这是我当时练习写作时把一些题的攻击点写了下来, 有兴趣的朋友可以看一下, 我朋友Alan做了大部分, 所以我叫它"阿伦流", 呵呵, 希望对大家有所帮助...
ATE: All things Equal
OS: Oversimplification
FA: False Analogy
GA: Gratuitous Assumption
IS: Insufficient sample
Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT
The following appeared as part of an annual report sent to stockholders by Olympic Foods, a processor of frozen foods.
?Over time, the costs of processing go down because as organizations learn how to do things better, they become more efficient. In color film processing, for example, the cost of a 3-by-5-inch print fell from 50 cents for five-day service in 1970 to 20 cents for one-day service in 1984. The same principle applies to the processing of food. And since Olympic Foods will soon celebrate its twenty-fifth birthday, we can expect that our long experience will enable us to minimize costs and thus maximize profits.
ATE-- The author assumes that film processing is like food processing. Notice that food processing is really old and film is new, so innovations have already happened in food making it not like film.
GA--"once a company has 25 years of experience it will come up with new innovations" in reality these things happen slowly and the if the author wants to convince us that innovations are coming up he should talk about the R&D the company is doing now.
The following appeared in a memorandum from the business department of the Apogee Company.
?When the Apogee Company had all its operations in one location, it was more profitable than it is today. Therefore, the Apogee Company should close down its field offices and conduct all its operations from a single location. Such centralization would improve profitability by cutting costs and helping the company maintain better supervision of all employees.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
OS--May have been more profitable in the past because of different reasons (better leadership, better economy, etc)
GA--"Moving to a single office will allow for better supervision of employees" perhaps the employees are well supervised in the field offices.
GA--"company can do all of its business from one location" perhaps closing field offices would make it impossible to get to the same number of customers
The following appeared in a memorandum issued by a large city?s council on the arts.
?In a recent citywide poll, fifteen percent more residents said that they watch television programs about the visual arts than was the case in a poll conducted five years ago. During these past five years, the number of people visiting our city?s art museums has increased by a similar percentage. Since the corporate funding that supports public television, where most of the visual arts programs appear, is now being threatened with severe cuts, we can expect that attendance at our city?s art museums will also start to decrease. Thus some of the city?s funds for supporting the arts should be reallocated to public television.
OS--author thinks people watching tv are the same as people going to museums because of the correlation between poll and attendance... perhaps they're completely different groups of people
GA--author assumes that if TV isn't available people won't go to museum either, perhaps people actually will go to the museum more if tv isn't there for them
OS--perhaps corporate funding makes up very little of public TV's budget and the cuts won't affect the programming much
The following appeared in a report presented for discussion at a meeting of the directors of a company that manufactures parts for heavy machinery. ?The falling revenues that the company is experiencing coincide with delays in manufacturing. These delays, in turn, are due in large part to poor planning in purchasing metals. Consider further that the manager of the department that handles purchasing of raw materials has an excellent background in general business, psychology, and sociology, but knows little about the properties of metals. The company should, therefore, move the purchasing manager to the sales department and bring in a scientist from the research division to be manager of the purchasing department.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
GA--"knowledge about metals is the same as knowledge about how to buy metals"
OS--the delays in manufacturing coincide with falling revenues, author assumes that this is causal
GA--"business psych and sociology background is enough to work in sales"
The following appeared in an announcement issued by the publisher of The Mercury, a weekly newspaper. ?Since a competing lower-priced newspaper, The Bugle, was started five years ago, The Mercury?s circulation has declined by 10,000 readers. The best way to get more people to read The Mercury is to reduce its price below that of The Bugle, at least until circulation increases to former levels. The increased circulation of The Mercury will attract more businesses to buy advertising space in the paper.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
OS--bugle might not be the cause of declining readership
IS--author draws conclusion that price is the main reason people stopped buying mercury... could actually be a different reason like quality
GA--"more business would buy advertising space if the paper had more readers" perhaps no more business want to advertise
The following appeared as part of an article in a magazine devoted to regional life. ?Corporations should look to the city of Helios when seeking new business opportunities or a new location. Even in the recent recession, Helios?s unemployment rate was lower than the regional average. It is the industrial center of the region, and historically it has provided more than its share of the region?s manufacturing jobs. In addition, Helios is attempting to expand its economic base by attracting companies that focus on research and development of innovative technologies.?
GA--"low unemployment rate is good for new businesses" this might actually mean that there are no employees to be had in helios
ATE--just because this is an industrial center it is not necessarily good for all corporations, the reasons that it became such a center are not necessarily favorable to other new businesses and may not still exist
The following appeared in the health section of a magazine on trends and lifestyles.
?People who use the artificial sweetener aspartame are better off consuming sugar, since aspartame can actually contribute to weight gain rather than weight loss. For example, high levels of aspartame have been shown to trigger a craving for food by depleting the brain of a chemical that registers satiety, or the sense of being full. Furthermore, studies suggest that sugars, if consumed after at least 45 minutes of continuous exercise, actually enhance the body?s ability to burn fat. Consequently, those who drink aspartame-sweetened juices after exercise will also lose this calorie-burning benefit. Thus it appears that people consuming aspartame rather than sugar are unlikely to achieve their dietary goals.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
GA--"all people who want to use aspartame do so to lose weight" maybe some people use artifical sweeteners such as aspartame because they have diabetes and are only interested in avoiding sugar, not in losing weight.
IS--the fact that high doses of the sweetener trigger food cravings does not necessarily mean that people using aspartame in reasonable amounts will suffer any ill effects
GA--"many people who use aspartame will try to burn fat by excercising for 45 minutes continuously"
The following appeared in the editorial section of a corporate newsletter. ?The common notion that workers are generally apathetic about management issues is false, or at least outdated: a recently published survey indicates that 79 percent of the nearly 1,200 workers who responded to survey questionnaires expressed a high level of interest in the topics of corporate restructuring and redesign of benefits programs.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
IS--the author doesn't tell who responded to the survey, the 1200 workers could all work for the same company, if this were the case it wouldn't give a good sence of how workers feel at most companies.
OS--the author assumes that because wokers are interested in corporate restructuring and benefits programs they are interested in all managment issues, when in fact they may be only interested in these two issues because they directly concern the worker's pay and job security.
The following appeared in the opinion column of a financial magazine.
?On average, middle-aged consumers devote 39 percent of their retail expenditure to department store products and services, while for younger consumers the average is only 25 percent. Since the number of middle-aged people will increase dramatically within the next decade, department stores can expect retail sales to increase significantly during that period. Furthermore, to take advantage of the trend, these stores should begin to replace some of those products intended to attract the younger consumer with products intended to attract the middle-aged consumer.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
GA--"the total amount of money middle-aged consumers spend is similar to the total amount of money younger customers spend" If it were the case that younger consumers spend much more money in total then it could be more important for stores to focus on their business.
EO--the author assumes that stocking products to attract more middle-aged consumers and stocking products to attract younger consumers are mutually exclusive alternatives. Perhaps it is possible to increase the store's appeal to older consumers without compromising its appeal to younger crowds.
IS--the author concludes that all middle aged people will behave as present-day middle aged people do, but perhaps the determination of where to shop is based upon the customer's generation rather than the customer's age. If that were the case then when today's younger consumers become middle-aged consumers they will continue to shop in stores other than department stores.
The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper.
?This past winter, 200 students from Waymarsh State College traveled to the state capitol building to protest against proposed cuts in funding for various state college programs. The other 12,000 Waymarsh students evidently weren?t so concerned about their education: they either stayed on campus or left for winter break. Since the group who did not protest is far more numerous, it is more representative of the state?s college students than are the protesters. Therefore the state legislature need not heed the appeals of the protesting students.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
GA--"because 12000 students didn't protest they didn't care about the funding cuts" the students might have cared, but perhaps they thought that protesting would do no good, or they had other good reasons for not protesting. Perhaps many of them wrote letters.
IS--perhaps Waymarsh had the lowest level of turnout of all of the state colleges. Looking at the numbers from one school is an insufficient sample to determine whether the state's college students in general are against the cuts.
**--if the funding cuts only affected a small number of students, then one would expect only a small number of students to be angry about the cuts. If the funding amount was proportional to the number of students it affected then perhaps the legislature should heed the appeals of protesters.
The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper. ?In the first four years that Montoya has served as mayor of the city of San Perdito, the population has decreased and the unemployment rate has increased. Two businesses have closed for each new business that has opened. Under Varro, who served as mayor for four years before Montoya, the unemployment rate decreased and the population increased. Clearly, the residents of San Perdito would be best served if they voted Montoya out of office and reelected Varro.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
OS--the fact that the population decreased and unemployment increased during Montoya's first four years does not necessarily indicate that Montoya was the cause.
OS-- similarly the increase in population and the decrease in unemployment during Varro's term doesn't necessarily mean that Varro was the cause.
GA--the author assumes that the higher rate of closing businesses than of opening businesses means means that the local economy is having trouble. It is possible that the businesses that are closing were not very profitable while the businesses that are opening are and will be highly profitable, if this were the case then it should be taken as a sign of economic success.
The following appeared as part of a promotional campaign to sell advertising space in the Daily Gazette to grocery stores in the Marston area. Advertising the reduced price of selected grocery items in the Daily Gazette will help you increase your sales. Consider the results of a study conducted last month. Thirty sale items from a store in downtown Marston were advertised in the Gazette for four days. Each time one or more of the 30 items was purchased, clerks asked whether the shopper had read the ad. Two-thirds of the 200 shoppers asked answered in the affirmative. Furthermore, more than half the customers who answered in the affirmative spent over $100 at the store.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
SD--poll does not mention whether these shoppers usually buy the advertised items, the author can only support the claim that the ad helped to sell items if shoppers who normally don't buy the items did buy the items after reading the ad.
**--author tries to argue that people who saw the ad spent more money than the otherwise would have, but the author does not mention whether $100 is a large amount of money to spend at the store, if half of all shoppers spent more than $100 the observation does not support the claim.
SD--author does not indicate what percentage of total shoppers bought some of the thirty items, nor does the author mention how many of those items the shoppers bought. Perhaps a very small percentage of total shoppers bought any of the thirty items, and those who did buy some all bought the same few items.
The following appeared as part of a campaign to sell advertising time on a local radio station to local businesses. ?The Cumquat Cafe began advertising on our local radio station this year and was delighted to see its business increase by 10 percent over last year?s totals. Their success shows you how you can use radio advertising to make your business more profitable.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
OS--cumquat's radio ad campaign and the cumquat's increase in business do not necessarily imply causality
ATE--not all businesses are the same as the cumquat in all respects, and even if advertising on the radio worked for the cumquat it does not mean that it will work for any given business.
The following appeared as part of a newspaper editorial. ?Two years ago Nova High School began to use interactive computer instruction in three academic subjects. The school dropout rate declined immediately, and last year?s graduates have reported some impressive achievements in college. In future budgets the school board should use a greater portion of the available funds to buy more computers, and all schools in the district should adopt interactive computer instruction throughout the curriculum.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
OS--the decline in the school dropout rate and the use of interactive computer instruction do not necessarily imply causality
ATE--just because the computers worked in one subject does not mean that they will work in all subjects, so they might not want to implement it "throughout the curriculum"
IS--the evidence the author provides is insufficient to support the conclusion drawn from it. The fact that some graduates reported some impressive achievements in college does not necessarily allow us to establish the general conclusion that the computer instruction is helping students to achieve success. Unless it can be shown that the school does not usually produce graduates who report impressive achievments, and it can also be shown that the computer instruction influenced the students to make those achievements the conclusion drawn is unwarranted.
The following appeared as a part of an advertisement for Adams, who is seeking reelection as governor. ?Re-elect Adams, and you will be voting for proven leadership in improving the state?s economy. Over the past year alone, seventy percent of the state?s workers have had increases in their wages, five thousand new jobs have been created, and six corporations have located their headquarters here. Most of the respondents in a recent poll said they believed that the economy is likely to continue to improve if Adams is reelected. Adams?s opponent, Zebulon, would lead our state in the wrong direction, because Zebulon disagrees with many of Adams?s economic policies.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
OS--the improved economy and Adam's term as govenor do not establish causality
GA--The author assumes that the individuals polled have knowledge about what will happen to the economy if Adams is re-elected. It is likely that many of these people know very little about economics and their opinion is meaningless.
The following appeared as part of an article in the education section of a Waymarsh City newspaper.
?Throughout the last two decades, those who earned graduate degrees found it very difficult to get jobs teaching their academic specialties at the college level. Those with graduate degrees from Waymarsh University had an especially hard time finding such jobs. But better times are coming in the next decade for all academic job seekers, including those from Waymarsh. Demographic trends indicate that an increasing number of people will be reaching college age over the next ten years; consequently, we can expect that the job market will improve dramatically for people seeking college-level teaching positions in their fields.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
GA--the author assumes that even though graduates of Waymarsh have an "especially hard time" finding jobs, they will be hired once the job market turns around. it could be that when the market does turn waymarsh grads will still have a hard time finding jobs because of other factors making them less hireable
GA--the author assumes that an increase in college students will necessitate an increase in professorships. it could be the case that there are plenty of professors already to handle the increase of students going to college and the job market will not improve.
Ga-- the author assumes that an increase in the number of people who are "college-aged" will yield an increase in the number of college students, but it might be the case that a smaller percentage of those people will choose to go to college and therefore there may not be an increased number of total students enrolled
The following appeared in an article in a consumer-products magazine.
Two of today?s best-selling brands of full-strength prescription medication for the relief of excess stomach acid, Acid-Ease and Pepticaid,are now available in milder nonprescription forms. Doctors have written 76 million more prescriptions for full-strength Acid-Ease than for full-strength Pepticaid. So people who need an effective but milder nonprescription medication for the relief of excess stomach acid should
choose Acid-Ease.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
GA--the author assumes that if the prescription form of A.E. is better than the prescription form of Pepticaid then the nonprescription form of A.E. will be better than Pepticaid's nonprescription version.
OS--the author assumes that doctors prescribed A.E. because it was better medicine than Pepticaid, but perhaps the doctor prescribed it because it was cheaper, advertised better, etc.
The following is an excerpt from a memo written by the head of a governmental department.
?Neither stronger ethics regulations nor stronger enforcement mechanisms are necessary to ensure ethical behavior by companies doing
business with this department. We already have a code of ethics that companies doing business with this department are urged to abide by,
and virtually all of these companies have agreed to follow it. We also know that the code is relevant to the current business environment
because it was approved within the last year, and in direct response to specific violations committed by companies with which we were then
working ? not in abstract anticipation of potential violations, as so many such codes are.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
GA--the author assumes that because the companies agree to follow the code they actually will follow the code without an enforcement mechanism
GA--the author assumes that the violations that were committed in the past by different companies are the violations likely to be committed in the future by the companies being worked with today
The following appeared as part of an article in the travel section of a newspaper.
?Over the past decade, the restaurant industry in the country of Spiessa has experienced unprecedented growth. This surge can be expected
to continue in the coming years, fueled by recent social changes: personal incomes are rising, more leisure time is available, single-person
households are more common, and people have a greater interest in gourmet food, as evidenced by a proliferation of publications on the
subject.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
GA--The author assumes that the growth of the restaurant industry is not enough to cover the recent social changes mentioned. If those social changes are finished and they were the cause of the previous growth then one shouldn't expect the restaurant industry to keep growing.
GA--the author assumes that the social changes mentioned will lead people to eat out more often, but no direct evidence is given. Perhaps with increased incomes and leisure time many people will prefer to cook their own gourmet meals rather than eat out.
GA--the author further assumes that a greater interest in gourmet publications indicates a greater interest in eating out, but again perhaps it means that people are actually more interested in cooking.
The following appeared in an article in a health and fitness magazine.
?Laboratory studies show that Saluda Natural Spring Water contains several of the minerals necessary for good health and that it is
completely free of bacteria. Residents of Saluda, the small town where the water is bottled, are hospitalized less frequently than the national
average. Even though Saluda Natural Spring Water may seem expensive, drinking it instead of tap water is a wise investment in good
health.?
OS--the author notices that the town of saluda has healthy water, and that it has a lower hospitalization rate than the national average and assumes causality, there are many possible reasons for why saluda residents might be healthier.
GA--the author assumes that people in saluda are hospitalized less frequently because they are healthier. It may be the case however, that saluda has less access to a hospital and many of the illnesses that would lead to hospitalization in other cities are treated in local doctor's offices in saluda.
The following appeared as part of an editorial in an industry newsletter.
?While trucking companies that deliver goods pay only a portion of highway maintenance costs and no property tax on the highways they
use, railways spend billions per year maintaining and upgrading their facilities. The government should lower the railroad companies?
property taxes, since sending goods by rail is clearly a more appropriate mode of ground transportation than highway shipping. For one
thing, trains consume only a third of the fuel a truck would use to carry the same load, making them a more cost-effective and
environmentally sound mode of transport. Furthermore, since rail lines already exist, increases in rail traffic would not require building new
lines at the expense of taxpaying citizens.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
GA--the author assumes that lowering the property taxes of railroad companies would increase the amount of good shipped by those railroads and thereby decrease the use of highway shipping. this may not be the case however if the train tracks are already being used to their limits, or if trains do not go to many of the places that goods need to be shipped.
GA--the author assumes that the use of fuel is the only important environmental consideration in transportation. It could be the case that trains use other environmentally harmful products, or that the use of land for trains is more distructive than the use of land for roads.
The following appeared in the editorial section of a newspaper.
?As public concern over drug abuse has increased, authorities have become more vigilant in their efforts to prevent illegal drugs from
entering the country. Many drug traffickers have consequently switched from marijuana, which is bulky, or heroin, which has a market too
small to justify the risk of severe punishment, to cocaine. Thus enforcement efforts have ironically resulted in an observed increase in the
illegal use of cocaine.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
OS--In the first place, this argument commits a fallacy of causal oversimplification. The author assumes that an increase in the supply of cocaine is sufficient to bring about an increase in its use.
The following appeared in a speech delivered by a member of the city council.
?Twenty years ago, only half of the students who graduated from Einstein High School went on to attend a college or university. Today,
two thirds of the students who graduate from Einstein do so. Clearly, Einstein has improved its educational effectiveness over the past two
decades. This improvement has occurred despite the fact that the school?s funding, when adjusted for inflation, is about the same as it was
twenty years ago. Therefore, we do not need to make any substantial increase in the school?s funding at this time.?
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
OS--assumes that Einstein H.S.'s effectiveness is the cause of increased college/university attendance. it could actually be from increased ability of the students to afford college, or improved educational effectiveness of the elementary schools and junior highs in the area
GA--the author assumes that funding only needs to increase when educational effectiveness is down. if the building were falling apart the school might need extra funding to repair it, or if teachers were about to start strikes for higher wages then the school might need a bigger labor budget
The following appeared in a memo from the customer service division to the manager of Mammon Savings and Loan. We believe that improved customer service is the best way for us to differentiate ourselves from competitors and attract new customers. We can offer our customers better service by reducing waiting time in teller lines from an average of six minutes to an average of three. By opening for business at 8:30 instead of 9:00, and by remaining open for an additional hour beyond our current closing time, we will be better able to accommodate the busy schedules of our customers. These changes will enhance our bank's image as the most customer friendly bank in town and give us the edge over our competition.
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
GA--The author assumes that the bank's customers would do banking before 9 or after the normal closing hour if the bank were open. It could actually be the case that very few customers would visit during those hours and thus the measures woudln't change the opinion of any of the banks customers about the bank.
GA--The author assumes that the way to develop the image of being a customer friendly bank is by offering convenient service. Perhaps the bank is actually viewed as friendly because there are a few well-known tellers that spend a few minutes talking with each customer about his or her personal life. If the bank were to try to hire new tellers, or speed up the tellers it has, then it would lose that personal interaction.
The following appeared as part of an article in a magazine on lifestyles.
Two years ago, City L was listed 14th in an annual survey that ranks cities according to the quality of life that can be enjoyed by those
living in them. This information will enable people who are moving to the state in which City L is located to confidently identify one place,
at least, where schools are good, housing is affordable, people are friendly, the environment is safe, and the arts flourish.
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
GA--the author assumes that in order to rank well in the annual survey it must have all of the positive qualities mentioned in the argument. it could be the case that people who took the survey ranked city L for different reasons, and that it is actually lacking in some of those categories.
SD--we don't know who was surveyed, and if they didn't know about very many cities other than the top 14 then the survey may not be accurate.
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