A recently issued twenty-year study on headaches suffered by the residents of Mentia investigated the possible therapeutic effect of consuming salicylates. Salicylates are members of the same chemical family as aspirin, a medicine used to treat headaches. Although many foods are naturally rich in salicylates, food-processing companies also add salicylates to foods as preservatives. The twenty-year study found a correlation between the rise in the commercial use of salicylates and a steady decline in the average number of headaches reported by study participants. At the time when the study concluded, food-processing companies had just discovered that salicylates can also be used as flavor additives for foods, and, as a result, many companies plan to do so. Based on these study results, some health experts predict that residents of Mentia will suffer even fewer headaches in the future.
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.
The report the health experts in the study base their prediction upon appears reasonable. A closer look at the premises of the report reveals that it fails to show how the rise in the consumption of salicylates and future use as an additive would reduce headaches in Mentia.
The report’s first claim that there is a correlation in the rise of commercial use of salicylates and decline in headaches of residents is unsubstantiated. For the report’s claim to be valid, it has to show that the participants in the study consumed significant quantities of salicylates. How many participants reported or were observed consuming salicylates? This is because the individuals who consume this chemical may be different from those who suffer headaches.The report also has to provide a time frame to prove the correlation. For instance, did Mentia residents increase consumption of salicylates in May and there was a steady decline of headaches after that. These evidences would strengthen the report’s claim on the effectiveness of salicylates. The report also needs to exclude convincingly other factors that may cause a reduction in headaches. For instance did Mentians change their lifestyle such that it is not stressful? Are Mentia’s residents consuming natural salicylates hence the reduction in headaches? Answers to question as this would help evaluate the report’s argument.
The report also claims that companies plan to use salicylates in food additives. The health experts prediction based on this assumption is highly flawed. The fact that companies plan to use salicylates as a food additive is not proof that Mentia’s residents would buy these products. For the experts to strengthen their claim, they need to show that Mentian residents would purchase the food products and also show that the quantity of salicylates that would comprise the food additive is sufficient to relieve headaches.
Another factor, the health experts failed to consider before their prediction is; is Salicylates the only therapeutic effect for headaches? If Mentian residents engage in other headache and stress inducing behavior and do not change, would the consumption of commercial salicylates still relieve the pain?
In summary, the health experts have based their prediction on a study that does not convincingly show the effectiveness of salicylates as relieve for headache and also does not show how the consumption of salicylates would reduce the incidence of headaches. To support their prediction, the experts have to show a cogent link between the commercial use of salicylates and how it would reduce the future occurence of headache.
- The following report appeared in the newsletter of the West Meria Public Health Council An innovative treatment has come to our attention that promises to significantly reduce absenteeism in our schools and workplaces A study reports that in nearby East M 68
- As we acquire more knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible, but more complex and mysterious.Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take 78
- The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a local newspaper."Commuters complain that increased rush-hour traffic on Blue Highway between the suburbs and the city center has doubled their commuting time. The favored proposal of the motorists' lob 78
- Governments should offer college and university education free of charge to all students Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation and explain your reasoning for the position you take In develo 86
- Some people believe that in order to be effective, political leaders must yield to public opinion and abandon principle for the sake of compromise. Others believe that the most essential quality of an effective leader is the ability to remain consistently 100
Sentence: To support their prediction, the experts have to show a cogent link between the commercial use of salicylates and how it would reduce the future occurence of headache.
Error: occurence Suggestion: occurrence
flaws:
No. of Different Words: 168 200
Attribute Value Ideal
Score: 5.0 out of 6
Category: Very Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 0 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 1 2
No. of Sentences: 20 15
No. of Words: 416 350
No. of Characters: 2185 1500
No. of Different Words: 168 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.516 4.7
Average Word Length: 5.252 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.945 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 162 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 131 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 105 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 73 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 20.8 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 9.352 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.55 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.362 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.542 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.1 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 5 5