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 argument claims that a change from music to news and talk format would increase the listener population. When stated in this way the argument fails to mention several key factors on the basis it could be evaluated. Although taking certain actions could increase listernership. The author fails to provide plausible justifications for these changes. Hence, the conclusion of the argument relies on assumptions for which there is no clear evidence. This makes the argument unconvincing and boldly displays its flaws.
First the argument readily assumes that changing to a news and talk format would increase listener numbers since this form of radio is popular in the area. This is an unjustifiable assumption. For instance, the area where the news format is popular might be a more urban compared to the increasing retirement population the author speaks about, this could account to more interest being shown in this form of radio. This argument could be clearer if it is author made clearer the population age and group of the area he being compared to.
The argument claims that despite population growth, there has been a decline in listernship and this could be attributed to growth being as a result of increase in retirement population. This is again a weak and unsupported claim as the argument does not demostrate any correlation betweeen listenership and age group. Perhaps the decline could be as a result of people watching more tv or listening to podcasts as aganist radio stations. If the argument had provided evidence of their age group or type of listeners then the argument would have been a lot more convincing.
Finally, the author makes unjustifiable assumptions that a decline in local sales of recorded music suggests limited interest in music, hence the proposal of a new form of radio. One wonders if this is enough reason to draw these conclusions. Perhaps, people are no longer are intrested in buying music from the local store when you can stream online. This assumption is unconvincing and one is left wiht the impression that the claim is more wishful thinking rather than substansive. As a result the conclusion has no legs to stand on.
In conclusion, the argument is flawed for the above mentioned reasons and is therefore inconvincing. it could be considerably strengthend if the author clearly mentioned all the relevant facts such as quantifiable proof of previous listernship and reason why the news and talk format is more popular. In order to access the merits of a certain situation, it is essential to have full knowledge of all contributing factors.
Comments
Essay evaluation report
Sentence: The argument claims that despite population growth, there has been a decline in listernship and this could be attributed to growth being as a result of increase in retirement population.
Error: listernship Suggestion: No alternate word
Sentence: This is again a weak and unsupported claim as the argument does not demostrate any correlation betweeen listenership and age group.
Error: listenership Suggestion: No alternate word
Error: demostrate Suggestion: demonstrate
Error: betweeen Suggestion: between
Sentence: Perhaps the decline could be as a result of people watching more tv or listening to podcasts as aganist radio stations.
Error: aganist Suggestion: against
Sentence: Perhaps, people are no longer are intrested in buying music from the local store when you can stream online.
Error: intrested Suggestion: interested
Sentence: This assumption is unconvincing and one is left wiht the impression that the claim is more wishful thinking rather than substansive.
Error: substansive Suggestion: substantive
Error: wiht Suggestion: wit
Sentence: In conclusion, the argument is flawed for the above mentioned reasons and is therefore inconvincing. it could be considerably strengthend if the author clearly mentioned all the relevant facts such as quantifiable proof of previous listernship and reason why the news and talk format is more popular.
Error: strengthend Suggestion: strengthen
Error: listernship Suggestion: No alternate word
Error: inconvincing Suggestion: No alternate word
----------------------
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 3.5 out of 6
Category: Satisfactory Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 0 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 11 2
No. of Sentences: 21 15
No. of Words: 429 350
No. of Characters: 2132 1500
No. of Different Words: 200 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.551 4.7
Average Word Length: 4.97 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.776 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 152 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 117 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 86 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 48 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 20.429 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 9.965 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.524 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.301 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.514 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.065 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 5 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 110, Rule ID: SENTENCE_FRAGMENT[1]
Message: “When” at the beginning of a sentence requires a 2nd clause. Maybe a comma, question or exclamation mark is missing, or the sentence is incomplete and should be joined with the following sentence.
...would increase the listener population. When stated in this way the argument fails t...
^^^^
Line 1, column 220, Rule ID: SENTENCE_FRAGMENT[1]
Message: “Although” at the beginning of a sentence requires a 2nd clause. Maybe a comma, question or exclamation mark is missing, or the sentence is incomplete and should be joined with the following sentence.
...ors on the basis it could be evaluated. Although taking certain actions could increase l...
^^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 81, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...changing to a news and talk format would increase listener numbers since this for...
^^
Line 3, column 522, Rule ID: HE_VERB_AGR[1]
Message: The pronoun 'he' must be used with a third-person verb: 'is'.
Suggestion: is
...population age and group of the area he being compared to. The argument claims tha...
^^^^^
Line 7, column 252, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...ason to draw these conclusions. Perhaps, people are no longer are intrested in bu...
^^
Line 7, column 487, Rule ID: SENTENCE_FRAGMENT[1]
Message: “As” at the beginning of a sentence requires a 2nd clause. Maybe a comma, question or exclamation mark is missing, or the sentence is incomplete and should be joined with the following sentence.
...shful thinking rather than substansive. As a result the conclusion has no legs to ...
^^
Line 9, column 102, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: It
... reasons and is therefore inconvincing. it could be considerably strengthend if th...
^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
but, finally, first, hence, if, so, then, therefore, for instance, in conclusion, such as, as a result
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 27.0 19.6327345309 138% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 12.0 12.9520958084 93% => OK
Conjunction : 13.0 11.1786427146 116% => OK
Relative clauses : 9.0 13.6137724551 66% => More relative clauses wanted.
Pronoun: 26.0 28.8173652695 90% => OK
Preposition: 46.0 55.5748502994 83% => OK
Nominalization: 26.0 16.3942115768 159% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2185.0 2260.96107784 97% => OK
No of words: 429.0 441.139720559 97% => OK
Chars per words: 5.09324009324 5.12650576532 99% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.55107846309 4.56307096286 100% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.85028308218 2.78398813304 102% => OK
Unique words: 206.0 204.123752495 101% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.480186480186 0.468620217663 102% => OK
syllable_count: 669.6 705.55239521 95% => 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: 7.0 8.76447105788 80% => OK
Subordination: 4.0 2.70958083832 148% => OK
Conjunction: 0.0 1.67365269461 0% => OK
Preposition: 2.0 4.22255489022 47% => More preposition wanted as sentence beginning.
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: 48.1426942356 57.8364921388 83% => OK
Chars per sentence: 99.3181818182 119.503703932 83% => OK
Words per sentence: 19.5 23.324526521 84% => OK
Discourse Markers: 4.63636363636 5.70786347227 81% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 5.15768463074 97% => OK
Language errors: 7.0 5.25449101796 133% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 7.0 8.20758483034 85% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 11.0 6.88822355289 160% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 4.0 4.67664670659 86% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.154561733123 0.218282227539 71% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0469237838054 0.0743258471296 63% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0581192280317 0.0701772020484 83% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.0867991935208 0.128457276422 68% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0447507294856 0.0628817314937 71% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 12.3 14.3799401198 86% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 52.19 48.3550499002 108% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.1628742515 123% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 10.7 12.197005988 88% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 12.24 12.5979740519 97% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.37 8.32208582834 101% => OK
difficult_words: 103.0 98.500998004 105% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 7.0 12.3882235529 57% => Linsear_write_formula is low.
gunning_fog: 9.6 11.1389221557 86% => OK
text_standard: 10.0 11.9071856287 84% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 58.33 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 3.5 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.