In 1938 an archaeologist in Iraq acquired a set of clay jars that had been excavated two years earlier by villagers constructing a railroad line. The vessels were about 2,200 years old. Each clay jar contained a copper cylinder surrounding an iron rod. The archaeologist proposed that the vessels were ancient electric batteries and even demonstrated that they can produce a small electric current when filled with some liquids. However, it is not likely that the vessels were actually used as electric batteries in ancient times.
First of all, if the vessels were used as batteries, they would probably have been attached to some electricity conductors such as metal wires. But there is no evidence that any metal wires were located near the vessels. All that has been excavated are the vessels themselves.
Second, the copper cylinders inside the jars look exactly like copper cylinders discovered in the ruins of Seleucia, an ancient city located nearby. We know that the copper cylinders from Seleucia were used for holding scrolls of sacred texts, not for generating electricity. Since the cylinders found with the jars have the same shape, it is very likely they were used for holding scrolls as well. That no scrolls were found inside the jars can be explained by the fact that the scrolls simply disintegrated over the centuries.
Finally, what could ancient people have done with the electricity that the vessels were supposed to have generated? They had no devices that relied on electricity. As batteries, the vessels would have been completely useless to them.
The reading and the lecturer are about clay jar vessels. More specifically, in the reading passage, the writer provides three pieces of evidence to show that the vessels do not conduct electricity. The lecturer is quick to point out that there are some serious flaws in the writer's claim. In fact, he believes and addresses in detail the trouble with each claim made in the reading text.
First and foremost, the author of the reading states that if they are true batteries they would be seen on some conductors such as metal wires. The lecturer, however, stands in firm opposition to this claim. He states that batteries are clear because wires are absent. Moreover, vessels are discovered by village people and they might have come across some materials that conduct electricity, but since they are not trained archaeologists they might be able to picture what the materials contain.
Secondly, the author of the reading feels that the copper cylinder inside the jar is synonymous with that found in the ruins of Selucia. The lecturer, however, stands in firm opposition to this claim. He states that copper cylinders are preserved in Seleucia such that it used with an iron rod and some vessels will produce electricity.
Finally, the author brings his argument to a close-by suggesting that what would people in the past do with electricities that were supposed to be produced. Not surprisingly, the professor rebutted this claim by contending that batteries generate shock and tingling which could serve as a piece of evidence that they are conductors. Also, it convinces people because they do see batteries as magical powers and because they can be used as therapy this actually made doctors make use of it while treating their patients.
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Transition Words or Phrases used:
actually, also, but, finally, first, however, if, moreover, second, secondly, so, while, in fact, such as
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 16.0 10.4613686534 153% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 7.0 5.04856512141 139% => OK
Conjunction : 8.0 7.30242825607 110% => OK
Relative clauses : 14.0 12.0772626932 116% => OK
Pronoun: 33.0 22.412803532 147% => Less pronouns wanted
Preposition: 37.0 30.3222958057 122% => OK
Nominalization: 5.0 5.01324503311 100% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1472.0 1373.03311258 107% => OK
No of words: 290.0 270.72406181 107% => OK
Chars per words: 5.07586206897 5.08290768461 100% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.12666770723 4.04702891845 102% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.59839884843 2.5805825403 101% => OK
Unique words: 152.0 145.348785872 105% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.524137931034 0.540411800872 97% => OK
syllable_count: 450.9 419.366225166 108% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.55342163355 103% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 4.0 3.25607064018 123% => OK
Article: 9.0 8.23620309051 109% => OK
Subordination: 0.0 1.25165562914 0% => More adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 1.0 1.51434878587 66% => OK
Preposition: 2.0 2.5761589404 78% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 14.0 13.0662251656 107% => OK
Sentence length: 20.0 21.2450331126 94% => OK
Sentence length SD: 51.3735817124 49.2860985944 104% => OK
Chars per sentence: 105.142857143 110.228320801 95% => OK
Words per sentence: 20.7142857143 21.698381199 95% => OK
Discourse Markers: 7.5 7.06452816374 106% => OK
Paragraphs: 4.0 4.09492273731 98% => OK
Language errors: 0.0 4.19205298013 0% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 3.0 4.33554083885 69% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 5.0 4.45695364238 112% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 6.0 4.27373068433 140% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.101588429295 0.272083759551 37% => The similarity between the topic and the content is low.
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0401668102768 0.0996497079465 40% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0612159513772 0.0662205650399 92% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.0699645726607 0.162205337803 43% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0554399559513 0.0443174109184 125% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 12.9 13.3589403974 97% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 51.18 53.8541721854 95% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 5.55761589404 56% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 11.1 11.0289183223 101% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 12.18 12.2367328918 100% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.11 8.42419426049 96% => OK
difficult_words: 64.0 63.6247240618 101% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 8.0 10.7273730684 75% => OK
gunning_fog: 10.0 10.498013245 95% => OK
text_standard: 13.0 11.2008830022 116% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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Rates: 81.6666666667 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 24.5 Out of 30
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.