G-S09 — A Robot Library Assistant
Module G · version 0.7.0 · original fictional reading practice

1. At a fictional library in Westhaven, returning a book involves more than placing it on a shelf. Staff must check whether it belongs in the ordinary collection, needs repair, or has been reserved for another reader. A proposed robot could carry books between desks and shelves, reducing the time staff spend walking through the building. The library director welcomes that possibility but avoids saying that the machine could take over the whole returns service. Moving an object and deciding what should happen to it are different tasks. The proposal assigns routine transport to the robot while keeping decisions about damaged or reserved books with staff. Its value would depend partly on how well those tasks fit together. The director asks the designers to identify conditions under which the machine should stop and seek help. A clearly stated boundary would be more useful than a promise of uninterrupted movement. Staff would then know whether a pause reflects the intended procedure or an unexpected problem requiring a different response.
2. During a demonstration, the robot carries a cart correctly but leaves it beside a shelf where staff are helping a group of children. The cart blocks their movement even though it has reached the location specified in its instructions. This incident leads the team to add a waiting area away from busy shelves. The robot would stop there if the destination were occupied and notify a staff member. The change does not mean the machine can now understand every social situation in the library. It creates a clear response to one condition the designers can detect. The director calls this limited adaptation useful, while warning against describing it as independent judgment. Staff must still decide whether to interrupt an activity, choose another destination, or leave the books waiting.
3. Some employees worry that learning to operate the robot will add work before it saves any. The director proposes measuring both the walking time avoided and the time spent resolving interruptions. A faster journey is not a saving if it creates a longer delay elsewhere. Other employees hope the robot will let them spend more time recommending books, but the director notes that freed time must actually be allocated to that work. Automation alone does not decide a library's priorities. The proposed trial therefore includes a plan for what staff would do with any time saved. It also retains a manual transport option in case the machine is unavailable. No reduction in staff numbers is proposed. Rather than asking whether a robot is better than a person in general, the library is asking which narrowly defined tasks it can handle reliably and how the remaining responsibilities should be organized.

G-S09-Q01 | G-S09-P1
Circle ONE correct answer.
Which distinction underlies the proposed division of work?
A. Transport makes all human decisions unnecessary.
B. Every reserved book is damaged.
C. Transport is different from deciding how a returned book should be treated.
D. A proposed robot is already the library director.

G-S09-Q02 | G-S09-P1
Give ONE answer.
Give ONE decision that would remain with staff.

G-S09-Q03 | G-S09-P2
Give ONE answer.
Why was a waiting area added?

G-S09-Q04 | G-S09-P2
Circle ONE correct answer.
Why does the director reject independent judgment?
A. It can never complete any useful task.
B. The machine follows a response to one detectable condition.
C. Staff no longer decide whether to interrupt activities.
D. Limited adaptation means complete understanding.

G-S09-Q05 | G-S09-P3
Select TWO correct answers from the SIX options. Base your answers on paragraph III.
Which TWO quantities would the director compare during the trial?
A. Walking time avoided.
B. The number of independent social judgments by the robot.
C. Time spent handling interruptions.
D. The distance between the waiting area and the children.
E. The total value of damaged books.
F. The number of staff already dismissed.

G-S09-Q06 | G-S09-P3
Complete the sentence.
For transport savings to improve book recommendations, the library must _____.

G-S09-Q07 | whole_text
Circle ONE correct answer.
What is the central point of the article?
A. A robot's usefulness depends on task boundaries and the organization of human work around it.
B. The fastest cart journey always gives the greatest saving.
C. Robots should replace all library employees.
D. Libraries should focus only on recommending books.