GRE Analyze an Argument

[Char123]

The prompt is:

"All students should be required to take the driver's education course at Centerville High School. In the past two years, several accidents in and around Centerville have involved teenage drivers. Since a number of parents in Centerville have complained that they are too busy to teach their teenagers to drive, some other instruction is necessary to ensure that these teenagers are safe drivers. Although there are two driving schools in Centerville, parents on a tight budget cannot afford to pay for driving instruction. Therefore an effective and mandatory program sponsored by the high school is the only solution to this serious problem."

 

I am asked to state the assumptions....

 

 

I had several that I stated, but a couple of these seems a little obscure.

One is that the author mentions that "several accidents.....have involved teenage drivers." He assumes that the drivers were at fault, but didn't mention if perhaps the other side was at fault.

Another one that I identified was that he assumes the parents would let their kids enroll in the course. From my experience, driver's ed courses taught at high schools still cost money, which would not help since these parents didn't want to pay in the first place. 

 

Are these two assumptions that I have identified out of the scope or are would they good ones? 

[iphi]

You named good ones. There are lots of others: did the teen drivers take driver's ed before their accidents? How many parents can't afford to pay for driver's ed or are unwilling to pay? Why do all teens NEED to take the drivers course; do they all have access to a car? Is taking classes outside Centerville at a cheaper rate an option?

 

Obscure doesn't really matter. Unless the author has very real facts and statistics to back him up, he is assuming something that you can poke holes in. And they never do have real evidence, it's the point of the exercise.

[Char123]

You named good ones. There are lots of others: did the teen drivers take driver's ed before their accidents? How many parents can't afford to pay for driver's ed or are unwilling to pay? Why do all teens NEED to take the drivers course; do they all have access to a car? Is taking classes outside Centerville at a cheaper rate an option?

 

Obscure doesn't really matter. Unless the author has very real facts and statistics to back him up, he is assuming something that you can poke holes in. And they never do have real evidence, it's the point of the exercise.

Sweet cool, after I wrote the one regarding there being a cost associated with a HS course, I got a little worried that that might not have been a assumption that I can exploit since high school courses are free, although driver's ed was not in my experience. I think the author implied it was free, but didn't explicitly state it, so I hope it won't hurt me.