Which practice should be avoided to prevent common report problems?

• A. Extreme wordiness and overuse of jargon and abbreviations
• B. Conciseness and clarity
• C. Use of standard English
• D. Maintaining factual content

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that readability and accuracy in reports suffer when writing becomes needlessly long and filled with jargon or abbreviations. Excessive wordiness makes the sequence of events hard to follow and can bury key facts under fluff, increasing the chance readers will miss important details or misinterpret what happened. Jargon and abbreviations can alienate or confuse readers who aren’t familiar with every term, and they may introduce ambiguity if terms aren’t standardized or defined. When writing is concise and uses plain language, facts are presented more clearly and efficiently, making it easier to verify and reference later. Using standard English helps ensure grammar and sentence structure are correct, which boosts credibility and reduces misreading. Keeping to factual content means sticking to what can be supported by evidence and observation, avoiding embellishment or speculation that can distort the record. So, the practice to avoid is extreme wordiness and overuse of jargon and abbreviations, while the other practices—being concise and clear, using standard English, and maintaining factual content—support clearer, more reliable reporting.