The following appeared as a letter to the editor from a Central Plaza store owner.
"Over the past two years, the number of shoppers in Central Plaza has been steadily decreasing while the popularity of skateboarding has increased dramatically. Many Central Plaza store owners believe that the decrease in their business is due to the number of skateboard users in the plaza. There has also been a dramatic increase in the amount of litter and vandalism throughout the plaza. Thus, we recommend that the city prohibit skateboarding in Central Plaza. If skateboarding is prohibited here, we predict that business in Central Plaza will return to its previously high levels."
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.
The Central Plaza store owners believe that the increased number of skateboarders has led to the little interest in shopping in the plaza. Moreover, they predict that business will thrive if skateboarding is prohibited in the plaza. However, their conclusion relies on assumptions for which there is no clear evidence, therefore the argument is flawed. To validate the owners’ prediction, three questions should be answered.
First, is there a significant link between increased numbers of skateboarders and decreased number of shoppers? the Central Plaza store owners has no suffecient evidence to support their belief regarding the relationship between skateboarders and shoppers. it seems they are not taking into account other possibilities that can influence their shops. Maybe, the lessen interest in shopping is due to deterioration in economy in the country. Or perhaps, they city council has opened another mall or shopping building in the same neighborhood. If either of these scenarios has merit, then the prediction drawn in the original argument is significantly weakened.
Second, are skateboarders responsible of the damage and vandalism in the plaza? Not nessecceraly, actually, maybe the fact that there are less buyers in the stores, led to the building becoming empty and neglected and therefore prone to more vandalism and defacing actions from passing vandalisms. Or, there is a protest against the Central Plaza stores for being too expensive or not being environmentally friendly, and as part of their antagonism, protestors conducted damaging reactions in the building. If either of these scenarios has merit, then the prediction drawn in the original argument is significantly weakened.
Finally, are places with high numbers of skateboarders attract less buyers and shoppers? the owners has no base to support this assumption. In fact, most skateboarders are young in age and known to have specific taste in music, clothing, and equippment. All of which are included in a unique lifestyle that most probably engender them to consume more. In addition, having been in a skateboarding group actually attracts many other teenagers and young adults to engage in social encounters, one of which is going to the mall together. If either of these scenarios has merit, then the prediction drawn in the original argument is significantly weakened.
In conclusion, the argument as it currently stands, is considerably flawed due to its reliance on several unwarranted assumptions. If the owner is able to answer the three questions above and offer more evidence (perhaps in a form of a systematic study or a broad poll), then it would be possible to fully evaluate the viability of the prediction that skateboarding prohibition in the Plaza Center will lead to increase in shopping as it previously was. Unless additional evidence is provided, the editor for the argument should find it unpersuasive.
Comments
Essay evaluation report
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 4.0 out of 6
Category: Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 0 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 20 15
No. of Words: 457 350
No. of Characters: 2403 1500
No. of Different Words: 217 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.624 4.7
Average Word Length: 5.258 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.998 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 181 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 144 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 117 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 66 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 22.85 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 12.092 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.65 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.317 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.513 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.062 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 5 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 5, column 113, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: The
...rders and decreased number of shoppers? the Central Plaza store owners has no suffe...
^^^
Line 5, column 258, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: It
...hip between skateboarders and shoppers. it seems they are not taking into account ...
^^
Line 5, column 359, Rule ID: A_INFINITVE[1]
Message: Probably a wrong construction: a/the + infinitive
... that can influence their shops. Maybe, the lessen interest in shopping is due to deterior...
^^^^^^^^^^
Line 9, column 139, Rule ID: FEWER_LESS[2]
Message: Did you mean 'fewer'? The noun buyers is countable.
Suggestion: fewer
...actually, maybe the fact that there are less buyers in the stores, led to the buildi...
^^^^
Line 13, column 64, Rule ID: FEWER_LESS[2]
Message: Did you mean 'fewer'? The noun buyers is countable.
Suggestion: fewer
...h high numbers of skateboarders attract less buyers and shoppers? the owners has no ...
^^^^
Line 13, column 90, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: The
...rders attract less buyers and shoppers? the owners has no base to support this assu...
^^^
Line 13, column 101, Rule ID: AGREEMENT_SENT_START[1]
Message: You should probably use 'have', 'haven'.
Suggestion: have; haven
...ct less buyers and shoppers? the owners has no base to support this assumption. In ...
^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
actually, finally, first, however, if, may, moreover, regarding, second, so, then, therefore, in addition, in conclusion, in fact
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 25.0 19.6327345309 127% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 6.0 12.9520958084 46% => OK
Conjunction : 16.0 11.1786427146 143% => OK
Relative clauses : 9.0 13.6137724551 66% => More relative clauses wanted.
Pronoun: 24.0 28.8173652695 83% => OK
Preposition: 63.0 55.5748502994 113% => OK
Nominalization: 21.0 16.3942115768 128% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2486.0 2260.96107784 110% => OK
No of words: 457.0 441.139720559 104% => OK
Chars per words: 5.4398249453 5.12650576532 106% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.62358717085 4.56307096286 101% => OK
Word Length SD: 3.10211001356 2.78398813304 111% => OK
Unique words: 226.0 204.123752495 111% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.494529540481 0.468620217663 106% => OK
syllable_count: 765.9 705.55239521 109% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.7 1.59920159681 106% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 4.0 4.96107784431 81% => OK
Article: 6.0 8.76447105788 68% => OK
Subordination: 5.0 2.70958083832 185% => OK
Conjunction: 3.0 1.67365269461 179% => OK
Preposition: 4.0 4.22255489022 95% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 23.0 19.7664670659 116% => OK
Sentence length: 19.0 22.8473053892 83% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 57.000348223 57.8364921388 99% => OK
Chars per sentence: 108.086956522 119.503703932 90% => OK
Words per sentence: 19.8695652174 23.324526521 85% => OK
Discourse Markers: 5.60869565217 5.70786347227 98% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 5.15768463074 97% => OK
Language errors: 7.0 5.25449101796 133% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 12.0 8.20758483034 146% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 6.0 6.88822355289 87% => OK
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: 0.222781685057 0.218282227539 102% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.063220102649 0.0743258471296 85% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0849013510677 0.0701772020484 121% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.13103240281 0.128457276422 102% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0555495019108 0.0628817314937 88% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 14.1 14.3799401198 98% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 43.73 48.3550499002 90% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.1628742515 123% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 11.9 12.197005988 98% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 14.27 12.5979740519 113% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.59 8.32208582834 103% => OK
difficult_words: 116.0 98.500998004 118% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 8.5 12.3882235529 69% => OK
gunning_fog: 9.6 11.1389221557 86% => 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
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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.