GRE WORKSHOP
AWA
Argument:: Finding the flaws
Keyword/Situation Example
REPORTED / FILED Our research indicates that
COMPLAINT / DID NOT over the past six years no
COMPLAIN incidents of employee theft
have been reported within 10 of
the companies that have been
our clients.
Wrong comparison (only 50 cents for 5-day period means
similar things can be 10 cents per day (in 1970),
compared) which is less than 20 cents per
day (in 1984). So, the price did
not fall – it actually increased.
Improper conclusion People who use the artificial
sweetener aspartame are better
off consuming sugar, since
aspartame can actually
contribute to weight gain rather
than weight loss.
RESPONDED TO SURVEY/ Improved communications
REPLIED TO between employees and
QUESTIONNAIRE / management was consistently
PARTICIPATED IN POLL, ranked as the issue of highest
etc. importance by the employees
who responded to the survey.
Flaw in reasoning
There are probably thefts that
were not reported. We cannot
assume that all the thefts
were reported.
In color film processing, 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.
Some people may use
artificial sweeteners for
reasons other than weight-
loss (diabetes, allergies, etc.)
These people will not be
“better off” by using sugar.
Unless there is data about
what % of people responded
to the survey, this data is
inconclusive. If survey was
done among 1000 people and
only 10 people responded,
then no conclusion can be
drawn based on the result of
that survey.
 Keyword/Situation
People’s choices /preference
/ intelligence /competence,
etc. cannot be treated as
permanent / fixed.
STUDIES REVEAL…./
RESEARCH SHOWS….
Example Flaw in reasoning
On average, middle-aged There is no guarantee that in
consumers devote 39 percent of 10 years’ time people’s
their retail expenditure to preference will not change.
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.
Studies suggest that an average Question the authenticity of
coffee drinker’s consumption of the studies, research, etc. Was
coffee increases with age, from the sample representative?
age 10 through age 60. When was it carried out – is it
still relevant?
 Keyword/Situation Example Flaw in reasoning

Conclusions drawn without We believe that improved • No data to support

data customer service is the best way that these are the
for us to differentiate ourselves things that their
from competitors and attract new customers want.
• No data to support
customers. We can offer our
that their competitors
customers better service by don’t offer these same
reducing waiting time in teller things.
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.

MOST/MANY/FEW/A LOT, In response to petitions from the “Many” is what % of total

etc. (not concrete data) many farmers and rural farmers and rural
landowners throughout our landowners of that region?
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.

PROVEN METHOD/ SUREST The surest way for architects and No data to support this
WAY/ ENSURE/ GUARANTEE builders to prove that they have claim.
(without supporting data) met the inimum requirements
established by these codes is to
construct buildings by using the
same materials and methods that
are currently allowed.
 Keyword/Situation
After X was done, Y
happened/ Since X happened,
Y should be done/ Since X
happened, Y happened (one
of the most common
situations that appear in
Arguments.)
Example Flaw in reasoning
• After opening the new It is not necessary that Y
swimming pool early last happened because of X!
summer, Take Heart saw a There can be other reasons
12 percent increase in the for Y happening. There may
use of the center by its
not be a direct co-relation
members.
• Farmers who switched from between X and Y.
synthetic to organic farming
last year have seen their
crop yields decline.
• Since a competing lower-
priced newspaper, The
Bugle, was started five years
ago, The Mercury’s
circulation has declined by
10,000 readers.
• Since our company started
manufacturing and
marketing a deluxe air filter
six months ago, sales of our
economy filter—and
company profits—have
decreased significantly.
 Keyword/Situation
PERCENT (when only the
percentage is given and not
the absolute number)
Example
• Waiters report that only
about 2 percent of the
customers have
complained, and that
customers who want refills
typically ask for ‘more tea.’
• In a recent citywide poll, 15
percent more residents said
that they watch television
programs about the visual
arts than was the case in a
poll conducted five years
ago.
Flaw in reasoning
Percentages are tricky –
when the absolute numbers
are not given. Consider this
statement – the price of Car
A increased by 50% while the
price of Car
B increased only by 10%. This
statement makes it sound as
if Car A has become very
expensive. But the price of
Car A could have increased to
$ 15000 from $10000 while
price of Car B could have
become $22000 from $20000.
Similarly, 2% customers can
mean 2 customers if total
customers are 100 or it can
even mean 2000 if the total
customers are 100000 – and
the significance of the 2% will
be different in each case.
 Find the flaws: EXERCISE 1

According to a recent report, cheating among college and university students is on the rise. However,
Groveton College has successfully reduced student cheating by adopting an honor code, which calls
for students to agree not to cheat in their academic endeavors and to notify a faculty member if they
suspect that others have cheated. Groveton's honor code replaced a system in which teachers closely
monitored students; under that system, teachers reported an average of thirty cases of cheating per
year. In the first year the honor code was in place, students reported twenty-one cases of cheating;
five years later, this figure had dropped to fourteen. Moreover, in a recent survey, a majority of Groveton
students said that they would be less likely to cheat with an honor code in place than without. Thus,
all colleges and universities should adopt honor codes similar to Groveton's in order to decrease
cheating among students.

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide
whether the recommendation and the argument on which it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain
how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.
 Find the flaws: EXERCISE 2

The following was written as a part of an application for a small-business loan by a group of developers
in the city of Monroe. "A jazz music club in Monroe would be a tremendously profitable enterprise.
Currently, the nearest jazz club is 65 miles away; thus, the proposed new jazz club in Monroe, the C-
Note, would have the local market all to itself. Plus, jazz is extremely popular in Monroe: over 100,000
people attended Monroe's annual jazz festival last summer; several well-known jazz musicians live in
Monroe; and the highest-rated radio program in Monroe is 'Jazz Nightly,' which airs every weeknight
at 7 P.M. Finally, a nationwide study indicates that the typical jazz fan spends close to $1,000 per year
on jazz entertainment.“

Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and
explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.
 Find the flaws: EXERCISE 3

A recent sales study indicates that consumption of seafood dishes in Bay City restaurants has increased
by 30 percent during the past five years. Yet there are no currently operating city restaurants whose
specialty is seafood. Moreover, the majority of families in Bay City are two-income families, and a
nationwide study has shown that such families eat significantly fewer home-cooked meals than they
did a decade ago but at the same time express more concern about healthful eating. Therefore, the
new Captain Seafood restaurant that specializes in seafood should be quite popular and profitable.

Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and
explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.
 Sample Prompt

The following appeared in a memorandum from the director of research and development at Ready-
to-Ware, a software engineering firm.

The package of benefits and incentives that Ready-to-Ware offers to professional staff is too costly.
Our quarterly profits have declined since the package was introduced two years ago, at the time of
our incorporation. Moreover, the package had little positive effect, as we have had only marginal
success in recruiting and training high-quality professional staff. To become more profitable again,
Ready-to-Ware should, therefore, offer the reduced benefits package that was in place two years ago
and use the savings to fund our current research and development initiatives.

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.
In the memorandum, the director of R&D states that the quarterly profits of Ready-to-Ware have
declined and blames the package of benefits and incentives given to employees for this decline. He
further goes on to say that the package had negligible impact on recruitment and training of high-
quality professional staff, and therefore, recommends that the package be discontinued to improve
profitability. However, his line of reasoning is fraught with erroneous logic and conclusions.

Firstly, the director starts by stating that the package is too costly, but he does not provide any data
regarding the financials of the package. What percentage of the total expenses of Ready-to-Ware
was spent on the package? Unless this was a significantly high percentage, the director's claim holds
no water. Moreover, it is highly unlikely that the reduced profitability was caused only by the introduction
of the package of benefits and incentives. There could have been other factors leading to this decline
even external factors such as economic recession.

Secondly, the director jumps to the conclusion that the package had little positive effect merely because
it had limited success in recruiting and training high-quality professional staff. However, if high-quality
professional staff is a minority among the employees of Ready-to-ware, then based on the impact of
the package on a small group of employees, it cannot be generalized that the package did not have
positive impact. Moreover, he does not provide any information about the impact of the package on
recruitment, training or even retention of other employees of the company. Thus, in the absence of
more detailed personnel data of Ready-to-ware, the director's conclusion appears erroneous.

Lastly, the director suggests that the package should be rolled back and the savings should be used to
fund research in order to increase profitability. Unless any study has been done to confirm that investing
in research will improve profitability in Ready-to-ware, the director's plan is doomed to fail. In his
argument, the director does not provide any concrete evidence that funding research and development
initiatives will lead to increased revenues and profits. Moreover, the director has not taken any negtaive
impact of the package-rollback, such as decreased employee morale, motivation and productivity,
into account while making this recommendation.

The director's argument could have been convincing had he provided more data. Throughout his
argument, he seemed to be jumping from one line of reasoning to another, without connecting the
dots and side-stepping important questions. In the light of the discrepancies discussed above, it can
be concluded that the director's argument lacks perspective and remains unconvincing.
 ISSUE

Issue:: Examples

• Do not take a stand immediately after reading the topic.

• Look for 3 examples each for – FOR and AGAINST.
• Search for examples using the SPLASH system.
• Science
• Personal
• Literature
• Arts
• Story
• History

SPLASH

SCIENCE: ARTS:
• Inventions • Dead Poets Society, Stand by me, My sister’s
• Discoveries keeper,

PERSONAL: STORIES:
• Failures • Mythology
• Challenges • Gandhi, Newton, Einstein, Lincoln

LITERATURE: HISTORY:
• Animal Farm • Apartheid
• Jonathan Livingston Seagull • Slavery
• Hellen Keller, Florence Nightingale, Hitler,
Mandela
 FIND TALKING POINTS & EXAMPLES:
EXERCISE 1

Educational institutions have a responsibility to dissuade students from pursuing fields of study in
which they are unlikely to succeed.

AGREE DISAGREE
 FIND TALKING POINTS & EXAMPLES:
EXERCISE 2

Some people believe that in order to be effective, political leaders must yield to public opinion and
abandon principle for the sake of compromise. Others believe that the most essential quality of an
effective leader is the ability to remain consistently committed to particular principles and objectives.

AGREE DISAGREE
 FIND TALKING POINTS & EXAMPLES:
EXERCISE 3

Claim: The best way to understand the character of a society is to examine the character of the men
and women that the society chooses as its heroes or its role models.

Reason: Heroes and role models reveal a society's highest ideals..

AGREE DISAGREE
 Sample Issue Essay

As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the ability of humans to think for
themselves will surely deteriorate.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement
and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you
should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these
considerations shape your position.
 Sample Issue Essay

Many of us may have expressed the following sentiment, or some variation of it, during our daily
commutes: "People are getting so stupid these days!" Surrounded as we are by people with cell
phones glued to their ears and PDA's gripped in their hands, it's tempting to believe that technology
has isolated and mechanized us, essentially transforming us into dependent robots, incapable of
exercising our brains beyond a certain limit. However, the truth cannot be farthest from this.

If you think about it, using technology to solve more complicated problems gives humans a chance to
expand their thinking and learning, opening up whole new worlds. Many of these people are glad for
the chance to expand their horizons by learning more, going to new places, and trying new things. If it
wasn't for the invention of new technological devices, I wouldn't be sitting at this computer trying to
philosophize about technology. I would probably be outside trying to hunt a deer with my spear for my
lunch!

Also, It would be extremely hard for children in much poorer countries to learn and think for themselves
with out the invention of the internet. Think what an impact the printing press, a technologically
superior machine at the time, had on the ability of the human race to learn and think. Without the
invention of the printing press, books would have remained exclusive to the elite, and the world would
not have had a Newton, Einstein or Stephen Hawking.

The car, computer and phone all release additional time for people to live more efficiently. This efficiency
does not preclude the need for humans to think for themselves. In fact, technology frees humanity to
not only tackle new problems, but may itself create new issues that did not exist without technology.
For example, the proliferation of automobiles has introduced a need for fuel conservation on a global
scale. With increasing energy demands from emerging markets, global warming becomes a concern
inconceivable to the horse-and-buggy generation.

We can even see how technology frees the human imagination. Consider how the digital revolution
and the advent of the internet has allowed for an unprecedented exchange of ideas. WebMD, a popular
internet portal for medical information, permits patients to self research symptoms for a more informed
doctor visit. This is of immense value to people living in places that do not have easy access to
medical facility.

Using technology to solve our continually more complicated problems as a human race is definitely a
good thing. Our ability to think for ourselves isn't deteriorating, it's continuing to grow, moving on to
higher though functions and more ingenious ideas.