UNIT 10: ETHICS

Vocabulary
1. ethical (adj) relating to moral principles or the branch of knowledge dealing with these
……………………………………………………………………………..
2. deception (n): … the act of hiding the truth, especially to get an advantage

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

3. elicit (v): …… to get or produce something, especially information or a reaction

………………………………………………………………………………………………..
4. justify (v): … to give or to be a good reason for
…………………………………………………………………………………………..……..
5. tempt (v): ……to make someone want to have or do something, especially something that
is unnecessary or wrong
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
6. sell sb/yourself/sth short:…… to not consider someone or something to be as valuable or good as
he, she, or it deserves …………………………………………………………………………………
7. inflate (v): ………………to make something increase in size by filling it with air, or
to increase in size when filled with air
…………………………………………………………………………………….
8. rationalization (n): ………… an attempt to find reasons for behaviour, decisions,
etc., especially your own …………………………………………………………………………………..
9. suspect (v): ……… to think or believe something to be true or probable
………………………………………………..…………………………………………..
10. accomplishment (n): …something that is successful, or that is achieved after a lot
of work or effort ………………………………………………………………………………………..
11. prior (adj): ………………… existing or happening before something else, or before
a particular time ………………………………………………………………………………….
ACTIVITY 1: Read the article and answer the questions.
1. What reasons are given for not being totally honest on your CV?
→Everyone else does it, companies lie about job requirements, it's hard to get a good job
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
2. What can happen to senior managers who lie on their CVs?
→ … They can lose their jobs
……………………………………………………………………………………………..
3. What happens to you when you start using rationalisations?
→ …… You begin to fool yourself and develop habits of distorted thinking
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
4. What are the advantages of asking an old boss?
→ … It forces you to think clearly and creatively, it checks the accuracy of your claims, it trains your old boss
in how to represent you during reference checks, your old boss may give you better ways to represent yourself.
……………………………………………………………………………………………..
ACTIVITY 2: Understanding vocabulary
1. The phrase “stretching the truth” in the subheading is closest in meaning to
A.  making use of the supplies
B. not being completely honest
C. making it longer or wider by pulling it
2. The word “conflicting” in line 3 “…conflicting thoughts” is closest in meaning to
A. a violent situation or period of fighting
B. causing opposing ideas or opinions
C. a serious disagreement or argument
3. The word “short” in paragraph 2 “… only a few credits short” is closest in meaning to
A. small in length, distance, or height
B. being an amount of time that is less than average or usual
C. lacking
4. The word “inflating” in paragraph 2 “…inflating the number of people” is closest in meaning to
A.  making something larger 
B. making something increase in size by filling it with air
C. increasing the price of something
5. The word “constructing” in paragraph 3 “…constructing a justification” is closest in meaning to
A. building
B. drawing
C. forming

ACTIVITY 3: Pronoun Reference

What does the underlined pronoun refer to?
1. “everyone else is doing it …” (para. 1, bullet 2, line 3)
→ lying
2. “… a great deal of influence over them.” (para. 2, bullet 4, line 2)
→ the number of people or range of functions
3. “My résumé doesn’t quite pass these tests ...” (para. 5, line 1)
→ ………Other-shoe test, front-page test

ACTIVITY 4: Go back to the article on page 98. Find prepositions to complete the following phrases
and write them in the blanks.
1. A Monster.com blog ……about …………. the dangers of lying ……on…………. your résumé elicited 60
comments ……from…………. job seekers recommending lying.
2. Inflating the number of people or range of functions ……for…………. which you had direct responsibility
because you really did have a great deal of influence …over……………. them.
3. These are called rationalizations – constructing a justification …for……. a decision you suspect is really
wrong.
4. How would you feel if the shoe were …on…….. the other foot?
5. Would you think the same way if the accomplishment …in………. question were reported …
on…………….the front page of the Wall Street Journal?
6. When ……in………….doubt, ask an old boss.
ACTIVITY 5: Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the word.
1. ethic
The committee judged that he had not behaved ……ethically…………………
Is it ……ethic………………… to promote cigarettes through advertising?
The company was known for its poor business ………ethicality…………… and many people refused to
buy its  products.
Transplantation of organs from living donors raises  ……ethical……………… issues.
2. justify
We are duty bound to …justify………………… how we spend our funds.
Her actions were quite ……justified………………… in the circumstances.
The Prime Minister has been asked to ……justify………… the decision to Parliament.
I can see no possible ……justification………………… for any further tax increases.
3. tempt
 I was ………tempted……………… to take the day off.
How can we …………tempt…………… young people into engineering?
It's very easy to yield to ……temptation………………… and spend too much money.
It was a …………tempting…………… offer.
4. inflate
The media have grossly …………inflated…………… the significance of this meeting.
The principal effect of the demand for new houses was to ………inflated……………… prices.
Wage increases must be in line with ……inflation………….
5. suspect
It was ……suspected………………… that the drugs had been brought into the country by boat.
He is the prime ………suspect……………… in the case.
I've got a sneaking …………suspicion…………… that we're going the wrong way.
"I'm arresting you on …………suspicion…………… of illegally possessing drugs," said the police officer.
The public were warned to be on the alert for ……suspicious………………… packages.
6. accomplish
She's a very ……accomplished ………………… pianist.
The first part of the plan has been safely ……accomplished.………………….
That's it. Mission ……accomplished………………….
It was one of the President's greatest ……accomplishers.………………….

ACTIVITY 6: Fill in each blank in the sentences below with one suitable word. When you finish, turn
back to page 98 and check your answers.
It is never OK to (1) ……lie………… on a résumé. But what about stretching the truth? How much can
you "dress up" your résumé to make yourself as strong a (2) ……………candidate…… as possible without
crossing the (3) …ethical…………… line of deception?
Recommenders (4) …justifield…………… lying by claiming: everyone else does it, companies lie about job
requirements, and it’s hard to get a good job. Executives (5) …caught…………… lying on their résumés often
lose their jobs. When you start using (6) ……rationalizations………………….... -- constructing a justification
for a decision you suspect is really wrong -- you begin to fool yourself and develop habits of (7) ……
distored………… thinking. When in doubt, ask an old boss. It forces you to think clearly and creatively, it
checks the (8) ………accuracy…….……… of your claims, it trains your old boss in how to represent you
during reference checks, and sometimes your old boss may give you better ways to represent yourself.