A recently issued twenty-year study on headaches suffered by the residents of Mentia investigated the possible therapeutic effect of consuming salicylates. Salicylates are members of the same chemical family as aspirin, a medicine used to treat headaches. Although many foods are naturally rich in salicylates, food-processing companies also add salicylates to foods as preservatives. The twenty-year study found a correlation between the rise in the commercial use of salicylates and a steady decline in the average number of headaches reported by study participants. At the time when the study concluded, food-processing companies had just discovered that salicylates can also be used as flavor additives for foods, and, as a result, many companies plan to do so. Based on these study results, some health experts predict that residents of Mentia will suffer even fewer headaches in the future.
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the prediction and the argument on which it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the prediction.
After conducting a twenty-year study on headaches suffered by the residents of Mentia, some health experts have predicted that the residents of Mentia will suffer fewer headaches in upcoming future because many food companies are planning to use Salicylates, members of the same comical family as Aspirin, as flavor additives for foods in addition to their use as food preservatives. They have reached to this prediction after observing the exaltation in the commercial use of Salicycalates and a stedy decline in the average number of headaches reported by the study participants. However, before evaluating the argument, answers to the following three questions must be provided.
First of all, is the amount of Salicylates, the food companies use as food preservative, significant to reduce headache? The health experts prematurely assume that they add a significant amount besides the rich amount of Salicylates which are found in the foods normally. It is very possible that the amount of Salicylates present in the foods naturally is well enough to reduce headache. If this is the case, then adding additional Salicylates by the food companies will not have any effect. The argument fails to address this issue and so is seriously flawed.
Secondly, has all the residents of Mentia took participation in the twenty-year study? The health experts assume that all of them were present when they conducted the study from start to end. However, this may not be the case. It is very likely that a large number of people took part in the study when the study began but very few of them reported finally. The people, who did not reported about their headache, may suffer from severe headache despite taking additional Salicylates. If this case has merit, then the argument will not hold water.
Finally, was the study conducted very carefully and did the study participants provide true information about their headache? The health experts assume that study participants provided real condition of their headache after the rise of commercial use of Salicylates. In reality, this may not happen. However, the study participants may provide false information regarding their headache. It is very possible that their headache didn’t decrease rather remained constant. If this is the case, then the argument will be seriously weakened.
In conclusion, the argument, as it stands, is seriously flawed due to its reliance on unwarranted assumptions. If the health experts are able to provide answers for the stated three questions and provide more evidence, then the argument can be properly evaluated and provide a clear decision regarding the prediction otherwise it will remain seriously flawed as it is on surface.
Comments
e-rater score report
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 3.0 out of 6
Category: Satisfactory Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 0 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 22 15
No. of Words: 435 350
No. of Characters: 2229 1500
No. of Different Words: 183 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.567 4.7
Average Word Length: 5.124 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.766 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 169 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 128 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 97 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 62 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 19.773 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 11.954 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.818 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.318 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.519 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.094 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 5 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 5, column 251, Rule ID: LARGE_NUMBER_OF[1]
Message: Specify a number, remove phrase, or simply use 'many' or 'numerous'
Suggestion: many; numerous
...not be the case. It is very likely that a large number of people took part in the study when the ...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
besides, but, finally, first, however, if, may, regarding, second, secondly, so, then, well, in addition, in conclusion, first of all
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 19.0 19.6327345309 97% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 11.0 12.9520958084 85% => OK
Conjunction : 6.0 11.1786427146 54% => More conjunction wanted.
Relative clauses : 11.0 13.6137724551 81% => OK
Pronoun: 32.0 28.8173652695 111% => OK
Preposition: 53.0 55.5748502994 95% => OK
Nominalization: 16.0 16.3942115768 98% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2294.0 2260.96107784 101% => OK
No of words: 434.0 441.139720559 98% => OK
Chars per words: 5.28571428571 5.12650576532 103% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.56428161445 4.56307096286 100% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.86650391563 2.78398813304 103% => OK
Unique words: 192.0 204.123752495 94% => More unique words wanted.
Unique words percentage: 0.442396313364 0.468620217663 94% => More unique words wanted or less content wanted.
syllable_count: 731.7 705.55239521 104% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.7 1.59920159681 106% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 6.0 4.96107784431 121% => OK
Article: 8.0 8.76447105788 91% => OK
Subordination: 8.0 2.70958083832 295% => Less adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 0.0 1.67365269461 0% => OK
Preposition: 4.0 4.22255489022 95% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 22.0 19.7664670659 111% => OK
Sentence length: 19.0 22.8473053892 83% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 76.0344636952 57.8364921388 131% => OK
Chars per sentence: 104.272727273 119.503703932 87% => OK
Words per sentence: 19.7272727273 23.324526521 85% => OK
Discourse Markers: 6.04545454545 5.70786347227 106% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 5.15768463074 97% => OK
Language errors: 1.0 5.25449101796 19% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 7.0 8.20758483034 85% => 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: 0.228872266469 0.218282227539 105% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0635077193344 0.0743258471296 85% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0701007007117 0.0701772020484 100% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.124877922309 0.128457276422 97% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0831214748153 0.0628817314937 132% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 13.4 14.3799401198 93% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 43.73 48.3550499002 90% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.1628742515 123% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 11.9 12.197005988 98% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 13.4 12.5979740519 106% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 7.96 8.32208582834 96% => OK
difficult_words: 93.0 98.500998004 94% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 19.0 12.3882235529 153% => OK
gunning_fog: 9.6 11.1389221557 86% => OK
text_standard: 19.0 11.9071856287 160% => 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.