The following appeared in a memo from the director of a large group of hospitals.
"In a laboratory study of liquid antibacterial hand soaps, a concentrated solution of UltraClean produced a 40 percent greater reduction in the bacteria population than did the liquid hand soaps currently used in our hospitals. During a subsequent test of UltraClean at our hospital in Workby, that hospital reported significantly fewer cases of patient infection than did any of the other hospitals in our group. Therefore, to prevent serious patient infections, we should supply UltraClean at all hand-washing stations throughout our hospital system."
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.
The argument in the given passage is that UltraClean should be supplied at every hand-washing point, at all of the hospitals to reduce patient infections. Before suggesting the prompt the speaker has addressed a series of experiments and reasoning.
To begin with, the laboratory has conducted an experiment on concentrated solution of UltraClean. It states that the results are 40% better than the currently in use liquid hand soaps. This is a proof of conduct, that how the new version of antibacterial liquid soap is comparatively better than the current ones in use. One factor missing in this laboratory based evidence is it's support for other deciding factors - is the hand soap harsh on hands? Will it lead to any allergic reactions? Safety and skin reactions are not mentioned as a part of experiment for UitraClean concentrated hand wash.
Next, as a practical evidence the speaker has provided another instance. Here, after lab testing's the UltraClean was installed at one of the hospitals. Apparently, the hospital noted a significant plummet in number of patient infection than compared to any other hospital in the entire group. Now this could be a little bit of tacky proof, since no direct relation between how the hand soap use has affected infections is given. Installation of UltraClean 'could' be one of the reason for the drop. We can't ignore the facts like - locality of the hospital, in general infection trends around, cleanliness measures which the staff undertakes, etc. which also affect the patient infection level. If the aforementioned factors are same in all of the other hospitals then this reason prove as a ground stating fact for UltraClean.
To sum it up, the speaker has provided with two series of reasoning to support the final suggestion. As discussed above, every situation has it's own pros and cons. Overall, speaker's understanding seems to be concluded on proofs and facts and can hardly be classified as assumption but it still misses out on some important affecting factors which should be considered as well. Only then the hospitals should go ahead with the application of UltraClean antibacterial hand soaps at every hand washing station, to reduce patient infection and provide better treatment and hygiene services.
Comments
e-rater score report
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 3.5 out of 6
Category: Satisfactory Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 0 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 19 15
No. of Words: 368 350
No. of Characters: 1859 1500
No. of Different Words: 198 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.38 4.7
Average Word Length: 5.052 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.84 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 138 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 106 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 78 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 59 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 19.368 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 7.321 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.316 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.294 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.475 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.05 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 4 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 105, Rule ID: ALL_OF_THE[1]
Message: Simply use 'all the'.
Suggestion: all the
...upplied at every hand-washing point, at all of the hospitals to reduce patient infections....
^^^^^^^^^^
Line 5, column 314, Rule ID: LITTLE_BIT[1]
Message: Reduce redundancy by using 'little' or 'bit'.
Suggestion: little; bit
...n the entire group. Now this could be a little bit of tacky proof, since no direct relatio...
^^^^^^^^^^
Line 5, column 501, Rule ID: CANT[1]
Message: Did you mean 'can't' or 'cannot'?
Suggestion: can't; cannot
...d be one of the reason for the drop. We cant ignore the facts like - locality of the...
^^^^
Line 5, column 735, Rule ID: ALL_OF_THE[1]
Message: Simply use 'all the'.
Suggestion: all the
... the aforementioned factors are same in all of the other hospitals then this reason prove ...
^^^^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, apparently, but, if, so, still, then, well, in general, to begin with
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 16.0 19.6327345309 81% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 7.0 12.9520958084 54% => OK
Conjunction : 8.0 11.1786427146 72% => OK
Relative clauses : 6.0 13.6137724551 44% => More relative clauses wanted.
Pronoun: 14.0 28.8173652695 49% => OK
Preposition: 51.0 55.5748502994 92% => OK
Nominalization: 19.0 16.3942115768 116% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1905.0 2260.96107784 84% => OK
No of words: 368.0 441.139720559 83% => More content wanted.
Chars per words: 5.17663043478 5.12650576532 101% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.37987740619 4.56307096286 96% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.8986899134 2.78398813304 104% => OK
Unique words: 204.0 204.123752495 100% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.554347826087 0.468620217663 118% => OK
syllable_count: 585.9 705.55239521 83% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.59920159681 100% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 4.0 4.96107784431 81% => OK
Article: 4.0 8.76447105788 46% => OK
Subordination: 6.0 2.70958083832 221% => Less adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 0.0 1.67365269461 0% => OK
Preposition: 8.0 4.22255489022 189% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 20.0 19.7664670659 101% => OK
Sentence length: 18.0 22.8473053892 79% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 46.5494092336 57.8364921388 80% => OK
Chars per sentence: 95.25 119.503703932 80% => OK
Words per sentence: 18.4 23.324526521 79% => OK
Discourse Markers: 3.75 5.70786347227 66% => OK
Paragraphs: 4.0 5.15768463074 78% => More paragraphs wanted.
Language errors: 4.0 5.25449101796 76% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 11.0 8.20758483034 134% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 3.0 6.88822355289 44% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 6.0 4.67664670659 128% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.17625928718 0.218282227539 81% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0528453057478 0.0743258471296 71% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0536939146214 0.0701772020484 77% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.107293167178 0.128457276422 84% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0604678472962 0.0628817314937 96% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 12.2 14.3799401198 85% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 53.21 48.3550499002 110% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 7.1628742515 43% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 10.3 12.197005988 84% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 12.76 12.5979740519 101% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.69 8.32208582834 104% => OK
difficult_words: 97.0 98.500998004 98% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 8.5 12.3882235529 69% => OK
gunning_fog: 9.2 11.1389221557 83% => OK
text_standard: 9.0 11.9071856287 76% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 50.0 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 3.0 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.