第一次练习argument,选了OG上Mason City的题目，求各位指教。

aniy

Task：In surveys Mansion City residents rank water sports (swimming, boating, and fishing) among their favorite recreational activities. The Mason River flowing through the city is rarely used for these pursuits, however, and the city park department devotes little of its budget to maintaining riverside recreational facilities. For years there have been complaining from residents about the quality of the river’s water and the river’s smell. In response, the state has recently announced plants to clean up Mason River. Use of the river for water sports is, therefore, sure to increase.The city government should for that reason devote more money in this year’ budget to riverside recreational facilities.

Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on the assumptions and what the implications are if the assumptions prove unwarranted.



 My article:

In the argument, the arguer tries to persuade us the need to improve the riverside recreational facilities, in the way the use of the water sports is likely to increase over the less pollution of Mansion River.

However in the absence of more direct evidence, we cannot see the causality between less pollution and more desire of the water sports. Thus, it remains a question if we should highlight the policy.

For one thing, the author cites a survey to reach the conclusion the citizens of Mansion love water sports most. The conclusion based on the assumption that the survey involved a stochastic sample which is big enough, and a concrete range of reasonable choice to the question. However, we cannot know whether the respondents are selective or limited, so the assumption that they are perfectly on behalf of the whole residents is questionable. For example, the sample may asking only those residents who live upon the river or those of small amount who love water sports. Besides, even if the sample of the survey is of no doubt, we cannot rule out the possibility there are more superior sports not included in the choices of the survey. For example, the alternative choice may be golf or basketball, but in fact the citizens prefer football which is not listed in the survey. The author should describe the survey more detailed or else the data of the survey is not that convincing.

For another, the author hastily assume that the use of the Mansion River will certainly goes up as the contamination is to be relieved. But the causality between them is ambiguous, on the account of other reasons may also result the nonuse of the river. For example, the river may be fathomless and the security of having water sports in the river is of no guarantee. What’ more, the convenience to reach the river also matters in the process to decide whether or not to go to the river.Obviously, we won’t go to a remote, isolate place very often just for having sports. Hence the less pollution may serve as a necessary but not sufficient reason to use the Mansion River.

Before I come to my final conclusion, it is necessary to discuss another underlying assumption in the argument, namely, the riverside recreational facilities is obliged to fortify while the use of the river is likely to increase. As a government, it’s important to weigh the profit and cost when making the investment decision, so what if the decision will bring great loss? In addition, to maximize the utility and the effect by distributing the amount of investment also matters. So we can’t assert the necessity of an augment in riverside recreational facilities without comparing other solutions in that the security facilities may be more needed. Moreover, the sufficiency of the policy also requires further investigation.

After the above analysis, we suggest the policy to increase the riverside recreational facilities to be considered more carefully for the data of the survey is not clear and more study on the river is needed. Only by taking all the details into consideration, can we make the best solution to benefit both the residents and the government.

普渡哥

in the way the use of the water sports is likely to increase over the less pollution of Mansion River.

这句话什么意思？没读懂。。

aniy

是in that************************不是in the way 抱歉啊