TOEFL integrated Question: the extinction of Steller's sea cow.
The reading passage and the lecture both discuss the possible reasons for the extinction of Steller's sea cow. The author of the passage advances three hypotheses to explain main reasons that cause extinction. However, the lecturer challenges what the author proposes and refutes the reasons.
First off, the author highlights the fact that the sea cows may have been overhunted by the native people lived in the vicinity of them. On the contrary, the lecturer contends that the sea cows were too massive mammals having around 9 meter height and 10 tones of weight and it was difficult for people to hunt them. He proceeds to say that the population of the native people was not high enough so that they do not need to overhunt such big animals.
Moreover, the author posits that the ecosystem disturbances could cause the declination of Kelp which was the main food for the sea cows. Not having been convinced, the speaker says that other animals such as whales are also nurture from Kelps, therefore if the number of Kelps have been declined, Whales also would become extinct.
Finally, the lecturer does not support what author declares revolving around the fact that European fur traders hunt the sea cows and yield them to become extinct. He claims that European fur traders were the last ones who arrived there and caught sea cows but long before them the number of sea cows were declined. So they can not be the significant reason of the extinction.
the sea cows may have been overhunted by the native people lived in the vicinity of them
the sea cows may have been over hunted by the native people who lived in the vicinity of them
the sea cows may have been over hunted by the native people living in the vicinity of them
sea cows were too massive mammals
sea cows were very massive mammals
if the number of Kelps have been declined
if the number ... has been declined
the number of sea cows were declined.
the number of sea cows was declined.
Sentence: He proceeds to say that the population of the native people was not high enough so that they do not need to overhunt such big animals.
Error: overhunt Suggestion: over hunt
flaws:
No. of Grammatical Errors: 4 2
Attribute Value Ideal
Score: 23 in 30
Category: Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 4 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 11 12
No. of Words: 250 250
No. of Characters: 1185 1200
No. of Different Words: 134 150
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 3.976 4.2
Average Word Length: 4.74 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.249 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 86 80
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 58 60
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 34 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 17 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 22.727 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 7.312 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.818 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.391 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.642 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.197 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 4 4