Separate expression from concern
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
During a practice auction at the welcome event, Ben's face was impassive even when a bid surprised him. A teammate described Mei as stolid because she showed little outward reaction throughout several dramatic turns in the game. Neither observation established indifference: both students kept careful track of the rules and asked for another round. The organizer noticed that a person could care about an activity without displaying that interest through animated expressions, and she changed her first assumptions accordingly.
An impassive expression gave the other players little visible information about Ben's immediate response. Mei's stolid manner likewise involved limited outward reaction, a description that overlapped with the observation about Ben rather than contradicting it. Indifference would concern a lack of interest or concern, which their continued attention did not suggest. The organizer therefore described their quiet faces separately from their participation, avoiding a conclusion about internal feelings that the available behavior did not support.
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.