Please rate my AWA essays as below:
Argument 1:Studies suggest that an average coffee drinker's consumption of coffee increases with age from age 10 through age 60. Even after age 60, coffee consumption remains high. The average cola drinker's consumption of cola, however, declines with increasing age. Both of these trends have remained stable for the past 40 years. Given that the number of older adults will significantly increase as the population ages over the next 20 years, it follows that the demand for coffee will increase and the demand for cola will decrease during this period. We should, therefore, consider transferring our investments from Cola Loca to Early Bird Coffee.
Response 1 :
The author of a business plan of an investment and financial consulting firm claims that the firm should consider to transfer its investments from Cola Loca to Early Bird Coffee. The author's claim is based on some studies which indicate that the average coffee drinkers consumption of coffee increases with age and the average cola drinker's consumption of cola decreases with age. Although the argument has some merit, it is based on a number of questionable assumptions for which there is no clear evidence. Hence the argument is unsupported, weak and unconvincing.
Most conspicuously, the author has not mentioned anything about the nature of these studies on which he basis his conclusion. It could be possible that the studies that the author refers to are not from credible sources and maynot necessarily represent the trend of coffee and cola consumption among the population. The author should also mention about the demographics of the sample pool used to make these conclusions of these studies.
Additionally, the author fails to provide any information about the comparative trends between the consumption of coffee and cola as people age. It could be possible that cola consumption is already very high as compared to coffee consumption among the masses and the rate of decrease in cola consumption and rate of increase in coffee consumption predicted over the next 20 years could be very low. In such a situation the cola consumption could still be much higher than coffee consumption and it would be profitable for the firm to hold its investments in Cola Loca. The author should provide more details about the current and future consumption levels of coffee and cola to better support the argument.
Finally, the author has based his claim on the assumption that there would be no change in the demographics of the region over the next 20 years. There is no mention about the birth rate and death rate over the next 20 years. If the birth rate of the region is significantly higher then that would lead to a higher proportion of younger population as compared to older population. This data is crutial to be able to better analyse the argument.
In conclusion, the argument is flawed and unconvincing. In order to assess the merits of a certain situation, it is essential to have full knowledge of all contributing factors. In this particular case the argument could be considerably strengthened if the author clearly mentioned all the relevant facts about the nature of the studies refered to, comparative trend between the consumption of coffee and cola and the expected change in demographics of the region. Without this information the argument remains unsubstantiated and open to debate.
Argument 2 : In a recent citywide poll, fifteen percent more residents said that they watch television programs about the visual arts than was the case in a poll conducted five years ago. During these past five years, the number of people visiting our city’s arts museums has increased by similar percentage. Since the corporate funding that supports public television, where most of visual arts programs appear, is now being threatened with severe cuts, we can expect that attendance at our city’s museums will also start to decrease. Thus some of the city’s funds supporting arts should be reallocated to public television.”
Response :
In the preceding argument the author claims that a portion of the city’s funds supporting arts should be reallocated to public television. The author seems to suggest that the increase in the number of people visiting the city’s arts museums was a result of more people watching visual arts programs that are aired mostly on public television. Without any further details the author thus concludes that because of the fact that corporate funding that supports public television is going to face severe cuts this would lead to a decreased attendance at the city’s museums. Although the author’s claim holds some merit it is based on various questionable assumptions for which there is no clear evidence.
Most conspicuously, the author has assumed that the increase in the number of people who watch television programs about visual arts have directly contributed to the increase in the number of people visiting the art museums. There is no evidence to support that the people who visit art museums are the same people who watch visual arts television programs. For instance it is possible that it is a completely exclusive set of people who watch television programs about visual arts and people who visit art museums. As a result, the author should provide more details about the two groups of people to be in a better position to infer such a conclusion from the poll data.
Additionally, the author has made an assumption that a decrease in television programs about visual arts would directly lead to a decrease in the attendance at the city’s museums. Art is an acquired taste and just because the visual arts are not going to be covered on television anymore does not mean the people who like arts are not going to visit museums as well. It could however be possible that this could lead to a decrease in the rate of increase of art lovers in the city but does not mean that existing art lovers would stop visiting the museums.
Finally, the author has not provided any information about the poll conducted. The authenticity of a poll depends on various factors like the mode of collecting the data, the sample size, the variation in the type of people survyed etc. Moreover, there is no mention about who organised the poll, if it was done through a reputable experienced company who has a good record of organising such city wide polls or was done through some new organisation which does not have a good track record. The author fails to provide any details about all these crucial points that are essential to check the authenticity of a poll analysis.
In conclusion, the author has presented an unsupported argument based on various assumptions as stated above. The author can however make a better argument if some more details are provided that can support these assumptions. Therefore in its current form the argument lies unsubstantiated, flawed and open to debate.
TIA