argument14 [7\8\9\10]第七次作业

tsayUID: 2492916

题目：ARGUMENT161
In a study of reading habits of Leeville citizens conducted by the University of Leeville, most respondents said they preferred literary classics as reading material. However, a follow-up study conducted by the same researchers found that the type of book most frequently checked out of each of the public libraries in Leeville was the mystery novel. Therefore, it can be concluded that the respondents in the first study had misrepresented their reading habits.
字数：367          用时：00:30:00          日期：2008/7/27 15:18:41

In this argument, the author conclude that the respondents in the first study ,which was conducted by the university of Leeville, had misrepresented their reading habits. To support the conclusion, the author cites a follow-up study conducted by the same researcher. The study found that its the mystery novel that was checked out of each of public libraries frequently. The argument has some flows in several aspects.

First of all, the author fails to supply sufficient information about the respondents in the first study. Are they students in University? are they the  literary classic fans? how many people have participated the first study? It's possible in the first study, most of respondents are literary classics fans but it does not indicate that the Leeville citizens have such reading habits. Without these information, the author can not conclude that in the first study, the respondents had misrepresented their reading habits.  

Secondly, the author assume that the citizens have reading habits of mystery novel because this kind of  book had been frequently checked out in public libraries. however, the author fails to consider the possible alternative explanations to the mystery novel which had been checked out frequently in each of the public libraries. The possible explanations include the facts that recently there are some famous mystery novels published and its perfect advertisement and content that have attracted citizens when the follow up study was conducted, and that the far more mystery novel are available in public libraries than the too expensive literature. For that matter, the novel which is frequently check out does not indicate that it is citizen‘s habit.   

Finally, even assuming that the citizen 's reading habits are mystery novels , that does not necessary indicates that they had misrepresented their reading habits. Its entirely possible that the first respondents are the students in university of Leeville or literary fans and they  like reading literary classics other than mystery novel. And in the public libraries people would like to read mystery novel.

To sum up, the conclusion that in the first study had misrepresented their reading habits seems logic since the mystery novel was frequently checked out of each of public libraries. However, before the final conclusion is made, the author should supply more information about the respondents and where they made such survey. The author also should provide the detailed information about the book which had been checked out in each of public libraries.