The following is a memorandum from the business manager of a television station.
"Over the past year, our late-night news program has devoted increased time to national news and less time to weather and local news. During this period, most of the complaints received from viewers were concerned with our station's coverage of weather and local news. In addition, local businesses that used to advertise during our late-night news program have canceled their advertising contracts with us. Therefore, in order to attract more viewers to our news programs and to avoid losing any further advertising revenues, we should expand our coverage of weather and local news on all our news programs."
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.
Late-night news program has allocated more time for nation-wide news and less time to local news and weather reports after receiving complaints of viewers. Additionally, local businesses have dismissed the contracts with news channel. So to keep the viewer's count stable and avoid the profits from advertisements, they need to restore the time for local news and weather program. Overall, the memorandum of the business manager of television station looks pretty logical and agreeable. But on the closer look, there are couple of loopholes for which, more evidence should be provided in order the take a decision.
First of all, television channel received most of the complaints from the viewers about coverage report of weather and local news. There has to be a survey report and data analysis such as what kind of feedback or complaints of coverage viewers are giving? How many viewers are interested to watch local news and weather reports? It is possible that viewers didn't like the presentations given in the weather reports. Either people are expecting more detailed evaluation of the weather charts or they didn't like the anchor's style of reading the news. In other words, the evidences are necessary to evaluate the quality of coverage report of weather and news.
Secondly, local shopkeepers have cancelled their contracts with the news channel. Author of the prompt blindly assumes that they cancelled because they have increased the national news times on their channel. A strong justification needs to be provided on the basis of data records for this claim. For example, how many local businesses cancelled the contracts? What are actual reasons behind the cancellation? Why they are no more interested to keep and renew the contracts? Is there any other competitive news channel in the market to provide them better opportunities? For instance, it is quite possible that local businessman is trying to save the money for implementation of upcoming business plans and temporarily suspended the contract. The overall survey of these local businessmen needs to be conducted. Also, actually setting up a face to face meeting with them is a even better option for new channel authorities to understand real root cause
of cancellations. Without these evidences, the claim of the author is significantly weakened.
Finally, author assumes that they should restore the time devoted to local news and weather charts to avoid revenues from advertisements and viewer's count to attract business. He clearly ignores the possibility that television channel may loose the viewers and profit margins even though they increase the time of local news because of plethora of other possible reasons. If they don't find the real reasons and subsequent evidences of loosing their business, the above claim certainly doesn't hold any water.
To conclude, above two reasons should be justified primarily to strengthen the argument, made by the business manager. Otherwise, his claim will be weakened in other parts of the memorandum.
Comments
e-rater score report
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 4.5 out of 6
Category: Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 7 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 6 2
No. of Sentences: 28 15
No. of Words: 486 350
No. of Characters: 2496 1500
No. of Different Words: 229 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.695 4.7
Average Word Length: 5.136 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.704 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 185 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 154 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 95 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 59 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 17.357 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 6.991 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.429 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.277 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.485 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.083 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 6 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 428, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
..., the memorandum of the business manager of television station looks pretty logic...
^^
Line 1, column 585, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
... which, more evidence should be provided in order the take a decision. ...
^^
Line 2, column 1, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...rovided in order the take a decision. First of all, television channel receive...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 2, column 72, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...irst of all, television channel received most of the complaints from the viewers ...
^^
Line 2, column 232, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...t and data analysis such as what kind of feedback or complaints of coverage viewe...
^^
Line 2, column 390, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: didn't
...er reports? It is possible that viewers didnt like the presentations given in the wea...
^^^^^
Line 2, column 532, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: didn't
...valuation of the weather charts or they didnt like the anchors style of reading the n...
^^^^^
Line 3, column 1, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
... coverage report of weather and news. Secondly, local shopkeepers have cancell...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 710, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
... to save the money for implementation of upcoming business plans and temporarily ...
^^
Line 3, column 907, Rule ID: EN_A_VS_AN
Message: Use 'an' instead of 'a' if the following word starts with a vowel sound, e.g. 'an article', 'an hour'
Suggestion: an
... up a face to face meeting with them is a even better option for new channel auth...
^
Line 3, column 985, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...uthorities to understand real root cause of cancellations. Without these evidence...
^^^^
Line 5, column 1, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
... the author is significantly weakened. Finally, author assumes that they should...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 5, column 225, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...attract business. He clearly ignores the possibility that television channel may ...
^^
Line 5, column 267, Rule ID: LOOSE_LOSE[4]
Message: Did you mean 'lose' (= miss, waste, suffer the loss etc.)?
Suggestion: lose
...possibility that television channel may loose the viewers and profit margins even tho...
^^^^^
Line 5, column 408, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: don't
...hora of other possible reasons. If they dont find the real reasons and subsequent ev...
^^^^
Line 5, column 513, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: doesn't
...eir business, the above claim certainly doesnt hold any water. ...
^^^^^^
Line 6, column 1, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...claim certainly doesnt hold any water. To conclude, above two reasons should be...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
actually, also, but, finally, first, if, look, may, second, secondly, so, then, as to, for example, for instance, kind of, such as, first of all, in other words
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 19.0 19.6327345309 97% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 6.0 12.9520958084 46% => OK
Conjunction : 18.0 11.1786427146 161% => OK
Relative clauses : 6.0 13.6137724551 44% => More relative clauses wanted.
Pronoun: 25.0 28.8173652695 87% => OK
Preposition: 66.0 55.5748502994 119% => OK
Nominalization: 8.0 16.3942115768 49% => More nominalizations (nouns with a suffix like: tion ment ence ance) wanted.
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2547.0 2260.96107784 113% => OK
No of words: 482.0 441.139720559 109% => OK
Chars per words: 5.28423236515 5.12650576532 103% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.68556276237 4.56307096286 103% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.77643363005 2.78398813304 100% => OK
Unique words: 232.0 204.123752495 114% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.48132780083 0.468620217663 103% => OK
syllable_count: 792.9 705.55239521 112% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.59920159681 100% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 5.0 4.96107784431 101% => OK
Article: 6.0 8.76447105788 68% => OK
Subordination: 1.0 2.70958083832 37% => OK
Conjunction: 1.0 1.67365269461 60% => OK
Preposition: 4.0 4.22255489022 95% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 27.0 19.7664670659 137% => OK
Sentence length: 17.0 22.8473053892 74% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 38.9488778935 57.8364921388 67% => OK
Chars per sentence: 94.3333333333 119.503703932 79% => OK
Words per sentence: 17.8518518519 23.324526521 77% => OK
Discourse Markers: 5.92592592593 5.70786347227 104% => OK
Paragraphs: 6.0 5.15768463074 116% => OK
Language errors: 17.0 5.25449101796 324% => Less language errors wanted.
Sentences with positive sentiment : 13.0 8.20758483034 158% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 9.0 6.88822355289 131% => 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: 0.342790178699 0.218282227539 157% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.094994599905 0.0743258471296 128% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.10290348988 0.0701772020484 147% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.163063904892 0.128457276422 127% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.138742103753 0.0628817314937 221% => More connections among paragraphs wanted.
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 12.4 14.3799401198 86% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 54.22 48.3550499002 112% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.1628742515 123% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 9.9 12.197005988 81% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 13.05 12.5979740519 104% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.38 8.32208582834 101% => OK
difficult_words: 119.0 98.500998004 121% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 8.5 12.3882235529 69% => OK
gunning_fog: 8.8 11.1389221557 79% => OK
text_standard: 9.0 11.9071856287 76% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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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.