Humans have long been fascinated by elephants, the largest land animal in the modern world. Social animals that live in herds, elephants are native to both Africa and Asia. Their large ears, long trunk, and long life span have made elephants one of the most captivating creatures on Earth. Our long-standing interest in elephants has led to several beliefs about surprising elephant behaviors.
Elephants Are Aware of Approaching Death
One of the popular beliefs is that when elephants become old and weak, they know that they are nearing the end of their lives. They demonstrate this by breaking away from their herds and going off alone to certain locations often found near bodies of water—so called “elephant graveyards”—to die alone. The idea that old elephants seem aware that they will die soon is supported by the discovery of many sites containing bones exclusively of elderly elephants.
Representing Objects through Art
Additionally, elephants seem to have artistic ability. Elephants can be taught to hold a paintbrush in their trunk and use it to paint on a canvas. Some elephants have been known to paint drawings that represent recognizable things: flowers, other elephants, even themselves. This talent makes elephants the only animal other than humans to produce art representing the world around them.
Fear of Mice
Finally, it has long been believed that elephants have a fear of mice. In 77 C.E., the Roman philosopher and scientist Pliny the Elder wrote that elephants are more afraid of mice, small mammals that can do elephants no harm, than of the much more dangerous animals with which elephants normally share an environment, such as lions or tigers. In a recent scientific experiment in which a herd of elephants was confronted with several mice, the elephants backed away from the mice and left the area to avoid them.
Elephants' behavior draws people's attention. Recently, there are constant drumbeat over some interesting beliefs about elephant. While in the reading passage, the author propose some intriguing behaviors, the lecturer refutes them by providing scientific evidences.
First of all, the author claims that elephants can sense if they are dying. Since the old elephants often grow apart from their herds and find themselves a place near water, where many elephants bodies are often discovered. It is said that it's their instinct of knowing the death approaching. However, the lecturer refuses this by pointing out that the reason behind it is actually that old elephants don't chew that well. In order to find graze that's soft enough, they need to travel to a location near water.
Next, the reading suggests that elephants have artistic ability since they can draw some representations, such as flowers. Yet, the lecturer does not stand with this statements. Instead, she believes that the elephants is trained. They are trained to hold the paintbrush stable or they will be punished by being stroked in their ears, the sensitive parts of their body. Also, they are trained to repeat the strokes so as to creat the so-called "representation".
Finally, the lecture disagrees with the statements that elephants are afraid of mice. Although some historical sayings and recent experiments seems to claims elephants' fear of mice, the lecture contends it may just because they are not familiar with this tiny mammals. Not to mention that the fear of unfamiliar creature is the natural instinct of animal. A study once points out that the elephants in the zoo do not have such fear toward mice. Thus, the lecturer cast doubt on the author's statement.
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 74, Rule ID: THERE_RE_MANY[3]
Message: Possible agreement error. Did you mean 'drumbeats'?
Suggestion: drumbeats
...attention. Recently, there are constant drumbeat over some interesting beliefs about ele...
^^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 241, Rule ID: IT_IS[17]
Message: Did you mean 'it's' (='it is') instead of 'its' (possessive pronoun)?
Suggestion: it's; it is
...s are often discovered. It is said that its their instinct of knowing the death app...
^^^
Line 3, column 402, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: don't
...ehind it is actually that old elephants dont chew that well. In order to find graze ...
^^^^
Line 3, column 446, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: that's
... chew that well. In order to find graze thats soft enough, they need to travel to a l...
^^^^^
Line 5, column 162, Rule ID: THIS_NNS[1]
Message: Did you mean 'these'?
Suggestion: these
.... Yet, the lecturer does not stand with this statements. Instead, she believes that ...
^^^^
Line 5, column 416, Rule ID: SO_AS_TO[1]
Message: Use simply 'to'
Suggestion: to
... they are trained to repeat the strokes so as to creat the so-called 'representatio...
^^^^^^^^
Line 7, column 152, Rule ID: TO_NON_BASE[1]
Message: The verb after "to" should be in the base form: 'claim'.
Suggestion: claim
...sayings and recent experiments seems to claims elephants fear of mice, the lecture con...
^^^^^^
Line 7, column 483, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[2]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'authors'' or 'author's'?
Suggestion: authors'; author's
...e. Thus, the lecturer cast doubt on the authors statement.
^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
actually, also, finally, first, however, if, may, so, thus, well, while, apart from, as to, such as, first of all
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 13.0 10.4613686534 124% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 5.0 5.04856512141 99% => OK
Conjunction : 3.0 7.30242825607 41% => More conjunction wanted.
Relative clauses : 11.0 12.0772626932 91% => OK
Pronoun: 31.0 22.412803532 138% => Less pronouns wanted
Preposition: 37.0 30.3222958057 122% => OK
Nominalization: 4.0 5.01324503311 80% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1477.0 1373.03311258 108% => OK
No of words: 283.0 270.72406181 105% => OK
Chars per words: 5.21908127208 5.08290768461 103% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.10153676581 4.04702891845 101% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.84782855579 2.5805825403 110% => OK
Unique words: 169.0 145.348785872 116% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.597173144876 0.540411800872 111% => OK
syllable_count: 438.3 419.366225166 105% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.5 1.55342163355 97% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 5.0 3.25607064018 154% => OK
Article: 11.0 8.23620309051 134% => OK
Subordination: 3.0 1.25165562914 240% => Less adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 0.0 1.51434878587 0% => OK
Preposition: 2.0 2.5761589404 78% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 18.0 13.0662251656 138% => OK
Sentence length: 15.0 21.2450331126 71% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 37.294457272 49.2860985944 76% => OK
Chars per sentence: 82.0555555556 110.228320801 74% => OK
Words per sentence: 15.7222222222 21.698381199 72% => OK
Discourse Markers: 6.27777777778 7.06452816374 89% => OK
Paragraphs: 4.0 4.09492273731 98% => OK
Language errors: 8.0 4.19205298013 191% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 3.0 4.33554083885 69% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 7.0 4.45695364238 157% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 8.0 4.27373068433 187% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.151400227536 0.272083759551 56% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0494915157141 0.0996497079465 50% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0473156352713 0.0662205650399 71% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.0883922616876 0.162205337803 54% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0312800651699 0.0443174109184 71% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 11.0 13.3589403974 82% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 64.71 53.8541721854 120% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 5.55761589404 56% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 8.0 11.0289183223 73% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 12.7 12.2367328918 104% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.34 8.42419426049 99% => OK
difficult_words: 71.0 63.6247240618 112% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 6.5 10.7273730684 61% => OK
gunning_fog: 8.0 10.498013245 76% => OK
text_standard: 8.0 11.2008830022 71% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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Rates: 85.0 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 25.5 Out of 30
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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.