TPO 29
Large numbers of dinosaur fossils have been discovered in deposits on Alaska's North Slope, a region that today experiences an extremely cold,arctic climate. One hundred million years ago, when those dinosaurs were alive, the environment of the North Slope was already inhospitable,especially during the winter when it experienced several months of total darkness. How did the dinosaurs survive the wintertime? Paleontologists have proposed that one of the most common North Slope dinosaurs, the elephant-sized edmontosaur (Edmontosaurus), survived the winter by migrating south to more hospitable regions. Several arguments support the migration hypothesis.
First, the edmontosaur's diet supports the migration hypothesis.Edmontosaurs fed exclusively on plants. Since there would have been no plants growing during the cold and dark North Slope winter, it appears that the edmontosaur must have left for at least part of the year and migrated to more temperate zones to find food.
Second, many edmontosaur skeletons have been unearthed from the same site. This suggests that edmontosaurs lived in herd. Many modern-day migratory animals, such as caribou and buffalo, live and migrate in herds as well. Moving in herds helps animals coordinate their migration.The finding that edmonotsaurs lived in herds further supports the migration hypothesis.
Finally, edmonosaurs were physically capable of migrating long distances. To reach more hospitable regions, the edmontosaur had to migrate about 1,600 kilometers southward. To make such a journey, the edmontosaur needed to move at about five kilometers per hour for several weeks, which is certainly could do. These animals could run very fast, reaching speeds up to 45 kilometers per hour. It could have easily used its locomotive power to move to warmer climate during the harsh arctic winters.
Both reading and lecture discuss how the dinosaurs survive the wintertime. The reading passage implies that in order to survive the winter, dinosaurs migrate south to more adequate regions. However, the professor disagrees with the reading passage. Accordingly, she presents three refutations.
First of all, the reading suggests that dinosaurs fed on special plants and plants could not grow during the cold winter. Yet, the lecturer severely challenges the hypothesis by arguing that the weather in that time is warmer and plant can grow well in the summer. Furthermore, these edmontosaurs can eat nutrient dead plant in the winter. As a result, dinosaurs actually do not have to migrate.
Secondly, the passage mentions that the finding that edmontosaurs lived in herd bolsters the migration explanation. Nevertheless, the scholar seriously contradicts the explanation by calling into question the reason of living in herd. Moreover, she states that dinosaurs can get extra protection from predator in herd. Also, the animals in America live in herd but do not migrate. Therefore, the second explanation is unconvincing.
Last but not least, the reading article indicates that edmonosaurs were able to migrate long distance. Once again, the speaker casts doubts on the issue by saying that young dinosaurs move slowly and cannot successfully arrive their destination. In addition, she points out that juvenile dinosaurs are not capable of surviving from such cruel journey. Thus, it is impossible for dinosaurs to migrate south.
how the dinosaurs survive the wintertime.
how the dinosaurs survive in the winter time.
dinosaurs migrate south to more adequate regions
dinosaurs migrate from south to more adequate regions
successfully arrive their destination.
successfully arrive at their destination.
Attribute Value Ideal
Score: 24 in 30
Category: Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 3 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 17 12
No. of Words: 237 250
No. of Characters: 1259 1200
No. of Different Words: 143 150
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 3.924 4.2
Average Word Length: 5.312 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.698 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 101 80
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 82 60
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 50 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 34 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 13.941 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 5.536 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.824 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.307 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.525 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.105 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 4 4