TPO 27 :
The little ice age was a period of unusually cold temperature in many parts of the world that lasted from about the year 1350 until 1900CE. There were unusually harsh winters, and glaciers grew larger in many areas. Scientist have long wondered what caused the Little Ice Age. Several possible causes have been proposed.
First, the cooling may have been caused by disrupting of ocean currents. Before the Little Ice Age, there was a period of unusually warm weather during which glaciers melted. These melted glaciers sent a large amount of cold freshwater into the Gulf Stream, a large ocean current that strongly affects Earth's climate. Some scientists believe that this freshwater was enough to temporarily disrupt the Gulf Stream. Such a disruption could have caused the Little Ice Age.
Second, volcanic eruption could have caused the Little Ice Age. When volcanoes erupt, they send dark clouds of dust and sulfur gas into the atmosphere. These clouds, which can spread over great areas, block some sunlight from reaching Earth's surface. This can decrease the global temperatures. Scientists know of several volcanic eruption that took place during the Little Ice Age.
Third, substantial decreases in human populations may have contributed indirectly to the cooling of the climate. For a variety of reason(disease, warfare, social disruption), the human population just before the Little Ice Age and during the early part of it was lower than it had been in a long time. Forest trees started growing on fields that were no longer used for agriculture. Since trees absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, they decrease the greenhouse effect that keeps Earth warm. With more forest trees carbon dioxide, earth became cooler.
The reading and the lecture are both about the cause of the Little Ice Age, which lasted for a long time. The author of the reading passage provides three suggestions for the cause. The lecturer believes that the claims made by the author are out of date.
First of all, the author claims that the start of The Little Ice Age was due to the fluctuation of ocean temperatures since there was a climate disruption in the Gulf Stream. The lecturer, however, disagrees. He says that the cooling occurred only in certain parts of the world, except the Gulf Stream. He goes on to say that the difference in sea temperature cannot explain the cause of the so-called ice age.
Secondly, according to the article, there was a volcanic eruption that led to a decline in the climate because the volcano releases toxic chemicals into the air. The professor believes that the eruption was not strong enough to have been noticed by the residents of the surrounding area. He suggests that there is no evidence to support the author's point.
Finally, the author of the article states that the decline of the human population triggered the tree's overgrowth, which absorbed the carbon dioxide and lowered the temperature. The lecturer, again, finds a flaw in the author's statement. The professor mentions that the disappearance of the human dwellers lasted not long enough, so trees could have been cut down quickly by people. He believes that it was not the cause of the long-term global cooling of the climates.
As you can see, the author and the lecturer have both conflicting views about the Little Ice Age.
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Number of Paragraphs: 5 4
better to have 4 paragraphs:
para 1: introduction
para 2: doubt 1
para 3: doubt 2
para 4: doubt 3
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 22 in 30
Category: Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 3 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 4 2
No. of Sentences: 15 12
No. of Words: 275 250
No. of Characters: 1291 1200
No. of Different Words: 136 150
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.072 4.2
Average Word Length: 4.695 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.459 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 91 80
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 67 60
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 44 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 22 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 18.333 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 7.152 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.333 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.382 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.594 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.143 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 5 4