Sea otters are a small mammal that lives in the waters along North America's west coast from California to Alaska. A few years ago some of the sea otter populations off of the Alaskan coast started to decline rapidly and raised several concerns because of their important role in the coastal ecosystem. Experts began investigating and came up with two possible explanations. One explanation was environmental pollution and the second was attacks by predators.
At first it seemed as if the pollution was the most likely cause for the population decline. One reason pollution was more likely was because of the known pollution sources along the Alaskan coast such as oil rigs. Also water samples taken in the area showed increased levels of chemicals that could decrease the otters' immune systems and indirectly result in their deaths.
Another thing that pointed to pollution as the culprit was the decline of other sea mammals such as seals in the same areas. This indicated that whatever was affecting the otters was also affecting the other sea mammals. Environmental pollution usually affects an entire ecosystem instead of just one species. Only predators that occurred in a large area, such as orcas (a large predatory whale), could cause the same effect, but they usually hunt larger prey.
Finally, scientists believed the pollution hypothesis would also explain the uneven pattern of otter decline. In some Alaskan locations the otter population declined greatly while other populations remained stable. Some experts suggested this could be explained by ocean currents, or other environmental factor, might have created uneven concentrations of pollutants along the coast.
both the author and the lecturer discuss the cause of otter decline. The passage claims that environmental pollution seemed the more likely cause of otter population drop. The professor, on the other hand, completely rejects whatever mentioned in the reading through citing three reason.
First, both the author and the professor talk about chemical pollution. According to the passage, increased levels of chemicals that could decrease the otters' resistance to life-threating infections and thus could indirectly cause their death. The lecturer, nevertheless, rejects author's view and illustrates the idea that there is no dead sea creatures residue in the western coast, so infection cannot lead to death of otters. In other words, predators killed them and fed on their bodies.
Second of all, both the reading and the lecture discuss other's animals population declining. The author argues that seals and sea lions were also disappeared along the Alaskan coast because of the environmental pollution. However, the professor refutes this, saying that because of scarcity of whales orca have started to hunt all small sea mammals such as sea lions and seals.
Eventually, both the passage and the lecture address the subject of pattern of otter decline. The passage goes on to mention that ocean currents and other environmental factors may have created uneven concentration of pollutants along the coast. In contrast, the professor points out that where orca has access to sea otter, the decline in otter population is seen. On the other hand, scholars did not observe otter population fall in shallow and rocky locations.
All in all, the author maintains that environmental pollution caused otters population decline, while the professor not only cast doubt on it, but she also demonstrates that attacks by predators brought about otters population drop.
- agnostids 83
- Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? If people have the opportunity to get a secure job, they should take it right away rather than wait for a job that would be more satisfying. Using specific reasons and examples to support your answer. 76
- Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is important to know about events happening around the world, even if it is unlikely that they will affect your daily life. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. 76
- Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Because the world is changing so quickly, people now are less happy or less satisfied with their lives than people were in the past. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. 80
- Critical judgment of work in any given field has little value unless it comes from someone who is an expert in that field. 16
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 1, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Both
both the author and the lecturer discuss the...
^^^^
Line 5, column 153, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'otters'' or 'otter's'?
Suggestion: otters'; otter's
...ls of chemicals that could decrease the otters resistance to life-threating infections...
^^^^^^
Line 5, column 345, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'creatures'' or 'creature's'?
Suggestion: creatures'; creature's
...ates the idea that there is no dead sea creatures residue in the western coast, so infect...
^^^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, first, however, if, may, nevertheless, second, so, thus, while, in contrast, such as, in other words, on the other hand
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 3.0 10.4613686534 29% => More to be verbs wanted.
Auxiliary verbs: 4.0 5.04856512141 79% => OK
Conjunction : 12.0 7.30242825607 164% => OK
Relative clauses : 10.0 12.0772626932 83% => OK
Pronoun: 15.0 22.412803532 67% => OK
Preposition: 36.0 30.3222958057 119% => OK
Nominalization: 14.0 5.01324503311 279% => Less nominalizations (nouns with a suffix like: tion ment ence ance) wanted.
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1588.0 1373.03311258 116% => OK
No of words: 291.0 270.72406181 107% => OK
Chars per words: 5.45704467354 5.08290768461 107% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.13022058845 4.04702891845 102% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.70049748586 2.5805825403 105% => OK
Unique words: 161.0 145.348785872 111% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.553264604811 0.540411800872 102% => OK
syllable_count: 471.6 419.366225166 112% => 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: 9.0 8.23620309051 109% => OK
Subordination: 1.0 1.25165562914 80% => OK
Conjunction: 1.0 1.51434878587 66% => OK
Preposition: 5.0 2.5761589404 194% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 15.0 13.0662251656 115% => OK
Sentence length: 19.0 21.2450331126 89% => OK
Sentence length SD: 46.3647375587 49.2860985944 94% => OK
Chars per sentence: 105.866666667 110.228320801 96% => OK
Words per sentence: 19.4 21.698381199 89% => OK
Discourse Markers: 8.66666666667 7.06452816374 123% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 4.09492273731 122% => OK
Language errors: 3.0 4.19205298013 72% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 2.0 4.33554083885 46% => More positive sentences wanted.
Sentences with negative sentiment : 7.0 4.45695364238 157% => OK
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: 0.215998545123 0.272083759551 79% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0727488852487 0.0996497079465 73% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0572589545933 0.0662205650399 86% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.123816967665 0.162205337803 76% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0552434349351 0.0443174109184 125% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 14.0 13.3589403974 105% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 52.19 53.8541721854 97% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 5.55761589404 158% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 10.7 11.0289183223 97% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 14.39 12.2367328918 118% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.76 8.42419426049 104% => OK
difficult_words: 77.0 63.6247240618 121% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 8.5 10.7273730684 79% => OK
gunning_fog: 9.6 10.498013245 91% => OK
text_standard: 9.0 11.2008830022 80% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 80.0 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 24.0 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.