The following appeared on the Website Science News Today.
"In a recent survey of more than 5,000 adolescents, the teens who reported eating the most meals with their families were the least likely to use illegal drugs, tobacco, or alcohol. Family meals were also associated with higher grades, better self-esteem, and lower rates of depression. Almost 30 percent of the teens said they ate at least seven meals per week with their families. Clearly, having a high number of family meals keeps teens from engaging in bad behaviours."
Write a response in which you discuss one or more alternative explanations that could rival the proposed explanation and explain how your explanation(s) can plausibly account for the facts presented in the argument.
In the above prompt, the author argues that engaging in bad behavior is depended on having a number of dinner of meals. The author supports his argument on the basis of the survey report of 5000 adolescents, that, a high number of family meals keep teens from engaging in bad influences, like illegal drugs, tobacco, or alcohol. Furthermore, the author also added that having a high number of dinners with family also helps teenagers to get higher grades, better self-esteem, etc. However, before evaluating the author’s argument three unstated assumptions need to be answered.
Firstly, the author draws his conclusion on the basis of the survey report of more than 5000 adolescents but fails to provide the authenticity of the survey. A reader can raise several questions about how long ago the survey was conducted or was the sample enough. Making generalizations about something based upon only 5000 people maybe somehow factitious. Perhaps most of the people, who participated in the survey, live far from their families but they do not have any penchant for illegal substances. If the author provides more evidence, perhaps in the form of a systematic research study, then, the conclusion based on the survey may seem veritable to the reader, otherwise, if the above situation is true, then, the author’s argument holds no water.
Secondly, the author concludes about the effectiveness of having dinner with family on better performance, and mental health without any coax evidence. The author concludes that having dinner with family is the only factor in better performance or better mental health. There is a possibility that someone, who lives in boarding houses, has better mental health or better grades. Having dinner with family and better mental health may not have any relation between them. Perhaps, one who eats dinner regularly with his family may have severe depression or lower self-esteem. Maybe lower self-esteem is completely dependent on the environment around one individual. There has no guarantee, that every home has a healthy environment. If, the author offers some evidence-based research study or statistical analysis on some survey then, the author’s conclusion may have sounded warranted. Otherwise, if any one of the above scenarios is true, then, the author’s argument is built unreliably.
Thirdly, the author uses a percentage for supports his argument, without providing an absolute number. A percentage is a tricky situation, without an absolute number given, one can not conclude anything. Let 30 percent of 100 teens say that having dinner with family help to maintain better mental health, then, offering a conclusion based upon only 30 people’s report is somehow counterfeit. There is a feasibility that, maybe most of the teens can’t afford to have dinner with their family, due to some unavoidable reasons, like they have to do part-time jobs after their school to support their families. If the author provides some persuasive evidence is statistical data charts or some research-based evidence, then the author’s argument may not be unsounded, otherwise, if any one of the above situations is true, then the author’s argument is seriously unwarranted.
In the conclusion, the author’s argument as it stands is considerably unwarranted due to reliance on some unwarranted assumptions. If the author is able to offer some evidence, then it will be possible to evaluate the viability of the proposed recommendation that having a high number of family meals keeps teens from engaging in bad behaviors.
Comments
e-rater score report
Sentence: Furthermore, the author also added that having a high number of dinners with family also helps teenagers to get higher grades, better self-esteem, etc. However, before evaluating the author's argument three unstated assumptions need to be answered.
Description: The token that is not usually followed by a verb 'to have', present participle or gerund
Suggestion: Refer to that and having
Sentence: The author concludes that having dinner with family is the only factor in better performance or better mental health.
Description: The token that is not usually followed by a verb 'to have', present participle or gerund
Suggestion: Refer to that and having
Sentence: Maybe lower self-esteem is completely dependent on the environment around one individual.
Description: The fragment Maybe lower is rare
Suggestion: Possible agreement error: Replace Maybe with adjective
Sentence: Otherwise, if any one of the above scenarios is true, then, the author's argument is built unreliably.
Description: The fragment the above scenarios is not usually followed by is
Suggestion: Possible agreement error: Replace is with are
Sentence: Thirdly, the author uses a percentage for supports his argument, without providing an absolute number.
Description: A noun, plural, common is not usually followed by a determiner, possessive
Suggestion: Refer to supports and his
Sentence: Let 30 percent of 100 teens say that having dinner with family help to maintain better mental health, then, offering a conclusion based upon only 30 people's report is somehow counterfeit.
Description: The token that is not usually followed by a verb 'to have', present participle or gerund
Suggestion: Refer to that and having
Description: The fragment family help to is rare
Suggestion: Possible agreement error: Replace help with verb, past tense
Sentence: If the author provides some persuasive evidence is statistical data charts or some research-based evidence, then the author's argument may not be unsounded, otherwise, if any one of the above situations is true, then the author's argument is seriously unwarranted.
Description: The fragment the above situations is not usually followed by is
Suggestion: Possible agreement error: Replace is with are
Sentence: If the author is able to offer some evidence, then it will be possible to evaluate the viability of the proposed recommendation that having a high number of family meals keeps teens from engaging in bad behaviors.
Description: The token that is not usually followed by a verb 'to have', present participle or gerund
Suggestion: Refer to that and having
Description: The fragment meals keeps teens is rare
Suggestion: Possible agreement error: Replace keeps with verb, base: uninflected present, imperative or infinitive
Sentence: Furthermore, the author also added that having a high number of dinners with family also helps teenagers to get higher grades, better self-esteem, etc. However, before evaluating the author's argument three unstated assumptions need to be answered.
Error: self-esteem Suggestion: self esteem
Error: etc. Suggestion: etch
Error: unstated Suggestion: No alternate word
Sentence: Making generalizations about something based upon only 5000 people maybe somehow factitious.
Error: factitious Suggestion: fictitious
Sentence: If the author provides more evidence, perhaps in the form of a systematic research study, then, the conclusion based on the survey may seem veritable to the reader, otherwise, if the above situation is true, then, the author's argument holds no water.
Error: may Suggestion: No alternate word
Sentence: Having dinner with family and better mental health may not have any relation between them.
Error: may Suggestion: No alternate word
Sentence: Perhaps, one who eats dinner regularly with his family may have severe depression or lower self-esteem.
Error: self-esteem Suggestion: self esteem
Error: may Suggestion: No alternate word
Sentence: Maybe lower self-esteem is completely dependent on the environment around one individual.
Error: self-esteem Suggestion: self esteem
Sentence: If, the author offers some evidence-based research study or statistical analysis on some survey then, the author's conclusion may have sounded warranted.
Error: may Suggestion: No alternate word
Error: evidence-based Suggestion: evidence based
Sentence: Otherwise, if any one of the above scenarios is true, then, the author's argument is built unreliably.
Error: unreliably Suggestion: No alternate word
Sentence: There is a feasibility that, maybe most of the teens can't afford to have dinner with their family, due to some unavoidable reasons, like they have to do part-time jobs after their school to support their families.
Error: part-time Suggestion: part time
Sentence: If the author provides some persuasive evidence is statistical data charts or some research-based evidence, then the author's argument may not be unsounded, otherwise, if any one of the above situations is true, then the author's argument is seriously unwarranted.
Error: may Suggestion: No alternate word
Error: unsounded Suggestion: No alternate word
Error: research-based Suggestion: research based
Error: unwarranted Suggestion: No alternate word
Sentence: In the conclusion, the author's argument as it stands is considerably unwarranted due to reliance on some unwarranted assumptions.
Error: unwarranted Suggestion: No alternate word
flaws:
No. of Grammatical Errors: 10 2
Read a good grammar book.
No. of Spelling Errors: 11 2
Double check spelling errors.
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 4.0 out of 6
Category: Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 10 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 11 2
No. of Sentences: 24 15
No. of Words: 566 350
No. of Characters: 2907 1500
No. of Different Words: 235 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.878 4.7
Average Word Length: 5.136 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.738 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 238 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 146 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 121 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 70 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 23.583 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 9.535 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.542 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.352 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.485 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.169 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 4 5
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, first, firstly, furthermore, however, if, may, second, secondly, so, then, third, thirdly
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 20.0 19.6327345309 102% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 10.0 12.9520958084 77% => OK
Conjunction : 11.0 11.1786427146 98% => OK
Relative clauses : 11.0 13.6137724551 81% => OK
Pronoun: 21.0 28.8173652695 73% => OK
Preposition: 75.0 55.5748502994 135% => OK
Nominalization: 23.0 16.3942115768 140% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 3008.0 2260.96107784 133% => OK
No of words: 566.0 441.139720559 128% => OK
Chars per words: 5.31448763251 5.12650576532 104% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.87757670434 4.56307096286 107% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.88914153479 2.78398813304 104% => OK
Unique words: 255.0 204.123752495 125% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.450530035336 0.468620217663 96% => OK
syllable_count: 942.3 705.55239521 134% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.7 1.59920159681 106% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 1.0 4.96107784431 20% => OK
Article: 16.0 8.76447105788 183% => OK
Subordination: 7.0 2.70958083832 258% => Less adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 2.0 1.67365269461 119% => OK
Preposition: 7.0 4.22255489022 166% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 25.0 19.7664670659 126% => OK
Sentence length: 22.0 22.8473053892 96% => OK
Sentence length SD: 53.5275629933 57.8364921388 93% => OK
Chars per sentence: 120.32 119.503703932 101% => OK
Words per sentence: 22.64 23.324526521 97% => OK
Discourse Markers: 4.0 5.70786347227 70% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 5.15768463074 97% => OK
Language errors: 0.0 5.25449101796 0% => 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: 3.0 4.67664670659 64% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.155108529128 0.218282227539 71% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0504692043886 0.0743258471296 68% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0574737289622 0.0701772020484 82% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.100162571731 0.128457276422 78% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0257069895831 0.0628817314937 41% => Paragraphs are similar to each other. Some content may get duplicated or it is not exactly right on the topic.
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 14.9 14.3799401198 104% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 40.69 48.3550499002 84% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.1628742515 123% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 13.1 12.197005988 107% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 13.81 12.5979740519 110% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.55 8.32208582834 103% => OK
difficult_words: 137.0 98.500998004 139% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 10.5 12.3882235529 85% => 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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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.