Argument Analysis - How to Start / Intro ?

[valkener]

Here is a lengthy Argument Analysis Topic:

 

"Our school is the best choice for students considering a career in theatre. First, our school does not require an audition and encourages applicants of all acting experience levels to apply. Second, our students are trained in all major schools of acting methods. Finally, many of our graduates have gone to achieve acting roles in Broadway productions and Hollywood films.

 

Directions:

 

Write a response n which you discuss what questions would need to be adressed in order to decide whether the conclusion and the argument on which it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to the questions would help to evaluate the conclusion." 

 

Do I need to paraphrase the claim in the beginning? There is so much to consider, the paraphrase would be long. Here is how I started, please give me your opinion. 

 

The authors of the statement claim that their school is the best choice for students interested in a career in theatre because they do not require an audition and encourage applicants of all acting levels to apply. In addition, the authors insist that their students are trained in all major schools of acting methods, and that many of their graduates have gone on to acting roles in Broadway production and Hollywood films.

 

Several questions need to be answered to evaluate the validity of this claim. For one (…). 

Edited March 16, 2013 by valkener

[Brent@GreenlightGRE]

I wouldn't paraphrase the entire argument in the 1st paragraph, since you will be mentioning several pieces of the argument later in your essay. Instead, I suggest you paraphrase the conclusion only. 

Something like, "The author's argument that his/her theater school is the best is flawed."

 

If you're interested, we have a free series of videos that cover everything you need to know about the Analytical Writing section: http://www.greenlighttestprep.com/module/gre-analytical-writing 

 

Cheers,

Brent

[tarrman]

The GRE graders don't care as much about the way your answer is structured as they do about the content for this prompt. Keep it as short and simple as possible. My intro was almost identical to Brent's suggestion (but for a different prompt), and I ended up with a 5.0 AW score (and I'm a terrible writer).

 

The best response will provide a good bit of analysis on the flaws (the more flaws you identify, the better your score) and will also make several suggestions as to what kind of evidence could make the flawed arguments better. You can almost list out each argument with a separate paragraph, and then briefly recapitulate your points in the final paragraph.