The fold that cracked

An original account of an invented bookbinding lesson.

During my first bookbinding lesson, I folded a strip of thick paper to make part of a cover. The paper resisted my hands, and a ragged crack appeared along the fold. I decided that the whole sheet must be too brittle to use.

My tutor cut another strip from the same sheet, turned it round and folded it in a different direction. This strip bent easily and its surface remained smooth. Because both strips came from the same sheet, I realised that I had blamed the material when the direction of my first fold was responsible.

In your own words, explain two things the comparison between the strips helped the narrator understand.