The following appeared as part of an article in a magazine on lifestyles.
"Two years ago, City L was listed 14th in an annual survey that ranks cities according to the quality of life that can be enjoyed by those living in them. This information will enable people who are moving to the state in which City L is located to confidently identify one place, at least, where schools are good, housing is affordable, people are friendly, the environment is safe, and the arts flourish."
My response
The argument claims that city L is a great place to live based on a survey that was taken 2 years. The survey included information such as: good schools, affordable housing, friendly people, safe environment, and exceptional arts. This information will inform anyone moving to city L as a great place to live. This line of reasoning is flawed and unconvincing.
First, the argument claims that city L has been listed number 14 in a survey that ranks cities according to quality of life. This ranking was conducted two years ago and we are not told what the current ranking is for city L. In addition, we are not told if a higher number is more favorable than a lower number. If we were told what the current ranking number was and if a lower ranking number was more favorable than someone can make a decision to move to city L or not.
Second, no statistical data was provided on the number of cities that took the survey. City L's rank of 14 could have been out of 15. If this was the case, I don't think people would move to city L. However, if the argument stated the number of cities that took the survey were 1000 or higher, than city L's ranking would have been ideal for people wanting to move there.
Last, one of the many reason people might choose to move to new city is the employment outlook. This information is not mentioned in the argument. For someone who is out of work and looking to move to a city where jobs are plentiful, would be more interested on the employment levels than any other criteria.
In summary, this argument has several flaws but it could have been strengthen. If the author included the number of cities who took the survey, the current quality of life at city L, the employment outlook, one could make a better decision to move to city L or not.
"Two years ago, City L was listed 14th in an annual survey that ranks cities according to the quality of life that can be enjoyed by those living in them. This information will enable people who are moving to the state in which City L is located to confidently identify one place, at least, where schools are good, housing is affordable, people are friendly, the environment is safe, and the arts flourish."
My response
The argument claims that city L is a great place to live based on a survey that was taken 2 years. The survey included information such as: good schools, affordable housing, friendly people, safe environment, and exceptional arts. This information will inform anyone moving to city L as a great place to live. This line of reasoning is flawed and unconvincing.
First, the argument claims that city L has been listed number 14 in a survey that ranks cities according to quality of life. This ranking was conducted two years ago and we are not told what the current ranking is for city L. In addition, we are not told if a higher number is more favorable than a lower number. If we were told what the current ranking number was and if a lower ranking number was more favorable than someone can make a decision to move to city L or not.
Second, no statistical data was provided on the number of cities that took the survey. City L's rank of 14 could have been out of 15. If this was the case, I don't think people would move to city L. However, if the argument stated the number of cities that took the survey were 1000 or higher, than city L's ranking would have been ideal for people wanting to move there.
Last, one of the many reason people might choose to move to new city is the employment outlook. This information is not mentioned in the argument. For someone who is out of work and looking to move to a city where jobs are plentiful, would be more interested on the employment levels than any other criteria.
In summary, this argument has several flaws but it could have been strengthen. If the author included the number of cities who took the survey, the current quality of life at city L, the employment outlook, one could make a better decision to move to city L or not.
