Word List: ledger, statute, bureaucracy, arbitration, reconciliation, document, ledger, remittance, writ, memorandum
Story:
It was a dreary Monday morning and Tom, a clerk at the local government office, had just arrived at work. His boss, Mr. Smith, called him into his office and handed him a strange looking ledger.
“Tom, I need you to figure out what is going on with this ledger.” Mr. Smith said with a worried look on his face. “It’s not reconciling with the bank statements and I need to know why.”
Tom was puzzled. He had never seen a ledger like this before. It was filled with strange symbols and codes that he couldn’t decipher. He took the ledger back to his desk and started going through it, page by page.
As he worked, he realized that the ledger was in violation of several important statutes. He immediately brought this to Mr. Smith’s attention, but his boss just brushed it off. “Don’t worry about it Tom, the bureaucracy has been giving us a hard time lately.”
Tom couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. He continued to investigate and soon discovered that the ledger was part of a larger scheme to embezzle funds from the government. He took his findings to an arbitration board and presented his evidence.
The board was shocked and immediately launched an investigation. They discovered that the corruption went all the way to the top of the bureaucracy.
Tom was hailed as a hero for his tenacity and bravery. He was given a writ from the arbitration board recognizing his efforts to bring the corrupt officials to justice. He also received a memorandum from his boss, congratulating him on a job well done.
In the end, the funds were reconciled and the corrupt officials were brought to justice. Tom was offered a promotion and a raise, but he declined. He simply felt happy knowing that he did the right thing and made a difference.
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | Collocations |
|---|---|---|
| Ledger | A book or computer file used for recording financial transactions | financial ledger, accounting ledger, sales ledger |
| Statute | A law passed by a legislative body | criminal statute, tax statute, civil statute |
| Bureaucracy | The system of government administration | government bureaucracy, regulatory bureaucracy, bureaucratic process |
| Arbitration | A process for resolving disputes by referring them to a neutral third party | labor arbitration, commercial arbitration, international arbitration |
| Reconciliation | The process of bringing two conflicting things into agreement | financial reconciliation, account reconciliation, book reconciliation |
| Document | A written or printed work that contains information or evidence | legal document, official document, confidential document |
| Remittance | A payment made to a person in another country | money remittance, overseas remittance, wire remittance |
| Writ | A written order from a court that commands an action | writ of execution, writ of habeas corpus, writ of certiorari |
| Memorandum | A written reminder or note | internal memorandum, confidential memorandum, legal memorandum |