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LisetteGonzalez
ProfessorGregMcClure
Writing39C
20August2015
DogBreeding:Howmuchdoyouknow?

Dogshavebecomemuchmorethananimals,theyhavepracticallybecomeoneofus.The
abilityforhumanstodomesticatesuchananimalandtrainthemtodosomuchhasonlyproven
theircapabilitiesandthestrongbondbetweenthetwo.Althoughmanybelievehumansanddogs
cannotbecompared,mentally,DianaReiss,apsychologyprofessoratHunterCollegeofNew
York,statesthatwetendtofilteranimal'sintelligencebasedonthehumanworld,nottheanimal
world,creatingabias.Thereare,ofcourse,mentaltraitsthatremainspecifictohumans,butas
MarcBekoff,anEcologyandEvolutionaryBiologyprofessoratUniversityofColorado,says,
theresnoreasontothinkthatdogjoy,catjoy,andyourjoyaregoingtobejustthesame
(Clemmit878).Manystudiesandexperimentshavebeenconductedinordertoprovedogs
mentalabilities,tosharehowdogshavebecomenearlyasimportantasanyhuman,butmost
importantly,togivethemavoiceinasocietythatdoesnotalwaysseeeyetoeye.Thesestudies
helpshowtheworldwhatmanycannotseeatfirstglance,solidifyingtheideathatalotmore
goesoninananimalsmindthanonethinks.
However,forpeopletobelievethatdogsdont
thinkorhaveemotionsgivesthemareasontomistreatorabusethem,physicallyandmentally.
Dogbreedingisasourcefortheseproblemsandhumansstandbehindit.Ithasabecomean
issuethatneedsfixingassoonaspossiblebecausetheseanimalssuffereveryday,andpeopleare

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notawareofordontcareoftheproblemstheycreate,despitethesciencebehindit.
Thereare
waystosolvethis
butitcanonlybedoneifeveryoneunderstandsthebackgroundofthe
situationandrealizethatsomethingneedstobedonetohelptheseanimalsthatbasicallyhavea
mindverysimilartoours.
DuringtheVictorianera,peoplerealizedtheycouldusechangingadogsappearanceto
theiradvantage.ProblemscontinuedastheAmericanKennelClub(AKC)wasfoundedin1884
intheUnitedStatesandcreatedtherightlookfordogstocompeteindogshows,stoppingat
nocost(Hancock)..Theymanagedover100breedsofdogs,keepingaregistryofancestryjustto
maintainpurebreddogsinline(Cohen,HartCohen26).Dogsfacedandstillfacehealth
problemsassociatedwithselectivebreeding,andtheresaveryhighpossibilitytheseanimals
knowwhatisbeingdonetothemandfeeljustasmuchpainasanyhumanwould.Science,
however,haspartakeninthisissue,tobringawarenessofwhatdogsareactuallyableto
understand.
Scientistshavebeenstudyinganimalcognition,tounderstandthembetter,knowwhat
theythink,oriftheythink.Afterall,itisimportanttoknowifdogsareabletocomprehendwhat
happenstothemwhentheyarenottreatedproperly.AstudyconductedbySanniSomppi,Laura
Hanninen,OutiVainio,facultyofVeterinaryScience,andHeiniTornqvist,ChristinaKrause,
facultyofBehavioralSciences,allfromtheUniversityofHelsinki,usingeyetracking,helped
provethatdogswereabletodistinguishmanythings,inthiscaseimages,showingtheirmental
capabilities.Intheexperiment,thedogseyesweretrackedandtheresultsshowedthatthey
fixatedonadogpicturemoreandforalongerperiodoftimethananyotherpicture,suggesting
anexpertiseintheperceptionofownspecies(
S
omppi,Tornqvist,Hanninen,Krause,Vainio

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166).Figure1showstheapproximateschematicusedforthisexperiment,provingtopeoplethe
directionsdogswereabletofollowandmostimportantly,nohumaninterference.Thefactthat
thedogscouldevenrecognizeimagesdemonstratedtheyarecapableofformingmental
representationsthroughpictures(
Somppi,Tornqvist,Hanninen,Krause,Vainio172
)Iftheycan
dothiswiththeirminds,whatelsearetheycapableofdoingorknowing?

Figure1.
Somppi,Sani,Tornqvist,Heini,Hanninen,Laura,KrauseChristina,VainioOuti.
"Dogsdolookatimages:eyetrackingincaninecognitionresearch".
AnimalCognition
Vol.15
(2012):163174.Print.

Objectpermanenceandsocialcueingarebothsimpleandinterestingformsofcognition,
whereoneisthetheideathatanobjectexistseventhoughitisnotvisibleandtheotheris
directingtoanobjectbypointing,respectively.Objectpermanencewasoriginallyusedfor
studiesinvolvinginfants,untilthe1980sand1990swhenpsychologistsappliedittodogsand

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foundtheyhadconsistentlevelsofperformance(Clotfelter,Hollis293).Inastudytestingthese
phenomena,itwasshownthatsuccessratesforobjectpermanencedroppedfromstagetostage,
butJ.DavidSmith,apsychologyprofessoratStateUniversityofNewYork,offeredan
explanationstatingtherewasapossibilitythesedogsoptedoutasathirdchoice,becauseofan
uncertainfeeling,asignofmetacognition(Clemmitt875).Socialcueingpresenteddifferent
resultsasdogsperformedbetter,leadingresearcherstobelieveonlycertaincognitiveabilities
wereselectedduringdomesticationforhumandogcommunication(Clotfelter,Hollis293).So
thequestionremains,dodogsknowwhatisgoingon?Dotheproblemsofinbreedingor
breedingingeneralaffecttheminanyway?Ifithasbeenproventhatthegapbetweenhuman
andanimalmindsisgettingsmaller,itsverylikelytheyexperienceandunderstandthetroubles
theyareputthroughwhenitcomestobreeding.
Scienceandresearchhashelpedprovethementalcapabilitiesdogsarecapableofbut
doesdogbreedinghaveanyeffectonthis?Alteringadogsappearancedisruptstheirwaysof
communication,forexampledifficultiesindisplayingtheirteethorevenwaggingtheirtailis
proofofthechallengesadogfaceswhentheirownertriestorefinethemintosomethingtheyare
clearlynot(McGreevy,Nicholas332).Peopletendtoforgettheenvironmentdogsneedto
survive,whichissolelybasedoncommunicationwithhumans.socuttingoffthatrelationship
distanceshumansfromdogs.PaulMcGreevyandFrankNicholas,bothprofessorsofVeterinary
ScienceattheUniversityofSydney,discussintheirarticleofdogbreedingproblemsandhow
peopleoftenoverselectthetraitstheyfavor,causingbehaviorproblemsthat,insomecases,lead
toeuthanasia(McGreevy,Nicholas332).
Isitfairthatadogshouldhavetodiebecausepe
ople

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feeltheneedtoalternotjusttheirappearancebuttheirbehavior?This,andbreedingingeneral,
isaproblemthatneedstobeaddressedinordertocomeclosertoasolution.
Humanshavebeenknowntoaltertheappearanceofadog,butforwhat?Sincetheir
domestication,dogswereusedforhunting,protectingpropertyandsecuringlivestock,so
humansbreddogsforthesetraits,traitsthatactuallyservedapurpose(McGreevy,Nicholas
330).Nowitseemshumanshavechosentobreeddogsfortheirappearanceratherthan
functionality,saysMcGreevy(330).Themostnotabledifferencesindogbreedsareseenindog
shows,asownersmanipulatetheirdogsappearancetomeetcertainstandards.Thefirstshowin
theUnitedKingdomwasin1859,aroundthesametime
TheOriginOfSpecies,
byCharles
Darwin,waspublished

(Bateson8).Darwinexperimentedwithselectivebreedingand
discoveredhistheoryofnaturalselection,butnow,inthepresent,ownerscontinuetoinbreed
dogstokeepdesirabletraits,notknowingthedamagebeingdonetothem(Bateson7).The
effectsofbreedingwithoutdisciplineproveserious,sometimesfatal,questioningtheideaof
breedinginthefirstplace.
Aspeopledecidetobreeddogs,whetheritbefordogshowsorinpuppymills,theyare
puttingdogsatriskforwelfareproblems,somethingdogsshouldnothavetodealwithinthe
firstplace
.Whenitcomestodogsindogshows,thereareover400recognizeddogbreeds
worldwide,makingitapopularhobby,saysNicolaRooney,fromtheUniversityofBristol,and
DavidSargan,fromtheUniversityofCambridge,specializinginVeterinaryScienceand
VeterinaryMedicine,respectively(Rooney,Sargan9).Butsomeofthemainproblemsdogsface
asaresultofinbreedingincludephysicalabnormalitiesandinheritinggeneticdisorders(Rooney,
Sargan9).Sincesomeofthesedogswanttobeusedtocompeteatshows,ownersmakesureto

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choosethebesttraitswhenbreeding,oftenexaggeratinglookstoapointwherethereisno
functionality.Heavierdogssufferjointproblems,hairlessnessresultsintheinabilityto
thermoregulate,unnaturalpositionofteethmakeithardforfeeding,alljustsomeofthe
problemsdogsencounter(Rooney,Sargan11).Insteadofviewingthesedefectsasproblems,
manyofthesetraitsareconsideredbreedstandards,forcingpeopletoharmtheirdog,not
thinkingoftheeffectsitcouldhave.Forexample,BostonTerriersarerequiredtobeshort,
squareheadedwithasquarejawandMiniaturepoodles,withtheirfinelegs,riskfracturingthem
fromjumping(McGreevy,Nicholas331).Traitsthatshouldnotbeconsiderednormalare
glamorizedtofitthethelook.Inbreedingalsoreducesfertility,lowersbirthrate,andreduces
theimmunesystem,whichcanprovedeadly,becausetheimmunesystemhelpsremove
cancerouscells,leadingtothedevelopmentoftumors(Bateson15).Asforthedogsinpuppy
mills,theytoosufferfrombeingpoorlybred,leadingtohealthproblemsandcarriersofdiseases
thatcanaffecthumansandotheranimals(Lawsthatprotectdogs).
Asidefromphysicalproblems,ithasbeennotedhowdependentdogshavebecomeon
humans,makingtheirsurvivalonthisplanetcriticaliftheyweretobeleftwithoutcare.Because
ofartificialselection,dogshavelostmostoftheirtraitsfromtheirwolfancestors,constraining
theminacertainway.Theirconstantneedforhumanattentionhascometoapointwheredogs
willsufferiftheydonotgetenoughattention(Bateson11).Theycannolongersurviveontheir
ownandarenowdependentforfood,care,andleadership,traitsthatwereunintentionally
createdbyhumansintheprocessofbreeding(McGreevy,Nicholas332).Theirbehaviorcanalso
becomeaffectedtothesekindsofalterationsasshownwithcertainbreeds.Usuallythelarger

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breedshavebeenknowntobecomemoreaggressivetowardshumans,whilethesmallerbreeds
developnoisephobias(Rooney,Sargan26).
Astheproblemsofdogbreedingareexposed,itistimetocoverpossiblesolutions,
not
onlyforthesedogs,buttorestoresomefaithinthewaywetreattheseanimals.TheAnimal
WelfareAct(AWA),whichwaspassedin1966,issupposedtoregulatecertainanimalactivities,
includingdogbreeding,specificallywithpuppymills,butithasbeenknowntobepoorly
enforced(Lawsthatprotectdogs).Somethingnotcoveredbythislaw,forexample,isthe
importationofdogsfromforeignpuppymills,whichcanbeaproblemconsideringthesedogs
weremostlikelyraisedinunsanitaryconditions.WiththehelpoftheAmericanSocietyforthe
PreventionofCrueltytoAnimals(ASPCA)andotherwelfaregroups,anamendmenttothe2008
farmbillwaspassed,prohibitingtheimportationofpuppiesundersixmonths(Lawsthat
protectdogs).
Eachstatehasdifferentlawsandregulations,somedontatall,buttheonesthatdo
requirelicensing,standardsofcare,orinspections(Lawsthatprotectdogs).Breedersare
requiredtohavesometypeoflicenseandannualinspectionsofstandardsofcarearemandatory
insomestates,makingthisenforcementbetterthannoenforcement.Figure2showsamap,asof
March2015,ofthestatesthathavesomeorallofthelawsandregulationsstatedearlier,in
place.Asyoucanseetherearemanystatesthatdoenforcesometypeofrules,buttherearealso
manystatesthathavenoregulation.

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Figure2.
"LawsthatprotectdogsinPuppyMills".
ASPCA.
ASPCA,4Dec.2012.Web.16Aug
2015.

AsfarastheAmericanKennelClubisconcerned,theymaintaincareandcondition
policiesforthosewhobreeddogstoensurethattheyareraisedinahumanemanner(Kaminski).
Thesepoliciesarebrokendownintothreecategories,whichincludecareofdogs,kennelsand
housing,andoperations,allofwhichshouldhelptheconditionsofdogsthatareforcedintodog
shows(Kaminski).Dogsparticipatinginthesedogshowshavebeenknowntospendmostof
theirliveslockedupincages,barelyhavingtimetorun,onlyknowingthelifeofcompeting,
saysbehavioristanddogtrainer,CarolPrice(Gibson).ThelawsenforcedbytheAKCunderthe
careofdogssectionshouldimprovetheseconditions,butitseemsthingslikethisstillgoon
consideringdogsarestillbeingputintoshows,whensomearenotablyinnoconditionto
compete.Forexample,theBritishbulldoghaslostoneofitsmostpowerfulfeatures,endurance,

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asaresultofbreeding,becauseof,hugeheads,shortbowedlegsandverysquashedmuzzles,
yettheystillappearindogshows(Gibson).Althoughitmayseemtheregulationsestablishedare
notveryeffective,criticswillsaytherehasdefinitelybeensomeprogresswhenitcomesto
healthissues,astheBritishVeterinaryAssociationfundshealthresearchtofixthedogs
problems(Gibson).
Themoreawarepeopleareoftheproblemsdogsfacewhenitcomestobreeding,
hopefully,thelesslikelytheyaretocontributetosuchactivities.Itiseasytoignoreanissue
whenitisnotaffectingyoudirectlybutinthiscase,directorindirect,peopleshouldtake
responsibilitybecausetheseanimalshavefeelingsandknowwhatisgoingon,soitisuptousto
providesomekindofhelp.Notonlyisitinhumanebutitisunfairtoassumewecanjusthave
thistypeofdominanceoverothercreatures,especiallywhenithasbeenprovenhowsimilarthey
aretous.Asmallstepthatcanbetakenistojustimprovise.Itmightbenearlyimpossibleto
keeptrackofeverythingeveryonedoeswhenitcomestodogbreedingsoitiseasiertoatleast
improveconditionsbyinformingpeopleoftheproblemsbeingcaused.Tobegin,Ibelieveevery
stateshouldatleasthavesometypeoflaworregulationfordogbreeding,sothatitiseasierto
manageandcareforthedogs.Theselawsdonthavetobeenforcedasmuchasotherstates
enforcethembutsomelawsarebetterthannolaws.Itwouldalsobeeasiertocrackdownon
backdoorbreederssincethosewhodobreedwouldhavetobelicensed.Asforbreedersindog
shows,thepoliciesandlawsalreadyimplementedshouldbestricterthantheyclaimtobe.The
AWAhasbeenknowntosetveryminimumstandardsthatarelooselyenforced,leavingstatesto
createtheirownlaws,butifnoteverystatedoesthat,thenhowcanweensurethesafetyofthese
animalsthatareconstantlybeingabused?Thisleadsbacktotheideaofeverystatehavingsome

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regulationsasatypeofbackuptotheAWA.Thebiggestsolutionpossible,however,issimply
awareness.
Inorderforpeopletobeproactiveaboutaproblem,theyneedtoknowthere
is
a
problem.
Throughsocialmedia,itiseasytosharesomuchinformationaboutanything,inthis
case,theproblemwithdogbreeding,soagoodwaytogoaboutsolvingthisissueismakingit
public
.ClayShirkystates,Thequestionweallfacenowis,Howcanwemakebestuseofthis
media?Eventhoughitmeanschangingthewaywevealwaysdoneit,emphasizingthefact
thatsocialmediaisthenewesttooloutthere,nowallwehavetodoisuseitcorrectlytoour
advantage(Shirky).Lettingpeopleknowwhatdogbreedingcandototheseanimalsandthatit
affectsthem,physically,mentally,andemotionallyisasurewaytogetpeopletostarttodo
somethingaboutit.Ifpeopleareconstantlyseeingthesamethingbeingadvocatedonevery
socialmediasitetheyvisit,itcanencouragethemtogiveitatry,whetheritistojoinawelfare
group,donate,orjustinformthemselvesoftheissuetohelppreventit.Itistimetostopandhelp,
becauseultimately,wehavethepowertodoso,andletsbereal,whowantstoseeoneofour
closestcompanionssufferanotherday?

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WorksCited
Bateson,Patrick."Independentinquiryintodogbreeding."
Cambridge:University
ofCambridge
(2010)
Clemmitt,Marcia.AnimalIntelligence.
CQResearcher
20.37(2010):869892.Web.
Clotfelter,EthanD.,Hollis,KarenL."CognitioninDomesticDogs:ObjectPermanence
andSocialCueing".
AmericanBiologyTeacher(NationalAssociationofBiology
Teachers)
Vol.70(2008):293298.Print.
Gibson,Helen.AFlawedBeauty.
TimeEurope
6Aug.2001:44.Web.
KaminskiLeduc,JanetL."StandardsofCareforDogandCatBreeders".
Connecticut
GeneralAssembly.
6Sept2013.Web.16Aug2015.
"LawsthatprotectdogsinPuppyMills".
ASPCA.
ASPCA,4Dec.2012.Web.16Aug2015.
McGreevy,PaulD.,Nicholas,FrankW.SomePracticalSolutionstoWelfareProblemsIn
DogBreeding.AnimalWelfare8(1999):329341.Print.
Rooney,Nicola,andDavidSargan."PedigreedogbreedingintheUK:amajor
welfareconcern."
Hosham,UK:RoyalSocietyforthePreventionofCrueltytoAnimals
(2009)
Shirky,Clay.HowSocialMediaCanMakeHistory.TEDTalks,June2009.Keynotespeech.
Somppi,Sani,Tornqvist,Heini,Hanninen,Laura,KrauseChristina,VainioOuti."Dogs
dolookatimages:eyetrackingincaninecognitionresearch".
AnimalCognition
Vol.15
(2012):163174.Print.

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Writer:LizetteGonzalez
Grader:MinsongHsu

AdvocacyProjectPeerReview
RhetoricandArgument

A
B
O
V
E

M
E
E
T
S

B
E
L
O
W

Reviewofthe
Scientific
Literature

Thefoundationoftheadvocacyprojectisa
wellwrittenandrelevant
reviewofscientific
studiesabouttheanimalsimpactedbythe
issuebeingcovered
.Thisreviewofthe
literatureispresentedwithahistorical
frameworkandis
logicallyconnectedtothe
presentationoftheproblemandthe
solutionsoffered.

Comments:Thereareplentysourcesthatarecitedtoputthetimeinperspective.
Historically,justenoughinformationtoknowwhentheauthorstopictakesplace
(Page5).

Problem
Statementand
History

Thecompositionclearlypresentsandanalyzes
asignificantpolitical/social/culturalproblemand
establishestheproblems
urgency
,
scope
,and
severity
.Theproblemisclearlyframedand
focuseditisnotpresentedasthewriters
opinion,butisa
sourcedargument
,backed
upwithcrediblesources.

Comments:Theresaconstantreminderthatweneedtostopaffectingthelivesof
thesedogs,butwiththatthereisntmuchtalkofasolutioninthestructure(Page9).
Analysisof
Solutions

Thecomposition
presentsandanalyzes
solution(s)tothecentralproblem
(
Macro
andmicro
solutionoffered).Rigorousand

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welldocumentedarguments
thataddressa
possiblesolutionorsolutionsarepresented
clearly.
Comments
:Thesolutionarepresented,butthereisnotmuchdepthintoeachone.The
problemisobviousbutthesolutionisnotmuchofaworthwhilesolutiontofightfor
(Page9).

Argument
Development
and
Counterargum
ent:

Rigorousargumentsofapossiblesolutionor
solutionsaredevelopedthroughtheuseof
expertsupport,persuasiveevidence,and
wellchosenrhetoricalappeals
.The
compositionanticipatesandrespondseffectively
andappropriatelyto
oppositionalclaims.
For
thelevelofthiscourseandforthisparticular
assignment,theargumentsare
sophisticated,
creative,persuasive,insightful,anddeeply
embeddedinscholarlydiscourse.

Comments:Thefinalargumentsproveeffective,butonlyserveasacalltoactionof
statingwhatswrongandthatthisissueisbad.(Page10).

MultiModal
Element(s)

Usesatleastone
multimodalelement
,and
thiselement
strengthensanddeepens
explanations,summaries,orargument
s.
Visualevidenceisdenseanddiversein
information,yetcommunicatesinformation
clearlyandeffectively.

Comments:(refertoabove)
Organization/
Arrangement
ofEvidence:

Theprojectis
wellorganized
andeasyto
follow,withtransitions,topicsentencesand/or
headerstohelpguidethereaderthe
presentationofevidenceisarrangedcoherently
anddemonstratesawelldocumentedanalytical
synthesis.

Comments:Goodhistoricalsetupandestablishingenoughinformation.Theending
structurecouldbeemphasizedonthesolutionmorethough.

Scholarly
Ethos

Throughoutthecomposition,thewriter
illustratesthescholarlyethosofa

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wellinformed,objective,andcredible
advocate.
Comments:Talkingaboutthehealtheffectsinbreedingcanpossesscanbeusedfor
theauthorsadvantage.

EvidenceandInformationLiteracy
Sources:
Credibility&
Relevance

Theselectedsourcesare
crediblefora
scholarlyaudience
andoffer
clear,relevant
support
toallofthecompositions
argumentativemoves.

Comments:Good,solidsourcesthathaveexplanationstowhytheyrethere.
SourceUse
and
Integration

Thecomposition
usessourcesappropriately
indistinctanddifferentcapacities:
primary/secondary,
exhibit/argument/background.Theauthor
integrates
thesourcesseamlesslyintothe
compositionand
properlyintroducesthem
.

Comments:Goodtransitionstointroducingthem
Documentatio
n&
Formatting

TheAPisformattedcorrectlyusing
MLA
formatting
(thisincludesmargins,pagenumber
location,andpage1header
).Sourcesare
documented
appropriatelyusingMLAthis
includesappropriatecaptionsformultimodal
elementsandcorrectformatforWorksCited.

Comments:RefertoAbove

StyleMechanicsandConventions
Clarity,
Sentence
Structureand
Readability

Thewritingis
clear
,eloquent,characterizedby
precisewordchoice
,purposefulsentences
withvariedstructure,andahighdegreeof
readability
forthelevelofitscourseandthis
particularassignment
.Fewerrors
of
grammar/language/usagearefound,andifthere
aresmallerrors,theydonotdetractfrom
readability.

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Comments:AlthoughIfoundsomegrammarerrors,thearticulationandsentence
structurewereallgood.
Organization
and
Development

Theorganizationisdeliberatelypaced,and
demonstratesaveryhighdegreeofskilland
controlwhenmovingfromideatoidea,
paragraphtoparagraph,andsentenceto
sentence.Connectionsaremadethroughoutthe
essaytocreatecohesion

Comments:Ithinktheauthordivulgedtoomuchinsettinguptheproblemand
shouldfocusmoreonthedepthofthesolution.
Required
Elements

Pagelength,numberofsources,andincluded
contentasdescribedinpromptmeetthe
minimumrequirements

Comments:(RefertoAbove)

THETOPTHREEPRIORITIESIRECOMMENDFORYOURREVISIONSTRATEGY:
1.Focusondevelopingyoursolutionmore,ratherthanfocusingonsettingupthe
problem
2.Thebeginningofyouressayhasgreatstructure,butitfallsaparttowardstheend
3.Useacademicsourcestomakeiteasiertodevelopandbackyoursolution