The Damaged Delivery

The Damaged Delivery

In the new laboratory, Maya and Jonah prepared a demonstration of how food colouring spreads through warm and cold water. Equipment had arrived in a battered tray, so they checked each item before filling it.

Jonah examined a glass container without lifting it. It was _____, though it had looked sound at first glance. A thin split ran from rim to base; the tray’s bent corner suggested damage during delivery. “We could cover it with tape,” he said.

Maya refused. She kept everyone away from the bench and warned them not to touch the tray. Mr Evans paused the demonstration and called the _____. Ms Patel, the member of staff responsible for laboratory safety and equipment, put on gloves, used tongs to place the damaged item in the proper glass-waste container, and inspected the other items.

No identical spare was available, but Ms Patel found a wider _____ on a heatproof mat. The wide, straight-sided glass container had a lip for pouring and could hold the same measured volume, although its markings differed. Maya used a measuring cylinder to divide the water accurately. Mr Evans warmed one sample and confirmed its temperature before the pupils approached.

When the class gathered, the containers stood safely apart. Jonah added one drop to each. Colour spread quickly through the warm water and slowly through the cold, while Maya recorded the times.