TPO 33Carved stone balls are a curious type of artifact found at a number of locations in Scotland. They date from the late Neolithic period, around 4,000 years ago. They are round in shape; they were carved from several types of stone; most are about 70

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TPO 33
Carved stone balls are a curious type of artifact found at a number of locations in Scotland. They date from the late Neolithic period, around 4,000 years ago. They are round in shape; they were carved from several types of stone; most are about 70 mm in diameter; and many are ornamented to some degree. Archaeologists do not agree about their purpose and meaning, but there are several theories.

One theory is that the carved stone balls were weapons used in hunting or fighting. Some of the stone balls have been found with holes in them, and many have grooves on the surface. It is possible that a cord was strung through the holes or laid in the grooves around the ball. Holding the stone balls at the end of the cord would have allowed a person to swing it around or throw it.

A second theory is that the carved stone balls were used as part of a primitive system of weights and measures. The fact that they are so nearly uniform in size – at 70 mm in diameter – suggests that the balls were interchangeable and represented some standard unit of measure. They could have been used as standard weights to measure quantities of grain or other food, or anything that needed to be measured by weight on a balance or scale for the purpose of trade.

A third theory is that the carved stone balls served a social purpose as opposed to a practical or utilitarian one. This view is supported by the fact that many stone balls have elaborate designs. The elaborate carving suggests that the stones may have marked the important social status of their owners.

Both the reading and the lecture discuss the purpose of the carved stone balls found at a number of locations in Scotland. The reading provides three possible theories about their purpose. Whoever, in the lecture the professor says that non of the reading's theories are convincing and rejects each of them.

First, the passage claims that the carved stone balls were used in hunting or fighting as a weapon. The professor contradicts this point by saying that stone balls are very well preserved. If they were use as a weapon they should show signs of damage such as been cracked. Therefore, this theory could not be accepted.

Second, the author states that the balls were a part of a primitive system of weights and measures. The professor refutes this by explaining that although those balls are uniform in size, they have different weight. She says that they are made from different types of stones, thus they vary in density. This means that balls with they same size but different density do not have the same weight. As a result, they could not have been used for measuring purpose.

Finally, the reading asserts that carved stone balls might served a social purpose, since many of them have elaborate designs on them. In the lecture the professor opposes this theory by saying that this theory is inconsistent with some facts. First, some of those stones have a really simple design on them, too simple to make the balls look like status symbols . Moreover, in the past in British, when someone died they buried his/her valuable possessions with her/him. Non of the stones were found in graves or tunes. Thus, this theory is off too.

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such as been cracked.
such as being cracked.

Sentence: This means that balls with they same size but different density do not have the same weight.
Description: A preposition is not usually followed by a pronoun, personal, nominative, not 3rd person singular
Suggestion: Refer to with and they

Sentence: Finally, the reading asserts that carved stone balls might served a social purpose, since many of them have elaborate designs on them.
Description: A modal auxillary is not usually followed by a verb, past participle
Suggestion: Refer to might and served

Attribute Value Ideal
Score: 25 in 30
Category: Very Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 3 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 18 12
No. of Words: 284 250
No. of Characters: 1323 1200
No. of Different Words: 148 150
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.105 4.2
Average Word Length: 4.658 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.159 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 92 80
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 58 60
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 30 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 19 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 15.778 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 4.894 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.667 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.311 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.51 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.11 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 4 4