[GRE Argument Essay Evaluation]

Hi, 

If someone would be kind enough to read the two argument essays provided below and give a score out of six. This way I can see where I am standing as far as the AWA is concerned.

Thanks,

Abdullah

Argument 1

The following appeared in a memo from the director of student housing at Buckingham College.
"To serve the housing needs of our students, Buckingham College should build a number of new dormitories. Buckingham's 
enrollment is growing and, based on current trends, will double over the next 50 years, thus making existing dormitory 
space inadequate. Moreover, the average rent for an apartment in our town has risen in recent years. Consequently, 
students will find it increasingly difficult to afford off-campus housing. Finally, attractive new dormitories would 
make prospective students more likely to enroll at Buckingham."
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.

Response

The piece of memo provided lacks evidence in terms of the housing needs of the students of Buckingham College. First
and foremost, more light needs to be shed upon these housing needs. For example the needs might be of provision of food
which would be related to the college mess rather than the dormitories. It could also be that students require more
bathrooms due to the excessive sharing and in-availability due to their large population.

Secondly, there is no guarantee that the enrollment of the college will double over the next 50 years and there are
countless reasons. For instance a college opens up in the near future and the intake of students increases there meaning
the enrollment of the Buckingham college would face a severe jolt by the hands of the new competitor. Another possibility
could be of students opting to study out of town due to fact that the quality of education has drastically increased 
elsewhere as compared to Buckingham college.

The construction of new dormitories does not guarantee the increased enrollment of prospective students to the college.
One reason could be that the college increases the housing fees for the students in order to sustain the added expenses
of the new dormitories. Also due to the fact that the provision of new dormitories might lead to the need of more 
classrooms and a larger teaching faculty due to the expected increase in the number of students. This in turn would
make the parents of the prospective students have second thoughts. Thus, the enrollment of students is not directly 
linked to the quantity of dormitories and the argument fails to analyze and point out other, possibly more 
contributing factors.

Argument 2

The following appeared in an article written by Dr. Karp, an anthropologist.
"Twenty years ago, Dr. Field, a noted anthropologist, visited the island of Tertia and concluded from his observations 
that children in Tertia were reared by an entire village rather than by their own biological parents. However, my recent 
interviews with children living in the group of islands that includes Tertia show that these children spend much more 
time talking about their biological parents than about other adults in the village. This research of mine proves that 
Dr. Field's conclusion about Tertian village culture is invalid and thus that the observation-centered approach to 
studying cultures is invalid as well. The interview-centered method that my team of graduate students is currently using 
in Tertia will establish a much more accurate understanding of child-rearing traditions there and in other island 
cultures."
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.

Response

 

The account of Dr. Karp fails to justify the fact that Dr. Field carried out his work 20 years ago during which the 
upbringing of the children in Tertia islands might have changed drastically. May be twenty years ago, children were 
acutally brought up by the the entire village due to the fact that the parents were busy in social work. Gradually as
time passed, the biological parents realised that they must give more time to their children and thus changed their 
habits. 

Also the children of Tertia talking more of their biological parents does not imply that they were neccessarily brought 
up by them. It could also be that they were taken care of at a very young age by the villagers and as they grew up, their
biological parents started spending more time with them so they could recall them and recognize their status in their
early lives.

Lastly the interview-centered method of understanding child-rearing traditions faces many questions. Firstly, how many of
the total population of Tertian children were interviewed. Secondly, how many of the children were mature enough to give
accurate accounts of their childhood and biological parents. Lastly, if true, how does the multiple accounts of the 
biological parents by the Tertian children provide evidence as to who they were actually raised by. There could be a
possibility that the villagers who reared them constantly mentioned their biological parents to them from an early age
to make them more familiar to them once they become mature and are eventually reunited wth them in the future.

Therefore all missing evidence provided above clearly weakens the argument provided above.

[Issue Essay Evaluation]

Hi,

I am currently preparing for the GRE on one month study schedule and planning to appear on the 24th of October for the test. I generally consult the official guides for solutions but in the case of AWA, I need someone to evaluate my work. So if someone would be kind enough to read the two issue essays provided below and give a score out of six. This way I can see where I am standing as far as the AWA is concerned. If possible, also point out the weak area where I should centralize my focus. The topics along with the response are provided below. I will be very grateful for a proper response

Thanks,

Abdullah

Topic 1

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.

Response

Technology no doubt has taken mankind to heights never thought of before. It is safe to say that some of the
wonders performed by the machines of today would not be possible for a human. A very good example could be the speed gun
used in sports to determine the speed of the ball up to the nearest millisecond. Or another example could be a super
computer gathering huge loads of data from the environment to forecast the weather. These examples clearly illustrate the
fact that if humans try to ponder upon these problems, it could take a significant effort just in re-inventing the wheel
let alone coming up with a solution similar or better than the latter.

Artificial Intelligence is another aspect clearly overlooked in terms of finding solutions. It was always perceived that
computers need to be instructed what to do rather than decide for themselves. But now computers can learn from their
previous mistakes and come up with more refined solutions. Technically speaking, the human mind can err on even the most
familiar tasks thus it would be senseless to compete with machine in giving answers to common problems. A very good
example are the search engines on the Internet (such as Google) which basically answer all problems faced in life from
petty household issues to the hurdles on the organizational or governmental level.

Time is of utmost importance and one cannot sacrifice it merely for seeking understanding of a particular problem at hand
if there are other more easily accessible solutions available. A very common example is of a university student who needs
to solve a programming problem for an assignment. He has three choices, that is either he solves the problem himself
through hit and trial, taking up unnecessary mental fatigue and stress which still would not guarantee a proper solution,
or he consults a professor or a senior student taking up his time to find a slot for the discussion only to get a proper
direction for the solution. The last and most suitable option would be to watch videos on the internet discussing the
problem or post a question in a blog to get answers from experts all around the world. Clearly the third option stands out
as for a student, time and the guarantee of a solution with proper understanding are of utmost importance.

Lastly the ability to think, is to find logical reasoning behind the solution to a particular problem. Finding solutions
through technology and then understanding them to further enhance the process would rather boost the problem solving
skills of humans rather than deteriorating them.

Topic 2

Some people believe that college students should consider only their own talents and interests when choosing a field of
study. Others believe that college students should base their choice of a field of study on the availability of jobs in
that field.
Write a response in which you discuss which view more closely aligns with your own position and explain your reasoning
for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should address both of the views presented.

Response

In order to excel in a particular field of study, the three essential ingredients for success are talent,
determination and dedication. The interesting aspect to these three ingredients is that the second one comes as a result
of the first one. A student must consider his/her interests and talent of utmost priority in choosing a field of
study. A born to be programmer for example cannot become an exceptional economist in a couple of years. Not to say that
the latter is impossible but it would be senseless to abandon a naturally-gifted talent to opt for another providing a
secure financial future.

Long-term goals are very important for gradual growth and success throughout life whereas short-term goals may get the
person to a desired target or position, but after that he/she has no clue of which path to take after that. Interests
can take students a long way in their life to possibly creating a solution to challenges on the national scale or opening
a startup (for example a small company creating mobile emergency SOS apps for the betterment of the society) thus
not only doing good for themselves but the whole community.

A student targeting a field of study with more job availability may eventually succeed in the quest to secure a decent
job but there is no guarantee of when an economic recession might hit the nation and deprive him/her unjustly of his/her
job i.e. downsizing in organizations. Furthermore, to succeed in a particular job, one must have interest in what he/she
is doing and plan for growth by learning new skills with dedication. Ironically this very dedication comes as a
result of the determination to do the task at hand.

Therefore in my opinion, college students should consider only their own talents and interests when choosing a field of
study.