The following appeared as a letter to the editor from a Central Plaza store owner.
"Over the past two years, the number of shoppers in Central Plaza has been steadily decreasing while the popularity of skateboarding has increased dramatically. Many Central Plaza store owners believe that the decrease in their business is due to the number of skateboard users in the plaza. There has also been a dramatic increase in the amount of litter and vandalism throughout the plaza. Thus, we recommend that the city prohibit skateboarding in Central Plaza. If skateboarding is prohibited here, we predict that business in Central Plaza will return to its previously high levels."
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.
The argument that prohibiting skateboarding in Central Plaza will return the business of the store owners there to its high levels is not logically convincing since it has ignored crucial assumptions.
Firstly, the argument assumes that increasing the number of skateboard users will decrease the business of the the Plaza shoppers.
Secondy, even if the increase in the number of skateboard users will affect the store owners business. How can the author tell that there is no other reasons for this decrease in their income?. so even if the skateboarding is prohibited, the business will not return to its high levels.
Finally, the argument assumes also that the increase of litter and vandalism throughout the plaza will limit their business which can not be necessarilty true.
Thus, the argument is not completely sound. The evidence in support of conclusion that the increase in the popularity of skateboarding in the last two years led to decrease in the number of shoppers does little to prove the conclusion since it has ignored the assumptions raised.
Ultimately, the argument could have been strengthened if the authour showed that increasing skateboarding will decrease their business, that there is no other reasons for this decay in their income, and that the increase of litter and vandalism throughout the plaza will limit their business.
Sentence: Firstly, the argument assumes that increasing the number of skateboard users will decrease the business of the the Plaza shoppers.
Description: The token the is not usually followed by an article
Suggestion: Refer to the and the
Sentence: Secondy, even if the increase in the number of skateboard users will affect the store owners business.
Description: A noun, plural, common is not usually followed by a noun, singular, common
Suggestion: Refer to owners and business
Sentence: Finally, the argument assumes also that the increase of litter and vandalism throughout the plaza will limit their business which can not be necessarilty true.
Error: vandalism Suggestion: No alternate word
Error: necessarilty Suggestion: necessarily
Sentence: Ultimately, the argument could have been strengthened if the authour showed that increasing skateboarding will decrease their business, that there is no other reasons for this decay in their income, and that the increase of litter and vandalism throughout the plaza will limit their business.
Error: authour Suggestion: author
flaws:
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No. of Characters: 1116 1500
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No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 61 80
Attribute Value Ideal
Score: 3.0 out of 6
Category: Satisfactory Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 2 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 2 2
No. of Sentences: 8 15
No. of Words: 218 350
No. of Characters: 1116 1500
No. of Different Words: 91 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 3.843 4.7
Average Word Length: 5.119 4.6
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No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 48 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 25 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 27.25 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 11.713 7.5
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Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.132 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 6 5