The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper:
“This past winter, 200 students from Waymarsh State College traveled to the state capitol building to protest against proposed cuts in funding for various state college programs. The other 12,000 Waymarsh students evidently weren’t so concerned about their education: they either stayed on campus or left for winter break. Since the group who did not protest is far more numerous, it is more representative of the state’s college students than are the protesters. Therefore the state legislature need not heed the appeals of the protesting students.”
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. Point out flaws in the argument's logic and analyze the argument's underlying assumptions. In addition, evaluate how supporting evidence is used and what evidence might counter the argument's conclusion. You may also discuss what additional evidence could be used to strengthen the argument or what changes would make the argument more logically sound.
The argument claims that the state legislature need not heed the appeals of the protesting students based on the sole reasoning that number of students protesting to the number of students who did not come to the protest. Stated in this way the argument conveys distorted view, reveals examples of poor reasoning and fails to mention several key factors on the basis of which it could be evaluated. Hence the argument is weak, unconvincing and has several flaws.
First, the arguments readily assumes that 12000 Waymarsh students evidently weren't so concerned about their education hence they either stayed on campus or left for winter break. This statement is a stretch and not substantiated in anyway. For example, what if the students who didn't attend the protest have some other commitments related to the studies such as semester exam preperations, assignments and winter projects. What if some of them are afraid or are short on budget and hence didn't attend the protests or what if the students thought in order to peacefully conduct protests they collected signatures from all the 12000 students and only 200 decided to travel to state capitol and protest. Clearly, the argument did not provide enough evidence to support that most of the students did not join the protests because they weren't so concerned about their education. The argument could be much clearer if it presented more facts about why didn't so many students attended the protests instead of jumping to the conclusion that they weren't concerned about their education.
In addition to, the argument assumes that since the group who did not protest is far more numerous, it is more representative of the state's college than are protesters. This is a weak reasoning and unsupported claim as the argument does not demonstrate any corellation between the umber of protesters protested outside the state capitol and number students who are against the cuts in funding for various state college programs. To illustrate, What if most of the students dissagre about the cuts in funding but only 200 could afford to travel for the protests. We cant assume every citizen should join the protest and then only e would know by counting the heads who attended the protest are against it. A simple survey would have solved it. If we take most of the protest yeah out of million population if 10000 people come on roads and protest it is only these 10000 people are against the law no there might be lot of but could not able to join them on roads but are against the law. If the argument had provided clear evidence that most of the students are fine with the law it could have been lot more convincing.
Finally, the argument concluded that the state legislature need not heed the appeals of the protesting students. It did not take into consideration about the students future and number of students are graduation every year from those courses and will it benefit the college and students if it cut the budget. Without convincing answers to these questions one is left with the impression that the claim is more of a wishful thinking rather than a substantial one.
In conclusion the argument is flawed based on the above reasoning and is unconvincing. It could be strengthened if the author have mentioned all the relevant facts. In order to access merits of the situation it is essential to have full knowledge of all contributing factors.
Comments
Essay evaluation report
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 3.0 out of 6
Category: Satisfactory Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 0 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 22 15
No. of Words: 583 350
No. of Characters: 2792 1500
No. of Different Words: 247 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.914 4.7
Average Word Length: 4.789 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.57 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 193 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 159 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 102 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 55 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 26.5 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 11.739 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.727 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.323 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.52 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.126 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 5 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 400, Rule ID: SENT_START_CONJUNCTIVE_LINKING_ADVERB_COMMA[1]
Message: Did you forget a comma after a conjunctive/linking adverb?
Suggestion: Hence,
...e basis of which it could be evaluated. Hence the argument is weak, unconvincing and ...
^^^^^
Line 3, column 77, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: weren't
... that 12000 Waymarsh students evidently werent so concerned about their education henc...
^^^^^^
Line 3, column 230, Rule ID: IN_ANYWAY[1]
Message: Did you mean 'in any way'?
Suggestion: in any way
...ment is a stretch and not substantiated in anyway. For example, what if the students who ...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 279, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: didn't
.... For example, what if the students who didnt attend the protest have some other comm...
^^^^^
Line 3, column 489, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: didn't
...afraid or are short on budget and hence didnt attend the protests or what if the stud...
^^^^^
Line 3, column 832, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: weren't
... did not join the protests because they werent so concerned about their education. The...
^^^^^^
Line 3, column 947, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: didn't
...er if it presented more facts about why didnt so many students attended the protests ...
^^^^^
Line 3, column 1039, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: weren't
... of jumping to the conclusion that they werent concerned about their education. In ...
^^^^^^
Line 5, column 134, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'states'' or 'state's'?
Suggestion: states'; state's
...erous, it is more representative of the states college than are protesters. This is a ...
^^^^^^
Line 5, column 566, Rule ID: CANT[1]
Message: Did you mean 'can't' or 'cannot'?
Suggestion: can't; cannot
...d afford to travel for the protests. We cant assume every citizen should join the pr...
^^^^
Line 5, column 989, Rule ID: SENTENCE_FRAGMENT[1]
Message: “If” at the beginning of a sentence requires a 2nd clause. Maybe a comma, question or exclamation mark is missing, or the sentence is incomplete and should be joined with the following sentence.
... them on roads but are against the law. If the argument had provided clear evidenc...
^^
Line 7, column 159, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'students'' or 'student's'?
Suggestion: students'; student's
...d not take into consideration about the students future and number of students are grad...
^^^^^^^^
Line 7, column 178, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...sideration about the students future and number of students are graduation every ...
^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
anyway, but, finally, first, hence, if, so, then, for example, in addition, in conclusion, such as
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 25.0 19.6327345309 127% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 13.0 12.9520958084 100% => OK
Conjunction : 21.0 11.1786427146 188% => OK
Relative clauses : 15.0 13.6137724551 110% => OK
Pronoun: 38.0 28.8173652695 132% => Less pronouns wanted
Preposition: 71.0 55.5748502994 128% => OK
Nominalization: 23.0 16.3942115768 140% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2841.0 2260.96107784 126% => OK
No of words: 577.0 441.139720559 131% => OK
Chars per words: 4.92374350087 5.12650576532 96% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.90110439584 4.56307096286 107% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.60426857804 2.78398813304 94% => OK
Unique words: 250.0 204.123752495 122% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.433275563258 0.468620217663 92% => More unique words wanted or less content wanted.
syllable_count: 861.3 705.55239521 122% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.5 1.59920159681 94% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 6.0 4.96107784431 121% => OK
Article: 7.0 8.76447105788 80% => OK
Subordination: 2.0 2.70958083832 74% => OK
Conjunction: 0.0 1.67365269461 0% => OK
Preposition: 5.0 4.22255489022 118% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 22.0 19.7664670659 111% => OK
Sentence length: 26.0 22.8473053892 114% => OK
Sentence length SD: 64.4858399474 57.8364921388 111% => OK
Chars per sentence: 129.136363636 119.503703932 108% => OK
Words per sentence: 26.2272727273 23.324526521 112% => OK
Discourse Markers: 4.45454545455 5.70786347227 78% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 5.15768463074 97% => OK
Language errors: 13.0 5.25449101796 247% => Less language errors wanted.
Sentences with positive sentiment : 9.0 8.20758483034 110% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 12.0 6.88822355289 174% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 1.0 4.67664670659 21% => More facts, knowledge or examples wanted.
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.242977485353 0.218282227539 111% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0714084320295 0.0743258471296 96% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0825976764313 0.0701772020484 118% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.130175611859 0.128457276422 101% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0722090329097 0.0628817314937 115% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 14.9 14.3799401198 104% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 53.55 48.3550499002 111% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 7.1628742515 43% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 12.3 12.197005988 101% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 11.55 12.5979740519 92% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.02 8.32208582834 96% => OK
difficult_words: 113.0 98.500998004 115% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 14.0 12.3882235529 113% => OK
gunning_fog: 12.4 11.1389221557 111% => OK
text_standard: 12.0 11.9071856287 101% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 66.67 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 4.0 Out of 6
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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.