A shelf kept empty
An original account of an invented museum-storage visit.
Most shelves in the store were filled with labelled boxes. One remained empty except for a strip of paper saying Returns. I assumed it was spare space for new arrivals. The keeper explained that objects coming back from an exhibition went there before being put into their usual places.
The separate shelf made it obvious which objects still needed to be checked. It also kept those objects apart from pieces whose condition had already been recorded. If a problem appeared, staff could investigate it before the object disappeared into a row of similar boxes. The empty space was therefore part of the system, not evidence that the system had nothing more to hold.
In your own words, explain two reasons for using a separate Returns shelf.
382 exam-style questions on WJEC GCSE English Language 3.1.3 Short and extended response question types. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.