The following appeared in a memorandum from the general manager of KNOW radio station.
"Several factors indicate that radio station KNOW should shift its programming from rock-and-roll music to a continuous news format. Consider, for example, that the number of people in our listening area over fifty years of age has increased dramatically, while our total number of listeners has declined. Also, music stores in our area report decreased sales of recorded music. Finally, continuous news stations in neighboring cities have been very successful. The switch from rock-and-roll music to 24-hour news will attract older listeners and secure KNOW radio's future."
Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.
In the memorandum from the general manager of the KNOW radio station, the author concludes that, KNOW should shift its programming from rock-and-roll to a continuous news format, and as a result, will attract older listeners and secure its future. However, the author supports his conclusions with three assumptions that, if not substantiated, dramatically weaken the persuasiveness of the argument.
Firstly, the author assumes that a decrease in the number of radio listeners is related to the increase in the number of people over fifty years of age. However, this may not be the case. It is possible that, people, being exposed to so many forms of entertainment, lost interest in radio programs, and so, they stopped listening. It is also possible, that alternative sources of rock-and-roll like Youtube, Vimeo, etc are available and more convenient in the city than listening to the radio. So, people are using those alternative sources instead of listening to the radio. If any of the aforementioned has any merit, the author's argument regarding the decreased number of listeners because of the increased number of people over fifty does not hold water.
Secondly, the author is assuming that the decline in recorded music is related to people not liking rock-and-roll anymore. However, people may not buy recorded music from the stores because they have found an alternative and more convenient market place for such need. It may be the case, that people are using an online market place like Apple Music Store, Google Play Music, etc to buy recorded music. It is also possible that, music sales declined because the stores are not up-to-date with current rock-and-roll. If either of these scenarios is true, then the author's contention that decreased recorded music sales means decreased popularity for rock-and-roll becomes unpersuasive.
Lastly, even if it is true that, over fifty years old people do not like rock-and-roll which leads to decrease in the number of radio listeners and decline in sales of recorded music indicates decline in popularity of rock-and-roll, the author's assumption that, switch from rock-and-roll to continuous news station will attract old listeners and secure KNOW's future may not be true. Perhaps, most of the people in consideration have become a loyal listener of another continuous news station. It is also possible, that these people do not like radio news but watch television news instead. The author needs to provide evidence that, the neighboring city's people and current city's people are similar in taste, and the current city's people are not loyal to another continuous new radio station to substantiate his argument. Otherwise, his assertion becomes invalid.
In conclusion, it is entirely possible that the author's argument is valid and shifting from rock-and-roll to a continuous news format will attract older listeners and secure KNOW radio's future. However, as it stands now, the author's argument relies on three unfounded assumptions that render its conclusion unpersuasive at best and specious at worst. Thus, the author needs to provide additional evidence on three fronts: the decrease in number of listeners is related to the dramatic increase of older people, decreased sales of recorded music are related to people not appreciating rock-and-roll, and continuous news stations in neighboring cities is a valid indicator that such new stations will succeed in the city in consideration.
Comments
Essay evaluation report
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 3.5 out of 6
Category: Satisfactory Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 0 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 21 15
No. of Words: 547 350
No. of Characters: 2846 1500
No. of Different Words: 202 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.836 4.7
Average Word Length: 5.203 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.851 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 218 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 160 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 113 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 72 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 26.048 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 14.025 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.857 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.361 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.545 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.116 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 5 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 2, column 47, Rule ID: A_INFINITVE[1]
Message: Probably a wrong construction: a/the + infinitive
... memorandum from the general manager of the KNOW radio station, the author concludes tha...
^^^^^^^^
Line 4, column 625, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'authors'' or 'author's'?
Suggestion: authors'; author's
...f the aforementioned has any merit, the authors argument regarding the decreased number...
^^^^^^^
Line 6, column 565, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'authors'' or 'author's'?
Suggestion: authors'; author's
...er of these scenarios is true, then the authors contention that decreased recorded musi...
^^^^^^^
Line 8, column 238, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'authors'' or 'author's'?
Suggestion: authors'; author's
...ine in popularity of rock-and-roll, the authors assumption that, switch from rock-and-r...
^^^^^^^
Line 10, column 49, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'authors'' or 'author's'?
Suggestion: authors'; author's
...usion, it is entirely possible that the authors argument is valid and shifting from roc...
^^^^^^^
Line 10, column 226, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'authors'' or 'author's'?
Suggestion: authors'; author's
... future. However, as it stands now, the authors argument relies on three unfounded assu...
^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, first, firstly, however, if, lastly, may, regarding, second, secondly, so, then, thus, in conclusion, as a result, it is true
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 24.0 19.6327345309 122% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 10.0 12.9520958084 77% => OK
Conjunction : 24.0 11.1786427146 215% => Less conjunction wanted
Relative clauses : 17.0 13.6137724551 125% => OK
Pronoun: 36.0 28.8173652695 125% => Less pronouns wanted
Preposition: 74.0 55.5748502994 133% => OK
Nominalization: 17.0 16.3942115768 104% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2917.0 2260.96107784 129% => OK
No of words: 547.0 441.139720559 124% => OK
Chars per words: 5.33272394881 5.12650576532 104% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.83611736076 4.56307096286 106% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.91275640505 2.78398813304 105% => OK
Unique words: 218.0 204.123752495 107% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.398537477148 0.468620217663 85% => More unique words wanted or less content wanted.
syllable_count: 909.9 705.55239521 129% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.7 1.59920159681 106% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 12.0 4.96107784431 242% => Less pronouns wanted as sentence beginning.
Article: 10.0 8.76447105788 114% => OK
Subordination: 5.0 2.70958083832 185% => OK
Conjunction: 4.0 1.67365269461 239% => Less conjunction wanted as sentence beginning.
Preposition: 3.0 4.22255489022 71% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 21.0 19.7664670659 106% => OK
Sentence length: 26.0 22.8473053892 114% => OK
Sentence length SD: 87.8493866753 57.8364921388 152% => OK
Chars per sentence: 138.904761905 119.503703932 116% => OK
Words per sentence: 26.0476190476 23.324526521 112% => OK
Discourse Markers: 6.47619047619 5.70786347227 113% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 5.15768463074 97% => OK
Language errors: 6.0 5.25449101796 114% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 12.0 8.20758483034 146% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 4.0 6.88822355289 58% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 5.0 4.67664670659 107% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.30434230063 0.218282227539 139% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.099659614329 0.0743258471296 134% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.120787195094 0.0701772020484 172% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.211669386103 0.128457276422 165% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.114475636354 0.0628817314937 182% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 16.7 14.3799401198 116% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 36.63 48.3550499002 76% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.1628742515 123% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 14.6 12.197005988 120% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 13.93 12.5979740519 111% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.16 8.32208582834 98% => OK
difficult_words: 112.0 98.500998004 114% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 11.0 12.3882235529 89% => OK
gunning_fog: 12.4 11.1389221557 111% => OK
text_standard: 9.0 11.9071856287 76% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 66.67 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 4.0 Out of 6
---------------------
Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.