GRE作文6分教学博客

tesolchinaUID：2191404

150) The following appeared in a letter from a firm providing investment advice to a client.
Homes in the northeastern United States, where winters are typically cold, have traditionally used oil as their major fuel for heating. Last year that region experienced 90 days with below-average temperatures, and climate forecasters at Waymarsh University predict that this weather pattern will continue for several more years. Furthermore, many new homes have been built in this region during the past year. Because these developments will certainly result in an increased demand for heating oil, we recommend investment in Consolidated Industries, one of whose major business operations is the retail sale of home heating oil.


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.

question 1: how reliable are the weather prediction
- maybe the model is flawed overlooking some latest data
- how about predictions made by other researchers

question 2: will the residents switch to other energy sources for heating or adopt other solutions?
- maybe they would use electricity
- maybe they would install more insulation to conserve heat
- some people may travel to the south to spend the winter (especially the elderly)
all would reduce the demand for heating oil

question 3: will the new homes be occupied using heating oil
- maybe the homes will remain vacant (poor housing market)
- the homes use electricity
- the homes are better insulated (need less oil)

question 4: retail of heating oil is necessarily profitable and the company is worth investing
- maybe the cost of heating oil will also increase eating away the profits
- maybe the increase in labor and operating cost will reduce the profits
- perhaps the company is poorly managed and financially troubled

tesolchinaUID：2191404

The following appeared in a letter to the editor of the Parkville Daily newspaper.

Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.

Throughout the country last year, as more and more children below the age of nine participated in youth-league sports, over 40,000 of these young players suffered injuries.

When interviewed for a recent study, youth-league soccer players in several major cities also reported psychological pressure exerted by coaches and parents to win games.

Furthermore, education experts say that long practice sessions for these sports take away time that could be used for academic activities.

Since the disadvantages outweigh any advantages, we in Parkville should discontinue organized athletic competition for children under nine.

assumption 1: the injuries are severe enough to justify discontinuing  
- perhaps many of the injury cases are minor
- maybe better training and supervision could reduce the number of injuries
- perhaps the injury rate is not very high compared to other activities


assumption 2: the injured players are evenly distributed across age groups, sport categories and cities
- maybe players of certain age groups are more vulnerable to injury (attention should be focused on such age group; not to discontinue players of all ages under 9)
- perhaps players of certain sports are more likely to get injured
- maybe injuries are not common in Parkville

assumption 3: the interview studies could represent all the youth league players and the pressure is necessarily bad
- only a dozen of players are interviewed (are they randomly selected from all the players)
- can soccer players’s experience represent players of other sports
- is situation in Parkville similar to the major cities
- pressure could be useful

assumption 4: all players practice for long sessions that only influence academic activities negatively
- maybe many players do not practice very long sessions
- perhaps the exercises can improve the health and the learning efficiency
- the competitive spirit could motivate the students to study harder  

tesolchinaUID：2191404

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the prediction 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 prediction.

Collectors prize the ancient life-size clay statues of human figures made on Kali Island but have long wondered how Kalinese artists were able to depict bodies with such realistic precision.

Since archaeologists have recently discovered molds of human heads and hands on Kali, we can now conclude that the ancient Kalinese artists used molds of actual bodies, not sculpting tools and techniques, to create these statues.

This discovery explains why Kalinese miniature statues were abstract and entirely different in style: molds could be used only for life-size sculptures.

It also explains why few ancient Kalinese sculpting tools have been found.

In light of this discovery, collectors predict that the life-size sculptures will decrease in value while the miniatures increase in value.

question 1: Were molds of actual bodies used to create the statues without using any sculpting tools and techniques
- molds might be made at a time different from the time when the clay statues were made
(advanced timing techniques could be used)
- maybe the molds were used but sculpting tools and techniques were also used to polish the products

question 2: what materials might be used to make sculpting tools by ancient Kalinese and what might happen to the tools
- perhaps the tools are made of some material that could not survive the time
- maybe the tools are later converted to other tools and could not be recognized
- the tools are buried with the dead and had not yet been discovered

question 3: why were the miniature statues abstract and different in styles
- maybe the statues were made for different purposes such as decoration, worshipping or other rituals
- perhaps certain artists prefer the more abstract styles even if the molds are available

question 4: how do collectors determine the value of the sculptures
- do collectors really care whether the mold was used
- perhaps the value is influenced by the number of statures available in the market
- other factors such as the preference for the size and the fashion among the collectors

tesolchinaUID：2191404

The following appeared in a memo from the owner of a chain of cheese stores located throughout the United States.

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.

For many years all the stores in our chain have stocked a wide variety of both domestic and imported cheeses.

Last year, however, all of the five best-selling cheeses at our newest store were domestic cheddar cheeses from Wisconsin.

Furthermore, a recent survey by Cheeses of the World magazine indicates an increasing preference for domestic cheeses among its subscribers.

Since our company can reduce expenses by limiting inventory, the best way to improve profits in all of our stores is to discontinue stocking many of our varieties of imported cheese and concentrate primarily on domestic cheeses.

need to know more about the sales records of different cheeses in all the stores  
- cannot look at newest stores alone; need to consider the sales records of all the stores
- need to consider the sales records of all cheeses (maybe the top best selling cheese only amount to less than half of total sales)


need to see if the subscribers of the magazines are similar to the target customers of the cheese stores

need to see if the customers like to mix domestic and imported cheese when they shop
- maybe they value diversity and choice
- they may buy more domestic cheese but also order a bit of imported cheese


need to analyze the profit margins of different cheeses  
- maybe the profit margin of foreign cheese is higher than domestic cheese
- compare the contribution of the foreign cheese sale to the profits with the inventory expense

tesolchinaUID：2191404

The following appeared as part of a business plan developed by the manager of the Rialto Movie Theater.

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.

Despite its downtown location, the Rialto Movie Theater, a local institution for five decades, must make big changes or close its doors forever.

It should follow the example of the new Apex Theater in the mall outside of town.

When the Apex opened last year, it featured a video arcade, plush carpeting and seats, and a state-of-the-art sound system.

Furthermore, in a recent survey, over 85 percent of respondents reported that the high price of newly released movies prevents them from going to the movies more than five times per year.

Thus, if the Rialto intends to hold on to its share of a decreasing pool of moviegoers, it must offer the same features as Apex.

Question 1: why did Rialto lose customers in downtown?
- maybe the downtown economy is declining and people have moved out to the suburbs  
- maybe the disposable income of the downtown residents have declined  
- maybe the movies featured in Rialto are not popular enough  

Question 2: Did the features in Apex succeed in attracting customers and why?
- it is not clear if the features successfully attracted more customers
- perhaps customers went to Apex simply because it is new or its location is more convenient


Question 3: what features do customers in downtown want?
- perhaps customers in downtown do not like the features especially when they have to pay more
- perhaps they want to see other features or improvement in Railto such as “no smoking” rules and more female restrooms  
   

Question 4 how useful are the survey results to Railto
- to what extent do the respondents represent the customers of Railto
- in average how many times do a customer go to Railto per year
- do customers in Railto find the movies too expensive  

tesolchinaUID：2191404

The following appeared in a memo from a vice president of a large, highly diversified company.

Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.

Ten years ago our company had two new office buildings constructed as regional headquarters for two different regions.

The buildings were erected by two different construction companies -Alpha and Zeta.

Even though the two buildings had identical floor plans, the building constructed by Zeta cost 30 percent more to build, and its expenses for maintenance last year were twice those of the building constructed by Alpha.

Furthermore, the energy consumption of the Zeta building has been higher than that of the Alpha building every year since its construction.

Such data, plus the fact that Alpha has a stable workforce with little employee turnover, indicate that we should use Alpha rather than Zeta for our contemplated new building project.

assumption 1: the higher building cost and maintenance expenses are due to the less competence of Zeta  
- maybe the labor cost is higher
- maybe the building was more heavily used
- perhaps the raw materials are more expensive due to the transportation costs


assumption 2: Alpha’s buildings always consume less energy
- maybe Alpha do not have better green technology
- the climate helps save energy
- the building is less heavily used  

assumption 3: the stable workforce necessarily work more efficiently and effectively
- job security may provide less motivation for workers  
- no opportunity for the company to hire new talents
- the HR of the company may be incompetent

这道题我自己考过 附上考场回忆

考场上大概是这么写的

第一段总结argument 提出需要在几个方面讨论

第二段 重点讨论成本问题 指出可能受到多方面的因素影响 比如区域的劳动力成本 原材料价格  要问Zeta成本低是公司的技术管理好 还是一些非公司本身的因素

第三段  关于维护成本 去年的数据不够 要看过去多年的数据 要看使用的量

第四段 关于能耗 要看使用量以及气候环境

第五段 关于员工稳定性 要看这样对经营成本的影响 会不会影响劳动力成本和工人积极性  

第六段 副总裁为什么会忽略Alpha公司更低成本的承诺 指出通常这种承诺是基于细致计算的 需要专家来评估 不能仅仅因为以前的记录而忽略

第七段 总结   

tesolchinaUID：2191404

The following appeared as a letter to the editor of a national newspaper.

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.

Your recent article on corporate downsizing* in Elthyria maintains that the majority of competent workers who have lost jobs as a result of downsizing face serious economic hardship, often for years, before finding other suitable employment.

But this claim is undermined by a recent report on the Elthyrian economy, which found that since 1999 far more jobs have been created than have been eliminated, bringing the unemployment rate in Elthyria to its lowest level in decades.

Moreover, two-thirds of these newly created jobs have been in industries that tend to pay above-average wages, and the vast majority of these jobs are full-time.

*Downsizing is the process whereby corporations deliberately make themselves smaller, reducing the number of their employees.

information about who get the new jobs created and the skills required for the new jobs  
- maybe the new jobs require new skills that the laid-off workers do not have
- perhaps the new jobs have been taken by newcomers or immigrants

information about the actual pay of the new jobs taken by the laid-off workers
- maybe the new jobs pay less despite the fact that the industry tends to pay above the average wages
-what about the other one-third  
- maybe the laid-off workers end up with the part-time jobs



information about the employment and economic situation of the workers who have been laid off
- the best way to test the claim made in the article is to look at what happened to the workers who had been laid off
- how long did it take for them to get new jobs
- how well paid were they compared to earlier jobs

tesolchinaUID：2191404

The following appeared on the Mozart School of Music Web site.

Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.

The Mozart School of Music should be the first choice for parents considering enrolling their child in music lessons.

First of all, the Mozart School welcomes youngsters at all ability and age levels; there is no audition to attend the school.

Second, the school offers instruction in nearly all musical instruments as well a wide range of styles and genres from classical to rock.

Third, the faculty includes some of the most distinguished musicians in the area.

Finally, many Mozart graduates have gone on to become well-known and highly paid professional musicians.

assumption 1： the diversity of the student body and the absence of audition are necessarily good for the the children
- maybe audition can help children decide which program should be chosen or whether music courses are suitable for the children
- perhaps the school may end up with children not suitable for learning music and the quality of learning may be compromised  

assumption 2:  the school offers quality instructions on all instruments and genres including the one that the particular child needs  
- perhaps the school has faculty that is very good at piano and classical music but not so good at guitar or rock music
- what if a child needs instructions on guitar or rock music

assumption 3: distinguished musicians are necessarily good teachers that children need
- maybe they are not experienced in teaching children
- perhaps they only show up a few times each semester
- maybe their expertise does not match the need of the children

assumption 4: all the children are interested in becoming famous and rich musicians
- maybe some children just want to learn music for fun
- perhaps not all children are talented enough to pursue a career in music

tesolchinaUID：2191404

The following appeared in a newsletter offering advice to investors.

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the advice 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 advice.

Over 80 percent of the respondents to a recent survey indicated a desire to reduce their intake of foods containing fats and cholesterol, and today low-fat products abound in many food stores.

Since many of the food products currently marketed by Old Dairy Industries are high in fat and cholesterol, the company's sales are likely to diminish greatly and company profits will no doubt decrease.

We therefore advise Old Dairy stockholders to sell their shares, and other investors not to purchase stock in this company.

Information about the customers of Old Dairy
- maybe the Old Dairy serve a group of people that are not surveyed
- perhaps the customers only buy the products for special events such as birthday or wedding

actual sales records of low-fat products and Old Dairy products
- respondents may behave differently from their answers  
- do low-fat products sell well
- do Old Dairy products sell well

whether Old Dairy plan to or is able to introduce low-fat products
- maybe the company had recognized the problem and planned to introduce low-fat products
- or the company is flexible enough to respond to the change of market

whether the stock price necessarily reflects the value of the company
- maybe the overall economy is good and the investors are optimistic
- perhaps the government is manipulating the stock market  

tesolchinaUID：2191404

The following appeared in a memo at XYZ company.

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.

When XYZ lays off employees, it pays Delany Personnel Firm to offer those employees assistance in creating resumes and developing interviewing skills, if they so desire.

Laid-off employees have benefited greatly from Delany's services: last year those who used Delany found jobs much more quickly than did those who did not.

Recently, it has been proposed that we use the less expensive Walsh Personnel Firm in place of Delany.

This would be a mistake because eight years ago, when XYZ was using Walsh, only half of the workers we laid off at that time found jobs within a year.

Moreover, Delany is clearly superior, as evidenced by its bigger staff and larger number of branch offices.

After all, last year Delany's clients took an average of six months to find jobs, whereas Walsh's clients took nine.

The reasons why employees receiving help from Delany get jobs more quickly
- do their services really make a difference (did their resume look better; interview skills improved)
- or other factors such as motivation, job skills

the reasons why employees working with Walsh could not find jobs within a year
- the overall economy was doing poorly at the time
- the skills of the employees were obsolete

the effect of staff size and branch network on the quality of service
- could employees have more choices over whom to work with (from different branches)
- do the staff members work harder in order to compete against more colleagues
- do the staff members cooperate with one another in a large team to offer better services
- do the staff get more information for finding jobs with a larger network

the reasons why Delany’s clients could find jobs more quickly
- maybe their clients are more skilful
- maybe their clients are more committed (wiling to pay more)
- perhaps Delany focuses more on the industries where jobs are easier to be found  

tesolchinaUID：2191404

92) Workers in the small town of Leeville take fewer sick days than workers in the large city of Masonton, 50 miles away. Moreover, relative to population size, the diagnosis of stress-related illness is proportionally much lower in Leeville than in Masonton. According to the Leeville Chamber of Commerce, these facts can be attributed to the health benefits of the relatively relaxed pace of life in Leeville.
Write a response in which you discuss one or more alternative explanations that could rival the proposed explanation and explain how your explanation(s) can plausibly account for the facts presented in the argument.

fact 1: Workers in the small town of Leeville take fewer sick days than workers in the large city of Masonton, 50 miles away.

fact 2: Moreover, relative to population size, the diagnosis of stress-related illness is proportionally much lower in Leeville than in Masonton.

proposed explanation: these facts can be attributed to the health benefits of the relatively relaxed pace of life in Leeville.



explanation related to the environment  
- maybe the air quality is much worse in the city which contributes to more conditions in respiratory systems
- perhaps the noise pollution is the main cause of stress-related illnesses

explanation related to the company rules and culture
- maybe the companies in the small town are more lenient about absences (no need to take sick days)
- perhaps workers in the city take more fake sick days

explanation related to health care system
- workers in the city have better access to health care (more are diagnosed with the illness)
- workers in the city have better awareness of mental health (get help and get diagnosed)  

tesolchinaUID：2191404

The following appeared in a memorandum from the general manager of KNOW radio station.

Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.

Several factors indicate that radio station KNOW should shift its programming from rock-and-roll music to a continuous news format.

Consider, for example, that the number of people in our listening area over fifty years of age has increased dramatically, while our total number of listeners has declined.

Also, music stores in our area report decreased sales of recorded music.

Finally, continuous news stations in neighboring cities have been very successful.

The switch from rock-and-roll music to 24-hour news will attract older listeners and secure KNOW radio's future.

assumption 1: the decline of number of listeners is the result of increasing number of older people who do not like rock and roll music
- maybe fewer people listen to the station because they now spend more time on new media such as Spotify
- older listeners may actually enjoy rock-and-roll music by the stars they knew earlier (featuring some old rock-and-roll music may be helpful)

assumption 2: the decreased sales of recorded music means that people have lost interest in rock-and-roll music
- maybe the recorded music has become too expensive with the decline of disposable income due to poor economy
- people now turn to the Internet for music (radio station needs to design their programs differently to attract more audience)  
- perhaps people prefer free music which is good news for the radio station   

assumption 3: the success of the news station can be replicated
- maybe the people in neighboring cities are very different in terms of age, income level and taste
- maybe there is a good news station in KNOW’s listening area
- maybe these stations have expertise for news that KNOW does not have  

tesolchinaUID：2191404

127 The following is a recommendation from the personnel director to the president of Acme Publishing Company.

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.

Many other companies have recently stated that having their employees take the Easy Read Speed-Reading Course has greatly improved productivity.

One graduate of the course was able to read a 500-page report in only two hours; another graduate rose from an assistant manager to vice president of the company in under a year.

Obviously, the faster you can read, the more information you can absorb in a single workday.

Moreover, Easy Read would cost Acme only $500 per employee - a small price to pay when you consider the benefits.

Included in this fee is a three-week seminar in Spruce City and a lifelong subscription to the Easy Read newsletter.

Clearly, to improve overall productivity, Acme should require all of our employees to take the Easy Read course.

question 1: to what extent Acme is similar to the other companies in terms of job nature of the employees and whether speed reading is important for Acme productivity
- maybe the other companies are in other industries where speed reading is more useful such as auditing firms
- whether speed reading is important for Acme employees


question 2: Can this course really increase the speed of absorbing information
- the graduate who can read 500 pages in 2 hours (hoe much information does s/he absorb or understand)
- what kinds of materials (similar to those usually read by the staff in a publishing company)

question 3: is the reading speed really crucial for being promoted and improving productivity for all job positions
- other factors may be more important for someone to get promoted
- other factors may be more important for improving productivity for certain job positions
- money should be spent on these factors  

question 4: will the seminar and newsletter help the employees to improve productivity
- will the employees have the time to attend the seminar
- how useful are the seminar
- how useful are the newsletter
- how long will the newsletter last

tesolchinaUID：2191404

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.

While the Department of Education in the state of Attra suggests that high school students be assigned homework every day, the data from a recent statewide survey of high school math and science teachers give us reason to question the usefulness of daily homework.

In the district of Sanlee, 86 percent of the teachers reported assigning homework three to five times a week, whereas in the district of Marlee, less than 25 percent of the teachers reported assigning homework three to five times a week.

Yet the students in Marlee earn better grades overall and are less likely to be required to repeat a year of school than are the students in Sanlee.

Therefore, we recommend that all teachers in our high schools should assign homework no more than twice a week.

the usefulness of the survey results
- whether the self-reported data is reliable (teachers may have incentive to lie)
- whether the science and math teachers could represent all the teachers

the amount of homework, the teaching and the feedback  
- how much homework is assigned each time
- whether the homework is carefully designed to support the teaching
- whether feedback was carefully given

the other factors that may affect the learning outcome   
- the requirement for repeating may be different
- Marlee students may be smarter
- Marlee teachers may be better trained or better paid

tesolchinaUID：2191404

Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.

Hospital statistics regarding people who go to the emergency room after roller-skating accidents indicate the need for more protective equipment.

Within that group of people, 75 percent of those who had accidents in streets or parking lots had not been wearing any protective clothing (helmets, knee pads, etc.) or any light-reflecting material (clip-on lights, glow-in-the-dark wrist pads, etc.).

Clearly, the statistics indicate that by investing in high-quality protective gear and reflective equipment, roller skaters will greatly reduce their risk of being severely injured in an accident.

model-outline

assumption 1: all the victims should have worn protective clothing
- some of the victims may be pedestrians or onlookers who do not anticipate such risk  
- other measures should be taken to protect pedestrians and onlookers

assumption 2: not wearing light-reflecting material is a main cause of accidents
- maybe the accidents occured during the day and there is no need to wear such material
- perhaps the accidents were caused by reckless or drunk drivers in a well-lit parking lot   

assumption 3: serious injuries could be prevented by wearing protective and reflective materials
- maybe people with less serious injuries were also sent to the ER
-  serious injuries caused by accidents in which the materials are not helpful (victims are pedestrians/ onlookers)