The following appeared in a memorandum from the manager of KNOW radio station.
"Several factors indicate that KNOW radio can no longer succeed as a rock-and-roll music station. Consider, for example, that the number of people in our listening area over fifty years of age has increased dramatically, while our total number of listeners has declined. Also, music stores in our area report decreased sales of rock-and-roll music. Finally, continuous news stations in neighboring cities have been very successful. We predict that switching KNOW radio from rock-and-roll music to 24-hour news will allow the station to attract older listeners and make KNOW radio more profitable than ever."
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the prediction and the argument on which it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the prediction.
In this passage, the author recommends switching KNOW radio from rock-and-roll music to 24-hour news, because it will allow the station to attract major predicted listeners in this district for the sake of guaranteeing profits. To support his/her claim, the author cites a list of information to prove the fade of rock-and-roll music and potential of news publication. Quite reasonable though such recommendation appears at first glance, there exists several questions regarding his/her reasoning that requires further analysis. Thus, the author's conclusion could end up being pretty compelling or invalid in the end, depending on the answers to the questions.
To start off, the author's reasoning heavily relies on whether or not audiences over fifty years old in a robust increasing trend could comprise majority of target customers of KNOW radio station, a question that is not yet answered. It is likely that such elder group mightn't be the main focus for radio station, because the absolute number of such group is very minuscule compared with the total audience number. Without additional information to evaluate its percentage among the overall population and detailed information about their interests in future, it is of equal likelihood that elder audiences could keep the enthusiasm as time goes by. Both of those two phenomena could seriously challenge the author's viewpoint about importance of elder group and render his/her claim much less advisable. On the contrary, any valid proof that such group actually keep their mania for radio group and contribute to majority of target customers in KNOW radio station could strengthen his/her reasoning.
Granted that elder group is the target for KNOW's focus and given the fact that music's sales status in local market, whether rock-and-roll music has diminished their attraction for local residents needs a second look. The probability that music store's reports might be biased must be considered and addressed. Yet, if the author could unequivocally demonstrate that such stores vividly reveal the truth and such prediction is applied for the raido music as well, his/her reasoning will gain more weights.
Furthermore, another question that requires our deliberation is whether the neighouring cities' upsurging new stations could be refered for KNOW case. While other cites has geological vincity, the probability that such nearby location mightn't lead to similiar taste of local resident could not be excluded in advance. For example, people in KNOW's district might differentiate from those in another cities. Thus, we have no clues whether successful stories of another cites could be used in KNOW without any problem. If no, the author's viewpoint is unlikely to make more audiences for KNOW station.
Last but not least, while we can acknowledge for a moment that all of aforementioned questions cling to support the author's idea, it remains to be seen whether resorting to news couldn't impact original audience of KNOW. If such suggestion lead to great loss of previous major audience, this is doubtful that it could inevitably increase total audience and help profits in future.
In summary, while turning to news for KNOW's broadcasting might attract more elder people as its audience, this is a conclusion that we cannot derive from the information available in the argument. Furthermore, even if elder people is KNOW's target candidates, the efficiency of such proposal is still built upon implications, which are open to different probabilities. Only after the aforementioned questions are adequately addressed can we effectively evaluate such recommendation and reach a logically sound conclusion.
Comments
e-rater score report
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 4.5 out of 6
Category: Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 0 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 22 15
No. of Words: 580 350
No. of Characters: 3047 1500
No. of Different Words: 290 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.907 4.7
Average Word Length: 5.253 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.802 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 218 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 176 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 128 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 88 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 26.364 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 7.732 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.636 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.305 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.565 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.161 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 6 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 540, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'authors'' or 'author's'?
Suggestion: authors'; author's
...at requires further analysis. Thus, the authors conclusion could end up being pretty co...
^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 55, Rule ID: WHETHER[7]
Message: Perhaps you can shorten this phrase to just 'whether'. It is correct though if you mean 'regardless of whether'.
Suggestion: whether
...the authors reasoning heavily relies on whether or not audiences over fifty years old in a rob...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 269, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: mightn't
...red. It is likely that such elder group mightnt be the main focus for radio station, be...
^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 284, Rule ID: MAIN_FOCUS[1]
Message: Use simply 'focus'.
Suggestion: focus
...ly that such elder group mightnt be the main focus for radio station, because the absolute...
^^^^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 549, Rule ID: IN_PAST[1]
Message: Did you mean: 'in the future'?
Suggestion: in the future
...ailed information about their interests in future, it is of equal likelihood that elder a...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 708, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'authors'' or 'author's'?
Suggestion: authors'; author's
...phenomena could seriously challenge the authors viewpoint about importance of elder gro...
^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 757, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...iewpoint about importance of elder group and render his/her claim much less advis...
^^
Line 7, column 235, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: mightn't
...e probability that such nearby location mightnt lead to similiar taste of local residen...
^^^^^^^
Line 7, column 527, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'authors'' or 'author's'?
Suggestion: authors'; author's
...in KNOW without any problem. If no, the authors viewpoint is unlikely to make more audi...
^^^^^^^
Line 9, column 117, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[2]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'authors'' or 'author's'?
Suggestion: authors'; author's
...entioned questions cling to support the authors idea, it remains to be seen whether res...
^^^^^^^
Line 9, column 179, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: couldn't
...ns to be seen whether resorting to news couldnt impact original audience of KNOW. If su...
^^^^^^^
Line 9, column 370, Rule ID: IN_PAST[1]
Message: Did you mean: 'in the future'?
Suggestion: in the future
...ncrease total audience and help profits in future. In summary, while turning to news f...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 11, column 72, Rule ID: MOST_COMPARATIVE[2]
Message: Use only 'elder' (without 'more') when you use the comparative.
Suggestion: elder
...ws for KNOWs broadcasting might attract more elder people as its audience, this is a concl...
^^^^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
actually, but, first, furthermore, if, look, regarding, second, so, still, then, thus, well, while, for example, in summary, on the contrary
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 22.0 19.6327345309 112% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 19.0 12.9520958084 147% => OK
Conjunction : 16.0 11.1786427146 143% => OK
Relative clauses : 15.0 13.6137724551 110% => OK
Pronoun: 45.0 28.8173652695 156% => Less pronouns wanted
Preposition: 67.0 55.5748502994 121% => OK
Nominalization: 28.0 16.3942115768 171% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 3110.0 2260.96107784 138% => OK
No of words: 572.0 441.139720559 130% => OK
Chars per words: 5.43706293706 5.12650576532 106% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.89045207381 4.56307096286 107% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.84307448405 2.78398813304 102% => OK
Unique words: 294.0 204.123752495 144% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.513986013986 0.468620217663 110% => OK
syllable_count: 943.2 705.55239521 134% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.59920159681 100% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 7.0 4.96107784431 141% => OK
Article: 9.0 8.76447105788 103% => OK
Subordination: 9.0 2.70958083832 332% => Less adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 0.0 1.67365269461 0% => OK
Preposition: 6.0 4.22255489022 142% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 22.0 19.7664670659 111% => OK
Sentence length: 26.0 22.8473053892 114% => OK
Sentence length SD: 45.5818444718 57.8364921388 79% => OK
Chars per sentence: 141.363636364 119.503703932 118% => OK
Words per sentence: 26.0 23.324526521 111% => OK
Discourse Markers: 6.36363636364 5.70786347227 111% => OK
Paragraphs: 6.0 5.15768463074 116% => OK
Language errors: 13.0 5.25449101796 247% => Less language errors wanted.
Sentences with positive sentiment : 16.0 8.20758483034 195% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 2.0 6.88822355289 29% => More negative sentences wanted.
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: 0.25750606843 0.218282227539 118% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0804387654789 0.0743258471296 108% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0670907438258 0.0701772020484 96% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.132014090799 0.128457276422 103% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0453633156453 0.0628817314937 72% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 17.2 14.3799401198 120% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 45.09 48.3550499002 93% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.1628742515 123% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 13.4 12.197005988 110% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 14.57 12.5979740519 116% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 9.12 8.32208582834 110% => OK
difficult_words: 152.0 98.500998004 154% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 14.0 12.3882235529 113% => OK
gunning_fog: 12.4 11.1389221557 111% => OK
text_standard: 14.0 11.9071856287 118% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 83.33 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 5.0 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.