Question

guided practice
read the sentence.
the ratio of personnel to workstations is unbalanced in light of the current space requirements.
this sentence is an example of ______.
a. denotation
b. connotation
c. irony
d. inflated language

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option A (denotation): Denotation is the literal, dictionary - definition of a word. The sentence here is not about the literal meaning of words.
• Option B (connotation): Connotation refers to the emotional or cultural associations of a word. The sentence does not deal with such associations.
• Option C (irony): Irony involves a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens, or a contradictory statement. The given sentence has no such contrast.
• Option D (inflated language): Inflated language uses more complex or formal - sounding words than necessary, often to make something seem more important. The sentence "The ratio of personnel to workstations is unbalanced in light of the current space requirements" uses formal and somewhat inflated terms (like "personnel", "unbalanced", "space requirements") instead of simpler language (e.g., "The number of people to workstations is out of balance because of the current space needs"). So this sentence is an example of inflated language.

Answer:

D. inflated language