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Gre prep online guides and tips, 328 official gre essay topics to practice with.
ETS has published the complete pool of 328 GRE essay topics which will ever appear on the Analytical Writing section of the test. While these collections of prompts provide unparalleled Analytical Writing practice, some test takers may find the sheer number of possible essay topics to be a bit overwhelming.
In this article, we’ve assembled over 60 official GRE essay topics for both the Issue and Argument tasks and used them to illustrate the 14 different kinds of GRE writing prompts you could see on test day. With this expert analysis, you’ll know how to tackle any GRE essay prompt that comes your way.
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GRE Essay Topics Pool: How It Works
ETS has publicly listed all the essay topics that will ever appear on the GRE for both the Analyze an Issue and the Analyze an Argument Analytical Writing tasks.
There are 152 different possible GRE essay topics in the GRE Issue pool and 176 different GRE essay topics in the GRE Argument pool , which means it’s unlikely you’ll run out of official prompts to practice with. And while there’s only a 1/328 chance that one of the GRE writing prompts you practice with ends up being on the test, that’s still better odds than if you practiced with non-official prompts, especially if you end up using a lot of practice prompts.
Each set of GRE essay topics can further be broken down by the specific task you’re asked to complete in your answer . We’ll start by looking at the six different possible GRE Issue essay topics.
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GRE Issue Pool
Each Analyze an Issue essay topic “consists of an issue statement or statements followed by specific task instructions that tell you how to respond to the issue” (source: ETS ). The specific words used for the topics might be a little different on the test, but in general what you see in the GRE issue pool is what you’ll get.
ETS also warns test takers that there might be some mix-and-matching of different issues with different task instructions among the prompts , so don’t skip over the prompt if you recognize the issue; it’s possible that you’ll have written about the issue before in response to a different task.
The specifics of the task you’re asked to do differ depending on the prompt, but the core of all the Issue tasks is this one question: Do you agree or disagree with this (statement, view, claim, conclusion, recommendation, policy) and/or its basis?
There are 152 different pairings of issues and tasks in the GRE issue pool. Among these GRE essay topics, however, there are actually only six tasks you’ll be asked to perform , and not all tasks are equally common.
Below, we’ve analyzed these six GRE essay prompts. In addition to presenting each task as it will appear on the GRE , we’ve also determined the likelihood of the task showing up on the test and provided a sampling of the issues that you might see paired with the task.
Issue Task 1: Agree/Disagree With a Statement
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.
What they’re really asking : Explain your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with a given statement .
Number of topics in the GRE issue pool on this task : 54/152 ( 35.5% )
Examples of the statements to be analyzed
- To understand the most important characteristics of a society, one must study its major cities.
- In any field of inquiry, the beginner is more likely than the expert to make important contributions.
- There is little justification for society to make extraordinary efforts – especially at a great cost in money and jobs – to save endangered animal or plant species.
- Unfortunately, in contemporary society, creating an appealing image has become more important than the reality or truth behind that image.
- Government officials should rely on their own judgment rather than unquestioningly carry out the will of the people whom they serve.
- The best test of an argument is the argument’s ability to convince someone with an opposing viewpoint.
- If a goal is worthy, then any means taken to attain it are justifiable.
- The primary goal of technological advancement should be to increase people’s efficiency so that they have more leisure time.
- We can learn much more from people whose views we share than from people whose views contradict our own.
- Any leader who is quickly and easily influenced by shifts in popular opinion will accomplish little.
- True success can be measured primarily in terms of the goals one sets for oneself.
Issue Task 2: Agree/Disagree With a Recommendation
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, describe specific circumstances in which adopting the recommendation would or would not be advantageous and explain how these examples shape your position.
What they’re really asking : Explain your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with a recommendation for a course of action .
Number of topics in the GRE issue pool on this task : 24/152 ( 15.8% )
Examples of the recommendations to be analyzed
- Governments should focus on solving the immediate problems of today rather than on trying to solve the anticipated problems of the future.
- College students should be encouraged to pursue subjects that interest them rather than the courses that seem most likely to lead to jobs.
- Scientists and other researchers should focus their research on areas that are likely to benefit the greatest number of people.
- Nations should suspend government funding for the arts when significant numbers of their citizens are hungry or unemployed.
- Educators should base their assessment of students’ learning not on students’ grasp of facts but on the ability to explain the ideas, trends, and concepts that those facts illustrate.
Issue Task 3: Agree/Disagree With a Claim
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position.
What they’re really asking : Explain your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with a claim .
Number of topics in the GRE issue pool on this task : 25/152 ( 16.4% )
Examples of the claims to be analyzed
- Universities should require every student to take a variety of courses outside the student’s field of study.
- It is no longer possible for a society to regard any living man or woman as a hero.
- Critical judgment of work in any given field has little value unless it comes from someone who is an expert in that field.
- In most professions and academic fields, imagination is more important than knowledge.
- Nations should pass laws to preserve any remaining wilderness areas in their natural state.
Issue Task 4: Which view aligns with your own?
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.
What they’re really asking : Explain which two views you most agree with and back it up with reasoning.
Number of topics in the GRE issue pool on this task : 18/152 ( 11.8% )
Examples of the views to be analyzed
- Some people believe it is often necessary, even desirable, for political leaders to withhold information from the public. Others believe that the public has a right to be fully informed.
- Some people claim that you can tell whether a nation is great by looking at the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists. Others argue that the surest indicator of a great nation is, in fact, the general welfare of all its people.
- Some people believe that corporations have a responsibility to promote the well-being of the societies and environments in which they operate. Others believe that the only responsibility of corporations, provided they operate within the law, is to make as much money as possible.
Issue Task 5: Agree/Disagree With a Claim and Its Basis
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which that claim is based.
What they’re really asking : Analyze an issue by explaining your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with not just the claim, but the reason on which the claim is based .
Number of topics in the GRE issue pool on this task : 19/152 ( 12.5% )
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- Claim: When planning courses, educators should take into account the interests and suggestions of their students.Reason: Students are more motivated to learn when they are interested in what they are studying. Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which that claim is based.
- Claim: Any piece of information referred to as a fact should be mistrusted, since it may well be proven false in the future.Reason: Much of the information that people assume is factual actually turns out to be inaccurate.
- Claim: Imagination is a more valuable asset than experience.Reason: People who lack experience are free to imagine what is possible without the constraints of established habits and attitudes.
- Claim: Knowing about the past cannot help people to make important decisions today.Reason: We are not able to make connections between current events and past events until we have some distance from both.
Issue Task 6: Explain Your Views on a Policy
Write a response in which you discuss your views on the policy and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider the possible consequences of implementing the policy and explain how these consequences shape your position.
What they’re really asking : Explain your stance on a policy .
Number of topics in the GRE issue pool on this task : 12/152 ( 7.9% )
Example of a policy to be analyzed
- In any field – business, politics, education, government – those in power should be required to step down after five years. Write a response in which you discuss your views on the policy and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider the possible consequences of implementing the policy and explain how these consequences shape your position.
GRE Argument Pool
For the Argument task on the GRE, you’ll be asked to read a short passage containing an argument and then analyze that argument according to instructions.
As with the Issue task, there might be some very slight variations in wording between the way the tasks are written on the test as compared to the way they are online , but for the most part what you see online is what will be on the GRE. Similarly, there may be some arguments that are repeated across prompts in the GRE Argument pool, but they’ll each be followed by a different task, so it’s important to read the entire essay prompt (including the task) before beginning your analysis .
There are some commonalities across all of the essay prompts on the GRE Argument pool page, even beyond the fact that every task asks you to look at some kind of argument and analyze it. Of the 176 possible Argument topics , there are just eight different tasks you’ll be asked to perform, and of those eight tasks, numbers 3, 4, 6, 8 below are all basically different ways of asking you to “evaluate this stance and explain why you’ve determined whether or not it has a reasonable basis.”
Below, we’ve presented each of the eight GRE writing prompts as they will appear on the exam, figured out how likely the task is to show up , and given some examples of arguments you might be asked to analyze.
Argument Task 1: Evaluate an Argument and Evidence
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.
What they’re really asking : Discuss how different, specific evidence could weaken or strengthen the argument.
Number of topics in the GRE argument pool on this task : 52/176 ( 29.5% )
Examples of the arguments to be analyzed
- 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 twenty days with below-average temperatures, and local weather forecasters throughout the region 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 of these developments, we predict an increased demand for heating oil and recommend investment in Consolidated Industries, one of whose major business operations is the retail sale of home heating oil.”
- The following appeared in a memorandum from the manager of WWAC radio station. “To reverse a decline in listener numbers, our owners have decided that WWAC must change from its current rock-music format. The decline has occurred despite population growth in our listening area, but that growth has resulted mainly from people moving here after their retirement. We must make listeners of these new residents. We could switch to a music format tailored to their tastes, but a continuing decline in local sales of recorded music suggests limited interest in music. Instead we should change to a news and talk format, a form of radio that is increasingly popular in our area.”
- Three years ago, because of flooding at the Western Palean Wildlife Preserve, 100 lions and 100 western gazelles were moved to the East Palean Preserve, an area that is home to most of the same species that are found in the western preserve, though in larger numbers, and to the eastern gazelle, a close relative of the western gazelle. The only difference in climate is that the eastern preserve typically has slightly less rainfall. Unfortunately, after three years in the eastern preserve, the imported western gazelle population has been virtually eliminated. Since the slight reduction in rainfall cannot be the cause of the virtual elimination of western gazelle, their disappearance must have been caused by the larger number of predators in the eastern preserve.
- The following appeared in a recommendation from the president of Amburg’s Chamber of Commerce. “Last October the city of Belleville installed high-intensity lighting in its central business district, and vandalism there declined within a month. The city of Amburg has recently begun police patrols on bicycles in its business district, but the rate of vandalism there remains constant. We should install high-intensity lighting throughout Amburg, then, because doing so is a more effective way to combat crime. By reducing crime in this way, we can revitalize the declining neighborhoods in our city.”
- The following appeared in a memo from the vice president of Butler Manufacturing. “During the past year, workers at Butler Manufacturing reported 30 percent more on-the-job accidents than workers at nearby Panoply Industries, where the work shifts are one hour shorter than ours. A recent government study reports that fatigue and sleep deprivation among workers are significant contributing factors in many on-the-job accidents. If we shorten each of our work shifts by one hour, we can improve Butler Manufacturing’s safety record by ensuring that our employees are adequately rested.”
- The following appeared in a letter to the editor of Parson City’s local newspaper. “In our region of Trillura, the majority of money spent on the schools that most students attend – the city-run public schools – comes from taxes that each city government collects. The region’s cities differ, however, in the budgetary priority they give to public education. For example, both as a proportion of its overall tax revenues and in absolute terms, Parson City has recently spent almost twice as much per year as Blue City has for its public schools – even though both cities have about the same number of residents. Clearly, Parson City residents place a higher value on providing a good education in public schools than Blue City residents do.”
- Milk and dairy products are rich in vitamin D and calcium – substances essential for building and maintaining bones. Many people therefore say that a diet rich in dairy products can help prevent osteoporosis, a disease that is linked to both environmental and genetic factors and that causes the bones to weaken significantly with age. But a long-term study of a large number of people found that those who consistently consumed dairy products throughout the years of the study have a higher rate of bone fractures than any other participants in the study. Since bone fractures are symptomatic of osteoporosis, this study result shows that a diet rich in dairy products may actually increase, rather than decrease, the risk of osteoporosis.
- The following appeared in a memo at XYZ company. “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.”
- An ancient, traditional remedy for insomnia – the scent of lavender flowers – has now been proved effective. In a recent study, 30 volunteers with chronic insomnia slept each night for three weeks on lavender-scented pillows in a controlled room where their sleep was monitored electronically. During the first week, volunteers continued to take their usual sleeping medication. They slept soundly but wakened feeling tired. At the beginning of the second week, the volunteers discontinued their sleeping medication. During that week, they slept less soundly than the previous week and felt even more tired. During the third week, the volunteers slept longer and more soundly than in the previous two weeks. Therefore, the study proves that lavender cures insomnia within a short period of time.
Argument Task 2: Examine Assumptions and Implications
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.
What they’re really asking : Discuss assumptions made in the argument and how the argument would be strengthened or weakened if the assumptions are wrong .
Number of topics in the GRE argument pool on this task : 50/176 ( 28.4% )
- Nature’s Way, a chain of stores selling health food and other health-related products, is opening its next franchise in the town of Plainsville. The store should prove to be very successful: Nature’s Way franchises tend to be most profitable in areas where residents lead healthy lives, and clearly Plainsville is such an area. Plainsville merchants report that sales of running shoes and exercise clothing are at all-time highs. The local health club has more members than ever, and the weight training and aerobics classes are always full. Finally, Plainsville’s schoolchildren represent a new generation of potential customers: these schoolchildren are required to participate in a fitness-for-life program, which emphasizes the benefits of regular exercise at an early age.
- The following was written as a part of an application for a small-business loan by a group of developers in the city of Monroe. “Jazz music is extremely popular in the city of Monroe: over 100,000 people attended Monroe’s annual jazz festival last summer, and the highest-rated radio program in Monroe is ‘Jazz Nightly,’ which airs every weeknight. Also, a number of well-known jazz musicians own homes in Monroe. Nevertheless, the nearest jazz club is over an hour away. Given the popularity of jazz in Monroe and a recent nationwide study indicating that the typical jazz fan spends close to $1,000 per year on jazz entertainment, a jazz music club in Monroe would be tremendously profitable.”
- The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a journal on environmental issues. “Over the past year, the Crust Copper Company (CCC) has purchased over 10,000 square miles of land in the tropical nation of West Fredonia. Mining copper on this land will inevitably result in pollution and, since West Fredonia is the home of several endangered animal species, in environmental disaster. But such disasters can be prevented if consumers simply refuse to purchase products that are made with CCC’s copper unless the company abandons its mining plans.”
- Humans arrived in the Kaliko Islands about 7,000 years ago, and within 3,000 years most of the large mammal species that had lived in the forests of the Kaliko Islands had become extinct. Yet humans cannot have been a factor in the species’ extinctions, because there is no evidence that the humans had any significant contact with the mammals. Further, archaeologists have discovered numerous sites where the bones of fish had been discarded, but they found no such areas containing the bones of large mammals, so the humans cannot have hunted the mammals. Therefore, some climate change or other environmental factor must have caused the species’ extinctions.
- The following appeared in a memo from the vice president of marketing at Dura-Sock, Inc. “A recent study of our customers suggests that our company is wasting the money it spends on its patented Endure manufacturing process, which ensures that our socks are strong enough to last for two years. We have always advertised our use of the Endure process, but the new study shows that despite our socks’ durability, our average customer actually purchases new Dura-Socks every three months. Furthermore, our customers surveyed in our largest market, northeastern United States cities, say that they most value Dura-Socks’ stylish appearance and availability in many colors. These findings suggest that we can increase our profits by discontinuing use of the Endure manufacturing process.”
- When Stanley Park first opened, it was the largest, most heavily used public park in town. It is still the largest park, but it is no longer heavily used. Video cameras mounted in the park’s parking lots last month revealed the park’s drop in popularity: the recordings showed an average of only 50 cars per day. In contrast, tiny Carlton Park in the heart of the business district is visited by more than 150 people on a typical weekday. An obvious difference is that Carlton Park, unlike Stanley Park, provides ample seating. Thus, if Stanley Park is ever to be as popular with our citizens as Carlton Park, the town will obviously need to provide more benches, thereby converting some of the unused open areas into spaces suitable for socializing.
- While the Department of Education in the state of Attra recommends 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, all teachers in our high schools should assign homework no more than twice a week.
- The following appeared in a memo to the board of directors of Bargain Brand Cereals. “One year ago we introduced our first product, Bargain Brand breakfast cereal. Our very low prices quickly drew many customers away from the top-selling cereal companies. Although the companies producing the top brands have since tried to compete with us by lowering their prices and although several plan to introduce their own budget brands, not once have we needed to raise our prices to continue making a profit. Given our success in selling cereal, we recommend that Bargain Brand now expand its business and begin marketing other low-priced food products as quickly as possible.”
- The following is a recommendation from the personnel director to the president of Acme Publishing Company. “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, Acme would benefit greatly by requiring all of our employees to take the Easy Read course.”
Argument Task 3: Evaluate a Recommendation and Its Basis
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.
What they’re really asking : Discuss the different, specific questions that would need to be answered to determine how reasonable the recommendation is.
Number of topics in the GRE argument pool on this task : 24/176 ( 13.6% )
- The following appeared in a memo from a vice president of Alta Manufacturing. “During the past year, Alta Manufacturing had thirty percent more on-the-job accidents than nearby Panoply Industries, where the work shifts are one hour shorter than ours. Experts believe that a significant contributing factor in many accidents is fatigue caused by sleep deprivation among workers. Therefore, to reduce the number of on-the-job accidents at Alta, we recommend shortening each of our three work shifts by one hour. If we do this, our employees will get adequate amounts of sleep.” 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.
- Since those issues of Newsbeat magazine that featured political news on their front cover were the poorest-selling issues over the past three years, the publisher of Newsbeat has recommended that the magazine curtail its emphasis on politics to focus more exclusively on economics and personal finance. She points to a recent survey of readers of general interest magazines that indicates greater reader interest in economic issues than in political ones. Newsbeat ‘s editor, however, opposes the proposed shift in editorial policy, pointing out that very few magazines offer extensive political coverage anymore. 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.
- The following appeared in an article in the Grandview Beacon . “For many years the city of Grandview has provided annual funding for the Grandview Symphony. Last year, however, private contributions to the symphony increased by 200 percent and attendance at the symphony’s concerts-in-the-park series doubled. The symphony has also announced an increase in ticket prices for next year. Given such developments, some city commissioners argue that the symphony can now be fully self-supporting, and they recommend that funding for the symphony be eliminated from next year’s budget.” 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.
- Twenty years ago, Dr. Field, a noted anthropologist, visited the island of Tertia. Using an observation-centered approach to studying Tertian culture, he concluded from his observations that children in Tertia were reared by an entire village rather than by their own biological parents. Recently another anthropologist, Dr. Karp, visited the group of islands that includes Tertia and used the interview-centered method to study child-rearing practices. In the interviews that Dr. Karp conducted with children living in this group of islands, the children spent much more time talking about their biological parents than about other adults in the village. Dr. Karp decided that Dr. Field’s conclusion about Tertian village culture must be invalid. Some anthropologists recommend that to obtain accurate information on Tertian child-rearing practices, future research on the subject should be conducted via the interview-centered method.
Argument Task 4: Evaluate Advice and Questions
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.
What they’re really asking : Discuss the different, specific questions needed to determine if the advice and the argument it’s based on are reasonable .
This task is pretty much the same as task 3; the main difference is in the way the prompt is worded (as advice vs. a recommendation being given).
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Number of topics in the GRE argument pool on this task : 2/176 ( 1.1% )
Examples of the advice to be analyzed
- The following appeared in a newsletter offering advice to investors. “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.”
Argument Task 5: Evaluate a Recommendation’s Likely Results
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.
What they’re really asking : Discuss specific questions and information that would be needed to show the recommendation would have the expected outcome .
Number of topics in the GRE argument pool on this task : 21/176 ( 11.9% )
- The following appeared in a letter from the owner of the Sunnyside Towers apartment building to its manager. “One month ago, all the showerheads on the first five floors of Sunnyside Towers were modified to restrict the water flow to approximately one-third of its original flow. Although actual readings of water usage before and after the adjustment are not yet available, the change will obviously result in a considerable savings for Sunnyside Corporation, since the corporation must pay for water each month. Except for a few complaints about low water pressure, no problems with showers have been reported since the adjustment. Clearly, restricting water flow throughout all the twenty floors of Sunnyside Towers will increase our profits further.”
- The following memorandum is from the business manager of Happy Pancake House restaurants. “Butter has now been replaced by margarine in Happy Pancake House restaurants throughout the southwestern United States. Only about 2 percent of customers have complained, indicating that 98 people out of 100 are happy with the change. Furthermore, many servers have reported that a number of customers who ask for butter do not complain when they are given margarine instead. Clearly, either these customers cannot distinguish butter from margarine or they use the term ‘butter’ to refer to either butter or margarine. Thus, to avoid the expense of purchasing butter and to increase profitability, the Happy Pancake House should extend this cost-saving change to its restaurants in the southeast and northeast as well.”
- The following memo appeared in the newsletter of the West Meria Public Health Council. “An innovative treatment has come to our attention that promises to significantly reduce absenteeism in our schools and workplaces. A study reports that in nearby East Meria, where consumption of the plant beneficia is very high, people visit the doctor only once or twice per year for the treatment of colds. Clearly, eating a substantial amount of beneficia can prevent colds. Since colds are the reason most frequently given for absences from school and work, we recommend the daily use of nutritional supplements derived from beneficia. We predict this will dramatically reduce absenteeism in our schools and workplaces.”
- The following appeared in an e-mail sent by the marketing director of the Classical Shakespeare Theatre of Bardville. “Over the past ten years, there has been a 20 percent decline in the size of the average audience at Classical Shakespeare Theatre productions. In spite of increased advertising, we are attracting fewer and fewer people to our shows, causing our profits to decrease significantly. We must take action to attract new audience members. The best way to do so is by instituting a ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ program this summer. Two years ago the nearby Avon Repertory Company started a ‘Free Plays in the Park’ program, and its profits have increased 10 percent since then. If we start a ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ program, we can predict that our profits will increase, too.”
Argument Task 6: Evaluate a Prediction and Its Basis
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.
What they’re really asking : Discuss the specific questions that need to be answered to determine how reasonable the prediction and its basis are .
Number of topics in the GRE argument pool on this task : 14/176 ( 8.0% )
Examples of the predictions to be analyzed
- The following appeared in a memorandum from the manager of KNOW radio station. “Several factors indicate that KNOW radio can no longer succeed as a rock-and-roll music station. 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 rock-and-roll music. Finally, continuous news stations in neighboring cities have been very successful. We predict that switching KNOW radio from rock-and-roll music to 24-hour news will allow the station to attract older listeners and make KNOW radio more profitable than ever.”
- The council of Maple County, concerned about the county’s becoming overdeveloped, is debating a proposed measure that would prevent the development of existing farmland in the county. But the council is also concerned that such a restriction, by limiting the supply of new housing, could lead to significant increases in the price of housing in the county. Proponents of the measure note that Chestnut County established a similar measure ten years ago, and its housing prices have increased only modestly since. However, opponents of the measure note that Pine County adopted restrictions on the development of new residential housing fifteen years ago, and its housing prices have since more than doubled. The council currently predicts that the proposed measure, if passed, will result in a significant increase in housing prices in Maple County.
Argument Task 7: Discuss Alternative Explanations
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.
What they’re really asking : Discuss alternative explanations that would reasonably explain the evidence discussed in the argument.
Number of topics in the GRE argument pool on this task : 11/176 ( 6.3% )
Examples of the explanation and argument to be analyzed
- The following appeared in a memo from the director of a large group of hospitals. “In a controlled laboratory study of liquid hand soaps, a concentrated solution of extra strength UltraClean hand soap produced a 40 percent greater reduction in harmful bacteria than did the liquid hand soaps currently used in our hospitals. During our recent test of regular-strength UltraClean with doctors, nurses, and visitors at our hospital in Worktown, the hospital reported significantly fewer cases of patient infection (a 20 percent reduction) than did any of the other hospitals in our group. The explanation for the 20 percent reduction in patient infections is the use of UltraClean soap.”
- There is now evidence that the relaxed pace of life in small towns promotes better health and greater longevity than does the hectic pace of life in big cities. Businesses in the small town of Leeville report fewer days of sick leave taken by individual workers than do businesses in the nearby large city of Masonton. Furthermore, Leeville has only one physician for its one thousand residents, but in Masonton the proportion of physicians to residents is five times as high. Finally, the average age of Leeville residents is significantly higher than that of Masonton residents. These findings suggest that the relaxed pace of life in Leeville allows residents to live longer, healthier lives.
Argument Task 8: Evaluate a Conclusion and Its Basis
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be addressed 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.
What they’re really asking : Discuss the specific questions that need to be answered to determine if the conclusion and its basis are reasonable .
Examples of conclusions to be analyzed
- A recent sales study indicates that consumption of seafood dishes in Bay City restaurants has increased by 30 percent during the past five years. Yet there are no currently operating city restaurants whose specialty is seafood. Moreover, the majority of families in Bay City are two-income families, and a nationwide study has shown that such families eat significantly fewer home-cooked meals than they did a decade ago but at the same time express more concern about healthful eating. Therefore, the new Captain Seafood restaurant that specializes in seafood should be quite popular and profitable.
GRE Essay Prompts: 3 Terrific Tips
No matter which of the GRE essay topics you encounter on test day, the following tips will help you prepare.
#1: Keep Strict Timing
When you’re working on practice GRE writing prompts, make sure you stick to a strict 30-minute time limit for each Analytical Writing prompt.
If you need to build up to writing within this time limit, you can start out by giving yourself extra time and then working your way down to 30 minutes. However, try not to only practice with extra time , or you’ll be unprepared for the real GRE Analytical Writing essays.
#2: Type Your Essays
To get the best practice for the computer-based GRE, you should write all your practice essays on a computer .
If possible, use the simple word processor in the PowerPrep Test Preview Tool or practice tests to do every practice essay. You’ll need to get used to the lack of spellcheck and familiar shortcuts or features of your own word processor that you might not realize how often you use, like select all, copy, cut, paste, or undo; it’s surprising to find how much not being able to use CTL+A to select all or CTL+V to paste can affect your writing and editing speed.
Even if you’re not writing about the GRE essay prompts given in PowerPrep, you can still use the text box and timer in the test preview tool or one of the practice tests to write practice essays on other prompts . Just be sure to save your essay into a separate document on your computer so you can go back and read and score it afterwards.
#3: Grade Your Essays
Once you’ve written your practice Issue and Argument essays, score them by using the essay rubrics and by comparing your writing to the sample essays ETS provides at each score point .
The rubrics for the Issue essay and the Argument essay are similar when it comes to the importance of clarity of writing and adherence to standard English grammar, spelling, and punctuation; they only really differ when it comes to assessing the specifics of the issue or argument analyses. You can try using the rubric yourself on your own essays and determine where on the rubric your essay fits; alternatively, you can see if you can find a GRE buddy who is willing to grade you and give you feedback based on the rubric, since it’s sometimes easier to be objective about someone else’s work.
While the rubrics are useful as guidelines for what to include in your essays, however, it can be difficult to envision what a perfect scoring essay might look like from the laundry list of qualities alone. That’s why the best way to learn what makes a difference between different essay scores is studying examples of high-scoring essays, analyzing what they do well, and finding the differences between them and lower-scoring essays on the same topic . We do this analysis for you in our articles on how to get a perfect 6 on the GRE Issue essay and Argument essay .
The object of grading your essays is not to feel bad that you didn’t live up to the ideals of a perfect essay score but instead to zero in on your weak spots so you can improve. Whether it’s disorganized writing, running out of time (and so not finishing your essay), insufficient analysis, or some other issue entirely, identify the main issues with your essay, then focus your practice on improving those areas.
What’s Next?
Looking for more great advice to increase your GRE AWA score? Read our article on GRE essay tips and strategies .
Want to find out more about what’s on the essay rubrics? We have a complete guide to how the GRE essays are scored here .
Learn more about what’s on the GRE and what a good GRE score is .
Ready to improve your GRE score by 7 points?
Author: Laura Staffaroni
Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel and fulfill their college and grad school dreams. View all posts by Laura Staffaroni
- For Test Takers
- For Institutions
- Pool of Argument Topics
- Introduction
- Understanding the Context for Writing
- Preparing for the Argument Task
- How to Interpret Numbers in Argument Topics
- Tips for this Section
- Sample Argument Task
- Sample Essay Responses
- Scoring Guide
This page contains the Argument topics for the Analytical Writing section of the GRE ® General Test. When you take the test, you will be presented with one Argument topic from this pool.
Each Argument topic consists of a passage that presents an argument followed by specific task instructions that tell you how to analyze the argument. The wording of some topics in the test might vary slightly from what is presented here. Also, because there may be multiple versions of some topics with similar or identical wording but with different task instructions, it is very important to read your test topic and its specific task directions carefully and respond to the wording as it appears in the actual test.
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 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.
A recently issued twenty-year study on headaches suffered by the residents of Mentia investigated the possible therapeutic effect of consuming salicylates. Salicylates are members of the same chemical family as aspirin, a medicine used to treat headaches. Although many foods are naturally rich in salicylates, food-processing companies also add salicylates to foods as preservatives. The twenty-year study found a correlation between the rise in the commercial use of salicylates and a steady decline in the average number of headaches reported by study participants. At the time when the study concluded, food-processing companies had just discovered that salicylates can also be used as flavor additives for foods, and, as a result, many companies plan to do so. Based on these study results, some health experts predict that residents of Mentia will suffer even fewer headaches in the future.
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.
The following was written as a part of an application for a small-business loan by a group of developers in the city of Monroe.
"A jazz music club in Monroe would be a tremendously profitable enterprise. Currently, the nearest jazz club is 65 miles away; thus, the proposed new jazz club in Monroe, the C-Note, would have the local market all to itself. Plus, jazz is extremely popular in Monroe: over 100,000 people attended Monroe's annual jazz festival last summer; several well-known jazz musicians live in Monroe; and the highest-rated radio program in Monroe is 'Jazz Nightly,' which airs every weeknight at 7 P.M. Finally, a nationwide study indicates that the typical jazz fan spends close to $1,000 per year on jazz entertainment."
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.
The following appeared in the summary of a study on headaches suffered by the residents of Mentia.
"Salicylates are members of the same chemical family as aspirin, a medicine used to treat headaches. Although many foods are naturally rich in salicylates, for the past several decades, food-processing companies have also been adding salicylates to foods as preservatives. This rise in the commercial use of salicylates has been found to correlate with a steady decline in the average number of headaches reported by participants in our twenty-year study. Recently, food-processing companies have found that salicylates can also be used as flavor additives for foods. With this new use for salicylates, we can expect a continued steady decline in the number of headaches suffered by the average citizen of Mentia."
The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a local newspaper.
"Commuters complain that increased rush-hour traffic on Blue Highway between the suburbs and the city center has doubled their commuting time. The favored proposal of the motorists' lobby is to widen the highway, adding an additional lane of traffic. But last year's addition of a lane to the nearby Green Highway was followed by a worsening of traffic jams on it. A better alternative is to add a bicycle lane to Blue Highway. Many area residents are keen bicyclists. A bicycle lane would encourage them to use bicycles to commute, and so would reduce rush-hour traffic rather than fostering an increase."
The following appeared in an editorial in a local newspaper.
"Commuters complain that increased rush-hour traffic on Blue Highway between the suburbs and the city center has doubled their commuting time. The favored proposal of the motorists' lobby is to widen the highway, adding an additional lane of traffic. Opponents note that last year's addition of a lane to the nearby Green Highway was followed by a worsening of traffic jams on it. Their suggested alternative proposal is adding a bicycle lane to Blue Highway. Many area residents are keen bicyclists. A bicycle lane would encourage them to use bicycles to commute, it is argued, thereby reducing rush-hour traffic."
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.
The following appeared as a recommendation by a committee planning a ten-year budget for the city of Calatrava.
"The birthrate in our city is declining: in fact, last year's birthrate was only one-half that of five years ago. Thus the number of students enrolled in our public schools will soon decrease dramatically, and we can safely reduce the funds budgeted for education during the next decade. At the same time, we can reduce funding for athletic playing fields and other recreational facilities. As a result, we will have sufficient money to fund city facilities and programs used primarily by adults, since we can expect the adult population of the city to increase."
The following appeared in a letter to the editor of Parson City's local newspaper.
"In our region of Trillura, the majority of money spent on the schools that most students attend — the city-run public schools — comes from taxes that each city government collects. The region's cities differ, however, in the budgetary priority they give to public education. For example, both as a proportion of its overall tax revenues and in absolute terms, Parson City has recently spent almost twice as much per year as Blue City has for its public schools — even though both cities have about the same number of residents. Clearly, Parson City residents place a higher value on providing a good education in public schools than Blue City residents do."
The following appeared in a memo from a vice president of Quiot Manufacturing.
"During the past year, Quiot Manufacturing had 30 percent more on-the-job accidents than at the nearby Panoply Industries plant, where the work shifts are one hour shorter than ours. Experts say that significant contributing factors in many on-the-job accidents are fatigue and sleep deprivation among workers. Therefore, to reduce the number of on-the-job accidents at Quiot and thereby increase productivity, we should shorten each of our three work shifts by one hour so that employees will get adequate amounts of sleep."
The following appeared in a memorandum from the planning department of an electric power company.
"Several recent surveys indicate that home owners are increasingly eager to conserve energy. At the same time, manufacturers are now marketing many home appliances, such as refrigerators and air conditioners, that are almost twice as energy efficient as those sold a decade ago. Also, new technologies for better home insulation and passive solar heating are readily available to reduce the energy needed for home heating. Therefore, the total demand for electricity in our area will not increase — and may decline slightly. Since our three electric generating plants in operation for the past twenty years have always met our needs, construction of new generating plants will not be necessary."
The vice president of human resources at Climpson Industries sent the following recommendation to the company's president.
"In an effort to improve our employees' productivity, we should implement electronic monitoring of employees' Internet use from their workstations. Employees who use the Internet from their workstations need to be identified and punished if we are to reduce the number of work hours spent on personal or recreational activities, such as shopping or playing games. By installing software to detect employees' Internet use on company computers, we can prevent employees from wasting time, foster a better work ethic at Climpson, and improve our overall profits."
The following appeared in a letter from the owner of the Sunnyside Towers apartment complex to its manager.
"One month ago, all the showerheads in the first three buildings of the Sunnyside Towers complex were modified to restrict maximum water flow to one-third of what it used to be. Although actual readings of water usage before and after the adjustment are not yet available, the change will obviously result in a considerable savings for Sunnyside Corporation, since the corporation must pay for water each month. Except for a few complaints about low water pressure, no problems with showers have been reported since the adjustment. I predict that modifying showerheads to restrict water flow throughout all twelve buildings in the Sunnyside Towers complex will increase our profits even more dramatically."
The following report appeared in the newsletter of the West Meria Public Health Council.
"An innovative treatment has come to our attention that promises to significantly reduce absenteeism in our schools and workplaces. A study reports that in nearby East Meria, where fish consumption is very high, people visit the doctor only once or twice per year for the treatment of colds. Clearly, eating a substantial amount of fish can prevent colds. Since colds represent the most frequently given reason for absences from school and work, we recommend the daily use of Ichthaid — a nutritional supplement derived from fish oil — as a good way to prevent colds and lower absenteeism."
The following appeared in a recommendation from the planning department of the city of Transopolis.
"Ten years ago, as part of a comprehensive urban renewal program, the city of Transopolis adapted for industrial use a large area of severely substandard housing near the freeway. Subsequently, several factories were constructed there, crime rates in the area declined, and property tax revenues for the entire city increased. To further revitalize the city, we should now take similar action in a declining residential area on the opposite side of the city. Since some houses and apartments in existing nearby neighborhoods are currently unoccupied, alternate housing for those displaced by this action will be readily available."
The following appeared in a memo from the new vice president of Sartorian, a company that manufactures men's clothing.
"Five years ago, at a time when we had difficulties in obtaining reliable supplies of high quality wool fabric, we discontinued production of our alpaca overcoat. Now that we have a new fabric supplier, we should resume production. This coat should sell very well: since we have not offered an alpaca overcoat for five years and since our major competitor no longer makes an alpaca overcoat, there will be pent-up customer demand. Also, since the price of most types of clothing has increased in each of the past five years, customers should be willing to pay significantly higher prices for alpaca overcoats than they did five years ago, and our company profits will increase."
A recent sales study indicates that consumption of seafood dishes in Bay City restaurants has increased by 30 percent during the past five years. Yet there are no currently operating city restaurants whose specialty is seafood. Moreover, the majority of families in Bay City are two-income families, and a nationwide study has shown that such families eat significantly fewer home-cooked meals than they did a decade ago but at the same time express more concern about healthful eating. Therefore, the new Captain Seafood restaurant that specializes in seafood should be quite popular and profitable.
Milk and dairy products are rich in vitamin D and calcium — substances essential for building and maintaining bones. Many people therefore say that a diet rich in dairy products can help prevent osteoporosis, a disease that is linked to both environmental and genetic factors and that causes the bones to weaken significantly with age. But a long-term study of a large number of people found that those who consistently consumed dairy products throughout the years of the study have a higher rate of bone fractures than any other participants in the study. Since bone fractures are symptomatic of osteoporosis, this study result shows that a diet rich in dairy products may actually increase, rather than decrease, the risk of osteoporosis.
The following appeared in a health newsletter.
"A ten-year nationwide study of the effectiveness of wearing a helmet while bicycling indicates that ten years ago, approximately 35 percent of all bicyclists reported wearing helmets, whereas today that number is nearly 80 percent. Another study, however, suggests that during the same ten-year period, the number of bicycle-related accidents has increased 200 percent. These results demonstrate that bicyclists feel safer because they are wearing helmets, and they take more risks as a result. Thus, to reduce the number of serious injuries from bicycle accidents, the government should concentrate more on educating people about bicycle safety and less on encouraging or requiring bicyclists to wear helmets."
The following is a letter to the head of the tourism bureau on the island of Tria.
"Erosion of beach sand along the shores of Tria Island is a serious threat to our island and our tourist industry. In order to stop the erosion, we should charge people for using the beaches. Although this solution may annoy a few tourists in the short term, it will raise money for replenishing the sand. Replenishing the sand, as was done to protect buildings on the nearby island of Batia, will help protect buildings along our shores, thereby reducing these buildings' risk of additional damage from severe storms. And since beaches and buildings in the area will be preserved, Tria's tourist industry will improve over the long term."
The following appeared in a memorandum written by the chairperson of the West Egg Town Council.
"Two years ago, consultants predicted that West Egg's landfill, which is used for garbage disposal, would be completely filled within five years. During the past two years, however, the town's residents have been recycling twice as much material as they did in previous years. Next month the amount of recycled material — which includes paper, plastic, and metal — should further increase, since charges for pickup of other household garbage will double. Furthermore, over 90 percent of the respondents to a recent survey said that they would do more recycling in the future. Because of our town's strong commitment to recycling, the available space in our landfill should last for considerably longer than predicted."
The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a journal on environmental issues.
"Over the past year, the Crust Copper Company (CCC) has purchased over 10,000 square miles of land in the tropical nation of West Fredonia. Mining copper on this land will inevitably result in pollution and, since West Fredonia is the home of several endangered animal species, in environmental disaster. But such disasters can be prevented if consumers simply refuse to purchase products that are made with CCC's copper unless the company abandons its mining plans."
The following is part of a memorandum from the president of Humana University.
"Last year the number of students who enrolled in online degree programs offered by nearby Omni University increased by 50 percent. During the same year, Omni showed a significant decrease from prior years in expenditures for dormitory and classroom space, most likely because instruction in the online programs takes place via the Internet. In contrast, over the past three years, enrollment at Humana University has failed to grow, and the cost of maintaining buildings has increased along with our budget deficit. To address these problems, Humana University will begin immediately to create and actively promote online degree programs like those at Omni. We predict that instituting these online degree programs will help Humana both increase its total enrollment and solve its budget problems."
The following appeared in a memorandum from the owner of Movies Galore, a chain of movie-rental stores.
"Because of declining profits, we must reduce operating expenses at Movies Galore's ten movie-rental stores. Raising prices is not a good option, since we are famous for our low prices. Instead, we should reduce our operating hours. Last month our store in downtown Marston reduced its hours by closing at 6:00 p.m. rather than 9:00 p.m. and reduced its overall inventory by no longer stocking any DVD released more than five years ago. Since we have received very few customer complaints about these new policies, we should now adopt them at all other Movies Galore stores as our best strategies for improving profits."
The following appeared in a magazine article about planning for retirement.
"Clearview should be a top choice for anyone seeking a place to retire, because it has spectacular natural beauty and a consistent climate. Another advantage is that housing costs in Clearview have fallen significantly during the past year, and taxes remain lower than those in neighboring towns. Moreover, Clearview's mayor promises many new programs to improve schools, streets, and public services. And best of all, retirees in Clearview can also expect excellent health care as they grow older, since the number of physicians in the area is far greater than the national average."
"Last year the number of students who enrolled in online degree programs offered by nearby Omni University increased by 50 percent. During the same year, Omni showed a significant decrease from prior years in expenditures for dormitory and classroom space, most likely because online instruction takes place via the Internet. In contrast, over the past three years, enrollment at Humana University has failed to grow and the cost of maintaining buildings has increased. Thus, to increase enrollment and solve the problem of budget deficits at Humana University, we should initiate and actively promote online degree programs like those at Omni."
An ancient, traditional remedy for insomnia — the scent of lavender flowers — has now been proved effective. In a recent study, 30 volunteers with chronic insomnia slept each night for three weeks on lavender-scented pillows in a controlled room where their sleep was monitored electronically. During the first week, volunteers continued to take their usual sleeping medication. They slept soundly but wakened feeling tired. At the beginning of the second week, the volunteers discontinued their sleeping medication. During that week, they slept less soundly than the previous week and felt even more tired. During the third week, the volunteers slept longer and more soundly than in the previous two weeks. Therefore, the study proves that lavender cures insomnia within a short period of time.
The following memorandum is from the business manager of Happy Pancake House restaurants.
"Butter has now been replaced by margarine in Happy Pancake House restaurants throughout the southwestern United States. Only about 2 percent of customers have complained, indicating that 98 people out of 100 are happy with the change. Furthermore, many servers have reported that a number of customers who ask for butter do not complain when they are given margarine instead. Clearly, either these customers cannot distinguish butter from margarine or they use the term 'butter' to refer to either butter or margarine. Thus, to avoid the expense of purchasing butter and to increase profitability, the Happy Pancake House should extend this cost-saving change to its restaurants in the southeast and northeast as well."
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.
The following appeared in a letter from the owner of the Sunnyside Towers apartment building to its manager.
"One month ago, all the showerheads on the first five floors of Sunnyside Towers were modified to restrict the water flow to approximately one-third of its original flow. Although actual readings of water usage before and after the adjustment are not yet available, the change will obviously result in a considerable savings for Sunnyside Corporation, since the corporation must pay for water each month. Except for a few complaints about low water pressure, no problems with showers have been reported since the adjustment. Clearly, restricting water flow throughout all the twenty floors of Sunnyside Towers will increase our profits further."
The following appeared in a health magazine.
"The citizens of Forsythe have adopted more healthful lifestyles. Their responses to a recent survey show that in their eating habits they conform more closely to government nutritional recommendations than they did ten years ago. Furthermore, there has been a fourfold increase in sales of food products containing kiran, a substance that a scientific study has shown reduces cholesterol. This trend is also evident in reduced sales of sulia, a food that few of the most healthy citizens regularly eat."
Humans arrived in the Kaliko Islands about 7,000 years ago, and within 3,000 years most of the large mammal species that had lived in the forests of the Kaliko Islands had become extinct. Yet humans cannot have been a factor in the species' extinctions, because there is no evidence that the humans had any significant contact with the mammals. Further, archaeologists have discovered numerous sites where the bones of fish had been discarded, but they found no such areas containing the bones of large mammals, so the humans cannot have hunted the mammals. Therefore, some climate change or other environmental factor must have caused the species' extinctions.
The following appeared in an editorial in a business magazine.
"Although the sales of Whirlwind video games have declined over the past two years, a recent survey of video-game players suggests that this sales trend is about to be reversed. The survey asked video-game players what features they thought were most important in a video game. According to the survey, players prefer games that provide lifelike graphics, which require the most up-to-date computers. Whirlwind has just introduced several such games with an extensive advertising campaign directed at people ten to twenty-five years old, the age-group most likely to play video games. It follows, then, that the sales of Whirlwind video games are likely to increase dramatically in the next few months."
The following appeared in a memo from the vice president of marketing at Dura-Sock, Inc.
"A recent study of our customers suggests that our company is wasting the money it spends on its patented Endure manufacturing process, which ensures that our socks are strong enough to last for two years. We have always advertised our use of the Endure process, but the new study shows that despite our socks' durability, our average customer actually purchases new Dura-Socks every three months. Furthermore, our customers surveyed in our largest market, northeastern United States cities, say that they most value Dura-Socks' stylish appearance and availability in many colors. These findings suggest that we can increase our profits by discontinuing use of the Endure manufacturing process."
The vice president for human resources at Climpson Industries sent the following recommendation to the company's president.
"In an effort to improve our employees' productivity, we should implement electronic monitoring of employees' Internet use from their workstations. Employees who use the Internet inappropriately from their workstations need to be identified and punished if we are to reduce the number of work hours spent on personal or recreational activities, such as shopping or playing games. Installing software on company computers to detect employees' Internet use is the best way to prevent employees from wasting time on the job. It will foster a better work ethic at Climpson and improve our overall profits."
The following appeared in a memo from the president of Bower Builders, a company that constructs new homes.
"A nationwide survey reveals that the two most-desired home features are a large family room and a large, well-appointed kitchen. A number of homes in our area built by our competitor Domus Construction have such features and have sold much faster and at significantly higher prices than the national average. To boost sales and profits, we should increase the size of the family rooms and kitchens in all the homes we build and should make state-of-the-art kitchens a standard feature. Moreover, our larger family rooms and kitchens can come at the expense of the dining room, since many of our recent buyers say they do not need a separate dining room for family meals."
The following appeared in a letter from a firm providing investment advice for a client.
"Most homes in the northeastern United States, where winters are typically cold, have traditionally used oil as their major fuel for heating. Last heating season that region experienced 90 days with below-normal temperatures, and climate forecasters predict that this weather pattern will continue for several more years. Furthermore, many new homes are being built in the region in response to recent population growth. Because of these trends, we predict an increased demand for heating oil and recommend investment in Consolidated Industries, one of whose major business operations is the retail sale of home heating oil."
The following appeared in an article in the Grandview Beacon .
"For many years the city of Grandview has provided annual funding for the Grandview Symphony. Last year, however, private contributions to the symphony increased by 200 percent and attendance at the symphony's concerts-in-the-park series doubled. The symphony has also announced an increase in ticket prices for next year. Given such developments, some city commissioners argue that the symphony can now be fully self-supporting, and they recommend that funding for the symphony be eliminated from next year's budget."
The following appeared in a memo from the director of a large group of hospitals.
"In a laboratory study of liquid antibacterial hand soaps, a concentrated solution of UltraClean produced a 40 percent greater reduction in the bacteria population than did the liquid hand soaps currently used in our hospitals. During a subsequent test of UltraClean at our hospital in Workby, that hospital reported significantly fewer cases of patient infection than did any of the other hospitals in our group. Therefore, to prevent serious patient infections, we should supply UltraClean at all hand-washing stations throughout our hospital system."
The following appeared in a letter to the editor of the Parkville Daily newspaper.
"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."
When Stanley Park first opened, it was the largest, most heavily used public park in town. It is still the largest park, but it is no longer heavily used. Video cameras mounted in the park's parking lots last month revealed the park's drop in popularity: the recordings showed an average of only 50 cars per day. In contrast, tiny Carlton Park in the heart of the business district is visited by more than 150 people on a typical weekday. An obvious difference is that Carlton Park, unlike Stanley Park, provides ample seating. Thus, if Stanley Park is ever to be as popular with our citizens as Carlton Park, the town will obviously need to provide more benches, thereby converting some of the unused open areas into spaces suitable for socializing.
The following appeared in a memo from the owner of a chain of cheese stores located throughout the United States.
"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."
The following appeared as part of a business plan developed by the manager of the Rialto Movie Theater.
"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."
A recent study reported that pet owners have longer, healthier lives on average than do people who own no pets. Specifically, dog owners tend to have a lower incidence of heart disease. In light of these findings, Sherwood Hospital should form a partnership with Sherwood Animal Shelter to institute an adopt-a-dog program. The program would encourage dog ownership for patients recovering from heart disease, which should reduce these patients' chance of experiencing continuing heart problems and also reduce their need for ongoing treatment. As a further benefit, the publicity about the program would encourage more people to adopt pets from the shelter. And that will reduce the incidence of heart disease in the general population.
The following appeared in a memo from a vice president of a large, highly diversified company.
"Ten years ago our company had two new office buildings constructed as regional headquarters for two regions. The buildings were erected by different construction companies — Alpha and Zeta. Although the two buildings had identical floor plans, the building constructed by Zeta cost 30 percent more to build. However, that building's expenses for maintenance last year were only half those of Alpha's. In addition, the energy consumption of the Zeta building has been lower than that of the Alpha building every year since its construction. Given these data, plus the fact that Zeta has a stable workforce with little employee turnover, we recommend using Zeta rather than Alpha for our new building project, even though Alpha's bid promises lower construction costs."
"Ten years ago our company had two new office buildings constructed as regional headquarters for two regions. The buildings were erected by different construction companies — Alpha and Zeta. Although the two buildings had identical floor plans, the building constructed by Zeta cost 30 percent more to build. However, that building's expenses for maintenance last year were only half those of Alpha's. Furthermore, the energy consumption of the Zeta building has been lower than that of the Alpha building every year since its construction. Such data indicate that we should use Zeta rather than Alpha for our contemplated new building project, even though Alpha's bid promises lower construction costs."
The following is a letter to the editor of the Waymarsh Times .
"Traffic here in Waymarsh is becoming a problem. Although just three years ago a state traffic survey showed that the typical driving commuter took 20 minutes to get to work, the commute now takes closer to 40 minutes, according to the survey just completed. Members of the town council already have suggested more road building to address the problem, but as well as being expensive, the new construction will surely disrupt some of our residential neighborhoods. It would be better to follow the example of the nearby city of Garville. Last year Garville implemented a policy that rewards people who share rides to work, giving them coupons for free gas. Pollution levels in Garville have dropped since the policy was implemented, and people from Garville tell me that commuting times have fallen considerably. There is no reason why a policy like Garville's shouldn't work equally well in Waymarsh."
The following appeared as a letter to the editor of a national newspaper.
"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.
The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a Batavia newspaper.
"The department of agriculture in Batavia reports that the number of dairy farms throughout the country is now 25 percent greater than it was 10 years ago. During this same time period, however, the price of milk at the local Excello Food Market has increased from $1.50 to over $3.00 per gallon. To prevent farmers from continuing to receive excessive profits on an apparently increased supply of milk, the Batavia government should begin to regulate retail milk prices. Such regulation is necessary to ensure fair prices for consumers."
The following appeared in a newsletter offering advice to investors.
"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."
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.
The following recommendation appeared in a memo from the mayor of the town of Hopewell.
"Two years ago, the nearby town of Ocean View built a new municipal golf course and resort hotel. During the past two years, tourism in Ocean View has increased, new businesses have opened there, and Ocean View's tax revenues have risen by 30 percent. Therefore, the best way to improve Hopewell's economy — and generate additional tax revenues — is to build a golf course and resort hotel similar to those in Ocean View."
The following appeared in a memo from the vice president of a food distribution company with food storage warehouses in several cities.
"Recently, we signed a contract with the Fly-Away Pest Control Company to provide pest control services at our fast-food warehouse in Palm City, but last month we discovered that over $20,000 worth of food there had been destroyed by pest damage. Meanwhile, the Buzzoff Pest Control Company, which we have used for many years, continued to service our warehouse in Wintervale, and last month only $10,000 worth of the food stored there had been destroyed by pest damage. Even though the price charged by Fly-Away is considerably lower, our best means of saving money is to return to Buzzoff for all our pest control services."
Since those issues of Newsbeat magazine that featured political news on their front cover were the poorest-selling issues over the past three years, the publisher of Newsbeat has recommended that the magazine curtail its emphasis on politics to focus more exclusively on economics and personal finance. She points to a recent survey of readers of general interest magazines that indicates greater reader interest in economic issues than in political ones. Newsbeat 's editor, however, opposes the proposed shift in editorial policy, pointing out that very few magazines offer extensive political coverage anymore.
The following appeared in a business magazine.
"As a result of numerous complaints of dizziness and nausea on the part of consumers of Promofoods tuna, the company requested that eight million cans of its tuna be returned for testing. Promofoods concluded that the canned tuna did not, after all, pose a health risk. This conclusion is based on tests performed on samples of the recalled cans by chemists from Promofoods; the chemists found that of the eight food chemicals most commonly blamed for causing symptoms of dizziness and nausea, five were not found in any of the tested cans. The chemists did find small amounts of the three remaining suspected chemicals but pointed out that these occur naturally in all canned foods."
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be addressed 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.
The following appeared in a memo from the vice president of marketing at Dura-Socks, Inc.
"A recent study of Dura-Socks customers suggests that our company is wasting the money it spends on its patented Endure manufacturing process, which ensures that our socks are strong enough to last for two years. We have always advertised our use of the Endure process, but the new study shows that despite the socks' durability, our customers, on average, actually purchase new Dura-Socks every three months. Furthermore, customers surveyed in our largest market — northeastern United States cities — say that they most value Dura-Socks' stylish appearance and availability in many colors. These findings suggest that we can increase our profits by discontinuing use of the Endure manufacturing process."
The following is a letter to the editor of an environmental magazine.
"In 1975 a wildlife census found that there were seven species of amphibians in Xanadu National Park, with abundant numbers of each species. However, in 2002 only four species of amphibians were observed in the park, and the numbers of each species were drastically reduced. There has been a substantial decline in the numbers of amphibians worldwide, and global pollution of water and air is clearly implicated. The decline of amphibians in Xanadu National Park, however, almost certainly has a different cause: in 1975, trout — which are known to eat amphibian eggs — were introduced into the park."
"Two studies of amphibians in Xanadu National Park confirm a significant decline in the numbers of amphibians. In 1975 there were seven species of amphibians in the park, and there were abundant numbers of each species. However, in 2002 only four species of amphibians were observed in the park, and the numbers of each species were drastically reduced. One proposed explanation is that the decline was caused by the introduction of trout into the park's waters, which began in 1975. (Trout are known to eat amphibian eggs.)"
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.
In a study of the reading habits of Waymarsh citizens conducted by the University of Waymarsh, most respondents said that they preferred literary classics as reading material. However, a second study conducted by the same researchers found that the type of book most frequently checked out of each of the public libraries in Waymarsh was the mystery novel. Therefore, it can be concluded that the respondents in the first study had misrepresented their reading habits.
The following appeared in a memo at XYZ company.
"When XYZ lays off employees, it pays Delany Personnel Firm to offer those employees assistance in creating résumés 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."
In a study of the reading habits of Waymarsh citizens conducted by the University of Waymarsh, most respondents said they preferred literary classics as reading material. However, a second study conducted by the same researchers found that the type of book most frequently checked out of each of the public libraries in Waymarsh was the mystery novel. Therefore, it can be concluded that the respondents in the first study had misrepresented their reading preferences.
The following appeared in a memorandum written by the vice president of Health Naturally, a small but expanding chain of stores selling health food and other health-related products.
"Our previous experience has been that our stores are most profitable in areas where residents are highly concerned with leading healthy lives. We should therefore build one of our new stores in Plainsville, which clearly has many such residents. Plainsville merchants report that sales of running shoes and exercise equipment are at all-time highs. The local health club, which nearly closed five years ago due to lack of business, has more members than ever, and the weight-training and aerobics classes are always full. We can even anticipate a new generation of customers: Plainsville's schoolchildren are required to participate in a program called Fitness for Life, which emphasizes the benefits of regular exercise at an early age."
Three years ago, because of flooding at the Western Palean Wildlife Preserve, 100 lions and 100 western gazelles were moved to the East Palean Preserve, an area that is home to most of the same species that are found in the western preserve, though in larger numbers, and to the eastern gazelle, a close relative of the western gazelle. The only difference in climate is that the eastern preserve typically has slightly less rainfall. Unfortunately, after three years in the eastern preserve, the imported western gazelle population has been virtually eliminated. Since the slight reduction in rainfall cannot be the cause of the virtual elimination of western gazelle, their disappearance must have been caused by the larger number of predators in the eastern preserve.
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.
The following appeared in a memorandum from the manager of WWAC radio station.
"WWAC must change from its current rock-music format because the number of listeners has been declining, even though the population in our listening area has been growing. The population growth has resulted mainly from people moving to our area after their retirement, and we must make listeners of these new residents. But they seem to have limited interest in music: several local stores selling recorded music have recently closed. Therefore, just changing to another kind of music is not going to increase our audience. Instead, we should adopt a news-and-talk format, a form of radio that is increasingly popular in our area."
"A recent national survey found that the majority of workers with access to the Internet at work had used company computers for personal or recreational activities, such as banking or playing games. In an effort to improve our employees' productivity, we should implement electronic monitoring of employees' Internet use from their workstations. Using electronic monitoring software is the best way to reduce the number of hours Climpson employees spend on personal or recreational activities. We predict that installing software to monitor employees' Internet use will allow us to prevent employees from wasting time, thereby increasing productivity and improving overall profits."
"Five years ago, at a time when we had difficulty obtaining reliable supplies of high-quality wool fabric, we discontinued production of our popular alpaca overcoat. Now that we have a new fabric supplier, we should resume production. Given the outcry from our customers when we discontinued this product and the fact that none of our competitors offers a comparable product, we can expect pent-up consumer demand for our alpaca coats. This demand and the overall increase in clothing prices will make Sartorian's alpaca overcoats more profitable than ever before."
"Five years ago, at a time when we had difficulty obtaining reliable supplies of high-quality wool fabric, we discontinued production of our popular alpaca overcoat. Now that we have a new fabric supplier, we should resume production. Given the outcry from our customers when we discontinued this product and the fact that none of our competitors offers a comparable product, we can expect pent-up consumer demand for our alpaca coats. Due to this demand and the overall increase in clothing prices, we can predict that Sartorian's alpaca overcoats will be more profitable than ever before."
The following appeared in an e-mail sent by the marketing director of the Classical Shakespeare Theatre of Bardville.
"Over the past ten years, there has been a 20 percent decline in the size of the average audience at Classical Shakespeare Theatre productions. In spite of increased advertising, we are attracting fewer and fewer people to our shows, causing our profits to decrease significantly. We must take action to attract new audience members. The best way to do so is by instituting a 'Shakespeare in the Park' program this summer. Two years ago the nearby Avon Repertory Company started a 'Free Plays in the Park' program, and its profits have increased 10 percent since then. If we start a 'Shakespeare in the Park' program, we can predict that our profits will increase, too."
The following is a recommendation from the business manager of Monarch Books.
"Since its opening in Collegeville twenty years ago, Monarch Books has developed a large customer base due to its reader-friendly atmosphere and wide selection of books on all subjects. Last month, Book and Bean, a combination bookstore and coffee shop, announced its intention to open a Collegeville store. Monarch Books should open its own in-store café in the space currently devoted to children's books. Given recent national census data indicating a significant decline in the percentage of the population under age ten, sales of children's books are likely to decline. By replacing its children's books section with a café, Monarch Books can increase profits and ward off competition from Book and Bean."
"Jazz music is extremely popular in the city of Monroe: over 100,000 people attended Monroe's annual jazz festival last summer, and the highest-rated radio program in Monroe is 'Jazz Nightly,' which airs every weeknight. Also, a number of well-known jazz musicians own homes in Monroe. Nevertheless, the nearest jazz club is over an hour away. Given the popularity of jazz in Monroe and a recent nationwide study indicating that the typical jazz fan spends close to $1,000 per year on jazz entertainment, a jazz music club in Monroe would be tremendously profitable."
There is now evidence that the relaxed pace of life in small towns promotes better health and greater longevity than does the hectic pace of life in big cities. Businesses in the small town of Leeville report fewer days of sick leave taken by individual workers than do businesses in the nearby large city of Masonton. Furthermore, Leeville has only one physician for its one thousand residents, but in Masonton the proportion of physicians to residents is five times as high. Finally, the average age of Leeville residents is significantly higher than that of Masonton residents. These findings suggest that people seeking longer and healthier lives should consider moving to small communities.
"Jazz music is extremely popular in the city of Monroe: over 100,000 people attended Monroe's annual jazz festival last summer, and the highest-rated radio program in Monroe is 'Jazz Nightly,' which airs every weeknight. Also, a number of well-known jazz musicians own homes in Monroe. Nevertheless, the nearest jazz club is over an hour away. Given the popularity of jazz in Monroe and a recent nationwide study indicating that the typical jazz fan spends close to $1,000 per year on jazz entertainment, we predict that our new jazz music club in Monroe will be a tremendously profitable enterprise."
There is now evidence that the relaxed pace of life in small towns promotes better health and greater longevity than does the hectic pace of life in big cities. Businesses in the small town of Leeville report fewer days of sick leave taken by individual workers than do businesses in the nearby large city of Masonton. Furthermore, Leeville has only one physician for its one thousand residents, but in Masonton the proportion of physicians to residents is five times as high. Finally, the average age of Leeville residents is significantly higher than that of Masonton residents. These findings suggest that the relaxed pace of life in Leeville allows residents to live longer, healthier lives.
The following appeared in a memo from a vice president of a manufacturing company.
"During the past year, workers at our newly opened factory reported 30 percent more on-the-job accidents than workers at nearby Panoply Industries. Panoply produces products very similar to those produced at our factory, but its work shifts are one hour shorter than ours. Experts say that fatigue and sleep deprivation among workers are significant contributing factors in many on-the-job accidents. Panoply's superior safety record can therefore be attributed to its shorter work shifts, which allow its employees to get adequate amounts of rest."
The following appeared in a memo from the vice president of Butler Manufacturing.
"During the past year, workers at Butler Manufacturing reported 30 percent more on-the-job accidents than workers at nearby Panoply Industries, where the work shifts are one hour shorter than ours. A recent government study reports that fatigue and sleep deprivation among workers are significant contributing factors in many on-the-job accidents. If we shorten each of our work shifts by one hour, we can improve Butler Manufacturing's safety record by ensuring that our employees are adequately rested."
The following appeared in a memo from the Board of Directors of Butler Manufacturing.
"During the past year, workers at Butler Manufacturing reported 30 percent more on-the-job accidents than workers at nearby Panoply Industries, where the work shifts are one hour shorter than ours. A recent government study reports that fatigue and sleep deprivation among workers are significant contributing factors in many on-the-job accidents. Therefore, we recommend that Butler Manufacturing shorten each of its work shifts by one hour. Shorter shifts will allow Butler to improve its safety record by ensuring that its employees are adequately rested."
The following appeared in a memo from the business manager of a chain of cheese stores located throughout the United States.
The following appeared in a memorandum from the general manager of KNOW radio station.
"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."
The following appeared in a memorandum from the manager of KNOW radio station.
"Several factors indicate that KNOW radio can no longer succeed as a rock-and-roll music station. 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 rock-and-roll music. Finally, continuous news stations in neighboring cities have been very successful. We predict that switching KNOW radio from rock-and-roll music to 24-hour news will allow the station to attract older listeners and make KNOW radio more profitable than ever."
"In order to stop the recent decline in our profits, we must reduce operating expenses at Movies Galore's ten movie-rental stores. Since we are famous for our special bargains, raising our rental prices is not a viable way to improve profits. Last month our store in downtown Marston significantly decreased its operating expenses by closing at 6:00 P.M. rather than 9:00 P.M. and by reducing its stock by eliminating all movies released more than five years ago. By implementing similar changes in our other stores, Movies Galore can increase profits without jeopardizing our reputation for offering great movies at low prices."
"In order to reverse the recent decline in our profits, we must reduce operating expenses at Movies Galore's ten movie-rental stores. Since we are famous for our special bargains, raising our rental prices is not a viable way to improve profits. Last month our store in downtown Marston significantly decreased its operating expenses by closing at 6:00 p.m. rather than 9:00 p.m. and by reducing its stock by eliminating all movies released more than five years ago. Therefore, in order to increase profits without jeopardizing our reputation for offering great movies at low prices, we recommend implementing similar changes in our other nine Movies Galore stores."
The following is a recommendation from the personnel director to the president of Acme Publishing Company.
"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 productivity, Acme should require all of our employees to take the Easy Read course."
"Recently, we signed a contract with the Fly-Away Pest Control Company to provide pest control services at our warehouse in Palm City, but last month we discovered that over $20,000 worth of food there had been destroyed by pest damage. Meanwhile, the Buzzoff Pest Control Company, which we have used for many years in Palm City, continued to service our warehouse in Wintervale, and last month only $10,000 worth of the food stored there had been destroyed by pest damage. Even though the price charged by Fly-Away is considerably lower, our best means of saving money is to return to Buzzoff for all our pest control services."
"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."
"Recently, we signed a contract with the Fly-Away Pest Control Company to provide pest control services at our warehouse in Palm City, but last month we discovered that over $20,000 worth of food there had been destroyed by pest damage. Meanwhile, the Buzzoff Pest Control Company, which we have used for many years in Palm City, continued to service our warehouse in Wintervale, and last month only $10,000 worth of the food stored there had been destroyed by pest damage. This difference in pest damage is best explained by the negligence of Fly-Away."
The following appeared as part of an article in a business magazine.
"A recent study rating 300 male and female advertising executives according to the average number of hours they sleep per night showed an association between the amount of sleep the executives need and the success of their firms. Of the advertising firms studied, those whose executives reported needing no more than six hours of sleep per night had higher profit margins and faster growth. On the basis of this study, we recommend that businesses hire only people who need less than six hours of sleep per night."
Evidence suggests that academic honor codes, which call for students to agree not to cheat in their academic endeavors and to notify a faculty member if they suspect that others have cheated, are far more successful than are other methods at deterring cheating among students at colleges and universities. Several years ago, Groveton College adopted such a code and discontinued its old-fashioned system in which teachers closely monitored students. Under the old system, teachers reported an average of thirty cases of cheating per year. In the first year the honor code was in place, students reported twenty-one cases of cheating; five years later, this figure had dropped to fourteen. Moreover, in a recent survey, a majority of Groveton students said that they would be less likely to cheat with an honor code in place than without.
Several years ago, Groveton College adopted an honor code, which calls for students to agree not to cheat in their academic endeavors and to notify a faculty member if they suspect that others have cheated. Groveton's honor code replaced a system in which teachers closely monitored students. Under that system, teachers reported an average of thirty cases of cheating per year. The honor code has proven far more successful: in the first year it was in place, students reported twenty-one cases of cheating; five years later, this figure had dropped to fourteen. Moreover, in a recent survey, a majority of Groveton students said that they would be less likely to cheat with an honor code in place than without. Such evidence suggests that all colleges and universities should adopt honor codes similar to Groveton's. This change is sure to result in a dramatic decline in cheating among college students.
"In a controlled laboratory study of liquid hand soaps, a concentrated solution of extra strength UltraClean hand soap produced a 40 percent greater reduction in harmful bacteria than did the liquid hand soaps currently used in our hospitals. During our recent test of regular-strength UltraClean with doctors, nurses, and visitors at our hospital in Worktown, the hospital reported significantly fewer cases of patient infection (a 20 percent reduction) than did any of the other hospitals in our group. Therefore, to prevent serious patient infections, we should supply UltraClean at all hand-washing stations, including those used by visitors, throughout our hospital system."
"In a controlled laboratory study of liquid hand soaps, a concentrated solution of extra strength UltraClean hand soap produced a 40 percent greater reduction in harmful bacteria than did the liquid hand soaps currently used in our hospitals. During our recent test of regular-strength UltraClean with doctors, nurses, and visitors at our hospital in Worktown, the hospital reported significantly fewer cases of patient infection (a 20 percent reduction) than did any of the other hospitals in our group. The explanation for the 20 percent reduction in patient infections is the use of UltraClean soap."
"A ten-year nationwide study of the effectiveness of wearing a helmet while bicycling indicates that ten years ago, approximately 35 percent of all bicyclists reported wearing helmets, whereas today that number is nearly 80 percent. Another study, however, suggests that during the same ten-year period, the number of accidents caused by bicycling has increased 200 percent. These results demonstrate that bicyclists feel safer because they are wearing helmets, and they take more risks as a result. Thus, there is clearly a call for the government to strive to reduce the number of serious injuries from bicycle accidents by launching an education program that concentrates on the factors other than helmet use that are necessary for bicycle safety."
"A ten-year nationwide study of the effectiveness of wearing a helmet while bicycling indicates that ten years ago, approximately 35 percent of all bicyclists reported wearing helmets, whereas today that number is nearly 80 percent. Another study, however, suggests that during the same ten-year period, the number of accidents caused by bicycling has increased 200 percent. These results demonstrate that bicyclists feel safer because they are wearing helmets, and they take more risks as a result. Thus there is clearly a call for the government to strive to reduce the number of serious injuries from bicycle accidents by launching an education program that concentrates on the factors other than helmet use that are necessary for bicycle safety."
"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, Acme would benefit greatly by requiring all of our employees to take the Easy Read course."
"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."
"One month ago, all the showerheads in the first three buildings of the Sunnyside Towers complex were modified to restrict maximum water flow to one-third of what it used to be. Although actual readings of water usage before and after the adjustment are not yet available, the change will obviously result in a considerable savings for Sunnyside Corporation, since the corporation must pay for water each month. Except for a few complaints about low water pressure, no problems with showers have been reported since the adjustment. Clearly, modifying showerheads to restrict water flow throughout all twelve buildings in the Sunnyside Towers complex will increase our profits further."
"Last week, all the showerheads in the first three buildings of the Sunnyside Towers complex were modified to restrict maximum water flow to one-third of what it used to be. Although actual readings of water usage before and after the adjustment are not yet available, the change will obviously result in a considerable savings for Sunnyside Corporation, since the corporation must pay for water each month. Except for a few complaints about low water pressure, no problems with showers have been reported since the adjustment. Clearly, modifying showerheads to restrict water flow throughout all twelve buildings in the Sunnyside Towers complex will increase our profits further."
"Butter has now been replaced by margarine in Happy Pancake House restaurants throughout the southwestern United States. Only about 2 percent of customers have filed a formal complaint, indicating that an average of 98 people out of 100 are happy with the change. Furthermore, many servers have reported that a number of customers who ask for butter do not complain when they are given margarine instead. Clearly, either these customers cannot distinguish butter from margarine or they use the term 'butter' to refer to either butter or margarine. Thus, to avoid the expense of purchasing butter, the Happy Pancake House should extend this cost-saving change to its restaurants throughout the rest of the country."
"Butter has now been replaced by margarine in Happy Pancake House restaurants throughout the southwestern United States. Only about 2 percent of customers have complained, indicating that an average of 98 people out of 100 are happy with the change. Furthermore, many servers have reported that a number of customers who ask for butter do not complain when they are given margarine instead. Clearly, either these customers cannot distinguish butter from margarine or they use the term 'butter' to refer to either butter or margarine. Thus, we predict that Happy Pancake House will be able to increase profits dramatically if we extend this cost-saving change to all our restaurants in the southeast and northeast as well."
The following appeared in a letter to the school board in the town of Centerville.
"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."
"Butter has now been replaced by margarine in Happy Pancake House restaurants throughout the southwestern United States. Only about 2 percent of customers have complained, indicating that an average of 98 people out of 100 are happy with the change. Furthermore, many servers have reported that a number of customers who ask for butter do not complain when they are given margarine instead. Clearly, either these customers cannot distinguish butter from margarine or they use the term 'butter' to refer to either butter or margarine. Thus, to avoid the expense of purchasing butter and to increase profitability, the Happy Pancake House should extend this cost-saving change to its restaurants in the southeast and northeast as well."
The data from a survey of high school math and science teachers show that in the district of Sanlee many of these teachers reported assigning daily homework, whereas in the district of Marlee, most science and math teachers reported assigning homework no more than two or three days per week. Despite receiving less frequent homework assignments, Marlee students earn better grades overall and are less likely to be required to repeat a year of school than are students in Sanlee. These results call into question the usefulness of frequent homework assignments. Most likely the Marlee students have more time to concentrate on individual assignments than do the Sanlee students who have homework every day. Therefore teachers in our high schools should assign homework no more than twice a week.
While the Department of Education in the state of Attra recommends 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, all teachers in our high schools should assign homework no more than twice a week.
The following appeared as an editorial in the student newspaper of Groveton College.
"To combat the recently reported dramatic rise in cheating among college students, colleges and universities should adopt honor codes similar to Groveton's, which calls for students to agree not to cheat in their academic endeavors and to notify a faculty member if they suspect that others have cheated. Groveton's honor code replaced an old-fashioned system in which teachers closely monitored students. Under that system, teachers reported an average of thirty cases of cheating per year. The honor code has proven far more successful: in the first year it was in place, students reported twenty-one cases of cheating; five years later, this figure had dropped to fourteen. Moreover, in a recent survey conducted by the Groveton honor council, a majority of students said that they would be less likely to cheat with an honor code in place than without."
The following appeared in a memo from a budget planner for the city of Grandview.
"Our citizens are well aware of the fact that while the Grandview Symphony Orchestra was struggling to succeed, our city government promised annual funding to help support its programs. Last year, however, private contributions to the symphony increased by 200 percent, and attendance at the symphony's concerts-in-the-park series doubled. The symphony has also announced an increase in ticket prices for next year. Such developments indicate that the symphony can now succeed without funding from city government and we can eliminate that expense from next year's budget. Therefore, we recommend that the city of Grandview eliminate its funding for the Grandview Symphony from next year's budget. By doing so, we can prevent a city budget deficit without threatening the success of the symphony."
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 following appeared in a memo to the board of the Grandview Symphony.
"The city of Grandview has provided annual funding for the Grandview Symphony since the symphony's inception ten years ago. Last year the symphony hired an internationally known conductor, who has been able to attract high-profile guest musicians to perform with the symphony. Since then, private contributions to the symphony have doubled and attendance at the symphony's concerts-in-the-park series has reached new highs. Now that the Grandview Symphony is an established success, it can raise ticket prices. Increased revenue from larger audiences and higher ticket prices will enable the symphony to succeed without funding from the city government."
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.
"When the Grandview Symphony was established ten years ago, the city of Grandview agreed to provide the symphony with annual funding until the symphony became self-sustaining. Two years ago, the symphony hired an internationally known conductor, who has been able to attract high-profile guest musicians to perform with the symphony. Since then, private contributions to the symphony have tripled and attendance at the symphony's outdoor summer concert series has reached record highs. Now that the symphony has succeeded in finding an audience, the city can eliminate its funding of the symphony."
The citizens of Forsythe have adopted more healthful lifestyles. Their responses to a recent survey show that in their eating habits they conform more closely to government nutritional recommendations than they did ten years ago. Furthermore, there has been a fourfold increase in sales of food products containing kiran, a substance that a scientific study has shown reduces cholesterol. This trend is also evident in reduced sales of sulia, a food that few of the healthiest citizens regularly eat.
The following appeared in a memo to the board of directors of a company that specializes in the delivery of heating oil.
"Most homes in the northeastern United States, where winters are typically cold, have traditionally used oil as their major fuel for heating. Last heating season, that region experienced 90 days with below-normal temperatures, and climate forecasters predict that this weather pattern will continue for several more years. Furthermore, many new homes are being built in the region in response to recent population growth. Because of these trends, we can safely predict that this region will experience an increased demand for heating oil during the next five years."
The following recommendation was made by the president and administrative staff of Grove College, a private institution, to the college's governing committee.
"We recommend that Grove College preserve its century-old tradition of all-female education rather than admit men into its programs. It is true that a majority of faculty members voted in favor of coeducation, arguing that it would encourage more students to apply to Grove. But 80 percent of the students responding to a survey conducted by the student government wanted the school to remain all female, and over half of the alumnae who answered a separate survey also opposed coeducation. Keeping the college all female will improve morale among students and convince alumnae to keep supporting the college financially."
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."
Benton City residents have adopted healthier lifestyles. A recent survey of city residents shows that the eating habits of city residents conform more closely to government nutritional recommendations than they did ten years ago. During those ten years, local sales of food products containing kiran, a substance that a scientific study has shown reduces cholesterol, have increased fourfold, while sales of sulia, a food rarely eaten by the healthiest residents, have declined dramatically. Because of these positive changes in the eating habits of Benton City residents, we predict that the obesity rate in the city will soon be well below the national average.
The following appeared in a memo to the board of directors of Bargain Brand Cereals.
"One year ago we introduced our first product, Bargain Brand breakfast cereal. Our very low prices quickly drew many customers away from the top-selling cereal companies. Although the companies producing the top brands have since tried to compete with us by lowering their prices and although several plan to introduce their own budget brands, not once have we needed to raise our prices to continue making a profit. Given our success in selling cereal, we recommend that Bargain Brand now expand its business and begin marketing other low-priced food products as quickly as possible."
"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 twenty days with below-average temperatures, and local weather forecasters throughout the region 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. Based on these developments, we predict a large increase in the demand for heating oil. Therefore, we recommend investment in Consolidated Industries, one of whose major business operations is the retail sale of home heating oil."
"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 twenty days with below-average temperatures, and local weather forecasters throughout the region 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 of these developments, we predict an increased demand for heating oil and recommend investment in Consolidated Industries, one of whose major business operations is the retail sale of home heating oil."
"Recently, there have been discussions about ending Grove College's century-old tradition of all-female education by admitting male students into our programs. At a recent faculty meeting, a majority of faculty members voted in favor of coeducation, arguing that it would encourage more students to apply to Grove. However, Grove students, both past and present, are against the idea of coeducation. Eighty percent of the students responding to a survey conducted by the student government wanted the school to remain all female, and over half of the alumnae who answered a separate survey also opposed coeducation. Therefore, we recommend maintaining Grove College's tradition of all-female education. We predict that keeping the college all-female will improve morale among students and convince alumnae to keep supporting the college financially."
The following appeared in a memo from the marketing director of Top Dog Pet Stores.
"Five years ago Fish Emporium started advertising in the magazine Exotic Pets Monthly . Their stores saw sales increase by 15 percent after their ads began appearing in the magazine. The three Fish Emporium stores in Gulf City saw an even greater increase than that. Because Top Dog Pet Stores is based in Gulf City, it seems clear that we should start placing our own ads in Exotic Pets Monthly . If we do so, we will be sure to reverse the recent trend of declining sales and start making a profit again."
The following appeared in a memo from the marketing director of Top Dog Pet Stores.
"Five years ago, Fish Emporium started advertising in the magazine Exotic Pets Monthly . Their stores saw sales increase by 15 percent. The three Fish Emporium stores in Gulf City saw an even greater increase than that. Because Top Dog has some of its largest stores in Gulf City, it seems clear that we should start placing our own ads in Exotic Pets Monthly . If we do so, we will be sure to reverse the recent trend of declining sales and start making a profit again."
The following appeared in a letter to the editor of the Balmer Island Gazette .
"The population on Balmer Island increases to 100,000 during the summer months. To reduce the number of accidents involving mopeds and pedestrians, the town council of Balmer Island plans to limit the number of mopeds rented by each of the island's six moped rental companies from 50 per day to 30 per day during the summer season. Last year, the neighboring island of Torseau enforced similar limits on moped rentals and saw a 50 percent reduction in moped accidents. We predict that putting these limits into effect on Balmer Island will result in the same reduction in moped accidents."
The following appeared in a recommendation from the President of the Amburg Chamber of Commerce.
"Last October, the city of Belleville installed high-intensity lighting in its central business district, and vandalism there declined almost immediately. The city of Amburg, on the other hand, recently instituted police patrols on bicycles in its business district. However, the rate of vandalism here remains constant. Since high-intensity lighting is clearly the most effective way to combat crime, we recommend using the money that is currently being spent on bicycle patrols to install such lighting throughout Amburg. If we install this high-intensity lighting, we will significantly reduce crime rates in Amburg."
"It is time for the city of Grandview to stop funding the Grandview Symphony Orchestra. It is true that the symphony struggled financially for many years, but last year private contributions to the symphony increased by 200 percent and attendance at the symphony's concerts-in-the-park series doubled. In addition, the symphony has just announced an increase in ticket prices for next year. For these reasons, we recommend that the city eliminate funding for the Grandview Symphony Orchestra from next year's budget. We predict that the symphony will flourish in the years to come even without funding from the city."
The following memo appeared in the newsletter of the West Meria Public Health Council.
"An innovative treatment has come to our attention that promises to significantly reduce absenteeism in our schools and workplaces. A study reports that in nearby East Meria, where consumption of the plant beneficia is very high, people visit the doctor only once or twice per year for the treatment of colds. Clearly, eating a substantial amount of beneficia can prevent colds. Since colds are the reason most frequently given for absences from school and work, we recommend the daily use of nutritional supplements derived from beneficia. We predict this will dramatically reduce absenteeism in our schools and workplaces."
The following was written by a group of developers in the city of Monroe.
"A jazz music club in Monroe would be a tremendously profitable enterprise. At present, the nearest jazz club is over 60 miles away from Monroe; thus, our proposed club, the C Note, would have the local market all to itself. In addition, there is ample evidence of the popularity of jazz in Monroe: over 100,000 people attended Monroe's jazz festival last summer, several well-known jazz musicians live in Monroe, and the highest-rated radio program in Monroe is 'Jazz Nightly.' Finally, a nationwide study indicates that the typical jazz fan spends close to $1,000 per year on jazz entertainment. We therefore predict that the C Note cannot help but make money."
Humans arrived in the Kaliko Islands about 7,000 years ago, and within 3,000 years most of the large mammal species that had lived in the forests of the Kaliko Islands were extinct. Previous archaeological findings have suggested that early humans generally relied on both fishing and hunting for food; since archaeologists have discovered numerous sites in the Kaliko Islands where the bones of fish were discarded, it is likely that the humans also hunted the mammals. Furthermore, researchers have uncovered simple tools, such as stone knives, that could be used for hunting. The only clear explanation is that humans caused the extinction of the various mammal species through excessive hunting.
"An innovative treatment has come to our attention that promises to significantly reduce absenteeism in our schools and workplaces. A study reports that in nearby East Meria, where fish consumption is very high, people visit the doctor only once or twice per year for the treatment of colds. This shows that eating a substantial amount of fish can clearly prevent colds. Furthermore, since colds are the reason most frequently given for absences from school and work, attendance levels will improve. Therefore, we recommend the daily use of a nutritional supplement derived from fish oil as a good way to prevent colds and lower absenteeism."
The following appeared in a memo from a vice president of Alta Manufacturing.
"During the past year, Alta Manufacturing had thirty percent more on-the-job accidents than nearby Panoply Industries, where the work shifts are one hour shorter than ours. Experts believe that a significant contributing factor in many accidents is fatigue caused by sleep deprivation among workers. Therefore, to reduce the number of on-the-job accidents at Alta, we recommend shortening each of our three work shifts by one hour. If we do this, our employees will get adequate amounts of sleep."
The following is a letter that recently appeared in the Oak City Gazette , a local newspaper.
"The primary function of the Committee for a Better Oak City is to advise the city government on how to make the best use of the city's limited budget. However, at some of our recent meetings we failed to make important decisions because of the foolish objections raised by committee members who are not even residents of Oak City. People who work in Oak City but who live elsewhere cannot fully understand the business and politics of the city. After all, only Oak City residents pay city taxes, and therefore only residents understand how that money could best be used to improve the city. We recommend, then, that the Committee for a Better Oak City vote to restrict its membership to city residents only. We predict that, without the interference of non-residents, the committee will be able to make Oak City a better place in which to live and work."
The following appeared in a memo from the mayor of Brindleburg to the city council.
"Two years ago, the town of Seaside Vista opened a new municipal golf course and resort hotel. Since then, the Seaside Vista Tourism Board has reported a 20% increase in visitors. In addition, local banks reported a steep rise in the number of new business loan applications they received this year. The amount of tax money collected by Seaside Vista has also increased, allowing the town to announce plans to improve Seaside Vista's roads and bridges. We recommend building a similar golf course and resort hotel in Brindleburg. We predict that this project will generate additional tax revenue that the city can use to fund much-needed public improvements."
The following appeared in a memo from the vice president of a company that builds shopping malls around the country.
"The surface of a section of Route 101, paved just two years ago by Good Intentions Roadways, is now badly cracked with a number of dangerous potholes. In another part of the state, a section of Route 40, paved by Appian Roadways more than four years ago, is still in good condition. In a demonstration of their continuing commitment to quality, Appian Roadways recently purchased state-of-the-art paving machinery and hired a new quality-control manager. Therefore, I recommend hiring Appian Roadways to construct the access roads for all our new shopping malls. I predict that our Appian access roads will not have to be repaired for at least four years."
The following appeared in a recommendation from the president of Amburg's Chamber of Commerce.
"Last October the city of Belleville installed high-intensity lighting in its central business district, and vandalism there declined within a month. The city of Amburg has recently begun police patrols on bicycles in its business district, but the rate of vandalism there remains constant. We should install high-intensity lighting throughout Amburg, then, because doing so is a more effective way to combat crime. By reducing crime in this way, we can revitalize the declining neighborhoods in our city."
"The population on Balmer Island doubles during the summer months. During the summer, then, the town council of Balmer Island should decrease the maximum number of moped rentals allowed at each of the island's six moped and bicycle rental companies from 50 per day to 30 per day. This will significantly reduce the number of summertime accidents involving mopeds and pedestrians. The neighboring island of Torseau actually saw a 50 percent reduction in moped accidents last year when Torseau's town council enforced similar limits on moped rentals. To help reduce moped accidents, therefore, we should also enforce these limitations during the summer months."
The following appeared as a letter to the editor from the owner of a skate shop in Central Plaza.
"Two years ago the city council voted to prohibit skateboarding in Central Plaza. They claimed that skateboard users were responsible for litter and vandalism that were keeping other visitors from coming to the plaza. In the past two years, however, there has been only a small increase in the number of visitors to Central Plaza, and litter and vandalism are still problematic. Skateboarding is permitted in Monroe Park, however, and there is no problem with litter or vandalism there. In order to restore Central Plaza to its former glory, then, we recommend that the city lift its prohibition on skateboarding in the plaza."
The following appeared as part of an article in a Dillton newspaper.
"In an effort to bring new jobs to Dillton and stimulate the city's flagging economy, Dillton's city council voted last year to lower the city's corporate tax rate by 15 percent; at the same time, the city began offering generous relocation grants to any company that would move to Dillton. Since these changes went into effect, two new factories have opened in Dillton. Although the two factories employ more than 1,000 people, the unemployment rate in Dillton remains unchanged. The only clear explanation for this is that the new factories are staffed with out-of-town workers rather than Dillton residents."
The following appeared in a memo from New Ventures Consulting to the president of HobCo, Inc., a chain of hobby shops.
"Our team has completed its research on suitable building sites for a new HobCo hobby Shop in the city of Grilldon. We discovered that there are currently no hobby shops in southeastern Grilldon. When our researchers conducted a poll of area residents, 88 percent of those who responded indicated that they would welcome the opening of a hobby shop in southeastern Grilldon. Grilldon is in a region of the nation in which the hobby business has increased by 300 percent during the past decade. In addition, Grilldon has a very large population of retirees, a demographic with ample time to devote to hobbies. We therefore recommend that you choose southeastern Grilldon as the site for your next HobCo Hobby Shop. We predict that a shop in this area will draw a steady stream of enthusiastic new HobCo customers."
The following appeared in a newsletter published by the Appleton school district.
"In a recent study more than 5,000 adolescents were asked how often they ate meals with their families. Almost 30 percent of the teens said they ate at least seven meals per week with their families. Furthermore, according to the same survey, teens who reported having the most family meals per week were also the ones least likely to have tried illegal drugs, tobacco, and alcohol. Family meals were also associated with lower rates of problems such as low grades in school, low self-esteem, and depression. We therefore recommend that families have as many meals together as possible. We predict that doing so will greatly benefit adolescents and turn troubled teens away from bad behaviors."
Write a response in which you discuss which 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.
"Nosinia is an herb that many users report to be as effective as prescription medications at fighting allergy symptoms. Researchers recently compared Nosinia to a placebo in 95 men and women with seasonal allergies to ragweed pollen. Participants in the study reported that neither Nosinia nor the placebo offered significant relief. However, for the most severe allergy symptoms, the researchers reported that Nosinia was more effective than the placebo in providing relief. Furthermore, at the end of the study, participants given Nosinia were more likely than participants given a placebo to report feeling healthier.We therefore recommend using Nosinia to help with your severe allergy symptoms.
The following appeared on the Website Science News Today.
"In a recent survey of more than 5,000 adolescents, the teens who reported eating the most meals with their families were the least likely to use illegal drugs, tobacco, or alcohol. Family meals were also associated with higher grades, better self-esteem, and lower rates of depression. Almost 30 percent of the teens said they ate at least seven meals per week with their families. Clearly, having a high number of family meals keeps teens from engaging in bad behaviors."
According to an independent poll of 200 charitable organizations, overall donations of money to nonprofit groups increased last year, but educational institutions did not fare as well as other organizations. Donations to international aid groups increased the most (30 percent), followed by donations to environmental groups (23 percent), whereas donations to educational institutions actually decreased slightly (3 percent). Meanwhile, all of the major economic indicators suggest that consumer spending is higher than average this year, showing that potential donors have ample disposable income. Therefore, the clearest explanation for the decline in donations to educational institutions is that people actually value education less than they did in the past.
The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a Relannian newspaper.
Industry analysts report that the number of dairy farms in Relanna has increased by 25 percent over the last decade. Also, recent innovations in milking technology make it possible for farmers to significantly increase the efficiency of the milking process, allowing them to collect more milk in less time with minimal human intervention. In fact, data from the Relannian Department of Agriculture indicate that labor costs at the majority of Relannian dairy farms are actually lower now than they were ten years ago. Despite increased efficiency and lower labor costs, a carton of cream — a dairy product made from milk — at the local food market costs twice as much as it did two years ago. The only explanation for this dramatic price increase is that farmers are inflating the price of cream to increase their profits.
Several recent studies have shown a link between health and stair usage. One recently completed study shows that people who live in stairs-only apartment buildings (that is, buildings without elevators) live an average of three years longer than do people who live in buildings with both elevators and stairs. A second study shows that elderly residents of buildings with elevators make, on average, twice as many visits to doctors each year as do residents of buildings without elevators. Furthermore, several doctor's offices are reporting that residents of stairs-only buildings scored higher than average on questionnaires administered to new patients, in which the patients were asked to rate several aspects of their own health (e.g., fitness, sleep quality, susceptibility to injury, etc.). The clearest explanation for these findings is that the moderate daily exercise required of residents who must use the stairs instead of elevators increases people's health and longevity.
Woven baskets characterized by a particular distinctive pattern have previously been found only in the immediate vicinity of the prehistoric village of Palea and therefore were believed to have been made only by the Palean people. Recently, however, archaeologists discovered such a "Palean" basket in Lithos, an ancient village across the Brim River from Palea. The Brim River is very deep and broad, and so the ancient Paleans could have crossed it only by boat, and no Palean boats have been found. Thus it follows that the so-called Palean baskets were not uniquely Palean.
The following appeared as part of a letter to the editor of a scientific journal.
"A recent study of eighteen rhesus monkeys provides clues as to the effects of birth order on an individual's levels of stimulation. The study showed that in stimulating situations (such as an encounter with an unfamiliar monkey), firstborn infant monkeys produce up to twice as much of the hormone cortisol, which primes the body for increased activity levels, as do their younger siblings. Firstborn humans also produce relatively high levels of cortisol in stimulating situations (such as the return of a parent after an absence). The study also found that during pregnancy, first-time mother monkeys had higher levels of cortisol than did those who had had several offspring."
The following appeared as a letter to the editor from a Central Plaza store owner.
"Over the past two years, the number of shoppers in Central Plaza has been steadily decreasing while the popularity of skateboarding has increased dramatically. Many Central Plaza store owners believe that the decrease in their business is due to the number of skateboard users in the plaza. There has also been a dramatic increase in the amount of litter and vandalism throughout the plaza. Thus, we recommend that the city prohibit skateboarding in Central Plaza. If skateboarding is prohibited here, we predict that business in Central Plaza will return to its previously high levels."
The following appeared in a letter from a homeowner to a friend.
"Of the two leading real estate firms in our town — Adams Realty and Fitch Realty — Adams Realty is clearly superior. Adams has 40 real estate agents; in contrast, Fitch has 25, many of whom work only part-time. Moreover, Adams' revenue last year was twice as high as that of Fitch and included home sales that averaged $168,000, compared to Fitch's $144,000. Homes listed with Adams sell faster as well: ten years ago I listed my home with Fitch, and it took more than four months to sell; last year, when I sold another home, I listed it with Adams, and it took only one month. Thus, if you want to sell your home quickly and at a good price, you should use Adams Realty."
"On Balmer Island, where mopeds serve as a popular form of transportation, the population increases to 100,000 during the summer months. To reduce the number of accidents involving mopeds and pedestrians, the town council of Balmer Island should limit the number of mopeds rented by the island's moped rental companies from 50 per day to 25 per day during the summer season. By limiting the number of rentals, the town council will attain the 50 percent annual reduction in moped accidents that was achieved last year on the neighboring island of Seaville, when Seaville's town council enforced similar limits on moped rentals."
Arctic deer live on islands in Canada's arctic regions. They search for food by moving over ice from island to island during the course of the year. Their habitat is limited to areas warm enough to sustain the plants on which they feed and cold enough, at least some of the year, for the ice to cover the sea separating the islands, allowing the deer to travel over it. Unfortunately, according to reports from local hunters, the deer populations are declining. Since these reports coincide with recent global warming trends that have caused the sea ice to melt, we can conclude that the purported decline in deer populations is the result of the deer's being unable to follow their age-old migration patterns across the frozen sea.
The following is a recommendation from the Board of Directors of Monarch Books.
"We recommend that Monarch Books open a café in its store. Monarch, having been in business at the same location for more than twenty years, has a large customer base because it is known for its wide selection of books on all subjects. Clearly, opening the café would attract more customers. Space could be made for the café by discontinuing the children's book section, which will probably become less popular given that the most recent national census indicated a significant decline in the percentage of the population under age ten. Opening a café will allow Monarch to attract more customers and better compete with Regal Books, which recently opened its own café."
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."
Nature's Way, a chain of stores selling health food and other health-related products, is opening its next franchise in the town of Plainsville. The store should prove to be very successful: Nature's Way franchises tend to be most profitable in areas where residents lead healthy lives, and clearly Plainsville is such an area. Plainsville merchants report that sales of running shoes and exercise clothing are at all-time highs. The local health club has more members than ever, and the weight training and aerobics classes are always full. Finally, Plainsville's schoolchildren represent a new generation of potential customers: these schoolchildren are required to participate in a fitness-for-life program, which emphasizes the benefits of regular exercise at an early age.
Twenty years ago, Dr. Field, a noted anthropologist, visited the island of Tertia. Using an observation-centered approach to studying Tertian culture, he concluded from his observations that children in Tertia were reared by an entire village rather than by their own biological parents. Recently another anthropologist, Dr. Karp, visited the group of islands that includes Tertia and used the interview-centered method to study child-rearing practices. In the interviews that Dr. Karp conducted with children living in this group of islands, the children spent much more time talking about their biological parents than about other adults in the village. Dr. Karp decided that Dr. Field's conclusion about Tertian village culture must be invalid. Some anthropologists recommend that to obtain accurate information on Tertian child-rearing practices, future research on the subject should be conducted via the interview-centered method.
The following is a recommendation from the city manager of Bridge Bay.
"Last year, the number of visits to our local beach in Bridge Bay was 50 percent lower than the year before. Early last year we ended our contract with Arko Trash Collection, a company that had serviced local garbage collection for the past twenty years. We switched at that time to Satellite Waste Corporation, another trash collection company. In nearby Ocean Harbor, where Arko has continued to provide garbage collection, the beaches are experiencing record levels of attendance. Meanwhile, in Bridge Bay, complaints about garbage on our beach have increased this year. Clearly, inadequate garbage collection on our beach by Satellite has led to the significant drop in visitors. Therefore, in order to restore visitor numbers to our local beach, we recommend resuming our contract with Arko as soon as possible."
The following appeared in a letter to the city council of Canbury from the president of Plexma Motors.
"I am pleased that the council is considering Plexma's plans to open a new manufacturing site in Canbury next year. In addition to our regular line of cars, Plexma has also begun designing and testing a line of automated self-driving vehicles. In a recent survey conducted by local media, 60 percent of Canbury's residents reported that they would purchase a Plexma self-driving vehicle in the future if they were confident in the vehicles' safety. We are happy to report that last summer, we tested our new line of self-driving vehicles in downtown Canbury with great success. Not only did our five tested vehicles remain accident-free for two months during testing, but in a survey conducted after testing, 90 percent of Canbury's residents reported that when they were downtown and our vehicles were in operation they felt very safe. Because steady demand for our self-driving vehicles will create new jobs and thereby greatly benefit Canbury's economy as a whole, I recommend that you vote to allow Plexma to begin manufacturing and selling these vehicles in Canbury."
The following appeared as a memorandum from the Human Resources director at Dexter Gorman Instruments, a company that manufactures saxophones.
"On this year's survey about work habits, our employees tended to strongly agree with the idea that if they took less time to complete their assigned work, the quality of their work would suffer. However, we recently conducted an internal study that proves this idea wrong. Managers across several divisions identified an overtime group: the employees who worked an average of 48 or more hours per week over the past year instead of the expected 40 hours per week. We then looked at the number of documented work errors produced by all of our employees during the past year and found that the overtime group was responsible for significantly more work errors overall than their fellow employees. On the basis of these findings, our recommendation to the company president is to require employees at Dexter Gorman Instruments to complete their work during the regular 40-hour work week and allow overtime only for urgent circumstances."
The following appeared in the Health section of the Greenhorne Gazette.
"Motilac is a substance that occurs naturally in the human digestive tract. Many consumers of dietary supplements containing motilac report significant easing of digestive discomfort after just a few weeks of use. Among Greenhorne residents, the consumption of motilac supplements has increased 80% over the last seven years. Last year, Greenhorne's five hospitals reported fewer cases of serious gastrointestinal disorders than any year on record. Meanwhile, sales of motilac supplements are declining in the neighboring town of Etolin. Notably, hospitals in Etolin report a steady increase in the last two years in patients experiencing a wide range of distressing gastrointestinal symptoms. The clear explanation of these trends is that motilac is effective in preventing many serious gastrointestinal disorders."
The following letter is from a group of Linford College alumni to the chair of the art department at the college.
"In a recent survey of college graduates, 90 percent agreed that participating in an internship increased their chances of finding a job after graduation, but last year, only 40 percent of Linford's graduating art students had completed an internship. Skyway Designs, located in nearby Linford City, is the perfect company for students to intern with for a number of reasons: They offer internships in all of their departments, so every student is sure to find work that they are interested in. Additionally, their internships offer flexible working hours. Finally, Skyway Designs is known for being one of the best in the design business, as over 80 percent of businesses in Linford City have used the services of Skyway Designs for their design needs. Given the vital role that work experience plays in a student's success after graduation, we recommend that our art department require all art students to complete an internship with Skyway Designs before graduation."
The council of Maple County, concerned about the county's becoming overdeveloped, is debating a proposed measure that would prevent the development of existing farmland in the county. But the council is also concerned that such a restriction, by limiting the supply of new housing, could lead to significant increases in the price of housing in the county. Proponents of the measure note that Chestnut County established a similar measure ten years ago, and its housing prices have increased only modestly since. However, opponents of the measure note that Pine County adopted restrictions on the development of new residential housing fifteen years ago, and its housing prices have since more than doubled. The council currently predicts that the proposed measure, if passed, will result in a significant increase in housing prices in Maple County.
Fifteen years ago, Omega University implemented a new procedure that encouraged students to evaluate the teaching effectiveness of all their professors. Since that time, Omega professors have begun to assign higher grades in their classes, and overall student grade averages at Omega have risen by 30 percent. Potential employers, looking at this dramatic rise in grades, believe that grades at Omega are inflated and do not accurately reflect student achievement; as a result, Omega graduates have not been as successful at getting jobs as have graduates from nearby Alpha University. To enable its graduates to secure better jobs, Omega University should terminate student evaluation of professors.
In an attempt to improve highway safety, Prunty County last year lowered its speed limit from 55 to 45 miles per hour on all county highways. But this effort has failed: the number of accidents has not decreased, and, based on reports by the highway patrol, many drivers are exceeding the speed limit. Prunty County should instead undertake the same kind of road improvement project that Butler County completed five years ago: increasing lane widths, resurfacing rough highways, and improving visibility at dangerous intersections. Today, major Butler County roads still have a 55 mph speed limit, yet there were 25 percent fewer reported accidents in Butler County this past year than there were five years ago.
"A recent study rating 300 male and female Mentian advertising executives according to the average number of hours they sleep per night showed an association between the amount of sleep the executives need and the success of their firms. Of the advertising firms studied, those whose executives reported needing no more than 6 hours of sleep per night had higher profit margins and faster growth. These results suggest that if a business wants to prosper, it should hire only people who need less than 6 hours of sleep per night."
"Recently, butter has been replaced by margarine in Happy Pancake House restaurants throughout the southwestern United States. This change, however, has had little impact on our customers. In fact, only about 2 percent of customers have complained, indicating that an average of 98 people out of 100 are happy with the change. Furthermore, many servers have reported that a number of customers who ask for butter do not complain when they are given margarine instead. Clearly, either these customers do not distinguish butter from margarine or they use the term 'butter' to refer to either butter or margarine."
"To reverse a decline in listener numbers, our owners have decided that WWAC must change from its current rock-music format. The decline has occurred despite population growth in our listening area, but that growth has resulted mainly from people moving here after their retirement. We must make listeners of these new residents. We could switch to a music format tailored to their tastes, but a continuing decline in local sales of recorded music suggests limited interest in music. Instead we should change to a news and talk format, a form of radio that is increasingly popular in our area."
The following is a memorandum from the business manager of a television station.
"Over the past year, our late-night news program has devoted increased time to national news and less time to weather and local news. During this period, most of the complaints received from viewers were concerned with our station's coverage of weather and local news. In addition, local businesses that used to advertise during our late-night news program have canceled their advertising contracts with us. Therefore, in order to attract more viewers to our news programs and to avoid losing any further advertising revenues, we should expand our coverage of weather and local news on all our news programs."
Two years ago, radio station WCQP in Rockville decided to increase the number of call-in advice programs that it broadcast; since that time, its share of the radio audience in the Rockville listening area has increased significantly. Given WCQP's recent success with call-in advice programming, and citing a nationwide survey indicating that many radio listeners are quite interested in such programs, the station manager of KICK in Medway recommends that KICK include more call-in advice programs in an attempt to gain a larger audience share in its listening area.
According to a recent report, cheating among college and university students is on the rise. However, Groveton College has successfully reduced student cheating by adopting an honor code, which calls for students to agree not to cheat in their academic endeavors and to notify a faculty member if they suspect that others have cheated. Groveton's honor code replaced a system in which teachers closely monitored students; under that system, teachers reported an average of thirty cases of cheating per year. In the first year the honor code was in place, students reported twenty-one cases of cheating; five years later, this figure had dropped to fourteen. Moreover, in a recent survey, a majority of Groveton students said that they would be less likely to cheat with an honor code in place than without. Thus, all colleges and universities should adopt honor codes similar to Groveton's in order to decrease cheating among students.
The following memo was published by the Welzaton City Commission.
"A recent nationwide study of the effectiveness of wearing a safety helmet while bicycling indicates that ten years ago approximately 35 percent of all bicyclists reported wearing helmets, whereas today that number is nearly 80 percent. Another study, however, cites a 200 percent increase in the number of serious accidents involving bicycles during the same period. Meanwhile, results of a local survey of frequent bicycle riders indicate that 75 percent of those riders feel 'much safer' on busy roads when they wear helmets than when they don't. Clearly, the best explanation for the rise in bicycle-related accidents is that bicyclists take more risks now than they did ten years ago because they feel safer when they are wearing helmets."
The following memorandum is from the president of Primo Doll Manufacturing, Inc.
"According to a survey last year of parents who purchased the Elkie, our most popular doll, 90 percent reported that although their children were extremely satisfied with the doll's features, the doll quickly wore out with use. In a follow-up survey of the same parents, 80 percent reported that they would recommend a more durable version of the doll to their friends. In response to these surveys, we have created the Elkie-Advanced Doll, which has similar features to the original Elkie Doll but is manufactured using the same higher quality materials used by Optima Doll Manufacturing, our most successful competitor. Because parents can now purchase the beloved Elkie doll and be sure that it won't quickly wear out with use, we predict that our profits will exceed those of Optima Doll Manufacturing this year."
- Pool of Issue Topics
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How to Structure the GRE Argument Essay
Template paragraph 1: – introduction (3-4 sentences).
- Restate the author’s conclusion (his opinion) and identify it specifically as a conclusion.
- Summarize the facts or proposals the author provides that leads him to his conclusion–and identify them specially as evidence.
- Your thesis (final sentence): state unequivocally that the argument is flawed.
Recently, _________. Regarding this issue, the author of the argument concludes __________. He presents evidence to suggest this is valid including _________. Though the underlying issue may have merit, because of a lack of relevant evidence, unaddressed assumptions, and vague terminology, the author’s argument is unsubstantiated and deeply flawed.
Template Paragraph 2: – Lack of Evidence to Support an Assumption (4-6 sentences)
Template paragraph 3: – weak evidence (4-6 sentences), template paragraph 4 (optional): – vague language (4-6 sentences), template paragraph 5: – how to strengthen (2-4 sentences), template paragraph 6 : – conclusion (1-2 sentences), top 4 tips for a strong gre argument essay, look for false generalizations, inadequate evidence, and misleading surveys or statistics..
The argument presented will always have flaws. Point out sweeping statements and faulty conclusions. If data is provided at all, you can be sure it’s not 100% sound. Find out how, and expose it.
Discuss two or three specific assumptions the author makes.
There may be more than three assumptions, but it’s better to take the time to fully evaluate a few of them than simply make a list of all the problems you’ve discovered.
Embrace the third person.
While you should steer clear of first-person, you should absolutely feel comfortable using third person, openly referring to “the author” and “the author’s argument.”
Make strong, declarative statements.
Choose words with conviction. You want to convey confidence that you have found flaws within the presented argument.
GRE Argument Essay Sample
In 1992, many farmers in Jalikistan began using a hormone designed to produce larger cows that would produce more milk. Since then, childhood obesity in Jalikistan has grown by 200 percent. The amount of milk and dairy consumed by children in this area has not increased or decreased. Children in the same area who are lactose intolerant, and who drink almond milk or soy milk, have not had the same increase in childhood obesity. The only clear explanation is that the introduction of the hormone is responsible for the increase in childhood obesity in that area.
Write a response in which you discuss one or more viable alternatives to the proposed explanation. Justify, with support, why the alternatives could rival the proposed explanation and explain how those explanation(s) can plausibly account for the facts presented in the argument.
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101 GRE Issue Essay Topics For Top Students
When educators ask students to write about GRE issue essay topics, some ask, what is a GRE essay? A GRE issue essay is like a 5-paragraph essay in terms of structure, but a student can write 4 to 5 paragraphs. When reading this essay, the educator or the audience evaluates the skill the writer uses to address specific instructions while articulating and developing an argument supporting their issue evaluation. An adequately organized essay is easy for the audience to read and comprehend.
While developing the points, a reader should pepper their analysis with specific words for guiding readers through the entire argument. Such terms include although, because, however, furthermore, and alternatively to catch the audience’s attention. It’s crucial to note that you’ll have around 30 minutes to write this essay. Therefore, selecting the right topic can make all the difference. Here are sample prompts that you can use to practice drafting this essay.
GRE Issue Essay Sample Topics on Education
Students can address several issues in their essays using education topics. Here are some of the education topics that can serve as the GRE essays basis on education issues.
- Students should use part-time work to fund their education.
- All universities should make foreign language courses a graduation requirement regardless of the study field that a learner selects.
- Universities should limit the number of classes a learner can enroll in during the academic term.
- Learners shouldn’t use loans to cater to their living expenses or tuition anytime during their studies.
- The top priority for universities should be educating people in their cities or nearby areas while giving non-local students a secondary priority.
- Education can benefit people if they go back to school after spending time in the workforce.
- The basis of school policies should be what employers, teachers, and students want.
- Limiting classroom size can help students get adequate resources and support from their instructors.
- All university and college students can benefit from studying abroad for at least one term or semester.
- Every university or college should require learners to take different courses outside their study fields.
- When writing an essay on these prompts, focus on agreeing or disagreeing with the provided claim. Also, address the most compelling reasons with examples that the reader could use to challenge your stance.
GRE Prompts on Society and Technology
If you love addressing social and technological issues, this category has some of the best prompts for your essay.
- Universities should offer courses with at least one partial internet learning component to prepare learners for the contemporary world.
- Human activity and technology inevitably lead to more significant environmental damage and pollution.
- Developing countries’ leaders should focus on modernization.
- Investing in life-saving technology is valuable than any other investment in technology around luxury or entertainment.
- Technological advancements’ primary goal should be increasing people’s efficiency to allow them more leisure time.
- The possibility of supervised space travel past the earth’s moon is doubtful.
- Some argue that technological breakthroughs occur by chance and surprise discoveries, but some say well-planned, deliberate research is the only way to achieve technological advancement.
Consider any of these topics and then tweak or develop them creatively to respond to the issue in question.
GRE Writing Topics on Philosophy
Do you love philosophy? If yes, this category has some of the best GRE topics from which you can select the issue to address in your essay.
- Humans learn valuable lessons from struggling with limitations instead of enjoying their successes.
- Opportunities don’t come by luck. Instead, successful individuals seek opportunities continuously.
- The best teaching practice is praising positive actions while ignoring negative ones.
- Governments should provide university and college education to all students free of charge.
- Individuals can’t care for others without taking care of themselves.
- A society’s well-being improves when people question those in authority. Countries should have flexible laws that consider different times, places, and circumstances.
- A country should require all learners to study a similar curriculum until college.
- A person’s behavior is mainly dependent on forces rather than their choices.
- Formal education restrains the spirit and mind of a person instead of setting them free.
- Self-criticism is accurate and valuable than criticism from other people.
- Friendships among people that share a common space or goal, like classmates, neighbors, and co-workers, are more fulfilling.
Pick an example of a GRE topic in this category and then tweak it a little to use it as your essay title.
GRE Pool of Issue Topics
Perhaps, you need several topics that you can use to practice writing this essay. This category has a pool of issues that can serve as topics for your papers.
- Group assignments should replace a significant percentage of lecture-based instructions in university and college courses.
- In government, business, and education, it’s appropriate to be skeptical of your new leaders until they prove they deserve your trust.
- Some individuals argue that creative fields’ success requires perseverance and hard work. Others say it mainly needs innate talents that people don’t acquire in school.
- Presenting statistics and facts instead of emotional arguments is the best way approach for persuading people.
- The government should provide free college or university education to learners that these institutions admit but lack tuition.
- Countries should implement laws for preserving their wilderness areas even if humans can develop them for economic gains.
- It’s not easy to contribute to any field significantly without strong influence from past achievements.
- In politics, government, education, and business, the people in power should retire after five years of service.
- Some individuals believe that arts require government funding to flourish and reach all people, while others think this funding threatens art’s integrity.
- Governments should offer financial support to significant cities for them to thrive.
- Scandals focus human attention on issues in ways that no reformer or speaker can ever do.
- Learning institutions should dissuade learners from pursuing study fields where their success is unlikely.
- Studying the major cities of a town helps you to understand its crucial characteristics.
- People don’t act purely for others’ benefit.
- People consider historical learning an objective pursuit, but it requires creativity.
- Some individuals believe that empathy and understanding are the most crucial effective leader’s quality while others argue that a leader should be demanding and rigorous in their students’ expectations.
- Some people express boredom with a self-satisfaction sense while it should cause embarrassment.
- Imposing strict limits on the trash amount every household generates is the best approach for solving environmental problems arising from consumer-generated waste.
- Some individuals argue that politics’ goal should be pursuing an idea, while others believe that finding common ground and achieving a reasonable consensus should be the objective.
- The best argument test is the ability to convince the person with the opposing viewpoint.
- The people’s general welfare is the best indication of a country’s greatness rather than the achievements of artists, scientists, or rulers.
- No study field can achieve significant advancement without incorporating experience and knowledge from the other areas.
This GRE pool of argument topics should help you practice writing this essay. Try with several prompts in this category to enhance your argumentative and writing skills.
GRE Analytical Writing Topics
Analytical writing tests the ability of the learner to analyze issues and think critically. It assesses a learner’s ability to support and articulate complex ideas by constructing and evaluating arguments. Here’s a list of sample GRE analytical writing prompts to consider for your essays.
- Hospital statistics about people that visit the emergency room following roller-skating accidents show the need for additional protective equipment.
- The best ideas come from a passionate commonplace things interest.
- Research indicates that water sports usage is on the rise. Therefore, cities should spend more money on riverside recreational facilities.
Each of these prompts requires you to analyze the presented issue and then come up with an argument.
GRE Practice Essay Prompts
Maybe you want to practice with different prompts in readiness for an upcoming test. In that case, consider these prompts.
- A common perception is that excellent personal conduct is a quality of a good leader. But some people have a conflicting belief that personal morality doesn’t matter, provided a leader doesn’t break the law and executes their duties effectively.
- Some artists and scholars believe that color photography has removed the realism need in artistic painting, while others feel realistic artwork remains worthwhile and valuable.
- People should elect leaders in significant power positions rather than appoint them.
- A school of thought argues that management should promote experienced workers. But some businesses opt to select managers depending on their leadership skills rather than experience.
- Governments should employ accomplished filmmakers to develop films with crucial public messages.
- Enterprises should submit to the government’s close monitoring and regulation.
- Many countries have leaders prioritizing economic stability and development over environmental concerns. These leaders are at odds with most national leaders that feel the long-term environment’s health should be the basis of financial decisions.
- Famous art forms like storybook illustrations and advertising images will never achieve artistic merits like fine arts like sculptures and gallery paintings.
- A city’s life quality can’t be good unless experts plan it correctly.
- Cities shouldn’t allow private companies to do business if most residents oppose their operations.
- Cities should regulate their parking and place limits on lots to reduce traffic congestion.
- The rapid increase in life pace today leads to more problems than humans can solve
- Students should question what educators teach them instead of accepting everything passively.
- People define themselves primarily by their identification with specific social groups.
- Governments shouldn’t fund scientific research with unclear consequences.
- Learning institutions should encourage learners to select study fields that make them fit for lucrative careers.
- Governments aim to solve immediate problems instead of dealing with anticipated, future issues.
- College learners should select study fields based on jobs’ availability rather than their interests and talents.
- Countries should implement flexible laws that consider different times, places, and circumstances.
- An ideal way to comprehend a society’s character is by examining its role models and heroes.
- Countries should have few restrictions on development and scientific research.
- Contemporary life’s conveniences and luxuries prevent individuals from becoming independent and strong people.
- In every inquiry field, the beginner is likely to make significant contributions than an expert.
- The best indicator of a great country is not its artists’ and rulers’ achievements but the general people’s welfare.
- Learners’ academic performance should be the basis of their teachers’ salaries.
- Society should aim to save the endangered species if their potential extinction is due to human activities.
- Things don’t get comprehensible as learners acquire additional knowledge. Instead, they become mysterious and complex.
- Progress requires people to discuss with those with contrasting viewpoints.
- Learning institutions should dissuade learners from venturing into study fields that are unlikely to give them jobs.
- Those living after individuals should decide their greatness, not their contemporaries.
- Society can’t regard a living woman or man as a hero any longer.
- High grades’ competition limits learning quality at all educational levels.
- Instructors should teach facts after learners have understood trends, concepts, and ideas that explain them.
- Humans learn more from people with whom they share views than those with contradicting opinions.
- Government employees should depend on their judgment instead of following the will of their superiors.
- Society should encourage young people to pursue realistic, long-term goals instead of seeking immediate recognition and fame.
- Any means for attaining a worthy goal are justifiable.
You can use any of these titles to practice and sharpen your writing skills.
ETS Essay Topics
If looking for the best ETS topics, this category has some ideas for you.
- The goals a person sets are the primary measure for true success.
- Happiness comes from seeking different and new experiences.
- Cities provide more secure living than less developed areas.
- Nations shouldn’t have fixed laws; instead, countries should have flexible rules that consider different places, times, and circumstances.
- Science should reassure while art upsets, and each should have value.
- Governments can impose laws limiting people’s behavior, but they can’t restrict human nature.
- Trusting intelligence alone can be dangerous.
- People disregard past, great works because they don’t address their current needs.
- Reading books in the television age is not crucial because people learn almost everything from watching television.
- Most specialists are highly overrated. For this reason, the world needs more generalists to offer broad perspectives.
This category also has some of the best GRE AWA topics. However, each title requires creativity to come up with a winning essay.
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80 Important GRE Essay Topics To Practice With
Table of Contents
Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is a popular graduate admission test conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) for candidates who wish to pursue their graduate studies or MS studies abroad. It is one of the largest assessment programs for admissions that are accepted by many universities and colleges across the world. Basically, this test is composed of different sections. Out of which, Analytical Writing is a major section that is designed to assess the candidates’ analytical writing and critical thinking skills. In this blog post, let us have a detailed look at GRE Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) and some GRE samples or analytical essay topics that would help the test takers.
An Overview of GRE Analytical Writing
The GRE test contains a 60-minute Analytical Writing Section, in which the candidates will have to answer two different types of questions.
- Analyze an issue
- Analyze an argument
To address each question, the candidates will be given a duration of 30 minutes. This section is mainly included in GRE to evaluate how effectively the candidates express complex ideas while maintaining a focused and logical discussion. In simple words, GRE analytical writing will assess the overall critical thinking ability and analytical skills of the candidates.
Here, in detail let us have a glance at the two question types.
Analyze an Issue
For the ‘analyze an issue’ question, as a candidate, you will have to present your own thoughts about a given issue. But before answering this question, carefully read and understand the instructions and information provided in the question. Specifically, in this question, you would be given how to evaluate the given issue, and the test would also expect you to follow the same. Remember, if you fail to follow the instructions, then it would become tough for you to earn a good score.
Basically, the ‘analyze an issue’ question will have nearly 6 types of variations. When addressing this kind of question, you will have to present a compelling case for your own viewpoints on the central issue as per the specific instructions.
Note that, according to the official notification of ETS, for analyzing an issue task, you would be asked to write on any one of the following types of instructions.
Type 1: Agree/ disagree with a statement
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.
Type 2: Agree/ disagree with a recommendation
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, describe specific circumstances in which adopting the recommendation would or would not be advantageous and explain how these examples shape your position.
Type 3: Agree/ disagree with a claim
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position.
Type 4: Which view aligns with your own?
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.
Type 5: Agree/ disagree with a claim and its basis
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reasons on which that claim is based.
Type 6: Explain your views on a policy
Write a response in which you discuss your views on the policy and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider the possible consequences of implementing the policy and explain how these consequences shape your position.
Analyze an Argument
For the ‘analyze an argument’ question, as a test taker, you will have to evaluate the given argument based on logical validity. This question doesn’t require your personal opinions. Here, you should discuss the logical soundness of a case by examining the reasoning line and the use of evidence. Before answering this question, you should carefully read the argument and understand the instructions provided in the question.
When reading the argument, make sure to concentrate on the following.
- What evidence or proof is given in the prompt paragraph?
- What is explicitly stated or claimed in the prompt passage?
- What is assumed or supposed, without evidence in the essay question?
- What is not stated, but necessarily follows from or underlies what is stated?
In general, the ‘analyze an argument’ question will have nearly 8 types of instructions. When answering this kind of question, based on the specific instructions provided in the question you will have to critically analyze and evaluate the given argument logically.
As per the official website of ETS, for analyzing an argument task, you would be expected to present the analytical or argumentative essay on any type of instructions as mentioned below.
Type 1: Evaluate an Argument and Evidence
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.
Type 2: Examine Assumptions and Implications
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.
Type 3: Evaluate a Recommendation and its basis
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.
Type 4: Evaluate Advice and Questions
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.
Type 5: Evaluate a Recommendation’s likely results
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.
Type 6: Evaluate a Prediction and its basis
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.
Type 7: Discuss Alternative Explanations
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.
Type 8: Evaluate a Conclusion and its basis
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be addressed 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.
List of Sample GRE Essay Topics
Are you looking for the sample GRE Essay Topics? Great! Here, we have presented a list of important GRE Essay topics on issues and arguments of different difficulty levels.
Practice them all to build your analytical writing and critical thinking skills.
Latest’ Simple and Easy GRE Essay Topics
- How is happiness related to new experiences?
- The quality of life depends on how developed a city is.
- Art museums should be free and open to the general public.
- A leader should promote innovation and change.
- Excellent and creative filmmakers should be hired to create films to deliver complimentary public messages.
- Leaders of a developing country should concentrate on modernization.
- Leaders should be elected and not selected.
- Learning and exploring are human nature.
- Students should finance their education with part-time work while they study.
- Scientific fields of study require more critical thinking and research than other areas of study.
GRE Essay Topics for Argument
- Engineers need practical training more than theoretical training
- Students should get college credit till they complete their studies
- True beauty is found not in the exceptional but in the commonplace
- Natural beauty is more relaxing compared to man-made beautiful creations
- French philosophy of the XIX to XX centuries
- Prospects and problems of modern civilization
- Voting system should be made online for disabled people
- Philosophy as a very important academic discipline
- Learning continuously can make a person able to reach perfection
- A person’s career choice depends on his/her socio-cultural background
GRE Essay Topics – Analyzing an Issue
- Scientists are the key to a nation’s success in the field of medical science and aerospace science
- Multinational companies should not engage in tax evasion and tax avoidance practices
- Governments should offer college and university education free of charge to all students.
- Educational institutions should dissuade students from pursuing fields of study in which they are unlikely to succeed.
- Teachers’ salaries should be based on their students’ academic performance.
- Society should make efforts to save endangered species only if the potential extinction of those species is the result of human activities.
- Competition for high grades seriously limits the quality of learning at all levels of education.
- Students should always question what they are taught instead of accepting it passively.
- Young people should be encouraged to pursue long-term, realistic goals rather than seek immediate fame and recognition.
- The human mind will always be superior to machines because machines are the only tools of human minds.
- Politicians should pursue common ground and reasonable consensus rather than elusive ideals.
- People’s attitudes are determined more by their immediate situation or surroundings than by society as a whole.
- College students should base their choice of a field of study on the availability of jobs in that field.
- The increasingly rapid pace of life today causes more problems than it solves.
- People should undertake risky action only after they have carefully considered its consequences.
GRE Essay Topics – Analytical writing
- Colleges and universities should require their students to spend at least one semester studying in a foreign country.
- All parents should be required to volunteer time to their children’s schools.
- Knowing about the past cannot help people to make important decisions today.
- The effectiveness of a country’s leaders is best measured by examining the well-being of that country’s citizens.
- To be an effective leader, a public official must maintain the highest ethical and moral standards.
- The most effective way to understand contemporary culture is to analyze the trends of its youth.
- Nations should pass laws to preserve any remaining wilderness areas in their natural state.
- Educators should take students’ interests into account when planning the content of the courses they teach.
- In most professions and academic fields, imagination is more important than knowledge.
- True success can be measured primarily in terms of the goals one sets for oneself.
- The best test of an argument is the argument’s ability to convince someone with an opposing viewpoint.
- Formal education tends to restrain our minds and spirits rather than set them free.
- A person needs to have strong interpersonal skills to become a successful person in personal and professional life
- Every country should revise its constitution at a certain interval based on the its current socio-political status
- Educators should base their assessment of students, but on the ability to explain the ideas, trends, and concepts that those facts illustrate
GRE Essay Topics for College Assignments
- Success in life can be driven by sustained efforts
- Discuss the issues associated with the philosophy of the middle ages and the renaissance
- Obedience and discipline are the keys to success
- Strongly ethical political leaders can ensure the health and well-being of a country and its citizens
- Every country needs to ensure free access to food, shelter, education and healthcare for people living below the poverty line
- Success in personal life can be driven by faithfulness and respect for each other
- Rapid industrialization is one of the best ways to grow from a developing country to a developed country
- Women and men should be treated equally in every field of education and employment
- Government of every country should ensure free education for children
- Political parties should uphold people from the backward classes
GRE Essay Topics for Exam
- Reservation systems in developed countries needs to be abolished
- Parents should take care of their children’s mental health and well-being on a priority basis
- Government should develop strict laws and regulations to stop domestic violence
- The rapid adoption of technology is becoming a curse for low-skilled aged employees of a country
- Science fiction can significantly influence a culture’s study of science
- Caste system should be abolished in every nation to ensure equality and inclusion
- Sociologists can bring radical changes in society in a better direction
- Powerful nations need to concentrate on reducing the negative impacts of climate change on the environment
- Government should switch to renewable energy sources to ensure environmental sustainability
- Terrorism and instability can be stopped or reduced by eliminating corruptions
GRE Essay Topics for Academics
- The best method to guarantee that every student receives enough assistance and materials from the teacher is to set a restriction on the size of the classroom.
- “School regulations should take employers’ needs into account just as much as students’ and instructors’ needs.”
- “People who go back to school after some time spent working can get more out of their degree.”
- “Educating residents of the city and the immediate surrounding region should be a university’s first focus; international students should be a secondary priority.”
- At any stage throughout their education, “students should not use loans to pay for their tuition or their living expenses.”
- Universities should restrict the number of classes a student can take in a particular semester, according to the following claim
- Students in college should be encouraged to pursue their interests rather than the programs that seem most likely to result in employment.
- Researchers should concentrate their efforts on topics that are most likely to help the greatest number of people.
- Nations should stop providing funding for the arts when a sizable portion of their populace is going hungry or unemployed.
- If it doesn’t come from a subject matter expert, critical evaluation of a piece of work in any field is of little value.
GRE Essay Topics – Analyzing an Argument
Listed below are some sample argument topics from ETS for the analytical writing section of the GRE Test.
- The following was written as a part of an application for a small-business loan by a group of developers in the city of Monroe.
“A jazz music club in Monroe would be a tremendously profitable enterprise. Currently, the nearest jazz club is 65 miles away; thus, the proposed new jazz club in Monroe, the C-Note, would have the local market all to itself. Plus, jazz is extremely popular in Monroe: over 100,000 people attended Monroe’s annual jazz festival last summer; several well-known jazz musicians live in Monroe; and the highest-rated radio program in Monroe is ‘Jazz Nightly,’ which airs every weeknight at 7 P.M. Finally, a nationwide study indicates that the typical jazz fan spends close to $1,000 per year on jazz entertainment.”
- The following appeared in an editorial in a local newspaper.
“Commuters complain that increased rush-hour traffic on Blue Highway between the suburbs and the city center has doubled their commuting time. The favored proposal of the motorists’ lobby is to widen the highway, adding an additional lane of traffic. Opponents note that last year’s addition of a lane to the nearby Green Highway was followed by a worsening of traffic jams on it. Their suggested alternative proposal is adding a bicycle lane to Blue Highway. Many area residents are keen bicyclists. A bicycle lane would encourage them to use bicycles to commute, it is argued, thereby reducing rush-hour traffic.”
- A recent sales study indicates that consumption of seafood dishes in Bay City restaurants has increased by 30 percent during the past five years. Yet there are no currently operating city restaurants whose specialty is seafood. Moreover, the majority of families in Bay City are two-income families, and a nationwide study has shown that such families eat significantly fewer home-cooked meals than they did a decade ago but at the same time express more concern about healthful eating. Therefore, the new Captain Seafood restaurant that specializes in seafood should be quite popular and profitable.
- The following appeared in a memorandum from the owner of Movies Galore, a chain of movie-rental stores.
“Because of declining profits, we must reduce operating expenses at Movies Galore’s ten movie-rental stores. Raising prices is not a good option, since we are famous for our low prices. Instead, we should reduce our operating hours. Last month our store in downtown Marston reduced its hours by closing at 6:00 p.m. rather than 9:00 p.m. and reduced its overall inventory by no longer stocking any DVD released more than five years ago. Since we have received very few customer complaints about these new policies, we should now adopt them at all other Movies Galore stores as our best strategies for improving profits.”
- The following appeared in a memo from a vice president of Quiot Manufacturing.
“During the past year, Quiot Manufacturing had 30% more on-the-job accidents than at the nearby Panoply Industries plant, where the work shifts are one hour shorter than ours. Experts say that significant contributing factors in many on-the-job accidents are fatigue and sleep deprivation among workers. Therefore, to reduce the number of on-the-job accidents at Quiot and thereby increase productivity, we should shorten each of our three work shifts by one hour so that employees will get adequate amounts of sleep.”
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 Bottom Line
If you want to boost your GRE scores, then regularly attend the online GRE mock tests or try to find answers for as many GRE AWA practice test questions as possible. You can also use the list of GRE essay topics suggested in this blog post and gain familiarity with all the possible types of instructions by answering them accordingly.
When you are attempting to answer sample GRE essay questions, make sure to stick to the 30-minute time limit for each analytical essay prompt. Also, while practicing, use a simple word processor to type your essays so that you will get the best practice for the computer-based GRE. Most importantly, to strengthen your weak spots, after writing your practice essays, review and grade what you have written.
In case, you need any help regarding GRE, contact us. Our assignment experts or professionals will guide you on how to write top-scoring GRE Analytical essays.
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GRE Analytical Writing : The full form of GRE is Graduate Record Examinations and the GRE Analytical Writing section in the GRE Exam is designed to assess critical thinking and analytical writing skills, which is reflected by the candidate’s ability to express complex ideas clearly and effectively while maintaining a coherent and focused discussion. Many students lose sight of the fact that the test does not evaluate your content knowledge. So what opinion you provide has no right or wrong answer. In this article, we are going to be covering GRE Analytical Writing, GRE AWA topics, GRE issue pool, and GRE essay samples for the benefit of GRE test takers.
The GRE Analytical Writing section has two different question types:
- Analyze an Issue (Analytical Writing Assessment - AWA)
- Analyze an Argument
Candidates are given 30 minutes to address each question.
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GRE Analytical Writing - GRE AWA Topics (Analyze an Issue)
As mentioned above the GRE essay is made up of GRE AWA topics and Analyze an Argument - topics. The following topics are on Analyzing an Issue. Candidates are required to write an essay in which they are required to respond to a brief statement on an issue of general interest. This task assesses the candidates’ ability to think critically about a general interest topic and express their thoughts in writing.
Candidates appearing for the exam will be given an issue statement that can be viewed from several different angles. They would be directed to adopt a position on the issue and to develop and support that position. Candidates should note that GRE Analytical Writing examples have been provided with each GRE AWA topic for the test taker to understand the format of the essay.
GRE AWA Topic: 1
Some people believe that the most important qualities of an effective teacher are understanding and empathy. Others believe that it is more important for teachers to be rigorous and demanding in their expectations for students.
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. For a Response, Click Here
GRE AWA Topic: 2
Claim: Though often considered an objective pursuit, learning about the historical past requires creativity.
Reason: Because we can never know the past directly, we must reconstruct it by imaginatively interpreting historical accounts, documents, and artifacts.
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which the claim is based. For a Response, Click Here
GRE AWA Topic: 3
We learn our most valuable lessons in life from struggling with our limitations rather than from enjoying our successes.
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position. For a Response, Click Here
GRE AWA Topic: 4
In any field — business, politics, education, government — those in power should be required to step down after five years.
Write a response in which you discuss your views on the policy and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider the possible consequences of implementing the policy and explain how these consequences shape your position. For a Response, Click Here
GRE AWA Topic: 5
The effectiveness of a country's leaders is best measured by examining the well-being of that country's citizens.
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. For a Response, Click Here
GRE AWA Topic: 6
The general welfare of a nation's people is a better indication of that nation's greatness than the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists.
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position. For a Response, Click Here
GRE AWA Topic: 7
The best test of an argument is the argument's ability to convince someone with an opposing viewpoint.
GRE AWA Topic: 8
It is more harmful to compromise one's own beliefs than to adhere to them.
GRE AWA Topic: 9
Claim: Major policy decisions should always be left to politicians and other government experts.
Reason: Politicians and other government experts are more informed and thus have better judgment and perspective than do members of the general public.
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which that claim is based. For a Response, Click Here
GRE AWA Topic: 10
Educational institutions should actively encourage their students to choose fields of study that will prepare them for lucrative careers.
GRE Essay Topics to Analyze an Argument
The second part of the GRE Analytical Writing or the GRE essay topic belongs to the Analyze an Argument. The following pool of issue topics is to Analyze an Argument. Candidates are required to write on any one of the given GRE essay topics in which they are required to analyze a paragraph-length argument from the pool of issue topics provided to them. However, they are not required to present their own views on the argument's topic.
This task assesses the student’s ability to understand, analyze, and evaluate arguments from the pool of issue topics. The arguments will be presented in a brief paragraph that puts forth the author’s opinion or case. Candidates are required to determine if it is logically sound and evaluate the same. The GRE essay topics have been provided below along with GRE argument essay samples for the benefit of the test taker.
GRE Essay Topic: 11
The following appeared as a letter to the editor from the owner of a skate shop in Central Plaza.
"Two years ago the city council voted to prohibit skateboarding in Central Plaza. They claimed that skateboard users were responsible for litter and vandalism that were keeping other visitors from coming to the plaza. In the past two years, however, there has been only a small increase in the number of visitors to Central Plaza, and litter and vandalism are still problematic. Skateboarding is permitted in Monroe Park, however, and there is no problem with litter or vandalism there. In order to restore Central Plaza to its former glory, then, we recommend that the city lift its prohibition on skateboarding in the plaza."
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. GRE Argument Essay Response.
GRE Essay Topic: 12
The following appeared as part of an article in a Dillton newspaper.
"In an effort to bring new jobs to Dillton and stimulate the city's flagging economy, Dillton's city council voted last year to lower the city's corporate tax rate by 15 percent; at the same time, the city began offering generous relocation grants to any company that would move to Dillion. Since these changes went into effect, two new factories have opened in Dillion. Although the two factories employ more than 1,000 people, the unemployment rate in Dillton remains unchanged. The only clear explanation for this is that the new factories are staffed with out-of-town workers rather than Dillton residents."
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. GRE Argument Essay Response.
GRE Essay Topic: 13
The following appeared in a memo from New Ventures Consulting to the president of HobCo, Inc., a chain of hobby shops.
"Our team has completed its research on suitable building sites for a new HobCo hobby Shop in the city of Grilldon. We discovered that there are currently no hobby shops in southeastern Grilldon. When our researchers conducted a poll of area residents, 88 percent of those who responded indicated that they would welcome the opening of a hobby shop in southeastern Grilldon. Grilldon is in a region of the nation in which the hobby business has increased by 300 percent during the past decade. In addition, Grilldon has a very large population of retirees, a demographic with ample time to devote to hobbies. We, therefore, recommend that you choose southeastern Grilldon as the site for your next HobCo Hobby Shop. We predict that a shop in this area will draw a steady stream of enthusiastic new HobCo customers."
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. GRE Argument Essay Response.
GRE Essay Topic: 14
The following appeared in a newsletter published by the Appleton school district.
"In a recent study, more than 5,000 adolescents were asked how often they ate meals with their families. Almost 30 percent of the teens said they ate at least seven meals per week with their families. Furthermore, according to the same survey, teens who reported having the most family meals per week were also the ones least likely to have tried illegal drugs, tobacco, and alcohol. Family meals were also associated with lower rates of problems such as low grades in school, low self-esteem, and depression. We, therefore, recommend that families have as many meals together as possible. We predict that doing so will greatly benefit adolescents and turn troubled teens away from bad behaviors."
Write a response in which you discuss which 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. GRE Argument Essay Response.
GRE Essay Topic: 15
The following appeared in a health newsletter.
"Nosinia is a herb that many users report to be as effective as prescription medications at fighting allergy symptoms. Researchers recently compared Nosinia to a placebo in 95 men and women with seasonal allergies to ragweed pollen. Participants in the study reported that neither Nosinia nor the placebo offered significant relief. However, for the most severe allergy symptoms, the researchers reported that Nosinia was more effective than the placebo in providing relief. Furthermore, at the end of the study, participants given Nosinia were more likely than participants given a placebo to report feeling healthier. We, therefore, recommend using Nosinia to help with your severe allergy symptoms.
READ: GRE Score and Result
GRE Essay Topic: 16
The following appeared on the Website Science News Today.
"In a recent survey of more than 5,000 adolescents, the teens who reported eating the most meals with their families were the least likely to use illegal drugs, tobacco, or alcohol. Family meals were also associated with higher grades, better self-esteem, and lower rates of depression. Almost 30 percent of the teens said they ate at least seven meals per week with their families. Clearly, having a high number of family meals keeps teens from engaging in bad behaviors."
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. GRE Argument Essay Response.
GRE Essay Topic: 17
According to an independent poll of 200 charitable organizations, overall donations of money to nonprofit groups increased last year, but educational institutions did not fare as well as other organizations. Donations to international aid groups increased the most (30 percent), followed by donations to environmental groups (23 percent), whereas donations to educational institutions actually decreased slightly (3 percent). Meanwhile, all of the major economic indicators suggest that consumer spending is higher than average this year, showing that potential donors have ample disposable income. Therefore, the clearest explanation for the decline in donations to educational institutions is that people actually value education less than they did in the past.
GRE Essay Topic: 18
The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a Relannian newspaper.
Industry analysts report that the number of dairy farms in Relanna has increased by 25 percent over the last decade. Also, recent innovations in milking technology make it possible for farmers to significantly increase the efficiency of the milking process, allowing them to collect more milk in less time with minimal human intervention. In fact, data from the Relannian Department of Agriculture indicate that labor costs at the majority of Relannian dairy farms are actually lower now than they were ten years ago. Despite increased efficiency and lower labor costs, a carton of cream — a dairy product made from milk — at the local food market costs twice as much as it did two years ago. The only explanation for this dramatic price increase is that farmers are inflating the price of cream to increase their profits.
GRE Essay Topic: 19
Archaeologists have long thought that an artifact called the pemchint was used by Dodecan people solely as a musical instrument. Pemchints consist of hollowed pieces of bone, shell, or wood that are tied together with long straps. When whirled in the air, the pemchints create pleasant tones. Until recently, pemchints were found only at locations known to be used for Dodecan rituals and celebrations. Additionally, they were always excavated in proximity to other musical artifacts. Recently, however, a pemchint was found along with Dodecan hunters' tools located miles from the nearest known Dodecan settlement, while no other music-related objects were found in the area. Clearly, then, the pemchint was used by Dodecan hunters, who most probably used the sounds to repel dangerous wildlife.
GRE Essay Topic: 20
Several recent studies have shown a link between health and stair usage. One recently completed study shows that people who live in stairs-only apartment buildings (that is, buildings without elevators) live an average of three years longer than people who live in buildings with both elevators and stairs. A second study shows that elderly residents of buildings with elevators make, on average, twice as many visits to doctors each year as residents of buildings without elevators. Furthermore, several doctor's offices are reporting that residents of stairs-only buildings scored higher than average on questionnaires administered to new patients, in which the patients were asked to rate several aspects of their own health (e.g., fitness, sleep quality, susceptibility to injury, etc.). The clearest explanation for these findings is that the moderate daily exercise required of residents who must use the stairs instead of elevators increases people's health and longevity.
(source: ETS)
The 7 Categories of GRE Essay Topics
- Technology and Society
- Government and Power
- Intellectual Endeavors
- Philosophical
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Purdue Online Writing Lab College of Liberal Arts
Argumentative Essays
Welcome to the Purdue OWL
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The Modes of Discourse—Exposition, Description, Narration, Argumentation (EDNA)—are common paper assignments you may encounter in your writing classes. Although these genres have been criticized by some composition scholars, the Purdue OWL recognizes the wide spread use of these approaches and students’ need to understand and produce them.
What is an argumentative essay?
The argumentative essay is a genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic; collect, generate, and evaluate evidence; and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner.
Please note : Some confusion may occur between the argumentative essay and the expository essay. These two genres are similar, but the argumentative essay differs from the expository essay in the amount of pre-writing (invention) and research involved. The argumentative essay is commonly assigned as a capstone or final project in first year writing or advanced composition courses and involves lengthy, detailed research. Expository essays involve less research and are shorter in length. Expository essays are often used for in-class writing exercises or tests, such as the GED or GRE.
Argumentative essay assignments generally call for extensive research of literature or previously published material. Argumentative assignments may also require empirical research where the student collects data through interviews, surveys, observations, or experiments. Detailed research allows the student to learn about the topic and to understand different points of view regarding the topic so that she/he may choose a position and support it with the evidence collected during research. Regardless of the amount or type of research involved, argumentative essays must establish a clear thesis and follow sound reasoning.
The structure of the argumentative essay is held together by the following.
- A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph of the essay.
In the first paragraph of an argument essay, students should set the context by reviewing the topic in a general way. Next the author should explain why the topic is important ( exigence ) or why readers should care about the issue. Lastly, students should present the thesis statement. It is essential that this thesis statement be appropriately narrowed to follow the guidelines set forth in the assignment. If the student does not master this portion of the essay, it will be quite difficult to compose an effective or persuasive essay.
- Clear and logical transitions between the introduction, body, and conclusion.
Transitions are the mortar that holds the foundation of the essay together. Without logical progression of thought, the reader is unable to follow the essay’s argument, and the structure will collapse. Transitions should wrap up the idea from the previous section and introduce the idea that is to follow in the next section.
- Body paragraphs that include evidential support.
Each paragraph should be limited to the discussion of one general idea. This will allow for clarity and direction throughout the essay. In addition, such conciseness creates an ease of readability for one’s audience. It is important to note that each paragraph in the body of the essay must have some logical connection to the thesis statement in the opening paragraph. Some paragraphs will directly support the thesis statement with evidence collected during research. It is also important to explain how and why the evidence supports the thesis ( warrant ).
However, argumentative essays should also consider and explain differing points of view regarding the topic. Depending on the length of the assignment, students should dedicate one or two paragraphs of an argumentative essay to discussing conflicting opinions on the topic. Rather than explaining how these differing opinions are wrong outright, students should note how opinions that do not align with their thesis might not be well informed or how they might be out of date.
- Evidential support (whether factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal).
The argumentative essay requires well-researched, accurate, detailed, and current information to support the thesis statement and consider other points of view. Some factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal evidence should support the thesis. However, students must consider multiple points of view when collecting evidence. As noted in the paragraph above, a successful and well-rounded argumentative essay will also discuss opinions not aligning with the thesis. It is unethical to exclude evidence that may not support the thesis. It is not the student’s job to point out how other positions are wrong outright, but rather to explain how other positions may not be well informed or up to date on the topic.
- A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it in light of the evidence provided.
It is at this point of the essay that students may begin to struggle. This is the portion of the essay that will leave the most immediate impression on the mind of the reader. Therefore, it must be effective and logical. Do not introduce any new information into the conclusion; rather, synthesize the information presented in the body of the essay. Restate why the topic is important, review the main points, and review your thesis. You may also want to include a short discussion of more research that should be completed in light of your work.
A complete argument
Perhaps it is helpful to think of an essay in terms of a conversation or debate with a classmate. If I were to discuss the cause of World War II and its current effect on those who lived through the tumultuous time, there would be a beginning, middle, and end to the conversation. In fact, if I were to end the argument in the middle of my second point, questions would arise concerning the current effects on those who lived through the conflict. Therefore, the argumentative essay must be complete, and logically so, leaving no doubt as to its intent or argument.
The five-paragraph essay
A common method for writing an argumentative essay is the five-paragraph approach. This is, however, by no means the only formula for writing such essays. If it sounds straightforward, that is because it is; in fact, the method consists of (a) an introductory paragraph (b) three evidentiary body paragraphs that may include discussion of opposing views and (c) a conclusion.
Longer argumentative essays
Complex issues and detailed research call for complex and detailed essays. Argumentative essays discussing a number of research sources or empirical research will most certainly be longer than five paragraphs. Authors may have to discuss the context surrounding the topic, sources of information and their credibility, as well as a number of different opinions on the issue before concluding the essay. Many of these factors will be determined by the assignment.
50 Sample GRE Essay Topics To Practice
Table of Contents
Are you a candidate who desires to pursue your higher studies in foreign universities? If yes, then you will have to score high in Graduate Record Examination (GRE). GRE is a popular graduate admission test conducted for candidates who wish to complete their graduate or MS studies abroad. This test is conducted by Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the test scores are also accepted for admissions by many universities and colleges across the world. GRE is one of the largest assessments that are composed of various sections. Out of many sections, Analytical Writing is an important section with high weightage. Here, in this blog post, let us have a closer look at GRE Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) and some sample GRE essay topics.
In case, you are a GRE test taker who wants to understand more about GRE analytical writing section or needs help to strengthen your analytical writing skills, then continue reading this blog post.
Know about GRE Analytical Writing Section
The GRE Analytical Writing section is a section in the GRE test. In that section, you will be asked to submit your answers to two different types of analytical essay questions as mentioned below.
Analyze an Issue
Analyze an argument.
The total time duration allotted for the entire section is 60-minutes. But you will have to use a duration of 30-minutes to answer each question.
The analytical writing section is mainly included in the GRE test to assess your critical thinking ability and analytical skills. Also, in this module, the selection panel will also check how effectively you have addressed complex ideas without deviating from logical points.
Here is detailed information about the two question types and their variations.
This question will mostly evaluate your critical thinking ability on a particular topic and how well you have shared your ideas about it in writing. So, when answering the GRE issue analysis essay question type, in particular, you will have to put forward your views about the issue that is given in the question.
Actually, for analyzing an issue task, you can find nearly 6 variations in the question. Therefore, before you begin answering the question, you will have to first read the question carefully and get a proper understanding of the information or instructions specified in it. Next, after receiving a clear idea, you will have to prepare a compelling essay with your own perspectives on the central issue according to the instructions specified.
Remember, the panel would expect you to write an analytical essay as per the instructions given in the question. If you fail to stick to the instructions, then getting high scores on the GRE test would become hard.
As per the official website of ETS, listed below are the 6 different varieties of instructions that you can find in analyzing an issue task. But in the GRE General Test, you will be asked to write an analyzing an issue essay on any one type of instruction.
Variety 1: Agree/ disagree with a statement
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.
Variety 2: Agree/ disagree with a recommendation
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, describe specific circumstances in which adopting the recommendation would or would not be advantageous and explain how these examples shape your position.
Variety 3: Agree/ disagree with a claim
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position.
Variety 4: Agree/ disagree with a claim and its basis
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reasons on which that claim is based.
Variety 5: Which view aligns with your own?
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.
Variety 6: Explain your views on a policy
Write a response in which you discuss your views on the policy and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider the possible consequences of implementing the policy and explain how these consequences shape your position.
This question will test your ability to analyze, understand and evaluate arguments as per the instructions mentioned in this question. So, when answering this question, you should make sure to analyze the argument given in the question based on logical validity. Remember, for this question, you need not share your personal opinions. When you analyze an argument, you should examine it with logical reasoning and supporting evidence.
Like, analyzing an issue task, analyzing an argument task also comes up with different types of instructions. Therefore, before you start answering the GRE argument analysis essay question, you should carefully go through the argument and get a clear understanding of the instructions specified in the question. Once you get a better idea about the question, you will have to critically analyze and evaluate the given argument logically as per the instructions specified.
While you read the argument in the question, be certain to focus on the following.
- What evidence is given in the prompt paragraph?
- What is claimed in the prompt passage?
- What is assumed, without proof in the essay question?
- What is not stated, but necessarily follows from?
According to the official website of ETS, in the GRE argument analysis essay question, you can commonly find the below-mentioned 8 varieties of instructions. But out of them all, you will be questioned to write an argument analysis essay only on any one type of instruction during the GRE Test.
Variety 1: Evaluate an Argument and Evidence
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.
Variety 2: Examine Assumptions and Implications
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.
Variety 3: Evaluate a Recommendation and its basis
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.
Variety 4: Evaluate the likely results of a Recommendation
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.
Variety 5: Evaluate Advice and Questions
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.
Variety 6: Discuss Alternative Explanations
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.
Variety 7: Evaluate a Prediction and its basis
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.
Variety 8: Evaluate a Conclusion and its basis
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be addressed 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.
Sample GRE Essay Topics List
Are you searching for the sample GRE Essay Topics to practice? Don’t worry! From the ETS pool of issues and arguments, we have selected and listed some specific sets of GRE Essay topics of various difficulty levels here.
To develop your critical thinking and analytical thinking skills, practice all the sample GRE analytical essay questions.
Popular GRE Essay Topics
- Art museums should be free and open to the general public.
- How is happiness related to new experiences?
- Learning and exploring are human nature.
- A leader should promote innovation and change.
- The quality of life is based on how developed a city is.
- Leaders should be elected and not selected.
- Excellent and creative filmmakers should be hired to create films to deliver complimentary public messages.
- Students should finance their education with part-time work while they study.
- Scientific fields of study need strong critical thinking ability than other areas of study.
- Developing country leaders should focus on modernization.
- The effectiveness of a country’s leaders is best measured by examining the well-being of that country’s citizens.
- The general welfare of a nation’s people is a better indication of that nation’s greatness than the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists.
- It is more harmful to compromise one’s own beliefs than to adhere to them.
- Educational institutions should actively encourage their students to choose fields of study that will prepare them for lucrative careers.
Read more: Great Discursive Essay Topics for Students to Deal With
GRE Essay Topics – Issue Analysis
- Young people should be motivated to pursue long-term, realistic goals rather than looking for quick fame and recognition.
- Politicians should pursue common ground and reasonable consensus rather than elusive ideals.
- Students should always question what they are taught instead of accepting it passively.
- People’s attitudes are determined more by their immediate situation or surroundings than by society as a whole.
- The human mind will always be superior to machines because machines are the only tools of human minds.
- Educational institutions should discourage students from chasing after fields of study in which they are unlikely to succeed.
- Society should make efforts to save endangered species only if the potential extinction of those species is the result of human activities.
- Governments should offer college and university education free of charge to all students.
- Competition for high grades seriously limits the quality of learning at all levels of education.
- Teachers’ salaries should be based on their students’ academic performance.
- To be an effective leader, a public official must maintain the highest ethical and moral standards.
- Knowing about the past cannot help people to make important decisions today.
- The most effective way to understand modern culture is to carefully study the trends of its youth.
- Nations should pass laws to preserve any remaining wilderness areas in their natural state.
- In most lines of work and academic fields, imagination is more important than knowledge.
- The best test of an argument is the argument’s ability to convince someone with an opposing viewpoint.
- Educators should take students’ interests into account when planning the content of the courses they teach.
- Formal education tends to limit our minds and spirits rather than set them free.
- True success can be measured mostly in terms of the goals one set for oneself.
- The increasingly rapid pace of life today causes more problems than it solves.
- Colleges and universities should require their students to spend at least one semester studying in a foreign country.
- College students should base their choice of a field of study on the availability of jobs in that field.
- All parents should be demanded to volunteer time to their children’s schools.
- People should try risky actions only after they have carefully considered their consequences.
- The following appeared as part of an article in a Dillton newspaper.
- The following appeared in a memo from New Ventures Consulting to the president of HobCo, Inc., a chain of hobby shops.
- We learn our most valuable lessons in life from struggling with our limitations rather than from enjoying our successes.
- In any field — business, politics, education, government — those in power should be required to step down after five years.
Read more: Latest International Relations Essay Topics to Consider for Academic Writing
GRE Essay Topics- Argument Analysis
Listed below are some sample GRE argument analysis essay questions taken from the official website of ETS.
- The following appeared as a recommendation by a committee planning a ten-year budget for the city of Calatrava.
“The birth rate in our city is declining: in fact, last year’s birth rate was only one-half that of five years ago. Thus the number of students enrolled in our public schools will soon decrease dramatically, and we can safely reduce the funds budgeted for education during the next decade. At the same time, we can reduce funding for athletic playing fields and other recreational facilities. As a result, we will have sufficient money to fund city facilities and programs used primarily by adults, since we can expect the adult population of the city to increase.”
- The following appeared in a memorandum from the planning department of an electric power company.
“Several recent surveys indicate that homeowners are increasingly eager to conserve energy. At the same time, manufacturers are now marketing many home appliances, such as refrigerators and air conditioners that are almost twice as energy-efficient as those sold a decade ago. Also, new technologies for better home insulation and passive solar heating are readily available to reduce the energy needed for home heating. Therefore, the total demand for electricity in our area will not increase – and may decline slightly. Since our three electric generating plants in operation for the past twenty years have always met our needs, construction of new generating plants will not be necessary.”
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 following report appeared in the newsletter of the West Meria Public Health Council.
“An innovative treatment has come to our attention that promises to significantly reduce absenteeism in our schools and workplaces. A study reports that in nearby East Meria, where fish consumption is very high, people visit the doctor only once or twice per year for the treatment of colds. Clearly, eating a substantial amount of fish can prevent colds. Since colds represent the most frequently given reason for absences from school and work, we recommend the daily use of Ichthaid – a nutritional supplement derived from fish oil – as a good way to prevent colds and lower absenteeism.”
- Milk and dairy products are rich in vitamin D and calcium – substances essential for building and maintaining bones. Many people, therefore, say that a diet rich in dairy products can help prevent osteoporosis, a disease that is linked to both environmental and genetic factors and that causes the bones to weaken significantly with age. But a long-term study of a large number of people found that those who consistently consumed dairy products throughout the years of the study have a higher rate of bone fractures than any other participants in the study. Since bone fractures are symptomatic of osteoporosis, this study result shows that a diet rich in dairy products may actually increase, rather than decrease, the risk of osteoporosis.
- The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a journal on environmental issues.
“Over the past year, the Crust Copper Company (CCC) has purchased over 10,000 square miles of land in the tropical nation of West Fredonia. Mining copper on this land will inevitably result in pollution and, since West Fredonia is the home of several endangered animal species, in environmental disaster. But such disasters can be prevented if consumers simply refuse to purchase products that are made with CCC’s copper unless the company abandons its mining plans.”
Final Words
Do you want to get a high score on the GRE Test? If yes, then try attending GRE Mock Tests online or find solutions for as many GRE AWA practice test questions as possible. The list of sample GRE essay questions listed in this blog post would also help you gain more familiarity with the module. Especially, while practicing, instead of sticking to one specific type of instructions, try to identify answers for all the types of instructions available.
Note that, the regular practice would help you crack the GRE test easily. But when your practice, set a time limit of 30 minutes, and make sure to complete writing an essay within that time limit. Also, to increase your typing speed, practice typing the answers in a simple word processor within the time frame. After writing the answer for the sample analytical essay question, review your answer and grade it because it would help you find your weak spots and strengthen them in the future.
If you need GRE essay writing help , call us now. Professional academic writers in our team will guide you on how to write a GRE analytical essay of top grade.
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GRE Essay Topics
The GRE Analytical Writing essay topics, including the ones on the Issue task , come such from such wide a variety of fields that there seems to be no discernible pattern in the GRE writing prompts we’ve seen. There are cities cracking down on garbage collection; debates on term limits for leaders; pontification about job training; philosophical musings about work and motivation; and speculation that scandals can be useful to society. Despite such a colorful array, there are several “buckets”, or categories of GRE essay topics, into which the Issue Essays fall.
Below, you can see that I’ve come up with seven main GRE essay topic categories and given example prompts, based on the range of prompts I’ve seen in the actual GRE AWA Issue Topic Pool from the ETS website. Remember, the prompts you see below are original Magoosh examples, not the real thing. The Issue Essay you will see test day will be drawn from that ETS question bank.
It’s very important to remember that one of the Issue prompts found on the GRE site will come up test day. That’s right: you can get a head start on actual possible test questions by doing practice essays from the prompts on the official site .
Though, I should mention that there are nearly 200 Issue prompts ranging across all GRE essay topics on the site. Before you despair, keep in mind that some of these prompts are very similar and by practicing an essay prompt or two from each of the buckets below, you’ll prepare yourself for test day. And who knows? You might get lucky, the Issue prompt you get test day being one that you already wrote a mock essay for. In either case, the unofficial mocks I’m about to show you are also in line with the official prompts, and are good practice as you prep for the exam.
The 7 Categories of GRE Essay Topics
1. education.
These GRE writing prompts will ask you something about the aims and objectives of essay writing. The emphasis is typically on college–choosing majors, tuition, curriculum–though you might get a prompt relating to education at large.
“Students should fund their education with part-time work that they do while they study.”
“Placing a limit on classroom size is the best way to ensure that every student gets sufficient help and resources from the instructor.”
“School policies should be based as much on what employers want as well as what students and teachers want.”
“People can benefit more from their education if they return to school after some time spent in the work force.”
“A university’s top priority should be to educate people in the city and immediate area surrounding the school; non-local students should be a secondary priority.”
“Students should not use loans to pay for their tuition or their living expenses at any point during their studies.”
“Claim: Universities should place a limit on how many classes a student can enroll in during a given academic term.
Reason: Students, especially those who are in their early years of university schooling, frequently overestimate the amount of coursework they can commit to.”
“Foreign language courses should be required for graduation at all universities, regardless of a student’s chosen field of study.”
You’ll notice these prompts are all very similar. For instance, there are two prompts–the ones beginning with “Students should”–that are almost identical. Though this list is not exhaustive, in terms of education prompts that could pop up, it is highly representative, as are the prompts for the categories below. So if you practice with just a few prompts per category, you should be ready.
Unsurprisingly, given that the GRE is a test for graduate school, the education prompt tends to come up more often than any other. I would recommend writing one of these essays on a prompt that specifically mentions college and another that doesn’t (“Placing a limit… from the instructor” is a good one because it is probably the least related to the others).
2. Technology and Society
“Technology and the human activity that goes with it inevitably leads to greater pollution and environmental damage.”
“Investments in life-saving technology are more valuable than investments in technology related to entertainment or luxury.”
“Modernization should be the main goal of the leaders of any developing country.”
“To prepare students for the modern world, all university courses should include at least a partial online learning component.” (This one’s a hybrid with the education “bucket”–cool!)
“It could be argued that the most important technological breakthroughs have happened by chance and through surprise discoveries. However, others argue that deliberate, well-planned research with specific goals is the only way to ensure technological advancement.”
“It is highly unlikely that there will ever be manned space travel beyond the earth’s moon.”
(I know this is a pretty random bucket – but it’s what ETS decrees)
“The quality of life in a city cannot be very good unless the city itself is well-planned.”
“Claim: There should be laws against farming crops and livestock in the central districts of large cities.
Reason: The pollution typically found in highly urban areas damages food crops and farm animals, causing them to produce contaminated or substandard food.”
“Cities offer safer, more economically secure living in comparison to less developed areas outside of cities.”
“A private company should not have the right to do business in a city if the majority of the city’s residents object to the private company’s business operations.”
“In order to minimize traffic congestion, cities must regulate parking, placing limits on where motorists can park, and how long a vehicle may remain parked in one place.”
“Color photography has eliminated the need for realism in artistic painting, in the opinion of a number of art scholars and artists. At the same time, many members of the art community still feel that realistic artwork is still valuable and worthwhile.”
“Claim: Art museums should charge little or no money for admission, and should be as open to the public as possible.
Reason: Artists create their work because they want to show it to an other people, and art museums are the best venue to give artists an audience.”
“Governments should hire accomplished filmmakers to create films that deliver important public messages.”
“Popular art forms such as advertising images and storybook illustrations will never have as much artistic merit as fine arts such as gallery paintings and sculptures.”
5. Government and Power
“Leaders who are in significant positions of power should be democratically elected, not appointed.”
“Claim: A person in authority should always encourage those under him or her to share their thoughts and ideas.
Reason: A leader’s main goal should be to promote innovation and change.”
“There is a school of thought that says that the most experienced workers should be promoted to management. However, some businesses prefer to select manages based on their perceived leadership skills, regardless of how much experience they have.”
“Many nations have leaders who prioritize economic development and stability over environmental concerns. Such leaders are often at odds with other national leaders who feel that the long term health of the environment should guide economic decisions.”
“Businesses should submit to close regulation and monitoring by government authority.”
“There is a common perception that good personal conduct is the mark of a good leader. However, there is also a conflicting poplar belief that as long as a leader does their job effectively and breaks no laws, their personal morality is unimportant.”
6. Intellectual Endeavors
“A brilliant new idea seldom comes from just one person; instead ground-breaking new ideas develop when people with different perspectives can meet and interact.”
“Scientific fields of study require more critical thinking and research than other fields of study.”
7. Philosophical
(For a lack of a better name – though I guess “Deep Thoughts by Magoosh GRE” would work.)
“Opportunities do not come to people by luck. Instead, the most successful people are the ones that are constantly seeking out opportunities.”
“It’s not possible for someone to effectively care for others unless they are taking good care of themselves.”
“Self-criticism is more usually more valuable and accurate than criticism that comes from others.”
“The most fulfilling friendships are friendships between people who share a common goal or space, such as co-workers, classmates, or neighbors.”
“Claim: Happiness comes through seeking out new and different experiences.
Reason: People have a natural desire to learn and explore.”
How to Practice Using GRE Writing Prompts
There are a few more “buckets”, but the seven categories above cover about 95% of the spectrum. The takeaway from all this is that you should find the category you are weakest in and work at becoming more comfortable with and knowledgable about that topic. For instance, many dread the art category, painfully aware that they cannot tell the difference between a Monet and a Manet (besides the ‘o’ and the ‘a’, of course).
So how do you find official ETS essays in the categories you need to work on? At a glance this does not seem easy. After all, ETS’s GRE AWA Issue Topic Pool does not organize its essays into categories. This is where the good old fashioned “control-f” function comes in handy. Pull up the Topic Pool in your browser. Hit the control button and the f button at the same time on a PC, or hit command+f on a Mac. From there, you will be given the option to search for keywords that are likely to lead to essays on certain topics. For instance, “tech” or “modern” may get you essays int he technology category, “education,” “school,” or “student” may get you education-related prompts, and so on.
Before you choose your GRE essay topic and start scribbling (or typing) away, an important word on organization:
The point here is to know what you are going to write before writing it. The other way around, while tempting, can get you into trouble with the clock. Sure, you’ll generate some smart words right off the bat, but you’ll very likely write yourself into a hole where you are repeating yourself. This kind of desperation — in which you don’t have anything to say but are doing your best to rephrase what you already said a sentence or two earlier — is not lost on the graders.
The first step is to brainstorm , taking a few minutes to first come up with a position that is nuanced, instead of producing an unequivocal ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the issue question.
Next, you want to consider some possible counterarguments to your position. In acknowledging them, you are not weakening your position, as long as you show how they are lacking. This kind of analysis will only strengthen your position — and it is the exact kind of analysis the graders usually associate with ‘5’ score and higher. Doing this will help you avoid one of the biggest mistakes you can make on the Issue Essay — failing to provide support for your examples.
The good news is, coming up with arguments and counterexamples for these GRE essay topics won’t entail getting a degree in art history, in the case of those prompts. You only have to be able to be comfortable with a few examples, and make sure you can effectively relate them to your analysis. After all, the GRE Issue is not a test of knowledge as much as it is a test of how you can use knowledge — however limited — to back your position.
Final Tips for Tackling GRE Essay Topics and Issue Prompts
If establishing a nuanced position and coming up with counterexamples to that position is difficult for you, don’t worry! Doing this is difficult for many, unless they’ve had practice.
So instead of writing your entire essay, first sit down with a prompt and practice coming up with a position and counterexamples. To give yourself a little structure, start the timer at 5 minutes. At first it’ll be difficult, but stick with it. Doing three prompts each morning for a week or so will make the process easier.
You can also go back to your notes after the five minutes are up and think of ways they could have been improved. Again, being patient and practicing daily will help make this process much more natural. At that point, you can start writing full length practice essays. And don’t worry — with almost 200 prompts and a variety of GRE essay topics, you are not going to run out of practice material!
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Chris Lele is the Principal Curriculum Manager (and vocabulary wizard ) at Magoosh. Chris graduated from UCLA with a BA in Psychology and has 20 years of experience in the test prep industry. He's been quoted as a subject expert in many publications, including US News , GMAC , and Business Because . In his time at Magoosh, Chris has taught countless students how to tackle the GRE , GMAT, SAT, ACT, MCAT (CARS), and LSAT exams with confidence. Some of his students have even gone on to get near-perfect scores. You can find Chris on YouTube , LinkedIn , Twitter and Facebook !
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Essay writting
Hello to everyone reading,
I have just recently started preparing for GRE and would really appreciate it, if someone could review one issue essay and one argument essay I have written [ first ones I’ve written ] since there is no real clear cut answer to these and I don’t really know if what I’ve written is a good or bad essay. The prompts are present in the essays
Issue writing
Argument Writting
Thanks in advance
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GRE Writing Prompts: Your Guide
Understandably, many students preparing for the GRE are apprehensive about what essay prompts they might see in Analytical Writing. After all, there is no way to know exactly which GRE Writing prompts will appear on test day. So, there will always be some measure of “mystery” around the Analytical Writing section.
However, in actuality, GRE Analytical Writing is no different from any other section of the test in that respect. For example, you can’t predict exactly which Quant or Verbal concepts will be tested on any given GRE, or what the exact topics discussed in Reading Comprehension passages will be.
Nevertheless, there is still much we can learn about what we’ll face in GRE Quant and Verbal , and we can still adequately prepare ourselves for whatever may come our way on test day. And the same goes for GRE Writing topics. In fact, in some ways, we have even more information about what we’ll face in GRE essay prompts.
So, breathe a sigh of relief! There is plenty you can learn about the GRE essay topics before test day, so that you go into your exam well-prepared. To help with that preparation, in this article, we’ll discuss the key aspects of the essay prompts you’ll see on the GRE and take a look at some real examples of GRE Writing prompts.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
What is gre analytical writing, the gre issue essay, the gre argument essay, gre issue essay topics, gre argument essay topics, published topic pools, issue example 1, issue example 2, argument example, gre writing prompts: key takeaways, can i skip writing on gre test day, is it hard to get a 4 on gre writing, is 400 words enough for a gre essay, what’s next.
To start, let’s review what the GRE Analytical Writing section consists of and what it asks you to do.
The first section you’ll see on the GRE is Analytical Writing. The GRE Analytical Writing section prompts you to write 2 essays, each of which you have 30 minutes to complete. So, you’ll spend the first hour of your exam on Analytical Writing.
Your basic job in Analytical Writing is to write 2 logically organized essays that demonstrate critical thinking and reasoning skills and an ability to communicate your ideas clearly and effectively, as well as basic English grammar and spelling skills.
You’ll write these essays using the basic word processing program within the GRE test platform. The program features common functions such as delete , undo , cut , and paste .
However, since your own grammar and spelling skills will factor somewhat into your AWA score, the program does not feature automated spelling or grammar check.
There is no automated spelling or grammar check in GRE Analytical Writing.
Now that we know the basics of what the Analytical Writing section is, let’s discuss the basics of the essay prompts you’ll see.
The Basics of GRE Analytical Writing Prompts
The 2 essay types you’ll see on the GRE are called “Analyze an Issue” and “Analyze an Argument.” Let’s discuss what each of these GRE essay types looks like and what they ask us to do.
GRE Analytical Writing includes an “Analyze an Issue” essay prompt and an “Analyze an Argument” essay prompt.
The “Analyze an Issue” task, commonly known as the GRE Issue essay, presents a statement of opinion. Your job is to write a response to that opinion.
The opinion may be presented in a single statement that is 1 or 2 sentences long. Alternatively, it may be presented as a 1-sentence “claim” followed by a 1-sentence “reason,” in which the “claim” is the opinion and the “reason” is the reasoning underlying the opinion.
In either case, following the presented opinion, there will be instructions on how to respond to it — that is, what your essay should discuss or accomplish. (We’ll look at some examples of GRE Issue essay prompts shortly.)
Importantly, whether you agree or disagree with the opinion presented in the prompt does not affect your essay score. In other words, there is no “right answer.”
Rather, you should choose whatever position allows you to craft the most logical, coherent, and convincing essay possible. Your position should demonstrate sound reasoning and analysis, and you should be able to support your position with examples.
The GRE Issue essay presents an opinion that you must respond to in your essay.
The “Analyze an Argument” task, commonly known as the GRE Argument essay, presents a short passage that makes an argument. The passage will include a justification for and/or conclusion based on that argument. That justification or conclusion will most likely be faulty or illogical in some way.
Your job is to write an essay analyzing the presented argument, including:
- objectively evaluating any evidence provided in the argument
- pointing out assumptions and faulty reasoning or other flaws in the argument
- backing up your analysis using logic, not your opinion.
As in the Issue essay, there will be specific instructions on how to respond that follow the presented argument. So, those instructions should guide what your essay discusses. (Again, we’ll look at an example GRE Argument essay prompt shortly.)
The GRE Argument essay presents an argument that you must respond to in your essay.
Now that we understand the 2 types of essay prompts that appear on the GRE, let’s discuss the topics the prompts involve.
GRE Essay Topics
Let’s start with the good news: GRE Writing topics do not require you to have particular subject matter knowledge. So, for neither the Issue topics nor the Argument topics will you be at a disadvantage because you don’t have experience in a certain field of study.
All the information you need to write effective responses will appear in the essay prompts, be common knowledge, or be things that you happen to know and can use in your essay.
All the information you need to write effective responses to Issue and Argument prompts will appear in the prompts or be common or incidental knowledge you can draw upon.
That said, GRE essay prompts tend to fall into a few broad categories. Let’s take a look.
Broadly speaking, GRE Issue categories include government and politics, society and culture, education and research, technology, and human nature in general. So, for example, an Issue essay prompt might present an opinion about any of the following:
- a type of program that governments should or shouldn’t fund
- a way that scientists should conduct their research
- a procedure that colleges should follow to benefit their students
- the effect of certain technologies on some aspect of society.
Those are just a few examples, and again, you will not need specialized knowledge of any of these topics. Furthermore, the presented opinions will not be expressed in highly technical terms or using obscure references. Rather, they will be much like opinions you might hear expressed during routine conversations with friends or colleagues, read in a newspaper editorial, or hear on a podcast or opinion segment on the news.
GRE Issue categories include government and politics, society and culture, education and research, technology, and human nature.
Broadly speaking, GRE Argument topic categories include science and the environment, local government and municipal issues, business, and education.
So, for example, a prompt might present a statement that:
- discusses the findings of a particular scientific study and draws a certain conclusion based on those findings
- presents a proposal for a certain change that a business should make in its operations, along with the justification for that change
- argues for instituting a certain policy to tackle a particular environmental issue
Again, these are just a few examples. And, as with Issue essay prompts, you won’t need outside knowledge of the particular topic discussed. Remember, the point of the Argument task is not to test your subject knowledge. Rather, the point is to test your ability to analyze an argument.
So, what is important is the evidence presented, assumptions made, and conclusions drawn in the statement.
GRE Argument topic categories include science and the environment, local government and municipal issues, business, and education.
You may be surprised to learn that ETS (the GRE test-maker) publishes a list of the GRE essay topics for each essay type. These lists feature actual GRE essay prompts. You can view Issue topics here and Argument topics here .
Keep in mind that the wording you see in those essay prompts may vary slightly on your actual exam. So, attempting to memorize the prompts is not a good use of your time, since you’ll need to read each prompt carefully on test day regardless. Moreover, memorizing prompts is not at all practical; as you’ll see, there are many, many different essay prompts!
Nonetheless, reading through some of the published prompts is useful for getting a feel for how GRE essay prompts are worded and the topics they cover. Plus, it’s a good idea to practice writing essay responses to a couple of prompts of each type during your Analytical Writing preparation.
Practice writing essay responses to a couple of prompts from each topic pool during your Analytical Writing preparation.
So, let’s look at an example of an essay prompt from each of the topic pools.
Examples of GRE Writing Prompts
To get a feel for what to expect in the Analytical Writing section, let’s review some examples of GRE Argument essay and GRE Issue essay prompts from the ETS topic pools. We’ll start with the Issue essay.
GRE Issue Essay Prompt Examples
The question below is taken from ETS’s published Pool of Issue Topics linked above.
Some people believe that the purpose of education is to free the mind and the spirit. Others believe that formal education tends to restrain our minds and spirits rather than set them free.
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.
Notice the format of the question: first, an opinion is presented. Below that opinion, we see a few italicized lines of instructions on how to respond to the presented opinion. This is the standard format of Issue essay prompts.
Notice also that, while we can say that the topic of the prompt is “education,” a test-taker does not need any particular knowledge of education practices or policies in order to write an effective response.
In other words, any person of any background can form an opinion about the “purpose of education” without having specialized knowledge or training.
Let’s look at another example from the Issue pool.
Leaders are created by the demands that are placed on them.
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.
Notice that the language in the instructions in the prompt above is similar in some ways to that in the first prompt, though not exactly the same. If you scan the topic pool, you will notice some common language among many of the prompts.
However, there are several variations of instructions that could appear in Issue prompts. So, it’s imperative that you always read the instructions in a prompt very carefully. It would be a mistake to skim or read only part way through a prompt because you recognize the wording, and thus assume you know what the instructions are asking you to do.
Always read through the entirety of the instructions in a GRE essay prompt, even if the instructions look similar to ones you’ve seen before!
Now, let’s look at an example of an Argument essay prompt.
GRE Argument Essay Prompt Example
The question below is taken from ETS’s published Pool of Argument Topics linked earlier in this article.
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 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.
Notice that the Argument prompt follows the same basic format as an Issue prompt. A statement is presented first — in this case, a statement in the form of an argument — and instructions on how to respond follow the statement.
In this particular question, we see a sentence at the beginning, before the quoted material, giving some context about where the quoted statement appeared. Some, but not all, Argument prompts follow this format, quoting material from another source such as an article, community newsletter, or company memorandum. Other prompts may simply present an argument in paragraph form that is not quoted material from another source.
Importantly, we should also notice that, although the argument relates to the topic of “anthropology,” you don’t need to have ever taken an anthropology class in your life to be able to understand and analyze the presented argument.
In this case, the instructions focus on analyzing the assumptions made in the argument and the effects of those assumptions on the argument’s validity. Again, this is just one variety of the Argument instructions you could see on any given GRE. Other prompts may ask you to, for example, discuss evidence that would strengthen or weaken an argument, or discuss questions that would need to be answered in order to determine whether a conclusion reached in an argument is sound.
Some Argument prompts ask you to analyze assumptions in an argument, whereas others ask you to strengthen or weaken an argument, or pose questions about its conclusion.
- The first section you’ll see on the GRE is Analytical Writing.
- For Analytical Writing, you must write 2 essays: “Analyze an Issue” and “Analyze an Argument.” You have 30 minutes to complete each essay.
- Your essays should demonstrate critical thinking and reasoning skills and an ability to communicate your ideas clearly and effectively, as well as basic English grammar and spelling skills.
- The GRE Issue essay presents a 1-2 sentence opinion that you must respond to. Whether your response agrees or disagrees with the presented opinion does not affect your essay score.
- The GRE Argument essay presents a short passage making an argument that you must analyze and respond to. Your response may need to focus on analyzing the argument’s assumptions, strengthening or weakening the argument, evaluating evidence within the argument, and/or analyzing the validity of the argument’s conclusion.
- You do not need specialized subject knowledge to effectively respond to GRE essay prompts.
- You should review and practice with some of the prompts published in ETS’s essay topic pools. However, it is not a good use of time to attempt to memorize the prompts.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Let’s answer a few common questions about GRE Analytical Writing, starting with whether you can skip the Writing section on your exam.
For the vast majority of GRE test-takers, the answer to this question will be NO. Most graduate schools want applicants submitting GRE scores to have taken the entire GRE, not just parts of it.
So, unless you’ve confirmed that your desired programs don’t consider Writing scores, you should absolutely complete the Analytical Writing section.
For more on this topic, check out our article on the importance of the Analytical Writing score .
A 4.0 is currently a 54th percentile score in GRE Analytical Writing. Note that the mean GRE writing score is currently 3.60. So, a 4.0 is slightly better than average. And, generally speaking, schools consider 4.0 a “good” score , though of course each program will have its own standards.
In any case, considering that nearly half of all people who take the GRE are able to score 4.0 or higher on Analytical Writing, I’d say that it isn’t particularly hard to earn that score.
Of course, if you don’t do any Analytical Writing preparation or go into your exam without essay strategies in place, scoring 4.0 could be quite hard. So, the answer to whether any particular score on the GRE is “hard” to earn will always be somewhat relative.
There is no minimum or maximum word count required for GRE essays. So, conceivably, you could write high-scoring essays that are 350 words each — or 600 words each. There is no magic number.
That said, in order to effectively develop and support your ideas in a well-organized essay, you’ll need an intro and a conclusion paragraph, plus 2 or 3 paragraphs in between to present and elaborate on your main points. So, we’re looking at a 4-5 paragraph essay.
Now, each paragraph does not have to be overly long; good GRE essays should certainly prioritize quality over quantity. But, in many cases, you may find that 400 words is not quite enough to properly respond to a GRE essay prompt.
Think about it: a 4-paragraph essay (the minimum you’ll need) that is 500 words is only 125 words per paragraph. Those aren’t very long paragraphs!
So, shoot for quality over quantity, but realize that in general, you may need more like 500-600 words to write a cohesive and complete GRE essay.
Check out these facts vs. myths about the GRE Verbal section and these GRE Verbal practice questions .
You also may be interested in these strategies for combating boredom in Reading Comprehension .
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Marty Murray
Marty Murray is the Chief Curriculum and Content Architect for Target Test Prep. A test prep veteran who has scored in the 99th percentile on multiple high stakes standardized tests, Marty is known worldwide for his understanding of effective test preparation. At Target Test Prep, Marty has helped thousands of people to achieve their score goals by creating insightful course content and challenging practice questions designed to help people learn just what they need to know to master tests such as the GRE.
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200+ Argumentative Essay Topics That Will Blow Your Mind
Updated 28 Oct 2022
Argumentative essays are very popular projects in universities, especially in classes such as English composition, history, and political science, etc. Professors like to assign them because they want to see how well you can reason and support an argument. This article will not only show you how to choose argumentative essay topics, but it will also teach you how to write the project, as well!
List of Controversial Argumentative Essay Topics
What are the most controversial topics?
Controversial topics are often the result of such issues as conflicting ethical principles (e.g., euthanasia), going against traditional values (e.g., LGBT rights, gender roles), addressing societal taboos, focusing on delicate or painful issues/collective memories, or the existence of polarized groups in society having different beliefs/stances (e.g., religious groups, atheists, gun ownership supporters). Here are some possible topics for hardworking students who want to achieve the best grades:
Argumentative Essay Topics for College
Argumentative essay writing is a crucial skill for every student. As a college student, you need to find a “controversial” or “gray-area” topic to argue against or for. Your argumentative essay should include deeply researched facts that will support your claims.
- What is the ideal age for obtaining the right to vote?
- Are mobile phones really making people anti-social?
- Why technology-aided learning should be a standard.
- Is socialism bad or have we never implemented it right?
- Equal opportunity or equity: Which one and why?
- Reasons why the modern political structure is ready for a change.
- Money won’t give you happiness in life.
- We are living in the best era so far.
- The ruling elite should be held accountable in greater measure.
Essay Examples Relevant to Argumentative Topics for College
- Mobile Phone
Argumentative Essay Topics for High School
- Are digital technologies a good thing for children?
- Is celebrity culture good or bad & why?
- Is there really a wage gap between men and women?
- Should countries get involved in military conflicts around the world?
- Is global warming really an issue & how?
- What are the effects of sexual education on students?
- Is migration good for the US and in what way?
- Should citizens have the right to own guns?
- Should sexual minorities have their own public bathrooms?
- Is traditional public education outdated and ready for an overhaul?
Essay Examples Relevant to Argumentative Topics for High School
- High School
- Children and Technology
- Gender Wage Gap
- Gun Control
Argumentative Essay Topics about Family
The family is the fundamental unit of society, with direct links to the individual. It influences/dictates many other higher level social processes/structures/hierarchies. Hence, its role for the individual and collective existence of humans is simply monumental. This makes it a topic worth researching and exploring from a sociological, cultural, and psychological perspective.
Moreover, given the current cultural transitions characterizing liberal societies, traditional values on the nature of the family unit have seen a dramatic shift due to a change in gender roles and the recognition of LGBT rights. Thus, families nowadays are facing existential questions; many of the aspects we grew accustomed to are being redefined (e.g., same-sex marriages and parents). Here is a short list of argumentative essay topics related to family:
- Should homosexual partners be allowed to adopt children?
- It is ok for a parent to physically discipline his child?
- Should mothers stay at home and look after children, or should they work like their husbands?
- Are children better off in two-parent households?
- Should someone who has been convicted of a sex crime be allowed to visit his own children?
- Should children be forcibly taken from their parents if the state feels that the parents are incompetent?
- What are the advantages and benefits of reading to children?
- Do you believe that same-sex couples make better or worse parents?
- What positive and negative long-term effects can corporal punishment have on children?
- Should families have a television in the house or not?
Essay Examples Relevant to Family
- Same-sex Marriage
- Single Parenting
- Parent-child Relationship
Society Essay Topics
We are all defined by the society we live in. Whether we are aware of this or not, our culture slowly carves our personalities as we grow up, mature, and age. This influence is exerted through the families who raise us, our friends or romantic partners, our teachers/professors and academic colleagues, our professional contacts, the churches we attend, and any other person we interact with on the street, on the phone, online, etc. One of the fundamental principles by which society functions states, “My liberty ends where your liberty begins.”
While this depicts the general spirit, every individual situation/social relationship is characterized by peculiar circumstances that all need to be considered in order to reach a mutually satisfying solution (or at least a compromise). Societies worldwide are undergoing serious changes nowadays, changes which also need to be addressed. Below is a selection of argumentative essay topics related to society:
- Should abortion be legal or illegal?
- Do you believe that a person who is terminally ill has a right to assisted suicide?
- Should private businesses be allowed to discriminate against their clients based on race, gender, or sexual orientation?
- What should countries do to address the problem of illegal immigration?
- Should the Church play a more active role in government and society?
- Is the death penalty an effective deterrent to criminals?
- Should countries have a social safety net that protects the needy and the disadvantaged?
- Do you think that those receiving welfare payments should be required to actively seek work?
- What positive and negative effects does globalization have on societies?
- Does diversity in the workplace increase or decrease tension?
Essay Examples Relevant to Society
- Discrimination and Prejudice
- Illegal Immigration
- Globalization
Argumentative Essay Topics on Immigration
Immigration is a controversial topic that has been discussed often over the past decade, which makes it perfect for an argumentative essay. It allows you to give strong reasons behind supporting, rejecting, or changing how immigration is handled.
- How opening all the borders in the world will cause chaos.
- Situations in which illegal immigration should be justified.
- How do countries benefit from immigration?
- Why stopping wars is the best way to prevent immigration.
- Reasons why people want to emigrate to another country.
- Will building walls stop illegal immigration?
- Should refugees running away from conflict be seen as illegals?
- Why are there so many people against immigration?
- What are the effects of immigration on the economy?
- Should governments increase screening of immigrants from the Middle East?
Essay Examples Relevant to Immigration
- Immigration
- Immigration Reform
Law Topic Ideas
To manage the complexity of interactions that occur daily within society (involving individuals or groups of people, ranging from property owners to employers and employees to commercial entities to criminals to foreigners, etc.), a clear and transparent set of rules must be implemented. This is a fundamental prerequisite of every society, even from ancient times.
Writing legislation, however, is an ongoing process; and given the speed with which new technologies appear nowadays and the shifts in mentality we undergo on a regular basis, adopting laws to help manage any problem that may emerge is quite a challenge. In fact, adopting a law might solve one problem but create others, so oftentimes, it is a cycle of trial and error.
- Should federal bureaucracies be allowed to pass regulations that have the same weight as laws passed by legislative bodies?
- Would Great Britain be better off if the House of Lords had veto power over the House of Commons?
- Should judges make their rulings based on the wording of the law, or should they make rulings that benefit society?
- Do you believe that states should be able to nullify federal law and rulings made by the Supreme Court if they believe such laws and rulings violate their rights as sovereign republics in the Union?
- Does the Second Amendment allow for ordinary citizens to own firearms, or does it only relegate these rights to militias?
- Does the Supreme Court of the United States have too much power over the other branches of government?
- Should birthright citizenship be abolished by Congress?
- Is it a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment for states to deny the franchise to criminals?
- Is it a violation of the Fourth Amendment for the NSA to collect meta data?
- Should prosecuting a child as an adult be considered by the Supreme Court to be a violation of the Eighth Amendment?
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Essay Examples Relevant to Law
Ethics argumentative essay topics.
Ethics deals with the challenge of making the right decisions from the standpoint of moral values. Oftentimes, it is involved when discussing conflicting subjects – those in which, at first sight, both conflicting positions seem to have valid reasoning and appear to be driven by high moral principles.
By delving deeper into these problems, it is often possible to see additional layers, to learn about specific circumstances, and typical case scenarios and also to dissect problems and reflect both on their causes and potential solutions. Here are a few argumentative essay topics on some ethically controversial issues:
- Do you believe that a priest or psychologist ought to be required by law to share the contents of their conversations with parishioners and patients with the police?
- Is it ethical for a doctor to deny treatment to a patient who cannot afford an operation?
- Is it right for a college to have racial quotas that benefit minorities while denying entrance to academically gifted white and Asian students?
- Should someone be allowed to use a gun to defend his home from an intruder?
- Should the First Amendment protect speech that might be considered offensive by some?
- Is it ethical to require sex offenders to have their names listed on registries visible to the public?
- Is it morally acceptable to offer a white lie to someone when the truth might hurt their feelings?
- Should prostitution be a legal career?
- Do you think that drug use should be legalized?
- Should hunting be considered cruelty to animals?
Essay Examples Relevant to Ethics
- Medical Ethics
History Argumentative Essay Topics
History can be viewed as the collective memory of humankind. It typically records significant or remarkable events affecting many people or signifying important societal, cultural, or economic changes or transitions. The chief practical motivation for learning history is to avoid repeating past human errors. History also has great intrinsic value since it describes our evolution from hunter-gatherers to individuals living in extremely sophisticated societies.
Some major events on this road include the creation of laws and the rise of capitalism, money, state institutions, constitutions, and the idea of separation of powers in a state. Many recent historical events help us understand current relationships and processes occurring between countries and within societies. Check out the following topics:
- Was colonialism beneficial to the Third World, or was it harmful?
- Was Adolf Hitler right to demand that territory formerly belonging to Germany be returned to it?
- Should President Abraham Lincoln have allowed the Southern states to leave the Union peacefully?
- Do you believe that the United States was justified in expelling the Native Americans from regions inhabited by white settlers?
- Was the Soviet Union justified in occupying Eastern Europe at the end of the Second World War?
- What were the causes of the US-Mexican War, and what effects does it have on the world today?
- What were the primary causes of the Indo-Pak Wars following the dissolution of British India?
- Was Reconstruction of the American South following the American Civil War a success or a failure?
- Why was Prussia successful in unifying Germany into a single nation?
- What effect did the invention of the cotton gin have on American agriculture?
Essay Examples Relevant to History
- Colonialism
Conflict Essay Topics
The majority of conflict essay topics are dealing with challenging subjects like armed conflicts, crises, workplace issues, student debts, bullying, and more. The purpose is to identify a conflict, turn to an existing case study, and provide sources that will support an argument. Here are some conflict essay ideas that you should consider:
- The religious constituent of conflict between Israel and Palestine.
- The role of mediation in multicultural conflicts.
- Parents and teens conflict: psychology vs physiology.
- How do NGOs impact the human rights of females in India?
- Covid-19 and Alitalia workplace conflict.
- Konrad Lorenz and his theory of violence and conflict.
- Peaceful conflict resolution: Gandhi vs Tolstoy.
- Johan Galtung and Norwegian approach to world conflicts.
- Social media conflicts: where do we cross the line?
- An ethical side of religious conflicts and politics.
Essay Examples Relevant to Conflict
- Arab-Israeli Conflict
- Conflict Resolution
Argumentative Essay Topics on Health
Health topics can be very broad in their scope, ranging from a discussion of various medical conditions to arguing in favor of new treatment approaches; revealing new evidence regarding the causes of certain diseases (e.g., allergies); problems faced by the healthcare system and ways to best address them; various medical practices; the influence of modern lifestyle on our health; myths about a healthy lifestyle (and their debunking); and problems with untrustworthy medically related information on the web and how to address said problem.
- Do you believe that healthcare should be free for all?
- Should prisoners in the United States have the same access to healthcare as do free persons?
- Is it ethical to perform medical experiments on animals?
- Should medical knowledge gained from experiments performed on people in Nazi concentration camps be used today?
- Is it better to have a private or public healthcare system?
- How should the United States cope with an increasingly aging population?
- Should people with sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV/AIDs, be forcibly quarantined?
- Is drug and alcohol addiction a disease?
- Should military service members be allowed to sue military doctors for medical malpractice?
- How are 21st century social conditions affecting people’s health?
- Reasons why child vaccination is mandatory in some countries.
- Objective facts that show how cosmetic surgery is dangerous.
- Medical drugs should be cheaper and available to everyone.
- How to recognize unfactual medical advice that can be encountered online?
Essay Examples Relevant to Health
- Health Care
- Universal Health Care
- Vaccination
- Drug Addiction
Psychology Argumentative Topics Ideas
As a psychology student, you need to find interesting topics that are relevant to the field of psychology. Students need to use their knowledge, research, and analytic skills to write essays with reliable information that supports their claims.
- Why is love often the topic of music lyrics?
- How marketing subconsciously affects our minds.
- Main reasons why kids learn to play instruments faster.
- How emotions affect our actions and behaviour.
- How is cyberbullying harmful to personal development?
- How music rewires our brains and affects our development.
- Why modern people need to prepare themselves for parenthood.
- Why is a sense of humour different depending on the culture?
- How bad experiences can lead to nightmares.
- How social media creates bad values with children.
Essay Examples Relevant to Psychology
- Emotions & Feelings
- Cyber Bullying
Argumentative Essay Topics on Education
Education is vital in the shaping of our future. The current generation of students will one day be in positions of power and manage the future of our society. Accordingly, we should attend to the needs of the current generation and ensure their harmonious and qualitative intellectual, moral, and physical development. We should also help them not only to adapt to the requirements of these times but also to have the skills, wisdom, and determination necessary to progress in the right direction (addressing current global problems).
Here is a list of topics:
- Should children with special needs be taught separately from normal children?
- Should standardized test scores be used to determine whether or not a student graduates?
- Do you believe that Common Core will benefit the American education system?
- Should the curriculum in public schools be determined by local communities or by the state?
- Which system is better: teacher-centered or student-centered education?
- Should schools include athletics as part of school life, or should school be solely for academic purposes?
- What are the benefits and drawbacks of a classical education?
- Compare and contrast learning methodologies of the 19th and 20th centuries.
- How can parents facilitate learning in the classroom?
- Should teachers be friends with their students?
- Should middle-school students choose their subjects?
- How to balance free speech and regulations on campus.
- How the COVID-19 pandemic made distance learning mainstream.
- Why are younger generations ready to switch to online learning?
Essay Examples Relevant to Education
- Special Education
- Standardized Testing
Topics on Foreign Policy
The topics below address international diplomacy, discussing such issues as armed conflicts, frozen conflicts, commercial treaties and commercial wars, military alliances or cooperation, weapons commerce, peace-keeping operations, and traditional and emerging ties between countries.
The foreign policy of a country is often determined by politics, national interests, economic circumstances, social issues (e.g., low tolerance against immigrants), values, and traditions as well as any history of diplomatic ties. Feel free to check the options below for inspiration:
- Should the United States engage in rapprochement with Russia?
- Do you believe that the European Union is beneficial to Europe?
- Is it a good policy for the EU and NATO to expand in Eastern Europe?
- Should the United States guarantee the security of South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan against China, Russia, and North Korea?
- Is Great Britain justified in leaving the European Union?
- What should Ukraine’s foreign policy be as a result of American and Russian interference in her domestic affairs?
- Should South and North Korea unify, or should they remain separate countries?
- What foreign policy objectives should the Biden administration pursue?
- How can Russia and the United States achieve a lasting peace in Syria that is beneficial to both nations and Syria?
- How has terrorism affected the foreign policies of the United States and Russia?
Save your time with free essay samples on Terrorism
Economics argumentative essay topics.
A strong economy is essential for the well-being of a nation since it serves as the engine for individual prosperity, infrastructure projects benefiting millions, well-financed medicine, education, and the military—which, in turn, is the guarantor of national safety.
Argumentative essay topics related to the economy may deal with policies regarding economic development (tax cuts versus increased taxation for big corporations/small and medium enterprises; protectionism versus joining free-trade treaties), socio-economic doctrine (socialism/communism/capitalism), the investigation of reasons behind economic crises, indices of a strong economy, and how to solve economic problems in developing countries.
- Should developed nations adopt socialism?
- Which economic system is better for society: capitalism or socialism?
- What are some of the reasons why communism failed in the Soviet Union?
- Is buying shares speculation or is it investing?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of an economy oriented towards exporting commodities?
- What were the causes of the recession of 2008, and how might such an economic downturn be avoided in the future?
- Did President Roosevelt’s New Deal policies help to end the Great Depression, or did they protract America’s economic woes?
- What economic policies should Third World countries adopt to improve their global status?
- Should countries adopt protectionist or free-trade policies?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages to being in a customs union?
Essay Examples Relevant to Economics
- The New Deal
Military Science Topic Ideas
According to a popular saying, “if you don’t want to feed your own army, be prepared to feed the enemy’s army” – this summarizes the role played by the military for any given nation. While, according to the statistics of the last decades, we seem to be moving away from wars, these still occur and given the weaponry of today, they can be very destructive.
Nowadays, military science is not only concentrated on the use of strategies and tactical maneuvers but also on the mastery of a number of advanced technologies (nuclear weapons, drones, AI-powered devices, lasers, satellites).
- Can wars be won solely by strategic bombing, or are ground forces necessary to achieve victory?
- Can mechanized units be used to take urban areas, or is light infantry, supported by artillery and aircraft, better suited for this role?
- When waging a counterinsurgency in another country, should reprisals be taken against civilians in order to deter them from aiding the opposition force?
- Is it morally acceptable to use chemical and biological munitions as area denial weapons?
- What role did sea power play in the emergence of Great Britain as the premier superpower of the 19th century?
- Why, despite arguably having the best army in the world, did Germany still lose the Second World War?
- In a total war, where the objective is to replace the enemy’s government and completely occupy his country, do the means justify the ends?
- Are aircraft carriers still useful on the modern battlefield, or have they been rendered obsolete by recent developments in air and submarine warfare?
- Should the United States military seek to weaponize space?
- Can artificial intelligence and machines replace soldiers on the battlefield?
Essay Examples Relevant to Military
- Artificial Intelligence
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Sports Argumentative Essay Topics
Are you a sports fan? Even if you are not, you can still pick relevant and interesting subjects to discuss and explore in your upcoming assignment. First, you will have to choose your position and make sure you have a clear idea of your thesis statement. Then, you will have to come up with relevant evidence to support both sides of the argument. Check this list of controversial essay topics in relation to sports:
- Stereotyping for college athletes: Is playing sports going to affect your academic level?
- Cheerleading is a real sport: Are cheerleaders shamed for what they like to do the most?
- Colleges spend too much money on sports programs.
- Animal sports should be banned and criminalized.
- The types of ads broadcast during sports events watched by children and teenagers should be controlled.
- Betting on all kinds of sports contradicts with the main purpose of practicing them.
- Male and female athletes should be given the same salaries and chances.
- Chess is a real sport that trains the most important organ in the body: the brain.
- Is American football too dangerous for players?
- Do elite athletes really deserve their enormous income?
Essay Examples Relevant to Sports
- Paying College Athletes
- Women in Sports
6th-Grade Argumentative Essay Topic Ideas
For a middle-school student, picking the right topic for your upcoming essay can be a real challenge. Although you might think that you are better off when your teacher assigns the topic, it can be fun to make the choice on your own. Here are some topics that are appropriate for hardworking students who want to achieve the best grades.
- Should education be free for everyone?
- Why are children becoming more obese?
- Current academic grading system: Is it fair?
- What are the negative effects of following a nutritional diet?
- Getting enough sleep: Is it receiving enough attention?
- Should children and teens be playing dangerous sports?
- Should violent video games be prohibited by law?
- What is the effect of mobile phones on children and teens?
- Parents should have no control over the lives of their children once they turn 16.
- Are children and teens doing what they have to do to overcome globalization?
Essay Examples Relevant to 6th-Grade
- Middle School
- Childhood Obesity
- Violence in Video Games
8th-Grade Argumentative Essay Topic Ideas
- Smokers should avoid smoking when non-smokers are nearby.
- Why taking care of your diet is important.
- What makes pop culture so appealing to the younger population?
- How is reality tv actually different from reality?
- Why people in important positions make more money.
- Why teachers shouldn’t add students on social media.
- Why everyone should have access to the internet.
- How the environment affects our growth as a person.
- Differences in social pressure girls and boys face.
Essay Examples Relevant to 8th-Grade
- Pop Culture
- Peer Pressure
Argumentative Essay Topics on Technology
Technology plays a crucial part in our lives, and this role keeps on growing every single day. Our technological breakthrough is currently improving the quality of life for millions of people, but it is also changing life as we know it. Here are some controversial topics to write about:
- Is technology turning us into present-day zombies?
- Is technology making people feel lonely?
- Online dating: Is it replacing the real thing?
- Is technology limiting creativity in young people?
- Do you think that humanity will reach a point where there is no chance for any technological advancement?
- Spending money on exploring space: the cost and the benefits.
- The effect of technology on education.
- Is technology making people smarter or dumber?
- Can technology be used to treat human problems related to feelings?
- Should cloning be allowed or banned?
Essay Examples Relevant to Technology
- Impact of Technology
Social Media Argumentative Topics
The rise in popularity of different social media platforms has caused a lot of changes across the globe. For starters, memes and trends spread too fast that one single meme can be viewed and shared by millions of people in one hour. Privacy, safety, and social responsibility are becoming extremely important as more people are relying on social media to communicate, study, work, and affect the lives of others.
- What is the right age to allow children to have their own private social media accounts?
- Does spending too much time on social media ruin family and personal relationships?
- Social media pranks and challenges: Are they really dangerous?
- Social media platforms can change someone’s point of view and bias.
- Should social media platforms be monitored and controlled?
- Are funny memes ethical?
- Reporting offensive social media content: Is it really worth it?
- International trends and how they affect the way we behave.
- Are YouTubers responsible for comments their fans publish on their posts?
- Making money off social media.
Essay Examples Relevant to Social Media
- Social Media
- Effects of Social Media
Funny Argumentative Essay Topics
Who said that education shouldn’t be fun? Picking the right funny topics will spice up the atmosphere in class and stir up a few laughs. Here are some ideas to think about before you decide on the topic of your next paper.
- Why do people like to watch funny cat videos?
- The reason why more people are interested in watching funny pranks.
- Our world would be different if dogs ruled it.
- Why are clowns frightening?
- Pretending that you are actually working: Is it good or bad?
- Teenagers have the worst pay for the worst jobs.
- Reasons to love and hate your last name.
- How to get rejected on a date.
- Annoying your parents: Is it worth it?
- Telling lies and getting away with them.
Essay Examples Relevant to Funny Argumentative Topics
Rogerian argument essay topics.
When a college professor asks you to come up with a Rogerian argument essay, it means that you should provide an essay with argumentation where both sides win. It may seem quite complex as it takes a great share of analysis, persuasion, debates, and study of the counter-arguments that are often contradictory or go against the most common logic. The solution is to choose a Rogerian argument where your audience should see at least two examples of an issue or the same idea like it has been done below:
- Should Bitcoin be made a fully legal currency as a way to maintain the world's economy?
- Should more skilled people be provided with better job positions?
- Are current school examination systems fair to determine a child's success?
- Should college athletes be paid more because they represent an educational institution?
- Is Internet censorship an advantage since it provides control?
- Marketing on children's television: is it a correct or a totally wrong approach?
- Should school uniforms be permitted as a way to achieve equality?
- Does automation help us as we become fully dependent on technology?
- Is punishment of children a way to bring up well-behaved personalities?
- Should boarding schools still exist as a way to let students communicate and live in a restricted learning environment?
Essay Examples Relevant to Rogerian Argument
- Rogerian Argument
- Internet Privacy
- School Uniform
- Corporal Punishment
These lists provide amazing ideas that you can use in your upcoming assignment. Browse them and make sure you choose a relevant topic to discuss in your writing.
What are good topics for college essays?
Good college essays may explore problems or challenges faced by students or youth, career choices, educational opportunities, and inspiring people; they may also address global or local challenges faced by the current generation of students, the dangers and potential they will be exposed to, and the change they need to bring to this world.
These topics can also serve as very good argumentative speech topics, too!
The Principles of Formatting Academic Papers
Academic papers are normally required to abide by a specific formatting style that is characteristic to the field (APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, etc.). This preference for a given formatting style is primarily dictated by the nature of the content and the type of in-text citations, bibliography, and formatting of the page header and/or footer that works best with such content.
MLA uses the author-page number format for in-text citations and lists the first names of the authors in the bibliography section. This is better suited for precisely referencing information in humanitarian subjects, characterized by long works written by one or few authors.
In contrast, APA uses an author-year format and is thus better suited for sciences. Mentioning the year as part of in-text citations makes it easy to visualize the chronology of the research cited in the paper. At the same time, APA collapses first names in the bibliography section to initials, which is very handy when the number of authors involved is large, a frequent scenario in scientific publications. Finally, providing page numbers, in this case, makes less sense given that scientific publications are typically short and often published in online documents without explicit numbering.
To take a shortcut and save lots of time, you could download and use templates for the appropriate formatting styles. The most basic elements required by a given format would be accounted for in these templates: margins, font size, page headers, indentation, first level and second level headings, the format of bibliography sources, page numbering, footnotes and endnotes, title pages, etc. It’s often a good idea to check an essay format example before you start working on your own.
How to Prepare Your Essay
There are multiple steps you should take in order to write an essay of excellent quality:
- Research your argumentative essay ideas
Whatever topic you choose, you are going to have to do some reading up on it because chances are that you don’t know as much about the subject as you think you do.
The best research strategy is to find five reputable sources that support your argumentative essay ideas and read each of them while taking down notes on the sections you find relevant. For each source you use, write down the title of the book, the name of the author, and the publishing information as well as the page numbers where you took the information. This will come in handy when you put together your bibliography.
- Brainstorming
To organize your thoughts, you should engage in a brainstorming exercise called pre-writing. Get out a piece of paper and a pen and start scribbling down every thought related to your project. Go through this list you’ve created and eliminate any idea that you believe won’t help you while keeping those you can use. Eventually, you will have a list of words and sentences that you can use to formulate the text of your essay.
Outlining is the process where you organize your text before you begin writing. On a blank piece of paper, write your thesis statement down; underneath it, write short sentences that summarize what you want to say for each paragraph in your main body. For your conclusion, write a short sentence in plain language that restates your argument, demands a call-to-action, or leaves a warning. When you have a completed argumentative essay outline , you will have a step-by-step guide that you can follow.
Once you begin writing your argumentative research paper topic or social issues essay topic , follow the structure you wrote down as best as you can—but at the same time, don’t be a slave to it. You are the master of your work, and if you believe that you should try something different in your paper than what you have written in your outline, by all means, do it.
Do not do all of your writing on the same day. Work on your project a little bit at a time so you don’t have to cram to get everything done at the last minute. If you have to write your entire essay in one day, do your best to give yourself breaks so you don’t burn out.
- Proofreading
When you are done with your essay, check it not only for grammatical errors but also for logical fallacies as well. Useful note: aside from buying college essays , you can also contact an editing service. Alternatively, consider showing the final version of the essay to a family member or friend.
To sum up, when writing your argumentative essay, you should follow these guidelines: identify reliable sources addressing the topic and write down all relevant bibliographic details to identify the sources later; research your question, search for evidence supporting your arguments and refuting or supporting your counterarguments; take notes throughout the process; brainstorm ideas to be included in the paper; outline the structure of the essay; do the writing, and proofread the final product.
Every professor pays attention to the structure of the submitted essay, especially the argumentative one. This is why you should master it and be confident while writing. Here is a basic argumentative essay structure for you to follow:
- Introduction
The introduction is where you introduce your topic to the reader. Here you should write your thesis statement, a one- to two-sentence statement that summarizes the position you will take in your essay. Be logical. Narrow down your thoughts and be straightforward. Your thesis statement is the most important part of your essay as it shows your position regarding the topic. Demonstrate your attitude towards the topic and support it with arguments in the body paragraphs.
Here you must present valid evidence to support whatever claim you made in your thesis statement. Place this information in the body of your composition in a manner that seems logical to you. Make sure you present your supporting facts in a way your audience can understand. Start every paragraph with a topic sentence that supports the thesis. Continue with the evidence you found in outside sources. You can provide a direct quotation or paraphrase. Remember to cite it properly in order to avoid any plagiarism accusations. Later on, interpret this piece of evidence; show how you understand it and how it relates to the topic. Finish the paragraph with a concluding sentence, providing a short summary of the paragraph along with a transition to the next passage of the essay.
After presenting the evidence for your argumentative essay topic and backing up your claims, you must then refute opposing arguments. Use evidence such as statistics and expert opinion that contradicts and disproves the position of your opponent. Do not be afraid that it will worsen your own position regarding the chosen topic. On the contrary, it will help you demonstrate your ability to contradict your opponents’ arguments and stick to your opinion.
Once you have presented your evidence and have refuted the positions of your opponents, it is time to write your conclusion. You can do several things with your conclusion. You can restate your argument, which is a very common practice amongst essayists. You might also consider calling on your audience to engage in a specific action or behavior—a call-to-action. Also, you can leave your audience with a warning, telling them that there might be dire consequences if they do not take your arguments seriously.
What are the five parts of an argumentative essay?
A standard argumentative essay consists of five paragraphs: one paragraph containing the thesis (the claim); two paragraphs with supporting arguments/evidence; a paragraph listing potential counterarguments along with their rebuttal; and a paragraph with a persuasive conclusion.
Tips for Choosing Good Argumentative Essay Topics
Which idea should you go for? Theoretically speaking, we could say that the sky's the limit; however, you should follow certain guidelines when deciding your next brilliant writing idea for your upcoming essay or paper.
- It should be interesting:
The idea of your next piece of writing should be subject to debate. In other words, you should be able to do the necessary research to find differing opinions regarding the idea you have chosen. It also should be interesting to you, your professor, and the audience who will most likely read or listen to your essay. It is difficult to write about a topic that you personally find boring or dull. Since you have the opportunity to choose your topic, choose wisely. The more interesting your idea is, the better you will be able to write about it. You should also make sure you have the knowledge needed to work on your writing. Being able to choose your own idea gives you an excellent chance to excel.
- Avoid using pure facts:
An interesting argumentative essay should be controversial. You shouldn’t depend purely on facts because the purpose of your assignment is to express an opinion. Students might be tempted to rely on facts only; but to make a good argument, you should also be able to state what you think. Researching to find appropriate argumentative essay ideas will take some time, but it is totally worth it. You should also do some brainstorming to come up with relevant evidence to include in your paper.
- Your topic shouldn’t be too wide:
When you look for controversial topics, you might be tempted to choose subjects that are way too broad to discuss. This can be a real problem when you are writing because you will get lost or overwhelmed. The more specific your essay or paper is, the better the quality of your writing will be. A very wide topic is going to be confusing for you as well as for your audience.
- You shouldn’t be biased:
There are many issues that may interest you. But when you pick one, make sure you don’t have extremely strong feelings about it. When you are working on the proposal of your writing, try to choose a subject that is not too sensitive and touches you on a personal level. The purpose of your writing is to provide your audience with a persuasive piece of writing. By picking the right subject and working on your thesis statement, your essay will have relevant evidence that makes it worth reading.
- Work on your evidence:
Just because you believe in something doesn’t necessarily mean that it is good enough to be included in your writing. It is crucial to back yourself up with sufficient supportive pieces of evidence to validate your viewpoint. Spend time to do adequate research to provide enough evidence for your opinion and the opposing opinion at the same time. This proves that you have worked hard to support your argument by using reliable information.
- You can take the risk:
Topics for argumentative essays should be special and unique. This is your chance to stand out and pick something that others might have tried to avoid. Don’t be scared to take the risk if it is properly calculated. Common themes are way too boring and will not deliver the message you mean to send to your audience. But if you are going to choose a unique and controversial topic, you should make sure you can provide enough information. Include enough data to argue for both sides of the argument.
Read also: 60 Narrative Essay Topics for Students
Use Our Argumentative Essay Ideas and Tips to Get Higher Grades
With the help of our random essay topics generator and our interesting list of topics, you are guaranteed to get a high grade! But if time is running out and you have better things to do than write boring essays, the professional writers of EduBirdie can provide you with high quality argumentative essay writing help, or they can do your paper for you! Contact our customer service representatives today and get prompt answers to your questions.
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Written by David Kidwell
David is one of those experienced content creators from the United Kingdom who has a high interest in social issues, culture, and entrepreneurship. He always says that reading, blogging, and staying aware of what happens in the world is what makes a person responsible. He likes to learn and share what he knows by making things inspiring and creative enough even for those students who dislike reading.
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GRE Argument Essay Samples: Analytical Writing
Table of Contents
The argument essay for your GRE test is typically in the analytical writing section, which usually comes first. This certainly implies that there is a tad bit more pressure on handling this part. It may, after all, set the precedence on how you handle the subsequent sections. That may not always be the case. However, it is essential to nail down the critical elements of each section, independent of the others. This article seeks explicitly to give you a comprehensive GRE insight into the argument essay, ensuring you have a firm understanding of what it entails in its entirety. Thus, what would also be expected of you.
As you will find out from GRE argument essay samples, these essays are quite different from the conventional essays that you have been writing. Hence, it is essential to first understand the argument essay, in and of itself, before you go ahead and sit for it. Typically, an argument essay in GRE will provide an author’s view about a specific matter. Your task, in this case, is to discuss the logic and credibility behind the author’s argument. This includes identifying and stipulating the line of the thought through which the author arrived at his argument. In this case, you are allowed to demonstrate sections where the author’s argument does not hold up credibly. Whereby you can also include more information to the argument to give it the necessary credibility.
It is prudent always to remember that your point of view is not necessary when it comes to the GRE argument essay. Your aim is simply critiquing what is already providing while evaluating its credibility. This is among the reasons why most students consider the argument essay quite complicated. Granted, having 30 minutes to go through an essay and substantiate whether the argument holds up or does not can be difficult. However, it is not always bleak. There are steps that you can take in the right direction that will guide you through the essay.
GRE Argument Essay Topics: How to Prepare for the Argument Essay
Suffice it to say, you need ample preparation for this essay, and there is no easy way to go about it. It is all about practice. You need to start by taking notes on various topics officially recognized by GRE for the argument essay. Since this is not an exam scenario, you should go ahead and utilize other resources at your disposal.
The practice is what will ultimately set you apart. Therefore, if you are really keen on passing your argument essay, you ought to dedicate your time and effort appropriately. The following guidelines should take you through the preparation process adequately.
- Time yourself when taking the argument essay for the GRE. The only way you can be aptly prepared for the real deal is through practicing under the exam conditions. Ensure that you do not take any longer than the required 30 minutes.
- You should vary the GRE argument essay prompts that you attempt. Pick prompts from different directives to get the scope of each. This way, you will be fully armored for whatever will be coming your way.
- You ought to also exclusively use editing functions that are available on GRE tests. Therefore, make an effort to find an appropriate Word Processor that covers all the necessary elements. Familiarity is essentially what we are trying to build, and this should go a long way in achieving just that.
- Once you are done with the essay, evaluate it through the official GRE criterion. This allows you to assess your strengths and weaknesses in the argument essay promptly. It is all about improvement at this point. Hence, the scores should not particularly matter as long as you see a gradual improvement in relevant areas. Besides, with enough practice, you will witness the improvement yourself.
From the GRE website, you will have access to the updated list of GRE argument essay topics and prompts. On each preparation session, pick at least a prompt from each of the available directives. The first couple of minutes should be spent on intensive brainstorming while taking essential notes at the same time. With each subsequent session you take, you edge farther from getting stuck on the actual test and closer to excelling.
If you find your writing skills inadequate for the GRE essay, you still have the chance to improve. It would be shrewd at this point to look out for a writing-skills book specific for the GRE essays. The book should focus on developing your rhetorical writing skills, proper language use while highlighting related problems to a GRE essay. These basic skills will significantly improve your output.
GRE Argument Essay Template: Argumentative Essay Structure
It is worth having in mind that the argument essay requires quite contrary to the issue essay. With enough practice before sitting for the test, you do not need this reminder. The assumption, at this point, is that you are considerably versed in the argumentative essay . Where you are fully aware of what it entails and, subsequently, what is expected of you.
Looking through our GRE argument essay samples pdf, you will find that your argument essay should ideally consist of 5 paragraphs. We consider this adequate room for you to criticize, improve, and reiterate your analysis of the argument provided. It is utterly critical that your GRE essay always refers back to the direction of the shortcomings of the argument. These references should be specific and direct, with no room for ambiguity. It follows then that all your points should be explicit and clear.
In our GRE argument essay template, this is how we suggest that you develop your argument essay.
- Introduction – This should take up a maximum of 4 sentences. It should clearly demonstrate that you have a decent understanding of the argument. This implies that you should have a clear understanding of the assumptions, supporting evidence, and conclusion of the argument before you start writing. To hit the jackpot, simply reiterate the author’s opinion. In the next sentence, sum up the facts for the author’s conclusion. Lastly, provide your thesis as to why the argument in question is flawed.
- Unsupported assumptions – In the second paragraph, identify the main assumptions that are likely to be false, hence weakening the author’s conclusion. The objective is not to nullify the conclusion but to demonstrate that more in-depth research would have shown the author his argument’s flaws. This can be achieved in 6 sentences.
- Weak evidence – This is the paragraph where you pick out another assumption from the argument and illustrate how a better approach, in terms of reasoning or evidence, weakens the argument. 5 sentences suffice for this paragraph.
- Vague language – This is an optional paragraph where you target the author’s terminology and vagueness at that. Unless you have enough time on your hands, you should not necessarily consider this part.
- Strengthening the argument – This is where you extend an olive branch to the author. Therefore, you should include ideas that you think would enhance the author’s central ideas. Here, you are demonstrating how more evidence could support and defend the author’s argument. Similarly, this should take up about 5 sentences.
- Conclusion – This is where you reiterate the initial thesis and where the author needs to put in more work. The reader should easily identify why and how you found the argument inconclusive. The conclusion is typically short and will only take about 2 sentences.
There are some elements you can look out for to put forward an argument essay that is substantially strong for your GRE test. The first one is spotting the inadequacy in the argument provided. Here, you filter out generalizations that may be false, evidence that is not adequately supported, and statistics that may have been misleading. Secondly, remember that you do not need to address all the assumptions. Pick out about three against which you have enough conviction to mount a solid argument.
Additionally, you should remember to stay away from the first-person narrative. The trick here lies in using the third person and referring to the author openly. Lastly, ensure that your statements are declarative. You want to show the reader that you are confident of the assumptions you have found while making a strong case as to why.
GRE Argument Essay Tips: During the Test
Well, this is what you have been preparing for immensely. As such, you are looking for a sterling grade in the argument essay and subsequently enrolling in your desired graduate school. Hence, it is advisable to ensure that you do not get it remotely wrong in the 30 minutes that make the actual difference. Here are a few GRE argument essay tips that you should have and keep in mind.
- Take your time before you start writing or typing the argument essay. An average of 3 minutes is adequate to run through the ideas, taking notes as they come. Evaluate the ideas and establish the most practical order in which you want to present them.
- Ensure that you consistently support every point that you make. This should either be an astute example or a compelling reason in defense of the point you have stated. This is a cardinal rule for GRE essays.
- You should organize and present your points in such a way that the reader can easily follow your thought process. This is more vital than the ideas you formulate themselves. Here, ensure that you express yourself as clearly and effectively as you possibly can. The paragraphs should have a logical flow and breaks. To achieve a consistent flow, make use of transition words and phrases.
- Despite the introduction and conclusion are optional, you can consider including them if you think that time is on your side. These bookends build on the cohesiveness of the argument essay, just as they show proper organization to the reader.
- For practical reasons, do not dwell on the technicalities of the writing itself; grammatical, syntactical, and typographical errors are not particularly appealing. However, getting hung up on eliminating these might take up a lot of your limited time. Your content is what is paramount to the reader. As long as you have expressed your ideas clearly, they may choose to overlook some of the errors for apparent reasons.
- Go straight to the point. Do not use unnecessary terminologies and vocabulary in an attempt to impress your reader. Well, if you can use it soundly, by all means, go forth. Simply put, elaborate on your own points in your own words.
- Lastly, but certainly not the least, reserve about two minutes to proofread and edit your work accordingly. At this point, you should only be contending with minor corrections and polishing on your argument essay. To be on the safe side, stick to minor revisions as time will probably be running out.
We believe that from this guideline, you have learned more than just how to write GRE argument essay. This guideline has equipped you to handle the imminent argument essay for your GRE tests remarkably. Remember that it is all about repetition. Ergo, practice, practice, practice. At the end of the day, you will savor that excellent score as you finally get to the graduate school that you have always desired. If you have any queries that you would like to be specifically addressed, you can have a look at our argument essay GRE example. Alternatively, and far much better, you can reach out to us. We are committed to helping you all the way. Whether you are looking for GRE argument essay pool answers or GRE sample argument essay responses, we have you well-covered.
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Argumentative Essay Topics
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Tips to choose winning argumentative topics
Top-rated argumentative essay topics, best topics for beginner students, argumentative essay topics for college students, all-time winning argumentative topics, polemical topics, social media.
- Essay topics for 5-6 grade students
Funny essay topics
Art, music and cinema, how to choose a winning argumentative essay topic, contents of your argumentative essay, essay structure.
Those who take English language courses know that they are usually assigned with lots of written tasks. The best way to get a good mark and impress your teacher is to choose one of the argumentative essay topics for your assignment. What are they? These are winning topics where you describe the pros and cons of you’re the subject and encourage the reader to express their opinion on it. this is how your teachers wants to see your skills of discussing and proving your point of view.
Once you enter a higher education institution you realize that this is another level, and the assignments are far more difficult. And essay topics get more complicated .
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In most cases the topics are offered by the teacher/professor, but there are cases when a student is able to choose the topic themselves.
To compose a winning argumentative essay a student would need to apply three skills:
- Reading and writing
- Making analyses
Let’s be fair, not every student has time or excellent skills for such written tasks. However, they have to be done as a part of your course. In this case the best option is to turn for professional help. There are serviced that are ready to help those students in need of assistance.
Of course, it is so much better when a student is given a freedom to choose the topic of their essay . In this case they are able to select the subject they are interested in. When students are writing their argumentative essays that have to find, read and analyze lots of material to perform good. The following sources of information should be used:
- Published textbooks and journals
- Video materials
- Mass media sources
- Legislative acts.
If you decide to write your essay, keep in mind to add quotations from your sources into the essay text. This will show that you are able to analyze and choose the necessary information from the source text, that you have a clue about the issue you are writing; and this will increase the quality of your essay.
Also, pay attention to the right formatting of your text. This is something teachers pay a lot of attention to.
If you feel that you will not be able to complete your essay by the deadline, you do not understand much about the essay subject or you simply do not like this kind of assignments, you should turn to professional writers for help. They know how to make your essay a winning one.
We have selected the most wining yet simple topics for your future essays.
- How complex is education system in the US
- Increasing number of obese people in the US
- How free access to Internet threats education
- Why freedom of choice for military service is so important
- They should take into account students’ interests when making curriculum
- How do you benefit from having university degree
- Most demanded languages in the modern world
- How simple it is to study Spanish
- Is it worth studying MBA
- Is nowadays educational system too commercialized?
- How important are the results of Michigan, SAT, and ACT
- Positive and negative effect of steroids
- PE in curriculum
- What are pros and cons of NCAA
- Top sport achievements
- Did Mike Tyson keep his popularity until today?
- How important is healthy eating and regular training for good health?
- Is the effectiveness of diets true?
- How dangerous is anorexia?
- Why it is important to develop a healthy sleeping habit?
- Is golf a popular sport?
- What other sports, besides swimming, keep all muscles fit?
- Skiing and other extreme types of sports
- Horror films are not for kids
- Production and sale of tobacco is illegal
- Can death sentence be equaled to 25 years of imprisonment
- Passive smokers get more damage than active
- Can human brain be destroyed by alcohol?
- How dangerous are energy drinks?
- Ban for selling alcohol after 10 p.m.
- Can court proceedings be documented by TV
- Voting age.
- At what age people are allowed to drink alcohol and smoke?
- Do social minorities have equal rights with other citizens?
- Did the Industrial Revolution cover the entire territory of Europe?
- Conduct of research on animals must be prohibited by the government
- Environmental crimes must be punished by the government
- Can electric cars solve pollution problem?
- Pros and cons of globalization process
- There is an opinion that Wilson lost the war, how true is it?
- Positive features of Roosevelt ruling
- Is King Kong’s aggression against researchers justified?
- USA is to vanish from the world’s map: myth or reality?
- What are the effects of tornado?
- Destructive tsunami and its victims
- How can Amazonia flora and fauna be protected?
- Where to find American aborigines?
- How to avoid IIIWW?
- How possible is financial crisis to stop?
- Government should provide more public and free schools
- Acceptance rates to universities are too low
- People have rights to study for free
- How to conduct gun control?
- Homosexual couples and their public influence
- People have low salaries because of corruption
- How to evade the law?
- Positive features of communism
- Is SIC a good alternative of the former USSR?
- Can computer shooters be the cause of mass murders in America?
- Do technologies make people feel lonelier?
- Use of bad language in cyber world
- Did smartphones replace live communication?
- Do latest technologies tern people to zombies?
- Pros and cons of technologies in education process
- Is there an end of technological breakthrough?
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- Does our imagination work less because of technologies?
- Is it safe to have a profile in social networks?
- Can we live without internet?
- Does virtual relationship have future?
- How important is censorship online?
Good essay topics for 5-6 grade students
- Medicine must be free
- Kindness of human
- People should work less and spend more time with families
- U.S. government should raise wages
- Social movements need more investment
- Children should have more privacy
- Are spy programs effective?
- Illegal aspects of cloning
- Abortion is a woman’s personal choice
- Dating a younger man – is it normal?
- Do inter racial marriage have positive effect on cultural tolerance?
- Global warming problem
- Does the law allow abortions?
- How safe it is to date online?
- Would Superman be able to live normally among people?
- How come Ninja Turtles adore pizza?
- Which actor should play character of April in TNMT?
- How many more D’s movies will there be?
- Is it possible to control human brain and actions by chip?
- Peter Griffin’s jokes are the real specialty in Family Guy show.
- Why did they make the Simpsons characters yellow?
- Does marijuana really harm human body?
- Ways to help parents be kinder to their kids.
- Is art well-paid?
- How is cinema and music better than art?
- Which type of art Europeans like the most?
- Do artists make enough for living?
- Is there any sense in the lyrics of today’s songs?
- Heavy metal vs hip-hop
- Does modern cinematograph make any good to people?
Below you will find several tips to help your essay cause a lot of discussions:
- See what public talks, including gossips, proved facts, etc. Choose one of them.
- A controversial topic will work very well too.
- Target the people who, from your point of view, will doubt or criticize your material.
- Your topic should be something you are interested in and can prove your opinion.
Here are several things you should never include in your essay:
- Do not choose argumentative topic that is not currently inversing for the audience
- Do not choose topic that is impossible to prove
- Do not choose topics that will be immediately agreed with without any discussions
- Do not choose topics related to personal aspects of people’s life such as religion, nationality, skin color, gender, etc.
Below you will find what you should definitely include in your essay:
- Timeless topics that have been discussed through years are definitely winning ones
- Since politic is a very important part of our life it is an all-time winning argumentative topic
- Topics that concern students’ lives and education work great. Your essay may cause lots of discussions.
- Stick to MLA and APA standards
- Always get feedbacks about your topic and your essay. This will help you in our future written tasks.
Whichever subject it is the algorithm of your actions is always the same: you choose your topic, you find the material, and read and analyze and then put it all together in your essay with your opinion and conclusion.
The most important thing, of course, is choosing one of winning argumentative essay topics. If you manage to do so, your essay will cause emotions, discussions. And it is the effect you should aim at. Essays that leave everyone indifferent are poor quality essays.
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There are certain requirements how to structure an essay.
The process includes the following steps:
- Finding trusted sources
- Reading and analyzing the material
- Making a draft
- Proofreading
Normally, your essay should consist of 5 paragraphs:
- Introduction where you give the reader an idea of what you are going to talk about further. It may include interesting info, facts, even jokes. Keep in mind to add an impressive thesis statement.
2a. Paragraph 1. This is where you present your first argument. Keep in mind to support it with thesis and quotes.
2b. Paragraph 2. Here you present your second argument on the topic. Include evidences ad citations to make your essay sound persuasive.
2c. Paragraph 3. In this part you present your third argument. Keep in mind to include the proofs of your opinion.
3. Conclusion. This is where you summarize what you have been saying above. Keep in mind to include call for action for your reader.
4. Biography. This is the alphabetic order of the sources you used.
For many students this is a difficult job. And it does not mean they are bad or have no talent. The thing is that composing a competitive essay requires a lot of time and skills. If you feel that you need help with your written assignments it is better to ask for professional help from online writing service .
They have professional writers who are aware of the educations trend, requirements most teachers put for their students, argumentative topics that really work. And most important, they know how to write to make your essay a winning one.
The service normally has a team of professional writers in different subjects, so you will be able to find the one you need. They are available seven days a week and round-the-clock. You can discuss the details with your writer, check the course of work and make corrections.
It is very normal to want a good mark, good reputation and be able to perform argumentative essay topics that cause reaction from you target audience. Improve your results right now by contacting professional paper writing service !
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Number of topics in the GRE issue pool on this task: 12/152 ( 7.9%) Example of a policy to be analyzed In any field - business, politics, education, government - those in power should be required to step down after five years. Write a response in which you discuss your views on the policy and explain your reasoning for the position you take.
This page contains the Argument topics for the Analytical Writing section of the GRE ® General Test. When you take the test, you will be presented with one Argument topic from this pool. Each Argument topic consists of a passage that presents an argument followed by specific task instructions that tell you how to analyze the argument.
GRE General Test Analytical Writing Analyze an Argument Task Analyze an Argument Task The GRE® General Test One test for graduate, business and law school Select a step to learn more about your GRE® General Test journey. Learn About GRE Testing Information Where to Test Schedule Your Test Prepare for the Test Check & Use Scores
To help you prepare for the Analytical Writing measure, the GRE Program has published the entire pool of tasks from which your test tasks will be selected. You might find it helpful to review the Issue and Argument pools: Issue Topic Pool (PDF) Argument Topic Pool (PDF) Test-taking strategies for the Analytical Writing measure
GRE Argument Essay Sample Prompt #1 1. In 1992, many farmers in Jalikistan began using a hormone designed to produce larger cows that would produce more milk. Since then, childhood obesity in Jalikistan has grown by 200 percent. The amount of milk and dairy consumed by children in this area has not increased or decreased.
Top 4 Tips for a Strong GRE Argument Essay Look for false generalizations, inadequate evidence, and misleading surveys or statistics. The argument presented will always have flaws. Point out sweeping statements and faulty conclusions. If data is provided at all, you can be sure it's not 100% sound. Find out how, and expose it.
GRE Analytical Writing Topics Analytical writing tests the ability of the learner to analyze issues and think critically. It assesses a learner's ability to support and articulate complex ideas by constructing and evaluating arguments. Here's a list of sample GRE analytical writing prompts to consider for your essays.
GRE Essay Topics for Argument Engineers need practical training more than theoretical training Students should get college credit till they complete their studies True beauty is found not in the exceptional but in the commonplace Natural beauty is more relaxing compared to man-made beautiful creations French philosophy of the XIX to XX centuries
Argument essay topics gre - Intro. In fact, when GRE raters are trained, they review hundreds of Argument responses that, although highly diverse in content and form, display similar levels of critical thinking and persuasive writing. Argue critically Argue critically for the benefits of women liberation globally Technology has brought growth ...
The GRE essay topics have been provided below along with GRE argument essay samples for the benefit of the test taker. GRE Essay Topic: 11 The following appeared as a letter to the editor from the owner of a skate shop in Central Plaza. "Two years ago the city council voted to prohibit skateboarding in Central Plaza.
The argumentative essay is commonly assigned as a capstone or final project in first year writing or advanced composition courses and involves lengthy, detailed research. Expository essays involve less research and are shorter in length. Expository essays are often used for in-class writing exercises or tests, such as the GED or GRE.
Read more: Latest International Relations Essay Topics to Consider for Academic Writing. GRE Essay Topics- Argument Analysis. Listed below are some sample GRE argument analysis essay questions taken from the official website of ETS. The following appeared as a recommendation by a committee planning a ten-year budget for the city of Calatrava.
The 7 Categories of GRE Essay Topics 1. Education These GRE writing prompts will ask you something about the aims and objectives of essay writing. The emphasis is typically on college-choosing majors, tuition, curriculum-though you might get a prompt relating to education at large.
In Analyze an Argument GRE task, you need to write a response essay of 500-600 words in 30 minutes, dividing it into several paragraphs. Solving and analyzing GRE examples will help you to be prepared for the questions. And by practicing the following writing strategy would be beneficial : Use connecting words to link ideas in logical order.
Essay writting. Hello to everyone reading, I have just recently started preparing for GRE and would really appreciate it, if someone could review one issue essay and one argument essay I have written [ first ones I've written ] since there is no real clear cut answer to these and I don't really know if what I've written is a good or bad ...
GRE Argument Essay Topics. Broadly speaking, GRE Argument topic categories include science and the environment, local government and municipal issues, business, and education. So, for example, a prompt might present a statement that: discusses the findings of a particular scientific study and draws a certain conclusion based on those findings
GRE Analyze an issue is a task which tests your critical thinking skills on a common topic. GRE AWA essay on an issue must be written in around 500-600 words. The common topics are of general interest which can be discussed from various perspectives. ... AWA GRE essay on an argument must be written in around 500-600 words. Candidates are given ...
In developing and supporting gre essay topics position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position. The best argument test is the ability to convince the person with the opposing viewpoint. ... GRE Writing A Step-by-Step Guide to the GRE Argument Essay. # ...
Argumentative Essay Topics for College Argumentative essay writing is a crucial skill for every student. As a college student, you need to find a "controversial" or "gray-area" topic to argue against or for. Your argumentative essay should include deeply researched facts that will support your claims.
From the GRE website, you will have access to the updated list of GRE argument essay topics and prompts. On each preparation session, pick at least a prompt from each of the available directives. The first couple of minutes should be spent on intensive brainstorming while taking essential notes at the same time. With each subsequent session you ...
Tips to choose winning argumentative topics. Of course, it is so much better when a student is given a freedom to choose the topic of their essay. In this case they are able to select the subject they are interested in. When students are writing their argumentative essays that have to find, read and analyze lots of material to perform good.