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Discuss Whether the Vagueness of the Following Passage Is Appropriate

question 161

Essay

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.
One demographer thinks that more than 20 percent of the women born in the mid-1950s are childless, a rate that is almost triple that of the previous generation.
You will hear this ascribed to a breakdown of traditional values or to rampant selfishness. But this glib explanation misses the deeper truth, which is more subtle and less personal. People haven't suddenly become more selfish. Changing economic and social realities have simply made children less economically essential and, therefore, more a matter of choice. When people urge a return to traditional values, they're talking about the impossible: reversing centuries of economic and technological change that have altered women's roles. Women's liberation is less an idea than the result of changes that, by reducing pressures for childbearing, inevitably led to more educational and job opportunities.
-Adapted from a newsmagazine essay


Definitions:

Intervertebral Discs

Cartilaginous pads located between the vertebrae in the spine, acting as shock absorbers and allowing flexibility.

Fibrocartilage

A tough type of cartilage that contains fibrous bundles of collagen, found in areas such as the intervertebral disks and pubic symphysis.

Compact Bone

The dense, hard outer layer of bone that provides strength and support to the skeletal structure.

Osteons

The fundamental unit of compact bone, comprising a central canal surrounded by concentric layers of calcified matrix.

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