Trial matting at the pavilion

An original fictional information text for reading practice.

The pavilion committee has laid a narrow strip of new matting beside the entrance. Visitors are asked to use it normally rather than avoiding it to keep it clean. The purpose is to discover how it behaves when shoes are wet and when chairs are moved across it.

This is a provisional arrangement. The committee has not committed to covering the whole floor with the material. A small sample can look convincing in a showroom without revealing how it feels beneath a wheelchair or whether its edge catches a walking stick.

Comments should describe what happened during actual use. Saying that the colour is attractive will not help the committee assess the problems the trial is intended to investigate.

Explain what the word “provisional” means as it is used in this text.