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Help with Exercises
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Below you will find help with selected exercises from the book.

4-8,4

4-8, 6

4-9,1

4-8, 4. Although it has always had a bad name in the United States, socialism is nothing more or less than democracy in the realm of economics.

Rhetorical definition. Note that, as in this case, rhetorical definitions can promote an idea as easily as they disparage it. Also note the downplaying function of the sentence structure: It's not unusual for a downplayer to get objections out of the way before another slanter does its work.

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4-8, 6. It's fair to say that, compared to most people his age, Mr. Beechler is pretty much bald.

No slanter present. Two answers you might have given are euphemism (or dysphemism) and weaseler. But "bald" and "pretty much bald" are really the most natural words to use. As for the qualifiers—"it's fair to say," "compared to most people his age"—the inherent vagueness of baldness makes them reasonable.

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4-9, 1. "If the United States is to meet the technological challenge posed by Japan, Inc., we must rethink the way we do everything from design to manufacture to education to employee relations." (Harper's)

"Japan, Inc." is a dysphemism. You may have called it a stereotype, because it plays on certain images of the industrial complex in Japan. It is better to say dysphemism here, mainly because the stereotype is not a standard one.








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