Jargon, pretentious language, euphemisms, doublespeak 2

Click on the better sentence in each pair—the one that is free of jargon, pretentious or flowery language, euphemisms, or doublespeak. Before working the exercise, read the example, which is the first sentence in the paragraph from which the sentences are taken.

For help with this exercise, see Appropriate language.

Example

1 of 10

Question

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◯ It is obligatory for persons who bear the onus of responsibility for the lives of others to maintain maximal standards of ethical comportment.
◯ People who are responsible for the lives of others must hold themselves to the highest ethical standards.
Jargon, pretentious language, euphemisms, doublespeak 2 – 1

2 of 10

Question

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◯ For example, doctors, police officers, and teachers should recognize the power of their positions.
◯ For example, practitioners of medicine, officers of the law, and facilitators of learning should recognize the power of their positions.
Jargon, pretentious language, euphemisms, doublespeak 2 – 2

3 of 10

Question

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◯ Those who transgress against the social contract should expiate their transgressions.
◯ Those who violate society’s trust should pay a high price.
Jargon, pretentious language, euphemisms, doublespeak 2 – 3

4 of 10

Question

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◯ Future police officers should study the case of Justin Volpe, a New York City police officer who was found guilty of assaulting a man he had arrested.
◯ It would be instructive for prospective wearers of the badge to consider the case of Justin Volpe, a member of New York’s finest who was adjudged culpable of assaulting a man he had seized by legal warrant.
Jargon, pretentious language, euphemisms, doublespeak 2 – 4

5 of 10

Question

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◯ The police are renowned for their aversion to implicating a fellow officer in a crime, but several police witnesses found the assault sufficiently egregious that they agreed to bear witness against Volpe.
◯ The police are notoriously reluctant to inform on fellow officers, but several police witnesses were so outraged by the assault that they agreed to testify against Volpe.
Jargon, pretentious language, euphemisms, doublespeak 2 – 5

6 of 10

Question

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◯ Recognizing the amount of evidence against him, Volpe changed his plea from not guilty to guilty.
◯ Cognizant of the number of forces marshaled against him, Volpe repudiated his not guilty declaration to guilty.
Jargon, pretentious language, euphemisms, doublespeak 2 – 6

7 of 10

Question

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◯ From the ranks of the followers of Galen comes the history of Dr. Michael Swango, who strayed so far from his duty to safeguard the salubriousness of his patients that he actively sought to terminate some of their lives.
◯ Medicine offers the case of Dr. Michael Swango, who not only failed to protect the health of his patients but also actively tried to kill some of them.
Jargon, pretentious language, euphemisms, doublespeak 2 – 7

8 of 10

Question

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◯ When Dr. Swango was a young resident, his fellow residents noticed that several of his patients had died, so they jokingly called him “Double-O Swango.”
◯ When Dr. Swango was in the first blush of his medical residency, his fellow residents took notice when a number of his patients expired, so they jestingly termed him “Double-O Swango.”
Jargon, pretentious language, euphemisms, doublespeak 2 – 8

9 of 10

Question

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◯ Swango eventually pleaded guilty to killing three hospitalized men by injecting them with poison.
◯ Eventually Swango pleaded guilty to effectuating the passing on of three male patients by introducing toxins into their bodies intravenously.
Jargon, pretentious language, euphemisms, doublespeak 2 – 9

10 of 10

Question

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◯ Persons such as Volpe and Swango, who have proved false to their oaths to safeguard others, pose a greater peril to society’s well-being than any undistinguished criminal.
◯ People like Volpe and Swango, who have betrayed their positions of responsibility, are more dangerous to society than any ordinary criminal.
Jargon, pretentious language, euphemisms, doublespeak 2 – 10