Now, it is clear that the decline of a language must ultimately
have political and economic causes: it is not due simply to the
bad influence of this or that individual writer. But an effect
can become a cause, reinforcing the original cause and producing
5 the same effect in an intensified form, and so on indefinitely.
A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a
failure, and then fail all the more completely because he
drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the
English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our
10 thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language
makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.
Passage adapted from: Politics And The English Language, George Orwell
1. The example of the man who takes to drink is used to illustrate which of the following ideas in the paragraph?
A. foolish thoughts
B. the slovenliness of language
C. political and economic causes
D. an effect becoming a cause
E. bad influences
2. The author would most likely agree that
A. individual writers can never have a bad influence on the English language
B. imprecise use of language is likely to make precise thought more difficult
C. the English language is ugly and inaccurate
D. all language declines for political reasons
E. failure generally leads to more failure in a downward spiral