The following appeared in an article written by Dr. Karp, an anthropologist.
"Twenty years ago, Dr. Field, a noted anthropologist, visited the island of Tertia and
concluded from his observations that children in Tertia were reared by an entire village
rather than by their own biological parents. However, my recent interviews with children
living in the group of islands that includes Tertia show that these children spend much more
time talking about their biological parents than about other adults in the village. This
research of mine proves that Dr. Field's conclusion about Tertian village culture is invalid
and thus that the observation-centered approach to studying cultures is invalid as well. The
interview-centered method that my team of graduate students is currently using in Tertia will
establish a much more accurate understanding of child-rearing traditions there and in other
island cultures."
It might seem logical, at first glance, to agree with the argument in Dr. Karp’s article
that children in Tertia actually are raised by their biological parents (and perhaps even,
by implication, that an observation-centered approach to anthropological study is
not as valid as an interview-centered one). However, in order to fully evaluate this
argument, we need to have a significant amount of additional evidence. The argument
could end up being much weaker than it seems, or it might actually be quite valid. In
order to make that determination, we need to know more then analyze what we learn.
The first piece of evidence that we would need in order to evaluate Dr. Karp’s claims
is information about whether or not Tertia and the surrounding island group have
changed significantly in the past 20 years. Dr. Field conducted his observational study
20 years ago, and it is possible that Tertia has changed significantly since then. For
example, if we had evidence that in teh intervening years Westerners had settled on
the island and they introduced a more typical Western-style family structure, it would
certainly weaken Dr. Karp’s argument. In that case, the original study could have been
accurate, and Dr. Karp’s study could be correct, as well, though his conclusion that Dr.
Field’s method is ineffective would be seriously weakened.
Another piece of evidence that might help us evaluate this claim involves the exact
locations where Dr. Karp’s interviews took place. According to this article, Dr. Karp and
his graduate students conducted interviews of “children living in the group of islands
that includes Tertia.” If we were to learn that they never interviewed a single Tertian
362
GRE Practice Test
child, it would significantly weaken the conclusion. It could turn out to be the case, for
example, that children on Tertia are raised communally, whereas children on other
islands nearby are raised by their biological parents.
In order to fully evaluate this article, we would also need to learn more about the
interview questions that Dr. Karp’s team used. What exactly did they ask? We don’t
know, nor do we know what the children’s responses actually were. What did they say
about their biological parents? The mere fact that they speak more frequently about
their biological parents than they do about other adults does not meant hat they are
raised by their biological parents. It would significantly undermine Dr. Karp’s argument
if it turned out that the children said things like how much they missed their parents or
how their parents had left them in a communal environment. Without knowing WHAT
the children said, it is hard to accept Dr. Karp’s conclusion.
It is slightly more difficult to discuss teh evidence we might need in order to
evaluate the more interesting claims in Dr. Karp’s article, namely his extension of the
results of his study to a conclusion that interview-centered methods are inherently
more valid than observational-centered approaches. In order to fully evaluate this
claim, in fact, we would need to look at many more examples of interview-based and
observation-based anthropological studies and we would also need to look into
different study designs. Perhaps Dr. Field did not conduct an effective observational
study, but other observational approaches could be effective. In order to make such
grandiose claims, Dr. Karp really needs a lot of additional evidence (ideally a meta -
analysis of hundreds of anthropological studies).
Clearly, then, we need to have additional evidence in order to get a more complete
understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of Dr. Karp’s article. We need to know
about Tertia and the surrounding islands, whether or not they have changed over the
past 20 years. We also need to know about study design (Dr. Karp’s and Dr. Field’s).
And we really need a lot more information if we want to extend the results of a study
about one island culture to all anthropological fieldwork.
Comments
Essay evaluation report
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 4.5 out of 6
Category: Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 0 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 70 15
No. of Words: 651 350
No. of Characters: 3255 1500
No. of Different Words: 253 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 5.051 4.7
Average Word Length: 5 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.999 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 213 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 165 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 116 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 73 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 9.3 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 4.646 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.3 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.244 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.841 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.155 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 50 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 1, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
It might seem logical, at first glance, ...
^^
Line 7, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Not
... approach to anthropological study is not as valid as an interview-centered one. ...
^^^
Line 9, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Argument
...ever, in order to fully evaluate this argument, we need to have a significant amount o...
^^^^^^^^
Line 11, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Could
... of additional evidence. The argument could end up being much weaker than it seems,...
^^^^^
Line 13, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Order
... it might actually be quite valid. In order to make that determination, we need to ...
^^^^^
Line 13, column 56, Rule ID: COMP_THAN[2]
Message: Comparison requires 'than', not 'then' nor 'as'.
Suggestion: than
...hat determination, we need to know more then analyze what we learn. The fir...
^^^^
Line 15, column 1, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...know more then analyze what we learn. The first piece of evidence that we wo...
^^^^^
Line 19, column 22, Rule ID: WHETHER[7]
Message: Perhaps you can shorten this phrase to just 'whether'. It is correct though if you mean 'regardless of whether'.
Suggestion: whether
...rp's claims is information about whether or not Tertia and the surrounding island group...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 21, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Changed
...and the surrounding island group have changed significantly in the past 20 years. Dr....
^^^^^^^
Line 29, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Certainly
...tern-style family structure, it would certainly weaken Dr. Karp's argument. In tha...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 31, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Accurate
...e, the original study could have been accurate, and Dr. Karp's study could be cor...
^^^^^^^^
Line 37, column 1, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...ctive would be seriously weakened. Another piece of evidence that might hel...
^^
Line 39, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Locations
...valuate this claim involves the exact locations where Dr. Karp's interviews took p...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 49, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Child
...gle Tertian 362 GRE Practice Test child, it would significantly weaken the conc...
^^^^^
Line 53, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Islands
...communally, whereas children on other islands nearby are raised by their biological p...
^^^^^^^
Line 57, column 1, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...aised by their biological parents. In order to fully evaluate this article,...
^^
Line 59, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Interview
...uld also need to learn more about the interview questions that Dr. Karp's team use...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 61, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Know
...t exactly did they ask? We don't know, nor do we know what the children'...
^^^^
Line 63, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: About
...nses actually were. What did they say about their biological parents? The mere fact...
^^^^^
Line 65, column 67, Rule ID: DID_BASEFORM[3]
Message: The verb 'does' requires base form of the verb: 'mean'
Suggestion: mean
...han they do about other adults does not meant hat they are raised by their biologic...
^^^^^
Line 67, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Raised
...er adults does not meant hat they are raised by their biological parents. It would s...
^^^^^^
Line 71, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: How
...how much they missed their parents or how their parents had left them in a commun...
^^^
Line 73, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: The
...nal environment. Without knowing WHAT the children said, it is hard to accept Dr....
^^^
Line 77, column 1, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...accept Dr. Karp's conclusion. It is slightly more difficult to discuss...
^^
Line 83, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: More
...rview-centered methods are inherently more valid than observational-centered appro...
^^^^
Line 89, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Different
...s and we would also need to look into different study designs. Perhaps Dr. Field did no...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 89, column 60, Rule ID: DT_JJ_NO_NOUN[1]
Message: Probably a noun is missing in this part of the sentence.
...igns. Perhaps Dr. Field did not conduct an effective observational study, but other observ...
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 91, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Study
...ot conduct an effective observational study, but other observational approaches cou...
^^^^^
Line 95, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Analysis
... additional evidence ideally a meta - analysis of hundreds of anthropological studies....
^^^^^^^^
Line 99, column 1, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...ndreds of anthropological studies. Clearly, then, we need to have additiona...
^^
Line 101, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Understanding
...dence in order to get a more complete understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of Dr. ...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 103, column 43, Rule ID: WHETHER[7]
Message: Perhaps you can shorten this phrase to just 'whether'. It is correct though if you mean 'regardless of whether'.
Suggestion: whether
...out Tertia and the surrounding islands, whether or not they have changed over the past 20 ye...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 105, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Past
...her or not they have changed over the past 20 years. We also need to know about st...
^^^^
Line 109, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: About
...want to extend the results of a study about one island culture to all anthropologic...
^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
actually, also, but, first, however, if, look, really, so, then, well, whereas, in fact
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 20.0 19.6327345309 102% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 28.0 12.9520958084 216% => Less auxiliary verb wanted.
Conjunction : 18.0 11.1786427146 161% => OK
Relative clauses : 17.0 13.6137724551 125% => OK
Pronoun: 72.0 28.8173652695 250% => Less pronouns wanted
Preposition: 85.0 55.5748502994 153% => OK
Nominalization: 19.0 16.3942115768 116% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 3564.0 2260.96107784 158% => OK
No of words: 650.0 441.139720559 147% => Less content wanted.
Chars per words: 5.48307692308 5.12650576532 107% => OK
Fourth root words length: 5.04926703274 4.56307096286 111% => OK
Word Length SD: 3.22428535566 2.78398813304 116% => OK
Unique words: 271.0 204.123752495 133% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.416923076923 0.468620217663 89% => More unique words wanted or less content wanted.
syllable_count: 1034.1 705.55239521 147% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.59920159681 100% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 21.0 4.96107784431 423% => Less pronouns wanted as sentence beginning.
Article: 6.0 8.76447105788 68% => OK
Subordination: 5.0 2.70958083832 185% => OK
Conjunction: 6.0 1.67365269461 358% => Less conjunction wanted as sentence beginning.
Preposition: 16.0 4.22255489022 379% => Less preposition wanted as sentence beginnings.
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 26.0 19.7664670659 132% => OK
Sentence length: 25.0 22.8473053892 109% => OK
Sentence length SD: 75.9711581056 57.8364921388 131% => OK
Chars per sentence: 137.076923077 119.503703932 115% => OK
Words per sentence: 25.0 23.324526521 107% => OK
Discourse Markers: 3.34615384615 5.70786347227 59% => More transition words/phrases wanted.
Paragraphs: 48.0 5.15768463074 931% => Less paragraphs wanted.
Language errors: 34.0 5.25449101796 647% => Less language errors wanted.
Sentences with positive sentiment : 7.0 8.20758483034 85% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 7.0 6.88822355289 102% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 12.0 4.67664670659 257% => Less facts, knowledge or examples wanted.
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.189875631883 0.218282227539 87% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0695822591118 0.0743258471296 94% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0637066908873 0.0701772020484 91% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.0542170433096 0.128457276422 42% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0503302586668 0.0628817314937 80% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 16.9 14.3799401198 118% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 46.1 48.3550499002 95% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.1628742515 123% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 13.0 12.197005988 107% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 14.8 12.5979740519 117% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 7.96 8.32208582834 96% => OK
difficult_words: 127.0 98.500998004 129% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 14.5 12.3882235529 117% => OK
gunning_fog: 12.0 11.1389221557 108% => OK
text_standard: 15.0 11.9071856287 126% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Write the essay in 30 minutes.
Maximum six paragraphs wanted.
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.