READING
PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes
on Questions 1-13, which are based
on Reading Passage 1.
|
JARGON
A. Jargon is a loaded word. One dictionary
defines it, neatly and neutrally, as ‘the technical vocabulary or idiom of a
special activity or group’, but this sense is almost completely overshadowed
by another: ‘obscure and often pretentious language marked by a roundabout
way of expression and use of long words’. For most people, it is this second
sense which is at the front of their minds when they think about jargon. Jargon
is said to be a bad use of
language, something to be avoided at all costs. No one ever describes it in
positive terms (‘that was a delightful piece of rousing jargon’). Nor does
one usually admit to using it oneself: the myth is that jargon is something
only other people employ.
B. The reality, however, is that everyone uses
jargon. It is an essential part of the network of occupations and pursuits
that make up society. All jobs present an element of jargon, which workers
learn as they develop their expertise. All hobbies require mastery of a
jargon. Each society of grouping has its jargon. The phenomenon turns out to
be universal – and valuable. It is the jargon element which, in in a job, can
promote economy and precision of expression, and thus help make life easier
for the workers. It is also the chief linguistic element which shows
professional awareness (‘know-how’) and social togetherness (‘shop-talk’).
C. When we have learned to command it, jargon
is something we readily take pleasure in, whether the subject area is
motorcycles, knitting, cricket, baseball or computers. It can add pace,
variety and humour to speech – as when, with an important event approaching,
we might slip into NASA-speak, and talk about countdown, all systems go, and lift-off. We enjoy the mutual showing-off which stems from a
fluent use of terminology, and we enjoy the in-jokes which shared linguistic
experience permits. Moreover, we are jealous of this knowledge. We are quick
to demean anyone who tries to be part of our group without being prepared to
take on its jargon.
D. If jargon is so essential a part of our
lives, why then has it had such a bad press? The most important reason stems
from the way jargon can exclude as well as include. We may not be too
concerned if we find ourselves faced with an impenetrable wall of jargon when
the subject matter has little perceived relevance to our everyday lives, as
in the case of hydrology, say, or linguistics. But when the subject matter is
one where we feel implicated, and think we have a right to know, and the
speaker uses words which make it hard for us to understand, then we start to
complain; and if we suspect that the obfuscation is deliberate policy, we
unreservedly condemn, labelling it gobbledegook
and calling down public derision upon it.
E.
No area is
exempt, but the fields of advertising, politics and defence have been
especially criticised in recent years by the various campaigns for Plain
English. In these domains, the extent to which people are prepared to use
jargon to hide realities is a ready source of amusement, disbelief and
horror. A lie is a lie, which can be only temporarily hidden by calling it an
‘inoperative statement’ or ‘an instance of plausible deniability’. Nor can a
nuclear plant explosion be suppressed for long behind such phrases as ‘energetic
disassembly’, ‘abnormal evolution’ or ‘plant transient’.
F.
While condemning
unnecessary or obscuring jargon in others, we should not forget to look out
for it in ourselves. It is so easy to ‘slip into’ jargon, without realizing
that our own listeners/readers do not understand. It is also temptingly easy
to slip some jargon into our expression, to ensure that others do not understand. The motivation to do such
apparently perverse things is not difficult to grasp. People like to be ‘in’,
to be part of an intellectual or technical elite; and the use of jargon,
whether understood or not, is a badge of membership. Jargon, also can provide
a lazy way into a group or an easy way of hiding uncertainties and
inadequacies: when terminology slips plausibly from the tongue, it is not
essential for the brain to keep up. Indeed some people have developed this
skill to professional levels. And certainly, faced with a telling or awkward
question, and the need to say something acceptable in public, slipping into
jargon becomes a simple way out, and can soon become a bad habit.
|
Questions 1-6
Reading passage 1 has six
paragraphs, A-F.
Choose
the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write
the correct number i-ix in boxes 1-6
on your answer sheet.
|
List of headings
i.
The
benefits of simple language
ii.
A
necessary tool
iii.
A
lasting way of concealing disasters
iv.
The
worst offenders
v.
A
deceptively attractive option
vi.
Differing
interpretations
vii.
Publicising
new words
viii.
Feeling
shut out
ix.
Playing
with words
|
|
1.
Paragraph
A
2.
Paragraph
B
3.
Paragraph
C
4.
Paragraph
D
5.
Paragraph
E
6.
Paragraph
F
|
Questions 7-12
Complete
the summary using the list words A-L below.
Write
the correct letter A-L in boxes 7-12
on your answer sheet.
Jargon plays a useful part in many
aspects of life including leisure. For example, when people take up pastimes
they need to develop a good 7 …………….. of the relevant jargon. During discussion
of these or other areas of interest, conversation can become more exciting and
an element of 8 …………….. can be introduced by the use of shared jargon.
Jargon is particularly helpful in
the workplace. It leads to more 9 …………….. in the way colleagues communicate
during work hours. Taking part in 10 …………….. during moments of relaxation can
also help them to bond better.
It is interesting that members of a
group, whether social or professional, often demonstrate a certain 11 ……………..
towards the particular linguistic characteristics of their subject area and
tend to regard new people who do not wish to learn the jargon with 12 ……………..
Question 13
Choose
the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write
the correct letter in the 13 on your answer sheet.
13.
Which
of the following statements would be the writer agree with?
A.
Jargon
thoroughly deserves the bad reputation it has gained.
B.
Jargon
should not be encouraged except in the workplace.
C.
Jargon
should not be used if the intention is to exclude others.
D.
Everyday
life would be very much better without jargon.
|
ANSWER KEY
1.
vi
2.
ii
3.
ix
4.
viii
5.
iv
6.
v
7.
F
8.
L
9.
D
10.
C
11.
I
12.
G
13.
C
|
No comments:
Post a Comment
thank you for visiting my blog and for your nice comments