Like many creatures, humpback whales migrate long distances for feeding and mating purposes. How animals manage to migrate long distances is often puzzling. In the case of humpback whales, we may have found the answer: they may be navigating by the stars, much as early human sailors did. What we know about humpback whales makes this a distinct possibility.
First, humpback whales seem to be intelligent enough to use stars to navigate by. Whales' brains have a high degree of complexity'a common determiner of intelligence. This suggests that the whales' brain power far exceeds that of most other animals. The whales' well-developed cognitive ability seems to provide a sound basis for the ability to use a complex, abstract system of sensory stimuli such as the night sky for orientation.
Second, humpback whales migrate in straight lines. Animals can maintain movement in a straight direction for long distances only if they orient themselves by some external objects or forces. Many birds and other terrestrial creatures, for example, use physical landmarks to help them stay on track as they migrate. Whales, which swim in the open ocean, cannot rely on land features; they could, however, rely on stars at night to provide them with external signs by which to maintain direction over long distances.
Third, humpback whales exhibit an unusual behavior: they are sometimes observed floating straight up for minutes at a time, their heads above the water as though they were looking upward. The behavior is known as spy-hopping, and it is very rare among marine animals. One explanation for the function of spy-hopping is that the whales are looking at the stars, which are providing them with information to navigate by.
The reading passage supports the capability of navigating by stars enables humpback whales migrate long distances. However, the professor in the lecture refutes it by providing three evidences.
To begin with, the author believes that the humpback whales have high degree of complexing brain power, which enables them to use the abstract system of night sky. Nevertheless, the professor mentions the instinct of certain kinds of animals that allows them to use stars to navigate. For example, ducks, which have average intelligence use stars. The usage of stars is not connected to the level of intelligence of animals.
Second, the passage states that some external objects or forces are necessary for animals travel for long distances, and there is nothing else in the open ocean. Thus, the author overstates that the whales follow the signs by stars. On the other hand, the professor contends the humpback whales probably sense the magnetic field from earth.
Last but not the less, the author believes that the behavior of spy-hopping from the humpback whales is the evidence of looking upward for stars. But, the professors disagrees by giving us an example of sharks. Sharks exhibit sky-hopping due to hunting rather than looking for stars. Furthermore, the humpback whales also float straight up in the day time.
To sum up, the professors provides three explanation to challenge the assumptions from the original paragraph. If the scenarios which mention by the professor hold true, then the perspectives in paragraph do not hold water.
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, furthermore, however, if, look, nevertheless, second, so, then, thus, for example, to begin with, to sum up, on the other hand
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 4.0 10.4613686534 38% => More to be verbs wanted.
Auxiliary verbs: 0.0 5.04856512141 0% => OK
Conjunction : 3.0 7.30242825607 41% => More conjunction wanted.
Relative clauses : 8.0 12.0772626932 66% => More relative clauses wanted.
Pronoun: 9.0 22.412803532 40% => OK
Preposition: 35.0 30.3222958057 115% => OK
Nominalization: 5.0 5.01324503311 100% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1309.0 1373.03311258 95% => OK
No of words: 248.0 270.72406181 92% => More content wanted.
Chars per words: 5.27822580645 5.08290768461 104% => OK
Fourth root words length: 3.96837696647 4.04702891845 98% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.65159217773 2.5805825403 103% => OK
Unique words: 142.0 145.348785872 98% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.572580645161 0.540411800872 106% => OK
syllable_count: 391.5 419.366225166 93% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.55342163355 103% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 0.0 3.25607064018 0% => OK
Article: 12.0 8.23620309051 146% => OK
Subordination: 1.0 1.25165562914 80% => OK
Conjunction: 1.0 1.51434878587 66% => OK
Preposition: 3.0 2.5761589404 116% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 15.0 13.0662251656 115% => OK
Sentence length: 16.0 21.2450331126 75% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 33.4932165603 49.2860985944 68% => OK
Chars per sentence: 87.2666666667 110.228320801 79% => OK
Words per sentence: 16.5333333333 21.698381199 76% => OK
Discourse Markers: 9.13333333333 7.06452816374 129% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 4.09492273731 122% => OK
Language errors: 0.0 4.19205298013 0% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 9.0 4.33554083885 208% => Less positive sentences wanted.
Sentences with negative sentiment : 0.0 4.45695364238 0% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 6.0 4.27373068433 140% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.20307728722 0.272083759551 75% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0657405218304 0.0996497079465 66% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.068859938407 0.0662205650399 104% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.114961854547 0.162205337803 71% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0679034628043 0.0443174109184 153% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 11.7 13.3589403974 88% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 55.24 53.8541721854 103% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 5.55761589404 56% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 9.5 11.0289183223 86% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 13.05 12.2367328918 107% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.7 8.42419426049 103% => OK
difficult_words: 67.0 63.6247240618 105% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 8.5 10.7273730684 79% => OK
gunning_fog: 8.4 10.498013245 80% => OK
text_standard: 9.0 11.2008830022 80% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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Rates: 81.6666666667 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 24.5 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.