The lecture and passage both discuss three hypotheses around a weapon which is dubbed burning mirror. The reading posits that this tool could not be existed as a weapon by demonstrating three counterarguments reasons. In contrast, the lecturer explains that the justifications of reading are not convincing and refutes each author's reason.
Firstly, the reading claims that ancient Greek was not technically and practically so advanced to build such a solid and precise gadget. The professor denies this and explains that Greek people did not need to build a single mirror from a big copper. They could place and arrange small pieces of copper together and form a large mirror. Besides, Greek mathematicians knew how to set a parabolic mirror.
Secondly, the passage indicates that burring mirror perhaps could not be feasible and efficient because it took long hours to set the ships on fire. Speaker opposes this by talking that reading assumes Roman’s ships were just made from wood. But, Roman navy used other materials and substances to build their boats. For instance, they employed an especial material named pitch in order to seal and make waterproof their ships. According to the professor, this material takes fire by mirror very quickly in the seconds.
Thirdly, the text mentions that Greek soldiers already had another effective weapon, flaming arrows, and so burning mirror did not seem to be necessary. The lecturer denies this and says that Romance navy was ready and aware about flaming arrows. However, they could not see the burning raised from the mirror and this would be more surprising and beneficial.
- TPO-08 - Independent Writing Task Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Television advertising directed towards young children (aged two to five) should not be allowed.Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. 62
- TPO-18 - Independent Writing Task Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Students are more influenced by their teachers than by their friends. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. 83
- TPO-07 - Independent Writing Task Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?It is more important for students to understand ideas and concepts than it is for them to learn facts.Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. 86
- TPO-41 - Independent Writing Task Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?Teachers were more appreciated and valued by society in the past than they are nowadays.Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. 90
- TPO-31 - Integrated Writing Task A fossil skeleton of a dinosaur called Sinosauropteryx, preserved in volcanic ash, was discovered in Liaoning, China, in 1996. Interestingly, the fossil included a pattern of fine lines surrounding the skeletal bones. Some 82
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 27 in 30
Category: Excellent Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 0 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 15 12
No. of Words: 264 250
No. of Characters: 1333 1200
No. of Different Words: 156 150
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.031 4.2
Average Word Length: 5.049 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.487 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 101 80
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 74 60
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 38 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 21 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 17.6 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 4.03 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.533 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.319 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.541 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.066 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 4 4