Date - 9 June 09
Sample essay taken from 800 score dot com test
Group #1: Analysis of Argument
A recent study with a researcher pretending to have a broken down car on the side of the road showed that when the researcher was a man, 60% of the time, a man pulled over to help them, and 0% of the time a woman stopped to help. When the researcher was a woman, 70% of the time a man stopped to help, and 20% of the time a woman stopped to help. This study shows how all men are more naturally altruistic than women. It also shows that women care more about helping women than men.
Describe how well reasoned you find this argument. In the 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 argument's conclusion. You may also address possible changes in the argument that would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.
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The argument under consideration is marred by a weak line of reasoning, the assumptions invloved with the evidence presented and the absence of experiment details. Also there are loop hools in the argument which might lead to counter arguments that could weaken the conclusion.
The line of reasoning takes only one example and it results. With this example alone it hastily arrives at a very generic conclusion. A single experiment regarding the behaviour of men and women on the road cannot be used to conclude that in general men are more helpful than women and that women help women more than they help men.
The experimental circumstances are hardly mentioned. For ex, which time of was the day was the experiment conducted, whether both the male and female researcher used the same stretch of road etc. Also the reasoning presented with the use of the evidence encompasses some assumptions like men stop for women only for helping and women don't stop because they don't want to help. In reality men might stop for socialising and the women might not stop because they were in a rush or they were scared of the strange man standing on the roadside.
Also the figures presented in the exapmle are misleading, for instance 60% of men in the experiment of the male researcher might number to 60 people in 100 subjects whereas the 70% in latter case might lead to 7 people out of 10 subjects which is in fact less than the the former. Also if there were no women subjects in the first experiment then obviosly the percentage of women stopping would be 0 and this doesnot prove any facts about women's lesser altruistic nature.If these facts actually come into light then they will weaken the argument as a whole.
As for any evidence that might strengthen the argument, inlcusion of any details proving that the experimental conditions were unifrom for both the experiements and that the same people were the subjects of the two experiments and that any theory that behaviour on road is representative of the human nature in general might add some value to the argument.
Showing posts with label AWA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AWA. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
AWA - Issue 4
Date 9 June 09
Sample essay subject taken from 800 score dot com from the 5 CAT tests I bought
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.
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There are a number of factors that an employer looks for in a potential employee when hiring him. This said, the most important of them is formal education. How often do we see a job requirement ad saying "we don't need your educational information, all we need is that you be able to do the job"? Very less, with the exception of waitressing probably. There is a sound reasoning behind this need for formal education in future employees.
First, formal education provides the minimal knowledge required to do a job. Can we think of getting operated by a doctor who never went to Medical school?Of course not.Similarly we would not send our kids to a school where the teachers themselves have never received formal education. Performing any job,be it in medical field or educational field, requires the person to be acquiscient with the basic rules involved and processes invloved etc. Without this things will turn out bad for everyone involved.
Secondly,formal education enables us to look at the right place for the causes of problems and their solutions. It also enables to find any wrong things happening. For ex. a lawyer who went to law school will be able to object to the inclusion of an irrelevant evidence that might mislead a jury.But a lawyer who didnot receive any formal educaton in law and who doesnot know the rules of the law might simply sit helplessly not knowing the right section under which he can object to it.
Lastly, formal education puts a stamp on a persons head saying that he or she is qualified enough and possesses the minimum skills required to perform a certain kind of job. And this helps employers to employ the right people in the right place and avoid the losses that might have occured if the opposite might have happened.
Sample essay subject taken from 800 score dot com from the 5 CAT tests I bought
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.
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There are a number of factors that an employer looks for in a potential employee when hiring him. This said, the most important of them is formal education. How often do we see a job requirement ad saying "we don't need your educational information, all we need is that you be able to do the job"? Very less, with the exception of waitressing probably. There is a sound reasoning behind this need for formal education in future employees.
First, formal education provides the minimal knowledge required to do a job. Can we think of getting operated by a doctor who never went to Medical school?Of course not.Similarly we would not send our kids to a school where the teachers themselves have never received formal education. Performing any job,be it in medical field or educational field, requires the person to be acquiscient with the basic rules involved and processes invloved etc. Without this things will turn out bad for everyone involved.
Secondly,formal education enables us to look at the right place for the causes of problems and their solutions. It also enables to find any wrong things happening. For ex. a lawyer who went to law school will be able to object to the inclusion of an irrelevant evidence that might mislead a jury.But a lawyer who didnot receive any formal educaton in law and who doesnot know the rules of the law might simply sit helplessly not knowing the right section under which he can object to it.
Lastly, formal education puts a stamp on a persons head saying that he or she is qualified enough and possesses the minimum skills required to perform a certain kind of job. And this helps employers to employ the right people in the right place and avoid the losses that might have occured if the opposite might have happened.
Monday, June 1, 2009
AWA - Argument 3
"Your vacation resort can ill afford not to publicize its offerings on Travelshack.com.Our readership has more than doubled in the past year alone and is dominated by savvy consumers with large disposable incomes.Witness the experience of Snowbert Ski Lodge. Since it began advertising itself on our webiste a year ago, it is regularly booked to capacity and its annual profits have increased more than threefold from the previous year."
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The argument in discussion might lead one to believe that advertising on travelshack.com will result in good profits.But a careful observation of the reasoning used and a look at the assumptions involved convinces us that the argument is weak. These weaknesses can be removed by providing more convincing evidence. A look at each of these factors will make our understanding clear.
The line of reasoning is misleading since it says that the consumer base of the online magazine/catalogue has doubled, but doesn't exactly quote the number of consumers. Though it might be a good thing for the company it doesn't show that a large percentage of the vacationing population actully reads this particular magazine. For example the readership might have increased from say 10,000 to 20,000 people.For a total vacationing population of 200,000 this accounts to just 10%.
Also the argument points out that the readers are mostly affluent people. It assumes that as soon as they see an advertisemt they will go and vacation at the particular advertised resort. But in reality the rich might only vacation at the high-end resorts. In such a case economy resorts cannot benefit from advertising their services on travelshack.com.
When we look at the evidence the argumnet uses to support itself, we can see that the underlying assumption involved is that the only reason the Ski Lodge's profit increased was due to advertising. This disregards any other reasons applicable for ex. reduction in the room rent at the resort, addition of new attractions near the Ski Lodge etc.
Inspite of the above weak links the argument can be made more convincing if it can provide further evidence linking the improved profits at Ski Lode to it's advertising on travelshack.com.For instance the results of a survey of the customers at the resort indicating that maximum customers heard about the resort through travelshack.com.Another convincing evidence can involve the comparision of Ski Lodge to it's neighbouring resorts and a deduction that only Ski Lodge's profits have improved.
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The argument in discussion might lead one to believe that advertising on travelshack.com will result in good profits.But a careful observation of the reasoning used and a look at the assumptions involved convinces us that the argument is weak. These weaknesses can be removed by providing more convincing evidence. A look at each of these factors will make our understanding clear.
The line of reasoning is misleading since it says that the consumer base of the online magazine/catalogue has doubled, but doesn't exactly quote the number of consumers. Though it might be a good thing for the company it doesn't show that a large percentage of the vacationing population actully reads this particular magazine. For example the readership might have increased from say 10,000 to 20,000 people.For a total vacationing population of 200,000 this accounts to just 10%.
Also the argument points out that the readers are mostly affluent people. It assumes that as soon as they see an advertisemt they will go and vacation at the particular advertised resort. But in reality the rich might only vacation at the high-end resorts. In such a case economy resorts cannot benefit from advertising their services on travelshack.com.
When we look at the evidence the argumnet uses to support itself, we can see that the underlying assumption involved is that the only reason the Ski Lodge's profit increased was due to advertising. This disregards any other reasons applicable for ex. reduction in the room rent at the resort, addition of new attractions near the Ski Lodge etc.
Inspite of the above weak links the argument can be made more convincing if it can provide further evidence linking the improved profits at Ski Lode to it's advertising on travelshack.com.For instance the results of a survey of the customers at the resort indicating that maximum customers heard about the resort through travelshack.com.Another convincing evidence can involve the comparision of Ski Lodge to it's neighbouring resorts and a deduction that only Ski Lodge's profits have improved.
AWA - Issue 3
"Some people argue that those who do not send their children to public schools should not have to fund these schools through taxes, since neither parents nor chidren benefit from these schools. They ignore the fact that everyone benefits from the strong economy that a well-educated populace generates."
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In a community where people co-exist it is important for everyone to contribute to the maintenance and improvement of the resources within their locality. Hence it is wrong for someone to refuse the payment of taxes for maintenance of schools of that county.
The argument of the people that they doen't have to pay for the education given in public schools since they are not using these schools is very selfish in nature. It shows least interest in community and places oneself above all others, which is definitely not the right thing to do. Hence for the well-being of the community as a whole,one must place importance on public well being and act upon it by contributing to the maintenance of the community. For instance , people living in a community all pay the same maintenance charges periodically even though they might not use the pool as much as others do or they might not have a car to park in the parking place.
The people against the public schools might argue that they or their family do not take any benefit from the public schools. They might be right in their view. But in the long run ,they do use the products, the graduates, of these public schools in the form of employees or leaders etc. A good schooling for thes future employees and leaders will hence lead to the benefit of our very own public-school opposers.Refusing to fund their tax money to public schools is same as refusing to pay taxes for roads in the state. One might not use all the roads of the state, but he or she does use the various imports brought into the state through that very road.
As for the perspective of the supporters of public schools, their stand-point is perfectly right.They are right when they say that everyone who is a part of a community holds a responsibility to the resources there and hence should take care of the well-being of these commonly utilised resources.
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In a community where people co-exist it is important for everyone to contribute to the maintenance and improvement of the resources within their locality. Hence it is wrong for someone to refuse the payment of taxes for maintenance of schools of that county.
The argument of the people that they doen't have to pay for the education given in public schools since they are not using these schools is very selfish in nature. It shows least interest in community and places oneself above all others, which is definitely not the right thing to do. Hence for the well-being of the community as a whole,one must place importance on public well being and act upon it by contributing to the maintenance of the community. For instance , people living in a community all pay the same maintenance charges periodically even though they might not use the pool as much as others do or they might not have a car to park in the parking place.
The people against the public schools might argue that they or their family do not take any benefit from the public schools. They might be right in their view. But in the long run ,they do use the products, the graduates, of these public schools in the form of employees or leaders etc. A good schooling for thes future employees and leaders will hence lead to the benefit of our very own public-school opposers.Refusing to fund their tax money to public schools is same as refusing to pay taxes for roads in the state. One might not use all the roads of the state, but he or she does use the various imports brought into the state through that very road.
As for the perspective of the supporters of public schools, their stand-point is perfectly right.They are right when they say that everyone who is a part of a community holds a responsibility to the resources there and hence should take care of the well-being of these commonly utilised resources.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
AWA - Argument 2
"Professor Taylor of Jones University is promoting a model of foreign language instrucion in which students receive 10 weeks of intensive training,then go abroad to live with families for 10 weeks.The superiority of the model,Profesor Taylor contends,is proved by the results of a study in which foreign language tests given to students of 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 majore elsewhere at the time of their graduation."
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The argument regarding the effectiveness of the foreign language instruction model followed at Jones University is weak owing to the kind of evidence used, the assumptions involved and weak reasoning. But by providing the details of the intensive training model and proper use of evidence the argument can be strengthened.
When we take a look at the reasoning presented in the argument we can see that Prof. Taylor contentds that a 10 week training program followed by a 10 week stay abroad will definitely improve the foreign language hold of the students. He misleadingly tries to convine us that a mere stay in abroad will improve langauge. In stating that he assumes that a student staying abroad will only be talking in the language of that country and not English or any other universal language.
In addition,the argument assumes that the students entering Jones Universty and other colleges are all at the same linguistic intellectual level. This may not be the case always. For ex. Jones University might have a difficult entry level lingustic test for the students of the course. The students who clear this test are sure to be equipped with prior forein language learning skills. It would be wrong to compare their learning curves with those of the normal students in other universities. Another assumption is that Prof Taylor thinks that same resources , like teachers or library books which enhance learning, are available to students of Jones as well as other colleges.
When it comes to using the evidence to prove his argument,Prof Taylor says that Jones University students who just finished 10 weeks of first year course are much better than graduates of other colleges.But this point doesn't prove that the particular model's 10 week intensive program or the 10 week stay abraod was carried out in the initial 10 weeks of Jones course.
Inspite of the above fallacies, the argument can be made strong by including details about the contents of the course followed in the 10 week intensive program.To name a few details of the pratice tests, guest lectures, foreign-language phonetic classes etc. Another means of evidence would be if the prof can prove that the same model followed taught to students picked from other universities shows improvement in their foreign language skills.
As can be seen from the above points we can conclude that the argument is inherently weak but can be strengthened by providing appropriate evidence and reasoning.
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The argument regarding the effectiveness of the foreign language instruction model followed at Jones University is weak owing to the kind of evidence used, the assumptions involved and weak reasoning. But by providing the details of the intensive training model and proper use of evidence the argument can be strengthened.
When we take a look at the reasoning presented in the argument we can see that Prof. Taylor contentds that a 10 week training program followed by a 10 week stay abroad will definitely improve the foreign language hold of the students. He misleadingly tries to convine us that a mere stay in abroad will improve langauge. In stating that he assumes that a student staying abroad will only be talking in the language of that country and not English or any other universal language.
In addition,the argument assumes that the students entering Jones Universty and other colleges are all at the same linguistic intellectual level. This may not be the case always. For ex. Jones University might have a difficult entry level lingustic test for the students of the course. The students who clear this test are sure to be equipped with prior forein language learning skills. It would be wrong to compare their learning curves with those of the normal students in other universities. Another assumption is that Prof Taylor thinks that same resources , like teachers or library books which enhance learning, are available to students of Jones as well as other colleges.
When it comes to using the evidence to prove his argument,Prof Taylor says that Jones University students who just finished 10 weeks of first year course are much better than graduates of other colleges.But this point doesn't prove that the particular model's 10 week intensive program or the 10 week stay abraod was carried out in the initial 10 weeks of Jones course.
Inspite of the above fallacies, the argument can be made strong by including details about the contents of the course followed in the 10 week intensive program.To name a few details of the pratice tests, guest lectures, foreign-language phonetic classes etc. Another means of evidence would be if the prof can prove that the same model followed taught to students picked from other universities shows improvement in their foreign language skills.
As can be seen from the above points we can conclude that the argument is inherently weak but can be strengthened by providing appropriate evidence and reasoning.
Friday, May 29, 2009
AWA - Issue 2
"All companies should invest heavilyin advertising because high-quality advertising can sell almost any product or service".
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Today's competitive market demands massive advertising on the part of every business that intends to attract customers and stay alive.But it is wrong to assume that adverrtising alone helps the sales of a product or service.
On the positive side a lot of advertising can help companies newly launching a product.But in the case of an old product,its quality and the extent it meets the expectations of the customers are what determine the prodcut sales.For ex. when the Snuggie was launched last winter we heard about its cheap price and free offers on Tv,radio and everywhere.The omnipresent advertisements of Snuggie helped its sales in the beginning. But when people discovered the extra chanrges that came under the head of 'shipping' a wrong review of the product passed in the market and hence resulted in drastic reduction of its sales.
Another effect of concentrated investment in advertising alone is that it will raise the expectations of the customers. When accompanied by a lack of investment in product development such expectations will see failure. Thus,inspite of huge advertising,a company will see diminishing sales.
In addition to the above,excessive advertising can have negative effects as well.A recent survey showed that repeated advertising about a product propogates a neagative vibe about the product.The consumers interviewed in the survey expressed that repeated advertising of a product makes them feel insecure about its durability and quality. Hence they don't considering buying it at all.
As can be seen by the detailed analysis of the issue, carried above,advertising alone will not help sales of a product or service and in fact might turn out bad for business.
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Today's competitive market demands massive advertising on the part of every business that intends to attract customers and stay alive.But it is wrong to assume that adverrtising alone helps the sales of a product or service.
On the positive side a lot of advertising can help companies newly launching a product.But in the case of an old product,its quality and the extent it meets the expectations of the customers are what determine the prodcut sales.For ex. when the Snuggie was launched last winter we heard about its cheap price and free offers on Tv,radio and everywhere.The omnipresent advertisements of Snuggie helped its sales in the beginning. But when people discovered the extra chanrges that came under the head of 'shipping' a wrong review of the product passed in the market and hence resulted in drastic reduction of its sales.
Another effect of concentrated investment in advertising alone is that it will raise the expectations of the customers. When accompanied by a lack of investment in product development such expectations will see failure. Thus,inspite of huge advertising,a company will see diminishing sales.
In addition to the above,excessive advertising can have negative effects as well.A recent survey showed that repeated advertising about a product propogates a neagative vibe about the product.The consumers interviewed in the survey expressed that repeated advertising of a product makes them feel insecure about its durability and quality. Hence they don't considering buying it at all.
As can be seen by the detailed analysis of the issue, carried above,advertising alone will not help sales of a product or service and in fact might turn out bad for business.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
AWA - Argument 1
I tok 31 and not 30 minutes to finish this.
I feel this could have been improved in terms of organization.
I wish I Could write 4 paras and not 3
I wanted to bring out the flaw in saying 25 yrs wasn't enough to gain experienc.
Din't do that, lost time.
Following are the points that the test asked and I followed
Analyse the reasoning and use of evidence - I did by citing the wrong comparision of diff. industries
Assumptions - I discussed
Alternative explanation to improve the argument - Last para
Couldn't do
Couldn't evaluate its conclusion clearly
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The following appeared as part of an annual report sent to stockholders by Olympic Foods , a processer 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 3X5 print fell from 50 cents for 5 day service in 1970 to 20 cents for 1 day service in 1984. The same principle applies to the processing of food. And since Olympic Foods will soon celebrate its 25th birthday, we can expect that our long experience will enable us to minimize the costs and thus maximizing profits."
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The argument "over time, with experience, the processing costs will come down owing to a company's learning of better techniques and thus increase profits" is limited by its failure to consider various factors,other than experience, contributing in improving the company's profits. In addition it misleads the audience by trying to convince them that the same business rules and markets prevail in film processing and food processing industires;which is as good as comparing apples with oranges.
Our argument is further falwed by the assumptions it makes when citing the above mentioned points.First it assumes that profits can be maximized by reducing processing costs. It fails to consider other ways of achieving good profits. Profits can be improved not just be reducing processing costs but also by minimizing other costs, to name a few ,associated with inventory and labour management. Second it assumes that the cost reduction in film processing can be replicated in food processing. It fails to understand that these are two different industries. In addition it fails to understand that there might have been technological advances in the film processing area that would have enabled this cited cost reduction and wrongly assumes that experience of the film processing industries reduced their costs.
The argument can become more sound if it provides more information or evidence that can refute the above mentioned flaws.For instance , if it can provide company expenditure details and prove that the major costs associated with the company are those in the area of processing alone, it can justify it's concentration on those costs alone. Also, if it can show the improvement in the company's profits with each 10 year or 5 year period, it would make sense in saying that experience tends to improve the profitability of the company.
I feel this could have been improved in terms of organization.
I wish I Could write 4 paras and not 3
I wanted to bring out the flaw in saying 25 yrs wasn't enough to gain experienc.
Din't do that, lost time.
Following are the points that the test asked and I followed
Analyse the reasoning and use of evidence - I did by citing the wrong comparision of diff. industries
Assumptions - I discussed
Alternative explanation to improve the argument - Last para
Couldn't do
Couldn't evaluate its conclusion clearly
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The following appeared as part of an annual report sent to stockholders by Olympic Foods , a processer 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 3X5 print fell from 50 cents for 5 day service in 1970 to 20 cents for 1 day service in 1984. The same principle applies to the processing of food. And since Olympic Foods will soon celebrate its 25th birthday, we can expect that our long experience will enable us to minimize the costs and thus maximizing profits."
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The argument "over time, with experience, the processing costs will come down owing to a company's learning of better techniques and thus increase profits" is limited by its failure to consider various factors,other than experience, contributing in improving the company's profits. In addition it misleads the audience by trying to convince them that the same business rules and markets prevail in film processing and food processing industires;which is as good as comparing apples with oranges.
Our argument is further falwed by the assumptions it makes when citing the above mentioned points.First it assumes that profits can be maximized by reducing processing costs. It fails to consider other ways of achieving good profits. Profits can be improved not just be reducing processing costs but also by minimizing other costs, to name a few ,associated with inventory and labour management. Second it assumes that the cost reduction in film processing can be replicated in food processing. It fails to understand that these are two different industries. In addition it fails to understand that there might have been technological advances in the film processing area that would have enabled this cited cost reduction and wrongly assumes that experience of the film processing industries reduced their costs.
The argument can become more sound if it provides more information or evidence that can refute the above mentioned flaws.For instance , if it can provide company expenditure details and prove that the major costs associated with the company are those in the area of processing alone, it can justify it's concentration on those costs alone. Also, if it can show the improvement in the company's profits with each 10 year or 5 year period, it would make sense in saying that experience tends to improve the profitability of the company.
AWA - Issue 1
Anal of Issue
In some countries TV and radio are carefully censored for offensive language and behaviour.In other countries, there is little or no censroship.
In your view, to what extent should govt. or any other group be able to censor TV or radio programs? Explain , giving relevant reasons and/or examples to support your position.
In the current day Tv , radio and other media have become integral part of our lives.
We watch TV at our dinner tables. We listen to radio on our drive to work. We look at them to know what is happening around us.With such a considerable period of a day spent with the media , it is impossible not to have their mark left on us. As a result any idea repeated or removed from the media may in turn will root into or erase out of our minds and morals. With this understood I believe that excessive presence or absolute absence of censorship should be avoided and an ideal balance of censorship should be followed.
Let's take an example. Suppose the Iranian censor board decided to cut the scenes,that hail the feminist ideas, from the movie 'The Color Purple'. The whole point of the movie would then be lost. Without its feminist ideas this particular movie is very less meaningful. And by censoring the movie this way the Iranina Censor Board is stopping the florishment of feminism in Iran. Does that sound right to you? It doesn't to me.
If that doesn't convince you, let's take another example. If the govt. of India decides to air national Telivison programs promoting Conservative Christianity and criticizing Protestants , isn't it equivalent to controlling the religious beliefs of its citizens? Yes it is and it should not be allowed in a democracy.
Inspite of the criticism of the censor board I've carried so far, I still understand its importance in today's world. After all I can't go to a War movie like 'Behind Enemy Lines' with my kids without being informed that it was censored for the violent content. Neither can I let my children watch True TV without the removal of swearing from the various every day incidents shown in its programs.
We have just seen a couple of examples each telling us that censorship by government or any authority is wrong at times and right at others. Hence I feel that just as any other resource, it should be subject to limited use driven by a need for it.
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