Effective and Ineffective Paraphrasing Directions: Read Each Passage

question 1

Multiple Choice

Effective and Ineffective Paraphrasing Directions: Read each passage.Then select the letter of the best paraphrase.
Dean Kamen, award-winning inventor, has created a new battery-powered personal transportation device called the Segway Human Transporter.This device averages eight miles an hour, which is three times faster than walking pace, weighs only sixty-five pounds, and runs about fifteen miles for the cost of about ten cents' worth of electricity.Mr.Kamen says that the Segway could cause cities to be redesigned, help wean the world from oil dependence, compress time and space for pedestrians, and raise productivity for corporations and government agencies.
(Adapted from Amy Harmon, "An Inventor Unveils His Mysterious Personal Transportation Device,"  The New York Times, Dec.3, 2001, www.nytimes.com.)
Paraphrase

• A) Inventor Dean Kamen's latest creation, a personal transportation device called the Segway Human Transporter, has several advantages.It's lightweight, cheap to operate, and it allows people to move three times faster than they can walk.Therefore, Kamen argues, it could revolutionize the world by saving individuals, companies, and govern-ments time and money, and it could reduce our need for gasoline.It might even change the way we build our cities in the future.
• B) Inventor Dean Kamen has come up with an amazing new transportation device called the Segway Human Transporter.It's inexpensive and easy to operate, so it will probably require us to change how cities are laid out.Everyone will want one of these devices because they go three times faster than we can walk, and companies won't need to hire as many people because workers will be able to get around more quickly.
• C) Inventor Dean Kamen wants everyone to buy his latest invention, a transportation device called the Segway Human Transporter.He thinks people walk too slowly and pay too much for fossil fuel energy.He invented the Segway in hopes of changing the problems plaguing big cities.He thinks his invention will make walking unnecessary, allowing companies and governments to save money.

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Definitions:

Psychological Distress

A state of emotional suffering typically characterized by symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and stress, which can affect an individual's overall well-being.

Dignity-Conserving

Approaches or practices aimed at preserving the self-respect and worth of individuals, particularly in healthcare settings.

Thanatology

Study of death and dying.

Ancestors

Individuals from whom one is descended, often considered in the context of family lineage or evolutionary history.