Argument167 =so what=小组第五次作业 by ZhouPYF

ZhouPYFUID: 2633778

我觉得我字数太少了
实在些不出什么这篇

ZhouPYFUID: 2633778

TOPIC: ARGUMENT167 - A folk remedy* for insomnia, the scent in lavender flowers, has now been proved effective. In a recent study, 30 volunteers with chronic insomnia slept each night for three weeks on lavender-scented pillows in a controlled room where their sleep was monitored. During the first week, volunteers continued to take their usual sleeping medication. They slept soundly but wakened feeling tired. During the second week, the volunteers discontinued their medication. As a result, they slept less soundly than the previous week and felt even more tired. During the third week, the volunteers slept longer and more soundly than in the previous two weeks. This shows that over a short period of time lavender cures insomnia.

*A folk remedy is usually a plant-based form of treatment common to traditional forms of medicine, ones that developed before the advent of modern medical services and technology.
WORDS: 349          TIME: 00:39:31          DATE: 7/2/2009 4:17:03 PM

ZhouPYFUID: 2633778

In this argument the author claims that the scent in lavender flowers can be used to cure insomnia. To support the it, he cites one study indicating that people with chronic insomnia slept longer three weeks after the folk remedy. However, although the recommendation seems reasonable at first thought, several logical flaws has seriously undermined this argument.

To begin with, the sample number is too small to do the conclusion. According to the passage, only 30 volunteers participate in the study. Neither can this number provide enough information for the research, nor can it represent other people who are suffered from chronic insomnia. Unless sufficient data are provided, the credibility of the study is under doubt.

Moreover, granted that the data is useful for the research, other reasons may cause the longer sleep in the third week. Maybe the volunteers are so tired in the first two weeks, and they need more sleep in the third week. Perhaps they get used to the new environment in the last week and can have a longer sleep. Without specific evaluation of the above related possibilities, hardly can we make any prediction about the role of lavender in curing insomnia

Finally, even if we concede it is the scent in lavender flowers cause the phenomenon, the quality of the sleep can not be guaranteed. The author just simply mentions the volunteers have a longer and sounder sleep in the third week, but he does not show us whether the volunteers are tired or not. Perhaps when they wake up, they even feel more tired than the pervious two weeks. Consequently, the function of the lavender flowers can not be confirmed from the case.

In sum the conclusion lacks the credibility since the evidence cited in the argument does not lend strong support to what arguer maintains. To bolster his idea, the author would have to provide us more information concerning the study, like whether these 30 people can represent the chronic insomnia. To better evaluate the recommendation; we also need more information regarding the quality of the sleep in the third week.