Match ambition to available means
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
One volunteer proposed a grandiose opening with three stages, elaborate scenery, and a procession through every campus building. The group enjoyed the vision but questioned its practicality when only one room and a modest materials budget were available. An economical alternative used the room's existing chairs and a borrowed reading lamp. Ivo asked the volunteer to preserve the welcoming purpose of the opening while reconsidering features that demanded more people, money, and preparation than the group could reasonably provide.
The revised opening was economical because it used available resources efficiently, not because the organizers cared little about the audience's experience. Their test of practicality asked whether the plan could work under the actual limits of the event. The original proposal remained grandiose in scale and ambition, even though its author sincerely wanted to impress the visitors. By comparing the two plans against the same constraints, the group could discuss feasibility without treating every ambitious idea as automatically unworthy.
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.