Question

Which of these statements from Congresswoman Chisholm's speech is the BEST example of formal language?

A. "I have been far oftener discriminated against because I am a woman than because I am black."
B. "An excellent beginning would be to wipe the existing ones off the books."
C. "The happy little homemaker and the contented "old darkey" on the plantation were both produced by prejudice."
D. "It is for this reason that I wish to introduce today a proposal that has been before every Congress for the last 40 years."

Answer 1

D. "It is for this reason that I wish to introduce today a proposal that has been before every Congress for the last 40 years."

Step-by-step explanation:

The sentence from the options that exemplifies the use of formal language by the congresswoman is the last option, since it uses phrases like "It is for this reason" which in a less formal or more casual language should be expressed as "because of this", and in this sentece the congresswoman is trying to express the introduction of a proposal.

Answer 2

The answer is option D: "It is for this reason that I wish to introduce today a proposal that has been before every Congress for the last 40 years."

The statement best exemplifies the use of formal language because, to begin with, it is a complex sentence. In fact, it is a cleft sentence which begins with it to emphasize what comes next. Secondly, there is no ellipsis and vocabulary reflects the choice of longer words than in informal speech. Finally, the use of passive voice is typical of formal registers.