Two accurate conclusions lead to different decisions when a headline stands alone.
01Read the Arabic story
التَّقْرِيرُ ذُو الْخُلَاصَتَيْنِ الصَّحِيحَتَيْنِ تَمَامًا
كَتَبَتْ لَيْلَى تَقْرِيرًا عَنْ مَعْرِضٍ صَغِيرٍ لِلْحِرَفِ، وَوَضَعَتْ أَمَامَهَا عَشْرَ بِطَاقَاتٍ مِنْ كُلِّ سَبْتٍ. سَجَّلَتْ كُلُّ بِطَاقَةٍ وَقْتَيِ الدُّخُولِ وَالْخُرُوجِ، وَالْغُرَفَ الَّتِي زَارَهَا صَاحِبُهَا. فِي السَّبْتِ الثَّانِي تَغَيَّرَ الْمَسَارُ، فَصَارَ الزَّائِرُ يَمُرُّ بِعَرْضِ صُنْعِ الْخَزَفِ قَبْلَ دُخُولِ بَقِيَّةِ الْغُرَفِ. وَكَانَ الْمُنَظِّمُونَ يَنْتَظِرُونَ مِنَ التَّقْرِيرِ قَرَارًا بِشَأْنِ هَذَا التَّغْيِيرِ.
أَظْهَرَتِ الْبِطَاقَاتُ الْعَشْرُ الْجَدِيدَةُ زِيَارَاتٍ أَطْوَلَ مِنَ الزِّيَارَاتِ الْمُسَجَّلَةِ فِي الْبِطَاقَاتِ الْقَدِيمَةِ، لَكِنَّهَا أَظْهَرَتْ أَيْضًا عَدَدًا أَقَلَّ مِنَ الْغُرَفِ الْمَزُورَةِ. كَتَبَتْ لَيْلَى خُلَاصَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ حَاوَلَتْ وَضْعَ إِحْدَاهُمَا فِي الْعُنْوَانِ. خَشِيَتْ أَنْ يُقْرَأَ طُولُ الزِّيَارَةِ بَوْصْفِهِ إِعْجَابًا، أَوْ أَنْ تُقْرَأَ قِلَّةُ الْغُرَفِ بَوْصْفِهَا ضَعْفًا فِي الْمَعْرُوضَاتِ، مَعَ أَنَّ الْبِطَاقَاتِ لَمْ تَسْأَلْ عَنِ السَّبَبِ.
كَانَتْ لَيْلَى قَدْ وَقَفَتْ سَاعَةً عِنْدَ مَدْخَلِ الْعَرْضِ. رَأَتْ عَائِلَةً تَنْتَظِرُ حَتَّى يَفْرَغَ مَقْعَدٌ، وَسَمِعَتْ أَبًا يَقُولُ إِنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ الْخُرُوجَ قَبْلَ مَوْعِدٍ آخَرَ. بَقِيَ الْأَطْفَالُ يُرَاقِبُونَ الْخَزَّافَ بِاهْتِمَامٍ، لَكِنَّ الْأَبَ نَظَرَ إِلَى سَاعَتِهِ. لَمْ تَعْرِفْ لَيْلَى إِنْ كَانَتْ بِطَاقَتُهُمْ ضِمْنَ الْعَشْرِ، وَلَمْ تَجْعَلْ مَشْهَدَهُمْ تَفْسِيرًا لِكُلِّ زِيَارَةٍ مَسَاءَ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ.
فِي الِاجْتِمَاعِ اخْتَارَ الْمُدِيرُ الْخُلَاصَةَ الْأُولَى، وَقَالَ إِنَّ الْمَسَارَ الْجَدِيدَ أَبْقَى الزُّوَّارَ وَقْتًا أَطْوَلَ. قَرَأَتْ لَيْلَى الْخُلَاصَةَ الثَّانِيَةَ، وَأَرَتْهُ الْبِطَاقَاتِ نَفْسَهَا. لَمْ تَتَرَاجَعْ عَنِ الْأُولَى، بَلْ أَضَافَتْ مُلَاحَظَتَهَا عَنِ الِانْتِظَارِ، مَعَ حُدُودِهَا. فَطُولُ الْبَقَاءِ قِيَاسٌ لِلْوَقْتِ، وَقَدْ يَضُمُّ مُشَاهَدَةً مُحَبَّبَةً وَوَقُوفًا لَا يَخْتَارُهُ الزَّائِرُ، وَالْعُنْوَانُ وَحْدَهُ يُخْفِي هَذَا الْفَرْقَ.
قَرَّرَ الْفَرِيقُ أَنْ يَجْعَلَ الْعَرْضَ اخْتِيَارِيًّا خَارِجَ الْمَسَارِ الْإِلْزَامِيِّ، وَأَنْ يَسْأَلَ الزُّوَّارَ عَنِ الِانْتِظَارِ فِي السَّبْتِ الْمُقْبِلِ. طَلَبَ الْمُدِيرُ عُنْوَانًا يُشِيرُ إِلَى مَا سَيُجَرِّبُونَهُ. طَوَتْ لَيْلَى مُسَوَّدَةَ الْعُنْوَانِ الْأَوَّلِ وَأَبْقَتِ الْخُلَاصَتَيْنِ تَحْتَ جَدْوَلِ الْبِطَاقَاتِ. لَمْ تُسَمِّ التَّغْيِيرَ نَجَاحًا أَوْ فَشَلًا؛ وَضَعَتْ عَلَى الْخَرِيطَةِ بَابًا لَا يَحْتَاجُ دَاخِلُهُ إِلَى انْتِظَارِ الْعَرْضِ.
Show English translationHide English translation
Layla wrote a report on a small craft exhibition, setting ten visitor cards from each Saturday before her. Each card recorded entry and exit times and the rooms its owner had visited. On the second Saturday, the route changed: visitors now passed through a pottery-making demonstration before entering the other rooms. The organisers were awaiting a decision about this change from the report.
The ten new cards showed longer visits than those recorded on the old cards, but also fewer rooms visited. Layla wrote two conclusions, then tried putting one in the headline. She feared a longer visit would be read as admiration, or fewer rooms as a weakness in the exhibits, although the cards had not asked about the reason.
Layla had stood for an hour at the demonstration entrance. She saw a family waiting for a seat to become free and heard a father say they had to leave before another appointment. The children continued watching the potter with interest, but the father looked at his watch. Layla did not know whether their card was among the ten, and she did not make their scene an explanation for every visit that evening.
At the meeting, the director chose the first conclusion, saying the new route had kept visitors longer. Layla read the second and showed him the same cards. She did not retract the first; she added her observation about waiting, with its limits. Length of stay measures time and may include enjoyable watching and standing that a visitor has not chosen. The headline alone hides this distinction.
The team decided to make the demonstration optional, outside the required route, and to ask visitors about waiting the next Saturday. The director requested a headline indicating what they would try. Layla folded the first headline draft and kept both conclusions beneath the table of cards. She did not call the change success or failure; on the map, she placed a door whose users would not need to wait for the demonstration.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| لِلْحِرَفِ | for crafts |
| وَقْتَيِ الدُّخُولِ وَالْخُرُوجِ | the entry and exit times |
| الْمَسَارُ | the route |
| الْمُسَجَّلَةِ | recorded |
| خُلَاصَتَيْنِ | two conclusions |
| بَوْصْفِهِ | as; in the capacity of |
| يَفْرَغَ | becomes free |
| الْخَزَّافَ | the potter |
| حُدُودِهَا | its limits |
| الْإِلْزَامِيِّ | required; compulsory |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer per question. Track voices, omissions and competing accounts. Choose the reading best supported by the Arabic text.
What to remember
- Separate what the visitor cards record from the reasons they do not establish.
- The family scene suggests a mechanism without representing every recorded visit.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Comparatives: Bigger Than and Better Than
أَطْوَلَ مِنَ الزِّيَارَاتِ
Read min as “than” after atwal; the following comparison noun is genitive.
Arabic Past-Tense Endings: I Wrote, You Wrote and We Wrote
كَتَبَتْ لَيْلَى تَقْرِيرًا
Distinguish katabat, “she wrote,” from katabtu, “I wrote,” using the marked past ending.
