The following appeared in a memorandum from the manager of WWAC radio station.
"To reverse a decline in listener numbers, our owners have decided that WWAC must change from its current rock-music format. The decline has occurred despite population growth in our listening area, but that growth has resulted mainly from people moving here after their retirement. We must make listeners of these new residents. We could switch to a music format tailored to their tastes, but a continuing decline in local sales of recorded music suggests limited interest in music. Instead we should change to a news and talk format, a form of radio that is increasingly popular in our area."
Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.
The manager recommends that they should change their rock-music programs and introduce news and talk format programs that are popular in their area. To support this idea he presented some factors. The number of listeners is declining in their area despite of increase in population. Most of the people are retired person who have moved in their area recently. Also local sales of recorded music is declining. However, due to lack of proper logical explanation and doubtful remarks, his standpoint does not seem valid.
First of all, the manager unfairly assumes that the decline of listeners is due to the more retired persons are coming to their area. Perhaps, this is not the case. Poor management, lack of quality full presentation of music, shortage of skilled employees might be the reason behind the declination. Again, it can be entirely possible that, a new radio station may have appeared which presents better music and programs than their station. So, without ruling out these assumptions the manager can not justify his recommendation.
Even if the manager can substantiate the foregoing assumption, he has ignored the possibility that if they shift to news and talk format program, they would loss the existing listeners also. It is not necessary that retired people who have moved to their place will like news programs more than music. So maybe changing the rock music with some soft music could attract them more than news programs. They could take the decision after conducting a survey among those people about their choices.
Thirdly, the manager assumes that declination in local sales of recorded music implies that people have lost taste in music. Perhaps, they prefer listening music from sources that are free of cost. Now-a-days people can listen to music by browsing internet or from television, radio also. So if the scenario has merit, then the conclusion drawn in the argument is significantly weakened.
In conclusion, the argument, as it stands now, is flawed due to its reliance on unwarranted assumptions. If the manager can substantiate all these assumptions with proper logical explanation, then it would be possible to evaluate the viability of the recommendation of changing rock format programs with news and talk format ones.
Comments
e-rater score report
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 3.5 out of 6
Category: Satisfactory Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 1 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 5 2
No. of Sentences: 21 15
No. of Words: 367 350
No. of Characters: 1854 1500
No. of Different Words: 185 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.377 4.7
Average Word Length: 5.052 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.591 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 129 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 104 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 68 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 38 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 17.476 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 6.967 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.571 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.298 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.505 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.092 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 5 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 3, column 361, Rule ID: SENT_START_CONJUNCTIVE_LINKING_ADVERB_COMMA[1]
Message: Did you forget a comma after a conjunctive/linking adverb?
Suggestion: Also,
... who have moved in their area recently. Also local sales of recorded music is declin...
^^^^
Line 7, column 186, Rule ID: ALSO_SENT_END[1]
Message: 'Also' is not used at the end of the sentence. Use 'as well' instead.
Suggestion: as well
... they would loss the existing listeners also. It is not necessary that retired peopl...
^^^^
Line 9, column 284, Rule ID: ALSO_SENT_END[1]
Message: 'Also' is not used at the end of the sentence. Use 'as well' instead.
Suggestion: as well
...sing internet or from television, radio also. So if the scenario has merit, then the...
^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, first, however, if, may, so, then, third, thirdly, in conclusion, first of all
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 14.0 19.6327345309 71% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 13.0 12.9520958084 100% => OK
Conjunction : 7.0 11.1786427146 63% => OK
Relative clauses : 12.0 13.6137724551 88% => OK
Pronoun: 37.0 28.8173652695 128% => Less pronouns wanted
Preposition: 46.0 55.5748502994 83% => OK
Nominalization: 15.0 16.3942115768 91% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1916.0 2260.96107784 85% => OK
No of words: 367.0 441.139720559 83% => More content wanted.
Chars per words: 5.22070844687 5.12650576532 102% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.37689890912 4.56307096286 96% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.68080012984 2.78398813304 96% => OK
Unique words: 194.0 204.123752495 95% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.528610354223 0.468620217663 113% => OK
syllable_count: 584.1 705.55239521 83% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.59920159681 100% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 8.0 4.96107784431 161% => OK
Article: 6.0 8.76447105788 68% => OK
Subordination: 3.0 2.70958083832 111% => OK
Conjunction: 0.0 1.67365269461 0% => OK
Preposition: 3.0 4.22255489022 71% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 21.0 19.7664670659 106% => OK
Sentence length: 17.0 22.8473053892 74% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 44.6727074806 57.8364921388 77% => OK
Chars per sentence: 91.2380952381 119.503703932 76% => OK
Words per sentence: 17.4761904762 23.324526521 75% => OK
Discourse Markers: 4.0 5.70786347227 70% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 5.15768463074 97% => OK
Language errors: 3.0 5.25449101796 57% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 6.0 8.20758483034 73% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 7.0 6.88822355289 102% => 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: 0.21276077736 0.218282227539 97% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0637467372688 0.0743258471296 86% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0559590201288 0.0701772020484 80% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.126829313527 0.128457276422 99% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0420434003303 0.0628817314937 67% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 11.9 14.3799401198 83% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 54.22 48.3550499002 112% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 7.1628742515 43% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 9.9 12.197005988 81% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 12.7 12.5979740519 101% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.7 8.32208582834 105% => OK
difficult_words: 98.0 98.500998004 99% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 6.5 12.3882235529 52% => Linsear_write_formula is low.
gunning_fog: 8.8 11.1389221557 79% => OK
text_standard: 9.0 11.9071856287 76% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 58.33 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 3.5 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.