The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a Batavia newspaper.
"The department of agriculture in Batavia reports that the number of dairy farms throughout the country is now 25 percent greater than it was 10 years ago. During this same time period, however, the price of milk at the local Excello Food Market has increased from $1.50 to over $3.00 per gallon. To prevent farmers from continuing to receive excessive profits on an apparently increased supply of milk, the Batavia government should begin to regulate retail milk prices. Such regulation is necessary to ensure fair prices for consumers."
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.
In the above letter, the author argues about maintaining the fair price of milk for the consumers. The author supports his proposal based on the increased market price of milk over the past 10 years. The author argues that they should impede farmers from being lucrative by imposing regulatory rules. However, before evaluating the author’s argument three questions need to be answered.
Firstly, the author argues that since the number of dairy farms throughout the country is now increased than before so the farmers are already in a profitable position. A reader may ask the question is it okay to determine something based on only a percentage? A percentage is a tricky number, without the absolute value, one can not determine anything based on the percentage of something. There is a possibility that maybe 10 years ago there are only 1000 dairy farms in the country. After 10 years, there are 1250 dairy farms throughout the entire country. If the above scenario is true then, one can not derive any conclusion about the diary condition of the country. The author does not give any persuasive information regarding the condition of dairy farms 10 years ago. Without the absolute number, one can not tell anything about the farmers whether they are being lucrative or not. If the author can provide the previous condition of the dairy farms of the country, then a reader may find the author’s argument more warranted.
Secondly, is it viable to draw a conclusion about the financial condition of the farmers based on the selling price of a product? In other words, the author argues that the farmers are being too profitable since their selling price of milk increased from 1.50 dollars to 3.00 dollars. There is a possibility that the additional cost of producing milk over the past 5 years has increased from .5 dollars to 3.00 dollars. Then one can not be lucrative if they sell the milk at 3.00 dollars per gallon. If the above scenario is true then the author’s suggestion is built unreliably. If the author can provide necessitate information perhaps in the form of a statistical data chart of the additional expenses of producing milk then, one can understand the viability of the author’s suggestion to a certain extent.
Thirdly, Is it okay to use circumstances from one thing to predict and generalize the other? The author supports his argument that the farmers are being lucrative based on an increased milk price in Excello Market. There is a possibility that may be in other markets the milk price is 2.00 dollars. Even if this is not the case, there is a possibility that people may not prefer to purchase milk from the Excello market. If any of the above scenarios are true, then the author’s suggestion holds no water. If the author can provide additional information about the Excello market, such as the number of daily customers of the market, then the author’s suggestion may have sounded warranted.
In the conclusion, the author’s argument, as it stands now is considerably flawed due to several unstated assumptions. If the author is able to answer the three questions above and offer more evidence (perhaps in the form of a systematic research study) then, it will be possible to evaluate the viability of the author’s proposed recommendation that Batavia Government should regulate the milk process.
Comments
e-rater score report
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 4.0 out of 6
Category: Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 4 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 3 2
No. of Sentences: 27 15
No. of Words: 561 350
No. of Characters: 2717 1500
No. of Different Words: 207 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.867 4.7
Average Word Length: 4.843 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.627 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 190 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 147 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 105 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 69 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 20.778 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 7.465 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.63 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.352 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.385 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.133 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 2 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 58, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...ter, the author argues about maintaining the fair price of milk for the consumers...
^^
Line 1, column 164, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...s proposal on the basis of the increased market price of milk over the past 10 ye...
^^
Line 1, column 265, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...ues that they should impede farmers from being lucrative by imposing regulatory r...
^^
Line 1, column 377, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...ng the author’s argument three questions need to be answered. Firstly, the auth...
^^
Line 2, column 184, Rule ID: ASK_THE_QUESTION[1]
Message: Use simply 'ask' instead.
Suggestion: ask
... in a profitable position. A reader may ask the question is it okay to determine something based...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 121, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...armers based upon the selling price of a product? In other words, the author arg...
^^
Line 3, column 498, 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.
...ell the milk at 3.00 dollar per gallon. If the above scenario is true then the aut...
^^
Line 3, column 596, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
... is built unreliably. If, the author can provide necessitate information perhaps...
^^
Line 3, column 629, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...hor can provide necessitate information perhaps in the form of a statistical da...
^^
Line 3, column 653, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...tate information perhaps in the form of a statistical data chart of the addition...
^^
Line 3, column 734, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...nal expenses of producing milk then, one can understand the viability of author’s...
^^
Line 4, column 30, Rule ID: A_PLURAL[1]
Message: Don't use indefinite articles with plural words. Did you mean 'a circumstance' or simply 'circumstances'?
Suggestion: a circumstance; circumstances
... extent. Thirdly, Is it okay to using a circumstances from one thing to predict and generalis...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 4, column 135, Rule ID: COMMA_PARENTHESIS_WHITESPACE
Message: Put a space after the comma, but not before the comma
Suggestion: ,
...r? The author supports his argument that , the farmers are being lucrative on the ...
^^
Line 4, column 186, Rule ID: EN_A_VS_AN
Message: Use 'an' instead of 'a' if the following word starts with a vowel sound, e.g. 'an article', 'an hour'
Suggestion: an
...ers are being lucrative on the basis of a increased milk price in Excello Market....
^
Line 4, column 593, Rule ID: COMMA_PARENTHESIS_WHITESPACE
Message: Put a space after the comma, but not before the comma
Suggestion: ,
...nal information about the Excello market , such as the number of the daily custome...
^^
Line 6, column 41, Rule ID: COMMA_PARENTHESIS_WHITESPACE
Message: Put a space after the comma, but not before the comma
Suggestion: ,
...In the conclusion, the author’s argument , as it stands now is considerably flawed...
^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
first, firstly, however, if, may, regarding, second, secondly, so, then, third, thirdly, such as, in other words
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 32.0 19.6327345309 163% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 16.0 12.9520958084 124% => OK
Conjunction : 3.0 11.1786427146 27% => More conjunction wanted.
Relative clauses : 9.0 13.6137724551 66% => More relative clauses wanted.
Pronoun: 21.0 28.8173652695 73% => OK
Preposition: 80.0 55.5748502994 144% => OK
Nominalization: 20.0 16.3942115768 122% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2792.0 2260.96107784 123% => OK
No of words: 561.0 441.139720559 127% => OK
Chars per words: 4.97682709447 5.12650576532 97% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.86676880123 4.56307096286 107% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.72414984992 2.78398813304 98% => OK
Unique words: 216.0 204.123752495 106% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.385026737968 0.468620217663 82% => More unique words wanted or less content wanted.
syllable_count: 875.7 705.55239521 124% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.59920159681 100% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 1.0 4.96107784431 20% => OK
Article: 13.0 8.76447105788 148% => OK
Subordination: 8.0 2.70958083832 295% => Less adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 0.0 1.67365269461 0% => OK
Preposition: 7.0 4.22255489022 166% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 27.0 19.7664670659 137% => OK
Sentence length: 20.0 22.8473053892 88% => OK
Sentence length SD: 46.5399808946 57.8364921388 80% => OK
Chars per sentence: 103.407407407 119.503703932 87% => OK
Words per sentence: 20.7777777778 23.324526521 89% => OK
Discourse Markers: 4.14814814815 5.70786347227 73% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 5.15768463074 97% => OK
Language errors: 16.0 5.25449101796 305% => Less language errors wanted.
Sentences with positive sentiment : 13.0 8.20758483034 158% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 6.0 6.88822355289 87% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 8.0 4.67664670659 171% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.0905457265944 0.218282227539 41% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0339516787982 0.0743258471296 46% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.054340976413 0.0701772020484 77% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.0516847099519 0.128457276422 40% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0606293485971 0.0628817314937 96% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 12.4 14.3799401198 86% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 51.18 48.3550499002 106% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 7.1628742515 43% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 11.1 12.197005988 91% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 11.6 12.5979740519 92% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 7.47 8.32208582834 90% => OK
difficult_words: 101.0 98.500998004 103% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 8.0 12.3882235529 65% => OK
gunning_fog: 10.0 11.1389221557 90% => OK
text_standard: 12.0 11.9071856287 101% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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Rates: 50.0 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 3.0 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.