Question

\i heard a report on the news where a hospital spokesman used the phrase negative patient outcomes. i thought it sounded ridiculous. why didnt he just say deaths?\ what would you say to help this student? people sometimes use euphemisms when they want to sound knowledgeable and to be more easily understood by others in their field. people sometimes use euphemisms to soften an idea—that is, to make it seem less negative than it really is. directions: read each sentence, and then answer the question. we value our associates and are sure they will understand the companys decision to downsize. which option is the best revision of this sentence? because we have a good relationship with our employees, we know they will accept our decision to downsize our workforce. in deciding to downsize, we have taken our valued associates into account. with regret, our company has decided that we need to lay off some of our employees.

Explanation:

For the first question, the term "negative patient outcomes" is a euphemism. Euphemisms are often used to soften harsh or negative ideas. Saying "deaths" is a very direct and harsh term, while "negative patient outcomes" is a more indirect way of referring to it, making the idea seem less negative.
For the second question, the original sentence "We value our associates and are sure they will understand the company's decision to downsize" is rather vague. The option "With regret, our company has decided that we need to lay off some of our employees" is more direct and clear. It clearly states the action (lay - off employees) which is what "downsize" implies in a more understandable way. The first option "Because we have a good relationship with our employees, we know they will accept our decision to downsize our workforce" adds an unsubstantiated claim about the employees' acceptance. The second option "In deciding to downsize, we have taken our valued associates into account" is still too vague about the actual action.

Answer:

For the first question: People sometimes use euphemisms to soften an idea—that is, to make it seem less negative than it really is.
For the second question: With regret, our company has decided that we need to lay off some of our employees.