0910AW 同主题写作第三期 ARGUMENT242 by greenxs

greenxsUID: 2529289

The editorial suggests that institution should adopt honor codes similar to Groveton's to combat cheating among college students. To support his/her suggestion, the editorial provides evidences that students will agree not to cheat in the exam and they will notify and report others when they suspect who have cheated, the number of cheating is decreasing and a recent survey indicates that students would be less likely to cheat with honor code. However, further examination of the evidences and the conclusion will find that the editorial bases on an unwarranted assumption, a false causal relationship and an unconvinced survey to persuade college to use his/her solution.

To begin with, the editorial shows that the honor codes stand on students who agree not to cheat and the students will report the cheating. But there is no evidences could prove that students will really carry out this code because, as we all know that, no one will admit they will cheat on the exam. Also, the editorial assumes that students have the capacity which could find others who is cheating when they are in the exam and they will report the cheater. This assumption is unwarranted. Since when students in the exam, they have no time to notice who is cheating, even if they happen to find the cheaters, they may not report them because they will consider once they report them, it will definitely affect their friendship. Therefore, the editorial's precondition is groundless.

Furthermore, the evidences that the cases of cheating had dropped from twenty-one to fourteen proved that the honor codes is far more successful. There is no causal relation between the two incidents. Although, the number of cheating which is reported is falling down, it may because of other reasons; such as students have not the will to report the cheating. Even if the students do implement the honor codes well, the editorial does not prove if the colleges use other solutions at the same time, like teacher monitor or electronic monitor. Unless the editorial could rule out all the possibilities of the decease number of cheating, we could believe the deceasing cheating is ascribed to the honor code.

Last but not least, the editorial presents a survey to establish the students would be less likely to cheat with an honor codes. However, we could not accept the survey is representative because the editorial does not show us the details situation of the respondents. We do not make out if the respondents are the students who will never cheat during the exam, if it is true, the honor codes will has no difference with them. So the survey will make no sense. We also do not know if the students will honest to the survey, maybe because of honor codes, a lot of students have cheated during the exam, and the students have already no patience on the honor codes.

Above all, without evidences could establish that students will really carry out the honor cords, the decreasing number is only because of using honor cords and the survey is representative of all the students in the university, we could not believe that the honor cord is truly effective.