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08 May 2023, 18:23
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Prompt -
“Last year, the city contracted with Flower Power to plant a variety of flowers in big decorative pots on Main Street and to water them each week. By midsummer many of the plants were wilted. This year the city should either contract for two waterings a week or save money by planting artificial flowers in the pots. According to Flower Power, the initial cost for artificial flowers would be twice as much as for real plants, but after two years, we would save money. Public reaction certainly supports this position: in a recent survey, over 1,200 Gazette readers said that the city wastes money and should find ways to reduce spending.”
Response -
The argument claims that the flowers planted by Flower Power were wilted by midsummer and this was a result of insufficient watering. The solution presented for the same is to either contract Flower Power to water these plants twice a week or to replace real flowers with artificial ones. Artificial flowers would cost twice as much as the real flowers but because they are assumed to be longer lasting, the city will save money after two years. Some of the readers of the Gazette magazine think that the city should reduce its spending and it is argued that spending on artificial flowers would be a good idea for the same. Stated in this way, the argument fails to mention several key factors, on the basis of which it could be evaluated. The conclusion of the argument relies on assumptions for which there is no clear evidence. Hence, the argument is unconvincing and has several flaws.
First, the argument readily assumes that the wilted flowers are a result of insufficient watering. However, there can be several other factors that might lead to the same result. For example, the flowers could be wilted because they are placed on Main Street which possibly has a lot of traffic, both pedestrian and vehicle. A lot of people in a relatively smaller space might result in limited sunlight exposure for the flowers and even pollution which also makes it challenging for the flowers to survive. Based on the possibility of these alternative explanations, it is clear that the assumption made in the argument is not accurate. The argument could have been much clearer if it explicitly stated that the wilted flowers are caused by insufficient watering.
Second, the argument claims that the use of artificial flowers will result in savings after two years because they cost twice the amount that real flowers do. This is again a very weak and unsupported claim as the argument does not consider the correlation between the quality deterioration of the decorative pots in which the flowers are planted and the passage of time. Additionally, no data has been provided in regards to the effectiveness of artificial flowers in achieving the goal behind planting them in the first place. In fact, if the goal is to attract more traffic to the Main Street, the artificial flowers might be more of a hinderance than a positive. If the argument had provided clear evidence for artificial flowers being a good substitute for real flowers, the argument would have been a lot more convincing.
Finally, it is claimed that the public wants the city to find ways to reduce spending although, this insight has been drawn from a sample size of 1200. It can be argued based on the average size of a city that the overall population is much larger than the sample. Furthermore, we do not know if the sample is an accurate representation of the population and its beliefs as it is highly likely that a certain demographic reads the magazine and participated in the survey conducted by Gazette. Without convincing evidence for these assumptions, one is left with the impression that the argument is more of a wishful thinking exercise rather than being based on substantive evidence.
In conclusion, the argument is flawed for the above-mentioned reasons and is therefore unconvincing. It could be considerably strengthened if the author clearly mentioned all the relevant facts including what factors are causing the flowers to be wilted, what are the motivations behind planting these flowers, how durable are decorative pots and how representative of the population of the city is the sample. Without this information, the argument remains unsubstantiated and open to debate.
“Last year, the city contracted with Flower Power to plant a variety of flowers in big decorative pots on Main Street and to water them each week. By midsummer many of the plants were wilted. This year the city should either contract for two waterings a week or save money by planting artificial flowers in the pots. According to Flower Power, the initial cost for artificial flowers would be twice as much as for real plants, but after two years, we would save money. Public reaction certainly supports this position: in a recent survey, over 1,200 Gazette readers said that the city wastes money and should find ways to reduce spending.”
Response -
The argument claims that the flowers planted by Flower Power were wilted by midsummer and this was a result of insufficient watering. The solution presented for the same is to either contract Flower Power to water these plants twice a week or to replace real flowers with artificial ones. Artificial flowers would cost twice as much as the real flowers but because they are assumed to be longer lasting, the city will save money after two years. Some of the readers of the Gazette magazine think that the city should reduce its spending and it is argued that spending on artificial flowers would be a good idea for the same. Stated in this way, the argument fails to mention several key factors, on the basis of which it could be evaluated. The conclusion of the argument relies on assumptions for which there is no clear evidence. Hence, the argument is unconvincing and has several flaws.
First, the argument readily assumes that the wilted flowers are a result of insufficient watering. However, there can be several other factors that might lead to the same result. For example, the flowers could be wilted because they are placed on Main Street which possibly has a lot of traffic, both pedestrian and vehicle. A lot of people in a relatively smaller space might result in limited sunlight exposure for the flowers and even pollution which also makes it challenging for the flowers to survive. Based on the possibility of these alternative explanations, it is clear that the assumption made in the argument is not accurate. The argument could have been much clearer if it explicitly stated that the wilted flowers are caused by insufficient watering.
Second, the argument claims that the use of artificial flowers will result in savings after two years because they cost twice the amount that real flowers do. This is again a very weak and unsupported claim as the argument does not consider the correlation between the quality deterioration of the decorative pots in which the flowers are planted and the passage of time. Additionally, no data has been provided in regards to the effectiveness of artificial flowers in achieving the goal behind planting them in the first place. In fact, if the goal is to attract more traffic to the Main Street, the artificial flowers might be more of a hinderance than a positive. If the argument had provided clear evidence for artificial flowers being a good substitute for real flowers, the argument would have been a lot more convincing.
Finally, it is claimed that the public wants the city to find ways to reduce spending although, this insight has been drawn from a sample size of 1200. It can be argued based on the average size of a city that the overall population is much larger than the sample. Furthermore, we do not know if the sample is an accurate representation of the population and its beliefs as it is highly likely that a certain demographic reads the magazine and participated in the survey conducted by Gazette. Without convincing evidence for these assumptions, one is left with the impression that the argument is more of a wishful thinking exercise rather than being based on substantive evidence.
In conclusion, the argument is flawed for the above-mentioned reasons and is therefore unconvincing. It could be considerably strengthened if the author clearly mentioned all the relevant facts including what factors are causing the flowers to be wilted, what are the motivations behind planting these flowers, how durable are decorative pots and how representative of the population of the city is the sample. Without this information, the argument remains unsubstantiated and open to debate.
09 May 2023, 06:54
Kudos
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AWA Score: 5.5 - 6 out of 6
Coherence and connectivity: 5/6
The essay is well-organized and easy to follow. The author effectively connects their ideas and uses transitional phrases to move smoothly between paragraphs.
Word structure: 6/6
The essay demonstrates a strong command of vocabulary and uses varied sentence structures to convey meaning.
Paragraph structure and formation: 5.5/6
The essay is well-structured with clear topic sentences, supporting details, and a strong concluding paragraph. However, some of the paragraphs could have been more tightly focused on a single idea.
Language and Grammar: 5.5/6
The language used in the essay is clear and effective. The author uses proper grammar throughout the essay but could have varied their sentence structures more.
Vocabulary and word expression: 6/6
The essay demonstrates a strong command of vocabulary and uses varied sentence structures to convey meaning. The author effectively conveys their ideas with appropriate word choice.
Overall, this essay is well-written and effectively critiques the argument presented. The author demonstrates a strong command of language and effectively uses evidence to support their claims.
Coherence and connectivity: 5/6
The essay is well-organized and easy to follow. The author effectively connects their ideas and uses transitional phrases to move smoothly between paragraphs.
Word structure: 6/6
The essay demonstrates a strong command of vocabulary and uses varied sentence structures to convey meaning.
Paragraph structure and formation: 5.5/6
The essay is well-structured with clear topic sentences, supporting details, and a strong concluding paragraph. However, some of the paragraphs could have been more tightly focused on a single idea.
Language and Grammar: 5.5/6
The language used in the essay is clear and effective. The author uses proper grammar throughout the essay but could have varied their sentence structures more.
Vocabulary and word expression: 6/6
The essay demonstrates a strong command of vocabulary and uses varied sentence structures to convey meaning. The author effectively conveys their ideas with appropriate word choice.
Overall, this essay is well-written and effectively critiques the argument presented. The author demonstrates a strong command of language and effectively uses evidence to support their claims.
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