The following appeared in a letter from a homeowner to a friend.
"Of the two leading real estate firms in our town — Adams Realty and Fitch Realty — Adams Realty is clearly superior. Adams has 40 real estate agents; in contrast, Fitch has 25, many of whom work only part-time. Moreover, Adams' revenue last year was twice as high as that of Fitch and included home sales that averaged $168,000, compared to Fitch's $144,000. Homes listed with Adams sell faster as well: ten years ago I listed my home with Fitch, and it took more than four months to sell; last year, when I sold another home, I listed it with Adams, and it took only one month. Thus, if you want to sell your home quickly and at a good price, you should use Adams Realty."
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 above statement, the writer suggests that one should prefer Adams Reality over Fitch Reality if one wants to sell one's home quickly. The reasons given are that Adams Reality has a higher number of agents, their revenue is higher, and the properties listed with them sell faster. However, we can not take the writer's suggestion on its face value as the argument is based on several stated and unstated assumptions. I discuss three of those assumptions below.
The writer claims that having more workers and a majority of them working full time makes Adams Reality superior to Fitch Reality. However, no reason is provided for the assumption. It might be the case that Fitch's working structure requires a fewer number of agents and doesn't require them to work full time. For example, with a better work management and by assigning properties to the agents that are closer to their homes, it might be possible to extract the same amount of work from a fewer employees more conveniently. Furthermore, having more workers than required results in a lethargic working atmosphere, as a large number of employees will have little to no work to do. For smooth functioning of an organization, the work should be challenging as well as interesting. If this is not the case with Adams Reality, then to declare them better on the basis of number of agents would be incorrect and would weaken the writer's argument.
The writer presents last year's revenues, which were higher for Adams, to further argue that they're a better firm as compared to Fitch. However, such conclusions can not be drawn from only a single year's data. What if the trends of last few years show that the revenues of Adams Reality are dwindling whereas those of Fitch Reality are on a rise. This could be the case if Fitch is a young and growing organization whereas Adams is an old organization well past its prime. This could also explain Fitch having a fewer number of employees as they are still in the growing phase. If the respective fall and rise of Adams and Fitch are meteoric, it might be better to place your cards with Fitch Reality as in future, they might have an upper hand in the market. The homeowner does not take this into account in his letter and this might be the source of a fallacious conclusion.
Finally, the writer says that the homes listed with Adams reality sell faster than those listed with Fitch. However, the basis of this argument is only his own experience of selling different houses once with each firm, and that too ten years apart. This is too little of an evidence to draw any meaningful conclusions. Since the transactions were about 10 years apart, a lot might have changed in this time. As I previously argued, it might be the case that Fitch is a young establishment and 10 years ago, it might have just started doing business, whereas Adams Reality might have been well settled at that time. Also, the two properties are different, and we are not given any knowledge of their quality of structure or neighborhood. If the former property was not properly constructed or was in a shady neighborhood, it would obviously make it difficult to sell, which might have been a cause for the delay. Furthermore, the real estate market, which is notorious for being inconsistent might have been very different during the two times. Therefore, making conclusions based on these two transactions is not a wise idea and the results are bound to be full of errors.
The above examples demonstrate that the arguments made by the homeowner in the letter can not be considered correct without any further evidence. If any of the above above assumptions are proven unwarranted, it'll affect the validity of the argument severely and will make it lose its credibility. Hence, to make a correct assessment and comparison of the two firms, a lot more data and a more cogent line of argument is required.
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: 30 15
No. of Words: 678 350
No. of Characters: 3158 1500
No. of Different Words: 275 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 5.103 4.7
Average Word Length: 4.658 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.504 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 201 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 141 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 91 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 62 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 22.6 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 7.223 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.7 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.266 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.447 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.105 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 5 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 316, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'writers'' or 'writer's'?
Suggestion: writers'; writer's
...ll faster. However, we can not take the writers suggestion on its face value as the arg...
^^^^^^^
Line 5, column 75, Rule ID: EN_COMPOUNDS
Message: This word is normally spelled as one.
Suggestion: fulltime
... workers and a majority of them working full time makes Adams Reality superior to Fitch R...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 5, column 272, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: doesn't
...e requires a fewer number of agents and doesnt require them to work full time. For exa...
^^^^^^
Line 5, column 300, Rule ID: EN_COMPOUNDS
Message: This word is normally spelled as one.
Suggestion: fulltime
... agents and doesnt require them to work full time. For example, with a better work manage...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 5, column 619, Rule ID: LARGE_NUMBER_OF[1]
Message: Specify a number, remove phrase, or simply use 'many' or 'numerous'
Suggestion: many; numerous
...s in a lethargic working atmosphere, as a large number of employees will have little to no work t...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 5, column 925, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[2]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'writers'' or 'writer's'?
Suggestion: writers'; writer's
...would be incorrect and would weaken the writers argument. The writer presents last...
^^^^^^^
Line 9, column 93, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: they're
...higher for Adams, to further argue that theyre a better firm as compared to Fitch. How...
^^^^^^
Line 9, column 198, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[2]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'years'' or 'year's'?
Suggestion: years'; year's
...ons can not be drawn from only a single years data. What if the trends of last few ye...
^^^^^
Line 9, column 704, Rule ID: IN_PAST[1]
Message: Did you mean: 'in the future'?
Suggestion: in the future
... place your cards with Fitch Reality as in future, they might have an upper hand in the m...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 17, column 161, Rule ID: ENGLISH_WORD_REPEAT_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a word
Suggestion: above
...out any further evidence. If any of the above above assumptions are proven unwarranted, itl...
^^^^^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, finally, furthermore, hence, however, if, so, still, then, therefore, well, whereas, for example, as well as
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 41.0 19.6327345309 209% => Less to be verbs wanted.
Auxiliary verbs: 23.0 12.9520958084 178% => OK
Conjunction : 19.0 11.1786427146 170% => OK
Relative clauses : 15.0 13.6137724551 110% => OK
Pronoun: 51.0 28.8173652695 177% => Less pronouns wanted
Preposition: 79.0 55.5748502994 142% => OK
Nominalization: 17.0 16.3942115768 104% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 3236.0 2260.96107784 143% => OK
No of words: 675.0 441.139720559 153% => Less content wanted.
Chars per words: 4.79407407407 5.12650576532 94% => OK
Fourth root words length: 5.09713273454 4.56307096286 112% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.60189062842 2.78398813304 93% => OK
Unique words: 291.0 204.123752495 143% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.431111111111 0.468620217663 92% => More unique words wanted or less content wanted.
syllable_count: 1006.2 705.55239521 143% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.5 1.59920159681 94% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 13.0 4.96107784431 262% => Less pronouns wanted as sentence beginning.
Article: 13.0 8.76447105788 148% => OK
Subordination: 7.0 2.70958083832 258% => Less adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 3.0 1.67365269461 179% => OK
Preposition: 5.0 4.22255489022 118% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 30.0 19.7664670659 152% => OK
Sentence length: 22.0 22.8473053892 96% => OK
Sentence length SD: 38.8987431959 57.8364921388 67% => OK
Chars per sentence: 107.866666667 119.503703932 90% => OK
Words per sentence: 22.5 23.324526521 96% => OK
Discourse Markers: 3.8 5.70786347227 67% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 5.15768463074 97% => OK
Language errors: 10.0 5.25449101796 190% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 10.0 8.20758483034 122% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 12.0 6.88822355289 174% => 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: 0.140394081579 0.218282227539 64% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0394611196204 0.0743258471296 53% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0379492678686 0.0701772020484 54% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.0805933588426 0.128457276422 63% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0387829291136 0.0628817314937 62% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 12.4 14.3799401198 86% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 57.61 48.3550499002 119% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 7.1628742515 43% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 10.7 12.197005988 88% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 10.8 12.5979740519 86% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 7.93 8.32208582834 95% => OK
difficult_words: 137.0 98.500998004 139% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 9.0 12.3882235529 73% => OK
gunning_fog: 10.8 11.1389221557 97% => OK
text_standard: 11.0 11.9071856287 92% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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Write the essay in 30 minutes.
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.