Noor has worked hard on a neighbourhood exhibition, but her name is missing from its poster. Comparing the printed sheet with the drafts reveals an unexpected explanation.
01Read the Arabic story
الِاسْمُ الْغَائِبُ عَنِ الْمُلْصَقِ
تَطَوَّعَتْ نُورٌ لِتَنْظِيمِ مَعْرِضِ رُسُومٍ فِي مَرْكَزِ الْحَيِّ. جَمَعَتْ أَعْمَالَ الْأَطْفَالِ، وَكَتَبَتْ بَطَاقَاتِ الْأَسْمَاءِ، وَسَاعَدَتْ فِي تَرْتِيبِ الْقَاعَةِ. قَبْلَ الْمَعْرِضِ بِيَوْمَيْنِ، رَأَتْ مُلْصَقًا عِنْدَ الْمَدْخَلِ. كَانَ يَحْمِلُ أَسْمَاءَ الْمُتَطَوِّعِينَ، لَكِنَّ اسْمَهَا لَمْ يَكُنْ بَيْنَهَا. قَرَأَتِ الْقَائِمَةَ مَرَّتَيْنِ، وَشَعَرَتْ بِالضِّيقِ لِأَنَّهَا قَضَتْ وَقْتًا طَوِيلًا فِي الْعَمَلِ.
ظَنَّتْ أَنَّ مُنِيرًا، الَّذِي صَمَّمَ الْمُلْصَقَ، نَسِيَ مُسَاعَدَتَهَا. كَتَبَتْ عَلَى هَاتِفِهَا رِسَالَةً غَاضِبَةً، ثُمَّ تَوَقَّفَتْ قَبْلَ إِرْسَالِهَا. رَأَتْ أَنَّ مِنَ الْأَفْضَلِ أَنْ تَسْأَلَهُ أَوَّلًا. قَالَتْ لَهُ بِهُدُوءٍ: «هَلْ يُمْكِنُ أَنْ نُرَاجِعَ قَائِمَةَ الْأَسْمَاءِ؟ لَمْ أَجِدِ اسْمِي». بَدَا عَلَيْهِ الِاسْتِغْرَابُ، وَفَتَحَ الْمَلَفَّ عَلَى حَاسُوبِهِ.
كَانَ اسْمُ نُورٍ مَوْجُودًا فِي الْمُسَوَّدَةِ الْأُولَى وَفِي النُّسْخَةِ الْأَخِيرَةِ أَيْضًا. لَكِنَّهُ ظَهَرَ فِي أَسْفَلِ الصَّفْحَةِ مَعَ اسْمَيْنِ آخَرَيْنِ. قَارَنَا الْمَلَفَّ بِالْمُلْصَقِ الْوَرَقِيِّ، فَلَاحَظَا أَنَّ الْأَسْمَاءَ الثَّلَاثَةَ غَائِبَةٌ عَنِ النُّسْخَةِ الْمَطْبُوعَةِ. وَكَانَ آخِرُ سَطْرٍ مِنْ عُنْوَانِ الْمَرْكَزِ غَائِبًا أَيْضًا. أَشَارَتْ نُورٌ إِلَيْهِ، فَفَهِمَ مُنِيرٌ أَيْنَ يَبْدَأُ الْبَحْثَ.
فَتَحَ مُنِيرٌ إِعْدَادَاتِ الطِّبَاعَةِ، وَوَجَدَ أَنَّ حَجْمَ الْوَرَقِ الْمُخْتَارَ أَصْغَرُ مِنْ حَجْمِ التَّصْمِيمِ. لِذَلِكَ لَمْ يَظْهَرِ الْجُزْءُ السُّفْلِيُّ مِنَ الصَّفْحَةِ. اِعْتَذَرَ لِأَنَّهُ عَلَّقَ الْمُلْصَقَ دُونَ فَحْصِهِ. غَيَّرَ الْإِعْدَادَاتِ، وَطَبَعَ نُسْخَةً وَاحِدَةً لِلتَّجْرِبَةِ. قَرَأَتْهَا نُورٌ مَعَهُ، وَوَضَعَا عَلَامَةً بِجَانِبِ كُلِّ اسْمٍ فِي الْقَائِمَةِ الْأَصْلِيَّةِ.
بَعْدَ اسْتِبْدَالِ الْمُلْصَقِ، حَذَفَتْ نُورٌ الرِّسَالَةَ الَّتِي لَمْ تُرْسِلْهَا. لَمْ يَخْتَفِ شُعُورُهَا الْأَوَّلُ فَوْرًا، لَكِنَّهَا عَرَفَتْ أَنَّ تَفْسِيرَهَا لَمْ يَكُنْ صَحِيحًا. فِي الْيَوْمِ التَّالِي، سَأَلَهَا مُنِيرٌ إِنْ كَانَتْ تَسْتَطِيعُ مُرَاجَعَةَ بَطَاقَاتِ الدَّعْوَةِ مَعَهُ. وَافَقَتْ، وَقَالَتْ: «لِنَفْحَصْ نُسْخَةً مَطْبُوعَةً أَيْضًا، فَالشَّاشَةُ لَا تُظْهِرُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ».
Show English translationHide English translation
Noor volunteered to organise an exhibition of drawings at the neighbourhood centre. She collected the children’s work, wrote the name cards and helped arrange the hall. Two days before the exhibition, she saw a poster at the entrance. It listed the volunteers’ names, but hers was not among them. She read the list twice and felt upset because she had spent a long time working.
She thought that Munir, who had designed the poster, had forgotten her help. She wrote an angry message on her phone, then stopped before sending it. She decided it would be better to ask him first. She said calmly, “Could we review the list of names? I couldn’t find mine.” He looked surprised and opened the file on his computer.
Noor’s name was in both the first draft and the final version. But it appeared at the bottom of the page with two other names. They compared the file with the paper poster and noticed that all three names were missing from the printed version. The last line of the centre’s address was missing too. Noor pointed to it, and Munir understood where to begin looking.
Munir opened the print settings and found that the selected paper size was smaller than the design size. That was why the bottom part of the page had not appeared. He apologised for putting up the poster without checking it. He changed the settings and printed one test copy. Noor read it with him, and they put a tick beside each name on the original list.
After the poster was replaced, Noor deleted the message she had not sent. Her initial feeling did not disappear immediately, but she knew her explanation had been wrong. The following day, Munir asked whether she could review the invitation cards with him. She agreed and said, “Let’s check a printed copy too, because the screen doesn’t show everything.”
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| مَعْرِضِ رُسُومٍ | an exhibition of drawings |
| مُلْصَقًا | a poster |
| بِالضِّيقِ | upset; distressed |
| الِاسْتِغْرَابُ | surprise |
| الْمُسَوَّدَةِ الْأُولَى | the first draft |
| النُّسْخَةِ الْمَطْبُوعَةِ | the printed version |
| إِعْدَادَاتِ الطِّبَاعَةِ | the print settings |
| الْجُزْءُ السُّفْلِيُّ | the bottom part |
| لِلتَّجْرِبَةِ | as a test |
| بَطَاقَاتِ الدَّعْوَةِ | the invitation cards |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Look back at the Arabic story when you need a clue. Open the English support if you need help understanding a question.
What to remember
- The missing address line helps show that the problem affects a whole area of the page, not just Noor’s name.
- Use the drafts, the printed result and the print settings to separate a reasonable feeling from an unverified explanation.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Because in Arabic: Give a Reason with Lianna
لِأَنَّهَا قَضَتْ وَقْتًا طَوِيلًا فِي الْعَمَلِ
Connect Noor’s initial distress with the reason introduced by lianna.
Kana in Arabic: Was and Were
كَانَ اسْمُ نُورٍ مَوْجُودًا
Read a past statement confirming that Noor’s name was present in the draft.
Arabic Time and Place Adverbs: Before, After, In Front and Behind
بَعْدَ اسْتِبْدَالِ الْمُلْصَقِ
Follow the order of events with an after expression.
