GMAT ARGUMENT类作文范文-71

Topic:

The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a regional newspaper.

“In response to petitions from the many farmers and rural landowners throughout our region, the legislature has spent valuable time and effort enacting severe laws to deter motorists from picking fruit off the trees trampling through the fields and stealing samples of foliage. But how can our local lawmakers occupy themselves with such petty vandalism when crime and violence plague the nation's cities? The fate of apples and leaves is simply too trivial to merit their attention.”

Instructions:

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

Sample Essay

The author of this editorial asserts that trespassing, vandalism, and theft associated with stealing fruit from farms is a trivial problem and, as a result, enacting laws to protect farm and land owners from these crimes is a waste of lawmakers' time. In support of this claim, the author points out only that the nation's cities are plagued by far more serious problems of violence and crime. To the extent that this author has provided any argument at all, it is a poor one.

First of all, the author unfairly assumes that if lawmakers are taking rural crime issues seriously, then they cannot be taking urban crime issues seriously. The author is presenting a false dilemma by imposing an either-or choice between two courses of action that need not be mutually exclusive. It is equally possible that legislators can address both areas of concern concurrently.

Secondly, the argument relies on the assumption that the legislators in question have the opportunity to address urban crime problems. However, we are not told whether this legislature's jurisdiction encompasses both rural and urban areas. If it encompasses only rural areas, then the author's implicit conclusion that the legislators in this region should instead be addressing urban crime problems would be completely undermined.

Finally, the author unfairly trivializes the severity of rural crime by simply comparing it with urban crime. While trespassing, vandalism, and fruit-stealing may seem minor peccadilloes, especially compared to violent urban crimes, these rural crimes might nevertheless result in serious financial damage to farm owners, depending on the frequency and extent of the violations. The author fails to provide evidence for the claim that these rural crimes are trivial. Instead, the author attempts to call attention to a more dramatic but potentially irrelevant problem.

In conclusion, the argument is weak. It potentially distorts the alternatives available to legislators in the region, as well as deflecting attention from the problem at hand. To better evaluate it, we would need more information about the geographical scope of this legislature's jurisdiction and about the extent of the fruit-stealing problem in the region.

 

GMAT ARGUMENT类作文范文-72

Topic:

The following appeared as part of an editorial in a campus newspaper.

“With an increasing demand for highly skilled workers, this nation will soon face a serious labor shortage. New positions in technical and professional occupations are increasing rapidly while at the same time the total labor force is growing slowly. Moreover, the government is proposing to cut funds for aid to education in the near future.”

Instructions:

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

Sample Essay

In this argument the author predicts a nationwide labor shortage in the near future. The basis for this prediction is an increasing demand for highly skilled workers, especially in technical and professional fields, coupled with a slow-growing labor force and a government proposal to cut funds for aid to education. At first glance, the author's argument appears to be somewhat convincing; but further reflection reveals that it is based on some dubious assumptions.

In the first place, the author assumes that the present labor force is immobile and that the demand for highly skilled workers will have to be met by workers who are entering the labor market for the first time. Recent American history, however, shows that this assumption is entirely unfounded. At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution most Americans were farm workers, but by the end of that revolution most had become factory workers. Thus, even though the labor pool remained relatively constant during this period, the number of farm workers decreased and the number of factory workers increased. This example clearly demonstrates the mobility of the labor force.

In the second place, the author assumes that the government proposal to cut funds for aid to education will have a significant negative impact on the ability to train workers in technical and professional fields. The fact is, however, that the percentage of students who rely on government aid for their education is relatively small, so the effect of such cuts would be negligible.

In conclusion, this argument is unconvincing. To strengthen the argument the author would have to show that the present workforce was relatively static and that the proposed cuts in educational aid would have a deleterious effect on the numbers of highly skilled workers available to enter the workforce in the future.

 

GMAT ARGUMENT类作文范文-73

Topic:

The following appeared as part of memorandum from a government agency.

“Given the limited funding available for the building and repair of roads and bridges, the government should not spend any money this year on fixing the bridge that crosses the Styx River. This bridge is located near a city with a weakening economy so it is not as important as other bridges. Moreover, the city population is small and thus unlikely to contribute significant enough tax revenue to justify the effort of fixing the bridge. ”

Instructions:

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

Sample Essay

The author of this government agency memorandum argues that the government should not spend any money this year fixing the bridge that crosses the Styx River, given the limited resources available for building and repair of roads and bridges. The author reasons that this bridge is less important than others because it is located near a city with a weakening economy, and because the city's small population is unlikely to contribute enough tax revenue to justify fixing their bridge. This argument is unconvincing for four reasons.

First of all, the author unfairly assumes that the importance of a bridge is determined solely by the economic condition of nearby cities. This assumption overlooks other criteria for determining a bridge's importance-such as the number of commuters using the bridge, the role of the bridge in local emergencies and disasters, and the impact that bridge closure would have on the economies of nearby cities. Without accounting for these other potential factors, the author fails to provide a convincing argument that the Styx River Bridge is unimportant.

Secondly, the author fails to provide any evidence that other bridges are more important than the Styx River Bridge. Without such evidence, we cannot accept the author's conclusion that no government funds should be directed toward maintaining the Styx River Bridge.

Thirdly, the fact that the nearby city has a weakening economy does not prove that the city will not contribute significantly to tax revenues. Perhaps tax revenues are based on property taxes, which are not related directly to economic conditions. If so, and if property values and taxes are high in this nearby city, then the city would contribute significantly to tax revenues, and the bridge would be important to maintain those property values and the revenues they generate.

Finally, the author assumes that a city should receive government services commensurate with the tax dollars it contributes. Substantiating this assumption requires examining the proper duty of government. However, the author provides no such examination. Accordingly, this assumption is simply an unproven claim.

In conclusion, this editorial fails to substantiate its claim that the Styx River Bridge is not important enough for the government to spend tax dollars to maintain and repair it. To strengthen the argument, the author must account for other factors that also determine a bridge's importance, and must compare the importance of this bridge relative to other bridges.

 

GMAT ARGUMENT类作文范文-74

Topic:

The following appeared as part of an article in an entertainment magazine.

“A series of books based on the characters from a popular movie are consistently bestsellers in local bookstores. Seeking to capitalize on the book's success, Vista Studios is planning to produce a movie sequel based on the books. Due to the success of the books and the original movie, the sequel will undoubtedly be profitable.”

Instructions:

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

Sample Essay

In this argument the author reasons that a sequel to a popular movie will be profitable because the original movie was profitable and because books based on the characters of the movie are consistently bestsellers. This argument is unconvincing for several reasons.

In the first place, a great deal of empirical evidence shows that sequels are often not as profitable as the original movie. For example, none of the "Superman" movie sequels even approached the success of the original movie. Accordingly, the mere fact that the first movie was successful does not guarantee that movies based upon it will also be profitable.

In the second place, a movie's financial success is a function of many elements in addition to well-liked characters. Admittedly, the fact that the books based on the characters of the original film are bestsellers bodes well for the movie's commercial prospects. However, unless the original cast and production team are involved in making the sequel, there is a good chance it will not be financially successful.

Finally, another important element in creating a successful movie is the script. The transformation of a popular book into a popular movie script is a difficult process. Examples of best-selling books that were not made into successful movies are commonplace. Obviously, the success of the sequel that Vista is planning will depend in great part on the screenwriter's ability to capture the elements of the story that make the books popular. Since the difficulties inherent in this process make it hard to predict whether the result will be a success or a failure, the conclusion that the sequel will be profitable is presumptuous.

In conclusion, this is an unconvincing argument. To strengthen the argument, it would be necessary to provide assurances that the original cast and production team will be involved in the project and that the script will capture and develop the particular elements responsible for the books popularity.

 

GMAT ARGUMENT类作文范文-75

Topic:

The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a popular science and technology magazine.

“It is a popular myth that customers are really benefiting from advances in agricultural technology. Granted…… consumers are, on the average, spending a decreasing proportion of their income on food. But consider that the demand for food does not rise in proportion with real income. As real income rises, therefore consumers can be expected to spend a decreasing proportion of their income on food. Yet agricultural technology is credited with having made our lives better. ”

Instructions:

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

Sample Essay

The conclusion of this letter is that consumers are not truly benefiting from advances in agricultural technology. The author concedes that on the average, consumers are spending a decreasing proportion of their income on food. But the author contends that this would happen without advances in agricultural technology. The author reasons that demand for food does not rise in proportion with real income, so as real income rises, consumers will spend a decreasing portion of their income on food. This argument turns on a number of dubious assumptions.

First of all, while asserting that real incomes are rising, the author provides no evidence to support this assertion; moreover, it might be false. Even if salaries and wages go up, this fact may not indicate that real income has increased proportionally. Real income takes into account any effect inflation might have on the relative value of the dollar. It is possible that when salaries and wages are adjusted for inflation, what appear to be increases in real income are actually decreases.

In addition, the author assumes that increases in real income explain why, on the average, consumers are now spending a decreasing proportion of their income on food. But no evidence is provided to show that this explanation is correct. Moreover, the author fails to consider and rule out other factors that might account for proportional decreases in spending on food.

Finally, the entire argument turns on the assumption that benefits to consumers from advances in agricultural technology are all economic ones-specifically, ones reflected in food prices. The author ignores other likely benefits of agricultural technology that affect food prices only indirectly or not at all. Such likely benefits include increased quality of food as it reaches the market and greater availability of basic food items. Moreover, the author cannot adequately assess the benefits of agricultural technology solely on the basis of current food prices because those prices are a function of more than just the technology that brings the food to market.

In conclusion, this letter has provided little support for the claim that consumers are not really benefiting from advances in agricultural technology. A stronger argument would account for the benefits of technology other than the current price of food, and would account for other factors that affect food prices. To better evaluate the argument, we would need more information about whether real incomes are actually rising and whether this alone explains why consumers now spend a proportionately smaller amount of income on food.

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