Idiot, imbecile, and moron were once neutral terms for a developmentally delayed adult with the mental age comparable to atoddler, preschooler, and primary school child, respectively.[15] In time, negative connotations tend to crowd out neutral ones, so the phrase mentally retarded was pressed into service to replace them.[16] This too was eventually considered pejorative and became commonly used as an insult. Today, terms such as mentally challenged, with an intellectual disability,learning difficulties and special needs are used to replace the term retarded.

A similar progression occurred with the following terms for persons with physical handicaps being adopted by some people:

lame / crippled → handicapped → disabled → physically challenged → differently abled → People with disabilities.

from Wikipedia

1. ** There was a ______ contrast between Dally's life and Cherry's.
2. ** Everyone was shocked by the _______ details of the murder.
   
3. ** lose : prevail :: assent : ________
4. ** Very few things annoy teachers more than being _______.
5. ** As he sat in the principal's office, he hoped for _______ intervention; maybe an angel would swoop in and save him. (Not.)  
6. "Jumbo shrimp" is an example of a euphemism.  a) True  b) False
7. The word telepathy literally means... a) distant look  b) mind look  c) distant feeling  d) brain talk  e) open mind
8. ^Read the very first sentence at the top of p20. What does the word brood mean?  a) to think a lot about something in an unhappy way  b) a group of young chickens  c) whine and complain  d) the kids in someone's family  e) scream
9. ^The last word in the first paragraph on p21 is dispositions. What is a person's disposition?  a) face  b) ability to think  c) attitude or mood  d) social class  e) NOTA (What then?)
10. ^Near the bottom of p21, it says that the captain pinched the little girl's arm, "a little bit with joviality..."  What does joviality mean?  a) anger  b) happiness or friendliness  c) a patronizing attitude  d) generosity  e) cheese

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11.  Euphemisms: a) friendly fire  b) collateral damage  c) previously owned  d) chronologically challenged  e) downsizing   f) correctional facility