Final answer:
Purchasing a term paper online is considered cheating and is a form of plagiarism, which is academically unethical. Asking a roommate to help rewrite awkward sentences in your own original work is generally not considered cheating, as it falls within acceptable revision assistance. However, policies on academic assistance can vary by institution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject of whether purchasing a term paper on the internet is considered cheating has a straightforward answer: it is unequivocally unethical and constitutes academic dishonesty. When you buy a term paper online and submit it as your own work, you're presenting someone else's work as if you had written it. This is a clear case of plagiarism. In contrast, asking your roommate to rewrite awkward sentences is not plagiarism, assuming you have written the original content and your roommate is only providing minimal assistance in the form of feedback or revision, which is typically allowed as part of the writing process.
Academic integrity is taken very seriously, and plagiarism is just one form of academic dishonesty. It includes misrepresentation of facts and getting an unfair advantage, such as cheating on an exam. Thus, the correct answer to the question would be (a) True, as purchasing a term paper is indeed cheating, while getting help to revise awkward sentences is not, as long as the original work is yours. However, this could vary based on specific institutional policies, so it's always best to consult your school's code of conduct or writing center for guidance.