired the speaker's rhetoric: a clear structure and memorable examples made the proposal easy to follow. Yet the accompanying report was tendentious, highlighting every favorable comment while omitting the concerns recorded in the same consultation. When asked how the project would accommodate a smaller display, the speaker offered a platitude about everyone working together. Felix wanted the group to distinguish effective expression from balanced evidence and to turn the familiar reassurance into a concrete plan for the available space.
The chair did not assume that skillful rhetoric made the proposal dishonest; persuasive expression could help explain sound reasons. She asked instead whether the tendentious report fairly represented the material on which its conclusion depended. Repeating the same platitude would not settle the unanswered question about display space, even if everyone welcomed cooperation in principle. She requested a fuller account of the comments and a sketch showing how the smaller display would fit, giving the group something specific to discuss.
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.