GMAT ARGUMENT类作文范文-81

Topic:

The following appeared in the editorial section of a newspaper in the country of West Cambria.

“The practice of officially changing speed limits on the highways - whether by increasing or decreasing them - is a dangerous one. Consider what happened over the past decade whenever neighbouring East Cambria changed its speed limits. An average of 3 percent more automobile accidents occurred during the week following the change than had occurred during the week preceding it - even when the speed limit was lowered. This statistic shows that the change in speed limit adversely affected the alertness of drivers. ”

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

This editorial asserts that West Cambria should not change its highway speed limits because such changes adversely affect driver alertness and are therefore dangerous. To support this claim, the editorial cites statistics indicating that whenever East Cambria changed its speed limits, an average of 3 percent more automobile accidents occurred during the week after the change than during the week preceding it, even when the speed limit was lowered. As it stands, this argument suffers from three critical flaws.

First, it is unlikely that the brief one-week periods under comparison are representative of longer time periods. A difference of only 3 percent during one particular week can easily be accounted for by other factors, such as heavy holiday traffic or bad weather, or by problems with reporting or sampling. Had the editorial indicated that several speed-limit changes in East Cambria contributed to the statistic, the argument would be more convincing; but for all we know, the statistic is based on only one such change. In any event, a one-week period is too brief to be representative because it is likely that accidents will occur more frequently immediately following the change, while people adjust to the new limit, than over the longer term when drivers have become accustomed to the change.

Secondly, the editorial fails to acknowledge possible differences in the types of accidents occurring before and after the change. It is possible that the accidents during the week before the change all involved fatalities, while those during the week after the change were minor fender-benders. If so, even though 3 percent more accidents occurred after the change, the author's argument that changing the speed limit increases danger for drivers would be seriously weakened.

Thirdly, the editorial fails to take into account possible differences between East and West Cambria that are relevant to how drivers react to speed-limit changes. Factors such as the condition of roads, average age and typical driving habits of residents, and weather patterns would probably affect how well or how quickly drivers adapt to speed-limit changes. Thus, changing speed limits in East Cambria might be more dangerous than changing them in West Cambria.

In conclusion, the statistical evidence cited to support the argument is insignificant and probably unrepresentative. To better evaluate the argument, we need to know how many speed-limit changes contributed to the statistic and when the speed limit changes were made. Finally, to strengthen the argument the author should show that East and West Cambria would be similarly affected by speed-limit changes.

 

GMAT ARGUMENT类作文范文-82

Topic:

The following appeared as part of a memorandum from the vice president of Nostrum a large pharmaceutical corporation.

“The proposal to increase the health and retirement benefits that our employees receive should not be implemented at this time. An increase in these benefits is not only financially unjustified, since our last year's profits were lower than those of the preceding year, but also unnecessary, since our chief competitor, Panacea, offers its employees lower health and retirement benefits than we currently offer. We can assume that our employees are reasonably satisfied with the health and retirement benefits that they now have since a recent survey indicated that two-thirds of the respondents viewed them favorably. ”

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, rice president of Nostrum argues that implementing an increase in health and retirement benefits for employees is not a good idea at this time. His main line of reasoning is that an increase in benefits is both financially unjustified and unnecessary financially unjustified because last year's profits were lower than the preceding year's, and unnecessary because Nostrum's chief competitor offers lower benefits to its employees and because a recent Nostrum employee survey indicated that two-thirds of the respondents viewed the current benefits package favorably. While the argument has some merit, it is not completely convincing.

Admittedly, the vice president's reasoning linking employee benefits with company profits seems reasonable on its face. Companies that are not profitable are ill advised to take on additional costs such as increased employee benefits. However, the fact that Nostrum's profits last year were lower than the preceding year does not imply that Nostrum is experiencing financial difficulties that preclude it from increasing employee benefits at this time. Perhaps the previous year's profits were extremely high whereas last year's profits, albeit lower, were sufficient to fund an increase in the benefits package without threatening the company's bottom line.

Also, the fact that Nostrum's chief competitor provides lower benefits to its employees is not a good reason for Nostrum to deny an increase to its employees. Employee loyalty is an important asset to any company, and providing good pay and good benefits are among the best ways to acquire it. Nostrum would be well advised to insure that its employees have little reason to seek employment elsewhere, and especially from its chief competitor.

Finally, one can infer from the survey's results that a full one-third of the respondents may have viewed the current benefits package unfavorably. If so, such widespread dissatisfaction would weaken the vice president's argument. Lacking more specific information about how these other employees responded, it is impossible to assess the reliability of the survey's results or to make an informed recommendation.

In conclusion, the vice president's argument against implementing a benefits increase is unconvincing. To strengthen the argument, he must provide evidence that the increase in benefits would have a negative impact on the company's overall profitability. Additionally, he must provide more information about the manner in which the survey was conducted before we can determine the degree of employee satisfaction with the current benefits.

 

GMAT ARGUMENT类作文范文-83

Topic:

The following appeared as part of an article on trends on television.

“A recent study of viewers' attitudes toward prime-time television programs shows that many of the programs that were judged by their viewers to be of high quality appeared on non-commercial television networks, and that, on commercial television, the most popular shows are typically sponsored by the best-selling products. Thus, it follows that businesses who use commercial television to promote their products will achieve the greatest advertising success by sponsoring only highly-rated programs and, ideally, programs resembling the highly-rated non-commercial programs on public channels as much as possible. ”

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

This article concludes that businesses using commercial television to promote their products will achieve the greatest advertising success by sponsoring only highly rated programs-preferably, programs resembling the highly-rated non-commercial programs on public channels. Supporting this claim is a recent study indicating that many programs judged by viewers to be high in quality appeared on non-commercial networks, and that the most popular shows on commercial television are typically sponsored by the best-selling products. This argument is weak because it depends on three questionable assumptions.

The first of these assumptions is that non-commercial public television programs judged by viewers to be high in quality are also popular. However, the study cited by the author concerns viewer attitudes about the "high quality" of programs on noncommercial public television, not about their popularity A program might rate highly as to quality but not in terms of popularity Thus, the author unfairly assumes that highly-rated public television programs are necessarily widely viewed, or popular.

The argument also assumes that programs resembling popular non-commercial programs will also be popular on commercial television. However, the audiences for the two types of programs differ significantly in their tastes. For example, a symphony series may be popular on public television but not as a prime-time network show, because public-television viewers tend to be more interested than commercial-television viewers in the arts and higher culture. Thus, a popular program in one venue may be decidedly unpopular in the other.

A third assumption is that products become best-sellers as a result of their being advertised on popular programs. While this may be true in some cases, it is equally possible that only companies with products that are already best-sellers can afford the higher ad rates that popular shows demand. Accordingly, a lesser-known product from a company on a smaller budget might be better off running repeated-but less expensive-ad on less popular shows than by running just one or two costly ads on a top-rated show.

In conclusion, the results of the cited study do not support the author's conclusion. To better evaluate the argument, we need to know the intended meaning of the phrase "highly-rated." To strengthen the argument, the author must limit his conclusion by acknowledging that popularity in public television might not translate to popularity in commercial television, and that the best advertising strategy for companies with best-selling products may not be feasible for other businesses.

 

GMAT ARGUMENT类作文范文-84

Topic:

The following appeared as part of an article in the business section of a daily newspaper.

“Company A has a large share of the international market in video-game hardware and software. Company B, the pioneer in these products, was once a $12 billion-a-year giant but collapsed when children became bored with its line of products. Thus Company A can also be expected to fail, especially given the fact that its games are now in so many American homes that the demand for them is nearly exhausted.”

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 the failure of Company B portends a similar fate for Company. The grounds for this prediction are similarities that exist between the two companies. The line of reasoning is that since both companies produce video game hardware and software and both enjoy a large share of the market for these products, the failure of one is a reliable predictor of the failure of the other. This argument is unconvincing.

The major problem with the argument is that the stated similarities between Company A and B are insufficient to support the conclusion that Company A will suffer a fate similar to Company B's. In fact, the similarities stated are irrelevant to that conclusion. Company B did not fail because of its market share or because of the general type of product it produced; it failed because children became bored with its particular line of products. Consequently, the mere fact that Company. A holds a large share of the video-game hardware and software market does not support the claim that Company A will also fail.

An additional problem with the argument is that there might be relevant differences between Company A and Company B that further undermine the conclusion. For example, Company A's line of products may differ from Company B's in that children do not become bored with them. Another possible difference is that Company B's share of the market may have been entirely domestic whereas Company A has a large share of the international market.

In conclusion, this is a weak argument. To strengthen the conclusion the author would have to show that there are sufficient relevant similarities between Company A and Company B as well as no relevant differences between them.

 

GMAT ARGUMENT类作文范文-85

Topic:

The following appeared as part of an article in a photography magazine.

“When choosing whether to work in color or in black-and-white, the photographer who wishes to be successful should keep in mind that because color photographs are more true-to-life, magazines use more color photographs than black-and-white ones and many newspapers are also starting to use color photographs. The realism of color also accounts for the fact that most portrait studios use more color film than black-and-white film. Furthermore, there are more types of color film than black-and-white film available today. Clearly, photographers who work in color have an advantage over those who work in black-and-white.”

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 concludes that photographers who work in color hold a competitive advantage over those who work in black and white. To support this conclusion, the author claims that the greater realism of color accounts for its predominant use in magazines and portraits. The author also points out that newspapers now use color photographs, and that there are more types of color film than black-and-white film available today. This argument is problematic in several important respects.

First, the argument unfairly assumes that working in color is necessary in order to gain an advantage. The author identifies only two areas-magazine and portrait photography-where color predominates. It is possible that the overall demand for black and-white photography remains high. Moreover, the author provides no evidence that the realism of color photography is the reason for its predominance. The predominant use of color may be due to other factors-such as consumer preferences or relative costs of film-which might change at any time.

Second, the argument unfairly assumes that a photographer must make an either or choice between the two types of photography. This assumption presents a false dilemma, since the two media are not necessarily mutually-exclusive alternatives. Common sense tells us that a photographer can succeed by working in both media.

Third, the fact that more kinds of color film are available than black-and-white film accomplishes little to support the argument. The difference in number might be insignificant, and the distinctions among the types of color film might be negligible. In fact, by implying that more choices in film type affords a photographer a competitive advantage, the author actually undermines his larger argument that working solely in color is the best way to succeed in the field of photography.

Finally, the argument ignores other factors-such as initiative, creativity, technical skills, and business judgment-that may be more important than choice of medium in determining success in photography. A poorly skilled photographer may actually be disadvantaged by working in color insofar as color work requires greater skill, and insofar as color photographers face keener competition for assignments.

In conclusion, this argument oversimplifies the conditions for gaining an advantage in the field of photography. To better evaluate the argument, we need more precise information as to how large a portion of all photography work today is accounted for by color work. To strengthen the argument, the author must convince us that a photographer must choose one medium or the other rather than working in both.

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