Exam 3: Cost Volume Profit Analysis and Pricing Decisions

Which item in the following set of claims has the most negative emotive meaning? Shirley always had trouble finding clothes that fit because she was a. so petite. b. quite small. c. a runt. d. diminutive. e. tiny.

Classify the following: "When Dr. Leakey said Lucy's walk was bipedal, he meant her walk was upright."

Considering the context in which it was most likely uttered, would you say the following claim is ambiguous, too vague, or neither? 'PRIESTESS' WAS HOOKER TO JURY -AP headline

Exercise: Are you familiar with the word, "ursine?" Provide a definition. If the term is unfamiliar, make a guess about its meaning based on its appearance or sound, and create your own definition. Then look the word up, and find out how close you got. (We provide a thumbnail meaning as answer.)

Determine whether the following claim is too vague in the context that is stated or implied: Instructions for a lawn mower: "For best service, crankcase oil should be replaced at least once each season."

For the term, "weight lifting," invent a persuasive definition (either positive or negative). Remember, persuasive definitions can be analytical definitions, definitions by example, or definitions by synonym.

Which item in the following set of claims has the most negative emotive meaning? Mr. Gardner a. is a social drinker. b. is alcohol-dependent. c. is a heavy imbiber. d. enjoys tippling. e. is a drunk.

Using a name or description of an item that you can't point to, provide a definition by example for "planet." If you have difficulty doing so, try to identify the source of the trouble.

Using a name or description of an item that you can't point to, provide a definition by example for "unicorn." If you have difficulty doing so, try to identify the source of the trouble.

Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: Headline: Retired priest may marry Springsteen.

Evaluate the following quotations from a local newspaper. a. "Sexual offenses are becoming native to our culture." b. "Dangerous offenders incorporate pornography into their preparatory stimulation before seeking a victim." c. "Pornography interferes with interpersonal relationships in everyone who uses it."

Exercise: Are you familiar with the word, "adjuration?" Provide a definition. If the term is unfamiliar, make a guess about its meaning based on its appearance or sound, and create your own definition. Then look the word up, and find out how close you got. (We provide a thumbnail meaning as answer.)

Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: "My husband got his project cut off two weeks ago, and I haven't had any relief since then."-From a letter requesting public assistance, as quoted in Ann Landers, Chicago Tribune

Which item in the following set of claims has the most negative emotive meaning? My new roommate a. talks all the time. b. loves to talk. c. is a great talker. d. hardly ever gives his larynx a rest.

Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish some other purpose. "Tombstone: an ugly reminder of one who has been forgotten."-H. L. Mencken

Classify the following: "Being an octogenarian is being in one's eighties."

Classify the following definition according to its use: to reduce vagueness, to introduce or explain a new or unusual word, to evoke an attitude about something, or to accomplish some other purpose. No, as far as the bus company is concerned, you count as a senior citizen only after you've reached sixty-five. You won't be able to get the discount fare for three more years.

Any definition by example of the word "terrier" would also qualify as a definition by example of the word "canine."

Discuss whether the vagueness of the following passage is appropriate to the context that is stated or implied. Pay particular attention to the underlined expressions. "Comprehensive Coverage. The insurer will pay for direct and accidental damage to the insured's automobile and its equipment not caused by collision or upset." -From an automobile insurance policy

Below are descriptions of three characters from Anthony Trollope's Barchester Towers. Trollope's words produce some vivid images. Write a brief (e.g., one-page) essay explaining what images are evoked and analyzing why and how Trollope's words succeed in creating these images. (Alternatively, your instructor may ask you to simply list the charged words in the descriptions.) This is as close to literary analysis as we'll get-we promise. The selections are from the 1963 Signet Classics edition. Mr. Slope is tall and not ill-made.... His countenance, however, is not especially prepossessing. His hair is lank and of a dull pale reddish hue. It is always formed into three straight, lumpy masses, each brushed with admirable precision and cemented with much grease.... His face is nearly of the same colour as his hair, though perhaps a little redder: it is not unlike beef-beef, however, one would say, of a bad quality.... His nose, however, is his redeeming feature: it is pronounced, straight and well-formed; though I myself should have liked it better did it not possess a somewhat spongy, porous appearance, as though it had been cleverly formed out of a red-coloured cork. In person Dr. Proudie is a good-looking man, spruce and dapper and very tidy. He is somewhat below middle height, being about five feet four, but he makes up for the inches which he wants by the dignity with which he carries those which he has. It is no fault of his own if he has not a commanding eye, for he studies hard to assume it. His features are well-formed, though perhaps the sharpness of his nose may give to his face in the eyes of some people an air of insignificance. If so, it is greatly redeemed by his mouth and chin, of which he is justly proud. Exteriorly, Mr. Arabin was not a remarkable person. He was above the middle height, well-made, and very active. His hair, which had been jet black, was now tinged with gray, but his face bore no sign of years. It would perhaps be wrong to say that he was handsome, but his face was nevertheless pleasant to look upon. The cheek-bones were rather too high for beauty, and the formation of the forehead too massive and heavy: but the eyes, nose, and mouth were perfect. There was a continual play of lambent fire about his eyes, which gave promise of either pathos or humor whenever he essayed to speak, and that promise was rarely broken. There was a gentle play about his mouth which declared that his wit never descended to sarcasm.