essay - GMAT: Argument 38

The following appeared as part of an article in the business section of a local newspaper:

Motorcycle X has been manufactured in the United States for more than 70 years. Although one foreign company has copied the motorcycle and is selling it for less, the company has failed to attract motorcycle X customers?some say because its product lacks the exceptionally loud noise made by motorcycle X. But there must be some other explanation. After all, foreign cars tend to be quieter than similar American-made cars, but they sell at least as well. Also, television advertisements for motorcycle X highlight its durability and sleek lines, not its noisiness, and the ads typically have voice-overs or rock music rather than engine-roar on the sound track.

Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

Answer:
The author of the article asserts that the reason why the company selling a similar motorcycle to Motorcycle X fails to gain popularity is not because the product, which is a copy product of Motorcycle X, doesn't produce exhaust sound. Supposedly, only the characteristic that makes different from Motorcycle X is the sound. The reasons that the author introduces are, first, that the difference in noise doesn't make sense in automobile, and second, that the advertisement of Motorcycle X doesn't appeal any noisy characteristics. His argument, however, has serious flaws, and thereby it fails to convince the readers of the newspaper.

First of all, the author fails to establish connection between the reasons that he cites and the unpopularity of the product that the foreign company manufactures. That is, the symptom in cars doesn't have a direct link with the one in motorcycles, and the fact that the Motorcycle X's advertisement doesn't stress the sound nature doesn't necessarily mean that the induction that the lack of similar sound of the counter product is denied. Therefore, to strengthen the argument, the authors should have showed a direct causal relationship between his premises and the symptom.

The biggest problem from a writing structural point of view is that the article lacks a conclusion. He says that the possible cause is not a good explanation for the situation, but he doesn't show any reason that he thinks of as a major cause. He should have at least mentioned his opinion at the article.

In conclusion, his reasoning is weak because of the reasons that he cites, and above all, his reasoning lacks the conclusion, and thereby it is not considered a good argument.

essay - GMAT: Argument 37

The following appeared in an article in a college departmental newsletter:

Professor Taylor of Jones University is promoting a model of foreign language instruction in which students receive 10 weeks of intensive training, then go abroad to live with families for 10 weeks. The superiority of the model, Professor Taylor contends, is proved by the results of a study in which foreign language tests given to students at 25 other colleges show that first-year foreign language students at Jones speak more fluently after only 10 to 20 weeks in the program than do nine out of 10 foreign language majors elsewhere at the time of their graduation.

Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

Answer:
The article concludes that the method of foreign language instruction developed by the professor of Jones University is superior to any other programs that other universities have. The reason that the argument stands on is a study conducted at 25 universities showing that students at Jones have abilities of speaking more fluently than other students at other universities. The reasoning, however, has several serous flaws, and thereby fails to make it convincing.

First, and most important, the argument completely ignores a significant difference between a nature of the promoting program and the others, which is considered a major defect of the study. That is, the program that the article supports has a kind of special treatment which is to live abroad for 10 weeks. Supposedly, not all other programs have this kind of special investment that typically costs a large amount of money. This means that the study represents just a result of the students' proficiency, not a superiority of the programs.

Second, we need to scrutinize what proficiencies the study was intended to figure out. The article says that the students can speak more fluently, but what is the definition of speaking fluently? Does the study not focus on a grammatical aspect or not judge the preciousness? Since the article doesn't show this kind of information, we can't measure the level of the students at Jones, and judge whether the instruction method is superior or not.

Finally, we must cast a doubt on reliability of the survey. Since the article doesn't provide any specific information concerning the method of the survey or the interviewed group, we can't ensure whether the survey was properly conducted. What if students at Jones University were all from the country that the surveyed foreign language is spoken? What if students at the other universities take the foreign language courses as a second chose language class, which means that they don't fully focus on the classes? Unless the article shows reliability of the study, we are not in a position to approve that the instruction method has superiority.

In conclusion, for reasons that I mentioned above, the author of the article fails to convince the readers to regard the instruction method as superior one. To make the argument convincing, the author must at least show the detailed information of the study and then perform reasonable comparison that can make the readers find the method superior.

essay - GMAT: Argument 36

The following appeared as part of a recommendation from the financial planning office to the administration of Fern Valley University:

In the past few years, Fern Valley University has suffered from a decline in both enrollments and admissions applications. The reason can be discovered from our students, who most often cite poor teaching and inadequate library resources as their chief sources of dissatisfaction with Fern Valley. Therefore, in order to increase the number of students attending our university, and hence to regain our position as the most prestigious university in the greater Fern Valley metropolitan area, it is necessary to initiate a fund-raising campaign among the alumni that will enable us to expand the range of subjects we teach and to increase the size of our library facilities.

Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

Answer:
The author of the recommendation says that Fern Valley University should entice contributions from alumni and invest the money in increasing the number of subjects and the size of its library in order to tackle a recent decline of the number of admissions and enrollments. The premise that the author stands on is a voice of the students saying that teaching is poor and the library resources are inadequate. His reasoning, however, has a significant flaw.

His flaw is that his proposal won't solve issues that the university has. That is, first, whereas the students appoint poor teaching, his proposal suggests expansion of the number of subjects. Will expanding the number of subjects solve students' dissatisfaction toward poor teaching? Probably not. It's precisely because students don't mention the number of subjects as their complain, and mainly because the heart of the problem lies with other places. Improper methods of teaching, a poor system of sharing information among faculty about the status of students, or simply, unhappy and inertia teachers complaining low salaries might be the problem for instance. Therefore, it's plausible that his proposed solution won't achieve his target.

Although his second proposed solution is to increase the size of the library facilities, this will also fail to reach the heart of the problem with a high possibility. The students mention inadequate library resources, not the size of the library. They possibly concern about the balance of genre, or maybe the obsolescent books. Therefore, simply increasing the size of the library and books won't solve the problem with a high prospective.

In conclusion, his proposal is inadequate for combating problems that the university has been suffering from. To make a convincing proposal, the author, in the first place, needs to analyze the root causes again and develop solutions that directly reach the heart of the problems.

essay - GMAT: Issue 42

The best way to preserve the natural environment is to impose penalties?whether fines, imprisonment, or other punishments?on those who are most responsible for polluting or otherwise damaging it.

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

Answer:
I don't agree with the remark saying that punishment is the best way to preserve natural environment. I, surely, think of it as a way of achieving preservation of natural environment, but it is just one way, not the best way.

Punishment is not a way to reach a heart of problems. Instead, the best way to preserve natural environment is, I believe, to educate people, or in other words, get people fully aware of the imminent troubles. Admittedly, some people restrain themselves from damaging environment if they know they are fined by doing so. What we should recognize is, however, that some people will come up with a sort of loophole to avoid the punishment. And, needless to say, awakened people don't need such punishment in order to discipline themselves. Therefore, I contend that punishment should not be focused; what should be focused is to enlighten people.

Moreover, difficult and realistic problems will appear if the strengthened punishment policy were to be introduced. How to define the scheme of punishment? How to detect the deficiencies? I know that it's relatively easy to measure the amount of noxious wastes from industrial plants, but I bet that it's quite difficult to do so for households. How we can reduce unnecessary wastes and protect our planet is up to people's awareness. Wars have almost disappeared because of people's awareness of the dangerousness and meaninglessness. Racial descrimination has almost been conquered because of people's awareness of what is right, not the penarties.

In sum, although I agree with the opinion that imposing penalties is one of approaches to preserve natural environment, my belief tells me what is more important; people's awareness toward the pressing deteriorating future that we should prevent from happening.

essay - GMAT: Issue 41

With the increasing emphasis on a global economy and international cooperation, people need to understand that their role as citizens of the world is more important than their role as citizens of a particular country.

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

Answer:
The remark is oversimplified. Which is important between a role of being a global citizen and a role of being a citizen in a local community varies with situations and contexts where the citizenship is focused.

It's surely true that the world is connected, globalism surges rapidly, and we face unprecedented crises that require international cooperation. The world is connected in terms of both logical distances and political bonds. The Internet and the end of the Cold War make it happen. As a result, globalism becomes the most remarkable aspect in living in the contemporary era. Besides, such as the recent financial crisis that happened from a bankruptcy of Leman Brothers in U.S., crises that we have never seen before urge us to combat them worldwide cooperatively. This movement can not stop, and thereby the importance of being a global citizen increases according to the time being.

On the other hand, the importance of being one of members of local communities and countries never diminishes. Rather, according that globalism advances, the importance grows. To take an important role in global contexts, you must know your country and represent it as a kind of an envoy. To make the world better, you should first contribute to your local community and serve it as a volunteer. And, the development of your local community and country makes it happen that the world consisting of each country enjoys the prosperity.

To sum up, the remark saying that a role of being a global citizen is more important than a role of a citizen in own countries is completely nonsense, because the argument varies with the contexts, and ultimately both of them are important.

essay - GMAT: Issue 40

It is difficult for people to achieve professional success without sacrificing important aspects of a fulfilling personal life.

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

Answer:
I, in general, agree with the remark that a certain amount of personal sacrifice is required to achieve success in the professional life. Surely, not-so-hard achievements can be easily attained without any sacrifices. However, for a great success or an unprecedented achievement, I have reached this conclusion by general deduction and personal observations and experiences.

My principle says that if you want something difficult to achieve, you need to sacrifice something commensurate with what you want. I lately read an article about Codolesa Rice, who is the secretary of state of the United States of America, a young black brilliantly smart woman, which says that she pitched in very hard to achieve the success studying in schools twice as much as others. Besides, we can easily observe that all people who are known for great achievements in history actually sacrificed something, and thereby they spent their lives completely different from others. Edison, an inventor of an electricity bulb, achieved his success saying 99 percent of perspiration is important.

My personal experience also supports the remark. When I achieved something such as winning a big deal in business, I always sacrificed a part of my personal life. I refrained myself from drinking alcohol or going out with my friends. I shortened my sleeping time instead to devote in study. And, I'm sure that I will in the future sacrifice something to achieve my targets. It's because I know that without the sense of sacrifice people cannot realize their dreams at all.

At the same time, we don't need to sacrifice what we can do without sacrificing. I mean, we don't necessarily need to leave our families behind in order to make success in professional lives. We don't need to give up our important activities such as exercising or volunteering at any cases. We can see all the President of the United States of America had and have their families and spent a certain amount of time with them. We can see many competent professionals have their hobbies or their volunteer work. Although a great power comes with a great responsibility, it's not necessarily the case that we always give up our important activities in order to achieve great successes.

To sum up, I generally agree with the claim that professional success requires personal sacrifice, although there are exceptions that we can enjoy both of them at the same time.

essay - GMAT: Issue 39

Courtesy is rapidly disappearing from everyday interactions, and as a result, we are all the poorer for it.

From your perspective, is this an accurate observation? Why or why not? Explain, using reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

Answer:
I don't think that courtesy is disappearing and we are getting poorer for it. Courtesy is still alive and is thriving as a depth of our civilization advances, and people are getting more polite and compassionate little by little. I'll show my belief toward courtesy and mention how it has been changing through the time.

Courtesy is a kind of oil which makes our interactions better. When people put oil to a machinery device, the machine works better, for the oil makes the cogs and levers inside the machine smooth. Courtesy works as oil does. Anywhere people communicate with others, courtesy is needed to have good communication. People meet their neighbors in the morning, and they greet each other with courtesy. People have meetings with their business partners, and they negotiate and discuss with courtesy in order to build a win-win relationship which is only a way to make the deal thriving. If courtesy were not there, people hate each other and as a result, they devastate themselves as well as their opponents. And courtesy has been developed according that the time goes by. People have acquired it through the development in their civilization and humanity, because they knew that it was critically necessary to develop a good shape of the world.

At the same time, as the speaker concerns, advance of human beings brings bad aspects in terms of communication. The Internet brought us evolutionary methods to communicate, but it also brought us fewer opportunities to communicate with others in person. Industrization brought us exquisite convenience to live out, but it also brought us solidarity which is caused by the useful lives. And as a result, it may be said that people face a possibility that they undermine their ability to communicate with the others. I believe, however, that good aspects of our evolution overcome bad aspects of it. Therefore, people continuously develop their courtesy as a tool of better communication and as a result, people enjoy their development of humanity and prosperity.

To sum up, the opinion that courtesy is diminishing and people are getting poorer at courtesy is apparently exaggerated. It is just a small aspect of our whole nature. In my belief, people continue developing their ability of communication including courtesy and will enjoy better lives with courtesy.