最新ETS机考作文题库

Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared as part of an annual report sent to stockholders by Olympic Foods, a processor of frozen foods.

    “Over time, the costs of processing go down because as organizations learn how to do things better, they become more efficient. In color film processing, for example, the cost of a 3-by-5-inch print fell from 50 cents for five-day service in 1970 to 20 cents for one-day service in 1984. The same principle applies to the processing of food. And since Olympic Foods will soon celebrate its twenty-fifth birthday, we can expect that our long experience will enable us to minimize costs and thus maximize profits.”

    Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the business department of the Apogee Company.

    “When the Apogee Company had all its operations in one location, it was more profitable than it is today. Therefore, the Apogee Company should close down its field offices and conduct all its operations from a single location. Such centralization would improve profitability by cutting costs and helping the company maintain better supervision of all employees.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum issued by a large city‘s council on the arts.

    “In a recent citywide poll, fifteen percent more residents said that they watch television programs about the visual arts than was the case in a poll conducted five years ago. During these past five years, the number of people visiting our city‘s art museums has increased by a similar percentage. Since the corporate funding that supports public television, where most of the visual arts programs appear, is now being threatened with severe cuts, we can expect that attendance at our city’s art museums will also start to decrease. Thus some of the city‘s funds for supporting the arts should be reallocated to public television.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a report presented for discussion at a meeting of the directors of a company that manufactures parts for heavy machinery.

    “The falling revenues that the company is experiencing coincide with delays in manufacturing. These delays, in turn, are due in large part to poor planning in purchasing metals. Consider further that the manager of the department that handles purchasing of raw materials has an excellent background in general business, psychology, and sociology, but knows little about the properties of metals. The company should, therefore, move the purchasing manager to the sales department and bring in a scientist from the research division to be manager of the purchasing department.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in an announcement issued by the publisher of The Mercury, a weekly newspaper.

    “Since a competing lower-priced newspaper, The Bugle, was started five years ago, The Mercury‘s circulation has declined by 10,000 readers. The best way to get more people to read The Mercury is to reduce its price below that of The Bugle, at least until circulation increases to former levels. The increased circulation of The Mercury will attract more businesses to buy advertising space in the paper.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in a magazine devoted to regional life.

    “Corporations should look to the city of Helios when seeking new business opportunities or a new location. Even in the recent recession, Helios‘s unemployment rate was lower than the regional average. It is the industrial center of the region, and historically it has provided more than its share of the region’s manufacturing jobs. In addition, Helios is attempting to expand its economic base by attracting companies that focus on research and development of innovative technologies.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared in the health section of a magazine on trends and lifestyles.

    “People who use the artificial sweetener aspartame are better off consuming sugar, since aspartame can actually contribute to weight gain rather than weight loss. For example, high levels of aspartame have been shown to trigger a craving for food by depleting the brain of a chemical that registers satiety, or the sense of being full. Furthermore, studies suggest that sugars, if consumed after at least 45 minutes of continuous exercise, actually enhance the body‘s ability to burn fat. Consequently, those who drink aspartame-sweetened juices after exercise will also lose this calorie-burning benefit. Thus it appears that people consuming aspartame rather than sugar are unlikely to achieve their dietary goals.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in the editorial section of a corporate newsletter.

    “The common notion that workers are generally apathetic about management issues is false, or at least outdated: a recently published survey indicates that 79 percent of the nearly 1,200 workers who responded to survey questionnaires expressed a high level of interest in the topics of corporate restructuring and redesign of benefits programs.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in the opinion column of a financial magazine.

    “On average, middle-aged consumers devote 39 percent of their retail expenditure to department store products and services, while for younger consumers the average is only 25 percent. Since the number of middle-aged people will increase dramatically within the next decade, department stores can expect retail sales to increase significantly during that period. Furthermore, to take advantage of the trend, these stores should begin to replace some of those products intended to attract the younger consumer with products intended to attract the middle-aged consumer.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper.

    “This past winter, 200 students from Waymarsh State College traveled to the state capitol building to protest against proposed cuts in funding for various state college programs. The other 12,000 Waymarsh students evidently weren‘t so concerned about their education: they either stayed on campus or left for winter break. Since the group who did not protest is far more numerous, it is more representative of the state’s college students than are the protesters. Therefore the state legislature need not heed the appeals of the protesting students.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper.

    “In the first four years that Montoya has served as mayor of the city of San Perdito, the population has decreased and the unemployment rate has increased. Two businesses have closed for each new business that has opened. Under Varro, who served as mayor for four years before Montoya, the unemployment rate decreased and the population increased. Clearly, the residents of San Perdito would be best served if they voted Montoya out of office and reelected Varro.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of a promotional campaign to sell advertising space in the Daily Gazette to grocery stores in the Marston area.

    “Advertising the reduced price of selected grocery items in the Daily Gazette will help you increase your sales. Consider the results of a study conducted last month. Thirty sale items from a store in downtown Marston were advertised in the Gazette for four days. Each time one or more of the 30 items was purchased, clerks asked whether the shopper had read the ad. Two-thirds of the 200 shoppers asked answered in the affirmative. Furthermore, more than half the customers who answered in the affirmative spent over $100 at the store.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of a campaign to sell advertising time on a local radio station to local businesses.

    “The Cumquat Cafe began advertising on our local radio station this year and was delighted to see its business increase by 10 percent over last year‘s totals. Their success shows you how you can use radio advertising to make your business more profitable.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared as part of a newspaper editorial.

    “Two years ago Nova High School began to use interactive computer instruction in three academic subjects. The school dropout rate declined immediately, and last year‘s graduates have reported some impressive achievements in college. In future budgets the school board should use a greater portion of the available funds to buy more computers, and all schools in the district should adopt interactive computer instruction throughout the curriculum.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as a part of an advertisement for Adams, who is seeking reelection as governor.

    “Re-elect Adams, and you will be voting for proven leadership in improving the state‘s economy. Over the past year alone, seventy percent of the state’s workers have had increases in their wages, five thousand new jobs have been created, and six corporations have located their headquarters here. Most of the respondents in a recent poll said they believed that the economy is likely to continue to improve if Adams is reelected. Adams‘s opponent, Zebulon, would lead our state in the wrong direction, because Zebulon disagrees with many of Adams’s economic policies.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in the education section of a Waymarsh City newspaper.

    “Throughout the last two decades, those who earned graduate degrees found it very difficult to get jobs teaching their academic specialties at the college level. Those with graduate degrees from Waymarsh University had an especially hard time finding such jobs. But better times are coming in the next decade for all academic job seekers, including those from Waymarsh. Demographic trends indicate that an increasing number of people will be reaching college age over the next ten years; consequently, we can expect that the job market will improve dramatically for people seeking college-level teaching positions in their fields.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in an article in a consumer-products magazine.

    “Two of today‘s best-selling brands of full-strength prescription medication for the relief of excess stomach acid, Acid-Ease and Pepticaid, are now available in milder nonprescription forms. Doctors have written 76 million more prescriptions for full-strength Acid-Ease than for full-strength Pepticaid. So people who need an effective but milder nonprescription medication for the relief of excess stomach acid should choose Acid-Ease.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following is an excerpt from a memo written by the head of a governmental department.

    “Neither stronger ethics regulations nor stronger enforcement mechanisms are necessary to ensure ethical behavior by companies doing business with this department. We already have a code of ethics that companies doing business with this department are urged to abide by, and virtually all of these companies have agreed to follow it. We also know that the code is relevant to the current business environment because it was approved within the last year, and in direct response to specific violations committed by companies with which we were then working — not in abstract anticipation of potential violations, as so many such codes are.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in the travel section of a newspaper.

    “Over the past decade, the restaurant industry in the country of Spiessa has experienced unprecedented growth. This surge can be expected to continue in the coming years, fueled by recent social changes: personal incomes are rising, more leisure time is available, single-person households are more common, and people have a greater interest in gourmet food, as evidenced by a proliferation of publications on the subject.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared in an article in a health and fitness magazine.

    “Laboratory studies show that Saluda Natural Spring Water contains several of the minerals necessary for good health and that it is completely free of bacteria. Residents of Saluda, the small town where the water is bottled, are hospitalized less frequently than the national average. Even though Saluda Natural Spring Water may seem expensive, drinking it instead of tap water is a wise investment in good health.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an editorial in an industry newsletter.

    “While trucking companies that deliver goods pay only a portion of highway maintenance costs and no property tax on the highways they use, railways spend billions per year maintaining and upgrading their facilities. The government should lower the railroad companies‘ property taxes, since sending goods by rail is clearly a more appropriate mode of ground transportation than highway shipping. For one thing, trains consume only a third of the fuel a truck would use to carry the same load, making them a more cost-effective and environmentally sound mode of transport. Furthermore, since rail lines already exist, increases in rail traffic would not require building new lines at the expense of taxpaying citizens.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in the editorial section of a newspaper.

    “As public concern over drug abuse has increased, authorities have become more vigilant in their efforts to prevent illegal drugs from entering the country. Many drug traffickers have consequently switched from marijuana, which is bulky, or heroin, which has a market too small to justify the risk of severe punishment, to cocaine. Thus enforcement efforts have ironically resulted in an observed increase in the illegal use of cocaine.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a speech delivered by a member of the city council.

    “Twenty years ago, only half of the students who graduated from Einstein High School went on to attend a college or university. Today, two thirds of the students who graduate from Einstein do so. Clearly, Einstein has improved its educational effectiveness over the past two decades. This improvement has occurred despite the fact that the school‘s funding, when adjusted for inflation, is about the same as it was twenty years ago. Therefore, we do not need to make any substantial increase in the school’s funding at this time.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memo from the customer service division to the manager of Mammon Savings and Loan.

    “We believe that improved customer service is the best way for us to differentiate ourselves from competitors and attract new customers. We can offer our customers better service by reducing waiting time in teller lines from an average of six minutes to an average of three. By opening for business at 8:30 instead of 9:00, and by remaining open for an additional hour beyond our current closing time, we will be better able to accommodate the busy schedules of our customers. These changes will enhance our bank‘s image as the most customer-friendly bank in town and give us the edge over our competition.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in a magazine on lifestyles.

    “Two years ago, City L was listed 14th in an annual survey that ranks cities according to the quality of life that can be enjoyed by those living in them. This information will enable people who are moving to the state in which City L is located to confidently identify one place, at least, where schools are good, housing is affordable, people are friendly, the environment is safe, and the arts flourish.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from a member of a financial management and consulting firm.

    “We have learned from an employee of Windfall, Ltd., that its accounting department, by checking about ten percent of the last month‘s purchasing invoices for errors and inconsistencies, saved the company some $10,000 in overpayments. In order to help our clients increase their net gains, we should advise each of them to institute a policy of checking all purchasing invoices for errors. Such a recommendation could also help us get the Windfall account by demonstrating to Windfall the rigorousness of our methods.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared in a newspaper editorial.

    “As violence in movies increases, so do crime rates in our cities. To combat this problem we must establish a board to censor certain movies, or we must limit admission to persons over 21 years of age. Apparently our legislators are not concerned about this issue since a bill calling for such actions recently failed to receive a majority vote.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper.

    “Commuter use of the new subway train is exceeding the transit company‘s projections. However, commuter use of the shuttle buses that transport people to the subway stations is below the projected volume. If the transit company expects commuters to ride the shuttle buses to the subway rather than drive there, it must either reduce the shuttle bus fares or increase the price of parking at the subway stations.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following was excerpted from the speech of a spokesperson for Synthetic Farm Products, Inc.

    “Many farmers who invested in the equipment needed to make the switch from synthetic to organic fertilizers and pesticides feel that it would be too expensive to resume synthetic farming at this point. But studies of farmers who switched to organic farming last year indicate that their current crop yields are lower. Hence their purchase of organic farming equipment, a relatively minor investment compared to the losses that would result from continued lower crop yields, cannot justify persisting on an unwise course. And the choice to farm organically is financially unwise, given that it was motivated by environmental rather than economic concerns.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a newspaper story giving advice about investments.

    “As overall life expectancy continues to rise, the population of our country is growing increasingly older. For example, over twenty percent of the residents of one of our more populated regions are now at least 65 years old, and occupancy rates at resort hotels in that region declined significantly during the past six months. Because of these two related trends, a prudent investor would be well advised to sell interest in hotels and invest in hospitals and nursing homes instead.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of the business plan of an investment and financial consulting firm.

    “Studies suggest that an average coffee drinker‘s consumption of coffee increases with age, from age 10 through age 60. Even after age 60, coffee consumption remains high. The average cola drinker’s consumption of cola, however, declines with increasing age. Both of these trends have remained stable for the past 40 years. Given that the number of older adults will significantly increase as the population ages over the next 20 years, it follows that the demand for coffee will increase and the demand for cola will decrease during this period. We should, therefore, consider transferring our investments from Cola Loca to Early Bird Coffee.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in the editorial section of a West Cambria newspaper.

    “A recent review of the West Cambria volunteer ambulance service revealed a longer average response time to accidents than was reported by a commercial ambulance squad located in East Cambria. In order to provide better patient care for accident victims and to raise revenue for our town by collecting service fees for ambulance use, we should disband our volunteer service and hire a commercial ambulance service.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following is part of a business plan being discussed at a board meeting of the Perks Company.

    “It is no longer cost-effective for the Perks Company to continue offering its employees a generous package of benefits and incentives year after year. In periods when national unemployment rates are low, Perks may need to offer such a package in order to attract and keep good employees, but since national unemployment rates are now high, Perks does not need to offer the same benefits and incentives. The money thus saved could be better used to replace the existing plant machinery with more technologically sophisticated equipment, or even to build an additional plant.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared as part of a plan proposed by an executive of the Easy Credit Company to the president.

    “The Easy Credit Company would gain an advantage over competing credit card services if we were to donate a portion of the proceeds from the use of our cards to a well-known environmental organization in exchange for the use of its symbol or logo on our card. Since a recent poll shows that a large percentage of the public is concerned about environmental issues, this policy would attract new customers, increase use among existing customers, and enable us to charge interest rates that are higher than the lowest ones available.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of a recommendation from the financial planning office to the administration of Fern Valley University.

    “In the past few years, Fern Valley University has suffered from a decline in both enrollments and admissions applications. The reason can be discovered from our students, who most often cite poor teaching and inadequate library resources as their chief sources of dissatisfaction with Fern Valley. Therefore, in order to increase the number of students attending our university, and hence to regain our position as the most prestigious university in the greater Fern Valley metropolitan area, it is necessary to initiate a fund-raising campaign among the alumni that will enable us to expand the range of subjects we teach and to increase the size of our library facilities.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in an article in a college departmental newsletter

    “Professor Taylor of Jones University is promoting a model of foreign language instruction in which students receive ten weeks of intensive training, then go abroad to live with families for ten weeks. The superiority of the model, Professor Taylor contends, is proved by the results of a study in which foreign language tests given to students at 25 other colleges show that first-year foreign language students at Jones speak more fluently after only ten to twenty weeks in the program than do nine out of ten foreign language majors elsewhere at the time of their graduation.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in the business section of a local newspaper.

    “Motorcycle X has been manufactured in the United States for over 70 years. Although one foreign company has copied the motorcycle and is selling it for less, the company has failed to attract motorcycle X customers — some say because its product lacks the exceptionally loud noise made by motorcycle X. But there must be some other explanation. After all, foreign cars tend to be quieter than similar American-made cars, but they sell at least as well. Also, television advertisements for motorcycle X highlight its durability and sleek lines, not its noisiness, and the ads typically have voice-overs or rock music rather than engine-roar on the sound track.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in the editorial section of a campus newspaper.

    “Because occupancy rates for campus housing fell during the last academic year, so did housing revenues. To solve the problem, campus housing officials should reduce the number of available housing units, thereby increasing the occupancy rates. Also, to keep students from choosing to live off-campus, housing officials should lower the rents, thereby increasing demand.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in an Avia Airlines departmental memorandum.

    “On average, 9 out of every 1,000 passengers who traveled on Avia Airlines last year filed a complaint about our baggage-handling procedures. This means that although some 1 percent of our passengers were unhappy with those procedures, the overwhelming majority were quite satisfied with them; thus it would appear that a review of the procedures is not important to our goal of maintaining or increasing the number of Avia‘s passengers.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in a weekly newsmagazine.

    “The country of Sacchar can best solve its current trade deficit problem by lowering the price of sugar, its primary export. Such an action would make Sacchar better able to compete for markets with other sugar-exporting countries. The sale of Sacchar‘s sugar abroad would increase, and this increase would substantially reduce Sacchar’s trade deficit.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared as part of an article in a trade publication.

    “Stronger laws are needed to protect new kinds of home-security systems from being copied and sold by imitators. With such protection, manufacturers will naturally invest in the development of new home-security products and production technologies. Without stronger laws, therefore, manufacturers will cut back on investment. From this will follow a corresponding decline not only in product quality and marketability, but also in production efficiency, and thus ultimately a loss of manufacturing jobs in the industry.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in the opinion section of a national newsmagazine.

    “To reverse the deterioration of the postal service, the government should raise the price of postage stamps. This solution will no doubt prove effective, since the price increase will generate larger revenues and will also reduce the volume of mail, thereby eliminating the strain on the existing system and contributing to improved morale.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in an article in the health section of a newspaper.

    “There is a common misconception that university hospitals are better than community or private hospitals. This notion is unfounded, however: the university hospitals in our region employ 15 percent fewer doctors, have a 20 percent lower success rate in treating patients, make far less overall profit, and pay their medical staff considerably less than do private hospitals. Furthermore, many doctors at university hospitals typically divide their time among teaching, conducting research, and treating patients. From this it seems clear that the quality of care at university hospitals is lower than that at other kinds of hospitals.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following is part of a business plan created by the management of the Megamart grocery store.

    “Our total sales have increased this year by 20 percent since we added a pharmacy section to our grocery store. Clearly, the customer‘s main concern is the convenience afforded by one-stop shopping. The surest way to increase our profits over the next couple of years, therefore, is to add a clothing department along with an automotive supplies and repair shop. We should also plan to continue adding new departments and services, such as a restaurant and a garden shop, in subsequent years. Being the only store in the area that offers such a range of services will give us a competitive advantage over other local stores.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of a column in a popular entertainment magazine.

    “The producers of the forthcoming movie 3003 will be most likely to maximize their profits if they are willing to pay Robin Good several million dollars to star in it — even though that amount is far more than any other person involved with the movie will make. After all, Robin has in the past been paid a similar amount to work in several films that were very financially successful.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the directors of a security and safety consulting service.

    “Our research indicates that over the past six years no incidents of employee theft have been reported within ten of the companies that have been our clients. In analyzing the security practices of these ten companies, we have further learned that each of them requires its employees to wear photo identification badges while at work. In the future, therefore, we should recommend the use of such identification badges to all of our clients.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in the business section of a local newspaper.

    “The owners of the Cumquat Café evidently made a good business decision in moving to a new location, as can be seen from the fact that the Café will soon celebrate its second anniversary there. Moreover, it appears that businesses are not likely to succeed at the old location: since the Café‘s move, three different businesses — a tanning salon, an antique emporium, and a pet-grooming shop — have occupied its former spot.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper.

    “The profitability of Croesus Company, recently restored to private ownership, is a clear indication that businesses fare better under private ownership than under public ownership.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper.

    “If the paper from every morning edition of the nation‘s largest newspaper were collected and rendered into paper pulp that the newspaper could reuse, about 5 million trees would be saved each year. This kind of recycling is unnecessary, however, since the newspaper maintains its own forests to ensure an uninterrupted supply of paper.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of a business plan recommended by the new manager of a musical rock group called Zapped.

    “To succeed financially, Zapped needs greater name recognition. It should therefore diversify its commercial enterprises. The rock group Zonked plays the same type of music that Zapped plays, but it is much better known than Zapped because in addition to its concert tours and four albums, Zonked has a series of posters, a line of clothing and accessories, and a contract with a major advertising agency to endorse a number of different products.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a magazine article on trends and lifestyles.

    “In general, people are not as concerned as they were a decade ago about regulating their intake of red meat and fatty cheeses. Walk into the Heart‘s Delight, a store that started selling organic fruits and vegetables and whole-grain flours in the 1960’s, and you will also find a wide selection of cheeses made with high butterfat content. Next door, the owners of the Good Earth Café, an old vegetarian restaurant, are still making a modest living, but the owners of the new House of Beef across the street are millionaires.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following editorial appeared in the Elm City paper.

    “The construction last year of a shopping mall in downtown Oak City was a mistake. Since the mall has opened, a number of local businesses have closed, and the downtown area suffers from an acute parking shortage, and arrests for crime and vagrancy have increased in the nearby Oak City Park. Elm City should pay attention to the example of the Oak City mall and deny the application to build a shopping mall in Elm City.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an editorial in a weekly newsmagazine.

    “Historically, most of this country‘s engineers have come from our universities; recently, however, our university-age population has begun to shrink, and decreasing enrollments in our high schools clearly show that this drop in numbers will continue throughout the remainder of the decade. Consequently, our nation will soon be facing a shortage of trained engineers. If we are to remain economically competitive in the world marketplace, then, we must increase funding for education — and quickly.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in an Excelsior Company memorandum.

    “The Excelsior Company plans to introduce its own brand of coffee. Since coffee is an expensive food item, and since there are already many established brands of coffee, the best way to gain customers for the Excelsior brand is to do what Superior, the leading coffee company, did when it introduced the newest brand in its line of coffees: conduct a temporary sales promotion that offers free samples, price reductions, and discount coupons for the new brand.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared as part of an article in a popular arts and leisure magazine.

    “The safety codes governing the construction of public buildings are becoming far too strict. The surest way for architects and builders to prove that they have met the minimum requirements established by these codes is to construct buildings by using the same materials and methods that are currently allowed. But doing so means that there will be very little significant technological innovation within the industry, and hence little evolution of architectural styles and design — merely because of the strictness of these safety codes.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following is from a campaign by Big Boards, Inc., to convince companies in River City that their sales will increase if they use Big Boards billboards for advertising their locally manufactured products.

    “The potential of Big Boards to increase sales of your products can be seen from an experiment we conducted last year. We increased public awareness of the name of the current national women‘s marathon champion by publishing her picture and her name on billboards in River City for a period of three months. Before this time, although the champion had just won her title and was receiving extensive national publicity, only five percent of 15,000 randomly surveyed residents of River City could correctly name the champion when shown her picture; after the three-month advertising experiment, 35 percent of respondents from a second survey could supply her name.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article on government funding of environmental regulatory agencies.

    “When scientists finally learn how to create large amounts of copper from other chemical elements, the regulation of copper mining will become unnecessary. For one thing, since the amount of potentially available copper will no longer be limited by the quantity of actual copper deposits, the problem of overmining will quickly be eliminated altogether. For another, manufacturers will not need to use synthetic copper substitutes, the production of which creates pollutants. Thus, since two problems will be settled — overmining and pollution — it makes good sense to reduce funding for mining regulation and either save the money or reallocate it where it is needed more.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in a popular science magazine.

    “Scientists must typically work 60 to 80 hours a week if they hope to further their careers; consequently, good and affordable all-day child care must be made available to both male and female scientists if they are to advance in their fields. Moreover, requirements for career advancement must be made more flexible so that preschool-age children can spend a significant portion of each day with a parent.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of a recommendation by one of the directors of the Beta Company.

    “The Alpha Company has just reduced its workforce by laying off fifteen percent of its employees in all divisions and at all levels, and it is encouraging early retirement for other employees. As you know, the Beta Company manufactures some products similar to Alpha‘s, but our profits have fallen over the last few years. To improve Beta’s competitive position, we should try to hire a significant number of Alpha‘s former workers, since these experienced workers can provide valuable information about Alpha’s successful methods, will require little training, and will be particularly motivated to compete against Alpha.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in the letters-to-the-editor section of a local newspaper.

    “Muscle Monthly, a fitness magazine that regularly features pictures of bodybuilders using state-of-the-art exercise machines, frequently sells out, according to the owner of Skyview Newsstand. To help maximize fitness levels in our town's residents, we should, therefore, equip our new community fitness center with such machines.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in the business section of a local newspaper.

    “The Cumquat Café made a mistake in moving to a new location. After one year at the new spot, it is doing about the same volume of business as before, but the owners of the RoboWrench plumbing supply wholesale outlet that took over its old location are apparently doing better: RoboWrench is planning to open a store in a neighboring city.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the Director of Human Resources to the executive officers of Company X.

    “Last year, we surveyed our employees on improvements needed at Company X by having them rank, in order of importance, the issues presented in a list of possible improvements. Improved communications between employees and management was consistently ranked as the issue of highest importance by the employees who responded to the survey. As you know, we have since instituted regular communications sessions conducted by high-level management, which the employees can attend on a voluntary basis. Therefore, it is likely that most employees at Company X now feel that the improvement most needed at the company has been made.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the vice president of Road Food, an international chain of fast-food restaurants.

    “This past year, we spent almost as much on advertising as did our main competitor, Street Eats, which has fewer restaurants than we do. Although it appeared at first that our advertising agency had created a campaign along the lines we suggested, in fact our total profits were lower than those of Street Eats. In order to motivate our advertising agency to perform better, we should start basing the amount that we pay it on how much total profit we make each year.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in the promotional literature for Cerberus dog food.

    “Obesity is a great problem among pet dogs, just as it is among their human owners. Obesity in humans is typically caused by consuming more calories than the body needs. For humans, a proper diet for losing weight is a reduced-calorie diet that is high in fiber and carbohydrates but low in fat. Therefore, the best way for dog owners to help their dogs lose weight in a healthy way is to restrict the dog‘s diet to Cerberus reduced-calorie dog food, which is high in fiber and carbohydrates but low in fat.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in an article in a travel magazine.

    “After the airline industry began requiring airlines to report their on-time rates, Speedee Airlines achieved the number one on-time rate, with over 89 percent of its flights arriving on time each month. And now Speedee is offering more flights to more destinations than ever before. Clearly, Speedee is the best choice for today‘s business traveler.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum to the planning department of an investment firm.

    “Costs have begun dropping for several types of equipment currently used to convert solar energy into electricity. Moreover, some exciting new technologies for converting solar energy are now being researched and developed. Hence we can expect that solar energy will soon become more cost efficient and attractive than coal or oil as a source of electrical power. We should, therefore, encourage investment in Solario, a new manufacturer of solar-powered products. After all, Solario‘s chief executive was once on the financial planning team for Ready-to-Ware, a software engineering firm that has shown remarkable growth since its recent incorporation.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the president of a company that makes shampoo.

    “A widely publicized study claims that HR2, a chemical compound in our shampoo, can contribute to hair loss after prolonged use. This study, however, involved only 500 subjects. Furthermore, we have received no complaints from our customers during the past year, and some of our competitors actually use more HR2 per bottle of shampoo than we do. Therefore, we do not need to consider replacing the HR2 in our shampoo with a more expensive alternative.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared as part of a recommendation from the business manager of a department store.

    “Local clothing stores reported that their profits decreased, on average, for the three-month period between August 1 and October 31. Stores that sell products for the home reported that, on average, their profits increased during this same period. Clearly, consumers are choosing to buy products for their homes instead of clothing. To take advantage of this trend, we should reduce the size of our clothing departments and enlarge our home furnishings and household products departments.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a regional newspaper.

    “In response to petitions from the many farmers and rural landowners throughout our region, the legislature has spent valuable time and effort enacting severe laws to deter motorists from picking fruit off the trees, trampling through the fields, and stealing samples of foliage. But how can our local lawmakers occupy themselves with such petty vandalism when crime and violence plague the nation‘s cities? The fate of apples and leaves is simply too trivial to merit their attention.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an editorial in a campus newspaper.

    “With an increasing demand for highly skilled workers, this nation will soon face a serious labor shortage. New positions in technical and professional occupations are increasing rapidly, while at the same time the total labor force is growing slowly. Moreover, the government is proposing to cut funds for aid to education in the near future.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of a memorandum from a government agency.

    “Given the limited funding available for the building and repair of roads and bridges, the government should not spend any money this year on fixing the bridge that crosses the Styx River. This bridge is located near a city with a weakening economy, so it is not as important as other bridges; moreover, the city population is small and thus unlikely to contribute a significant enough tax revenue to justify the effort of fixing the bridge.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in an entertainment magazine.

    “A series of books based on the characters from a popular movie are consistently bestsellers in local bookstores. Seeking to capitalize on the books‘ success, Vista Studios is planning to produce a movie sequel based on the books. Due to the success of the books and the original movie, the sequel will undoubtedly be profitable.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a popular science and technology magazine.

    “It is a popular myth that consumers are really benefiting from advances in agricultural technology. Granted — consumers are, on the average, spending a decreasing proportion of their income on food. But consider that the demand for food does not rise in proportion with real income. As real income rises, therefore, consumers can be expected to spend a decreasing proportion of their income on food. Yet agricultural technology is credited with having made our lives better.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper.

    “This city should be able to improve existing services and provide new ones without periodically raising the taxes of the residents. Instead, the city should require that the costs of services be paid for by developers who seek approval for their large new building projects. After all, these projects can be highly profitable to the developers, but they can also raise a city‘s expenses and increase the demand for its services.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper.

    “In order to avoid the serious health threats associated with many landfills, our municipality should build a plant for burning trash. An incinerator could offer economic as well as ecological advantages over the typical old-fashioned type of landfill: incinerators can be adapted to generate moderate amounts of electricity, and ash residue from some types of trash can be used to condition garden soil.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in the editorial section of a monthly business newsmagazine.

    “Most companies would agree that as the risk of physical injury occurring on the job increases, the wages paid to employees should also increase. Hence it makes financial sense for employers to make the workplace safer: they could thus reduce their payroll expenses and save money.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of a company memorandum.

    “Adopting an official code of ethics regarding business practices may in the long run do our company more harm than good in the public eye. When one of our competitors received unfavorable publicity for violating its own code of ethics, it got more attention from the media than it would have if it had had no such code. Rather than adopt an official code of ethics, therefore, we should instead conduct a publicity campaign that stresses the importance of protecting the environment and assisting charitable organizations.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in the editorial section of a daily newspaper.

    “Although forecasts of presidential elections based on opinion polls measure current voter preference, many voters keep changing their minds about whom they prefer until the last few days before the balloting. Some do not even make a final decision until they enter the voting booth. Forecasts based on opinion polls are therefore little better at predicting election outcomes than a random guess would be.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in the editorial section of a newspaper in the country of West Cambria.

    “The practice of officially changing speed limits on the highways — whether by increasing or decreasing them — is a dangerous one. Consider what happened over the past decade whenever neighboring East Cambria changed its speed limits: an average of 3 percent more automobile accidents occurred during the week following the change than had occurred during the week preceding it — even when the speed limit was lowered. This statistic shows that the change in speed limit adversely affected the alertness of drivers.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of a memorandum from the vice president of Nostrum, a large pharmaceutical corporation.

    “The proposal to increase the health and retirement benefits that our employees receive should not be implemented at this time. An increase in these benefits is not only financially unjustified, since our last year‘s profits were lower than those of the preceding year, but also unnecessary, since our chief competitor, Panacea, offers its employees lower health and retirement benefits than we currently offer. We can assume that our employees are reasonably satisfied with the health and retirement benefits that they now have since a recent survey indicated that two-thirds of the respondents viewed them favorably.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article on trends in television.

    “A recent study of viewers‘ attitudes toward prime-time television programs shows that many of the programs that were judged by their viewers to be of high quality appeared on (noncommercial) television networks, and that, on commercial television, the most popular shows are typically sponsored by the best-selling products. Thus, it follows that businesses who use commercial television to promote their products will achieve the greatest advertising success by sponsoring only highly-rated programs — and, ideally, programs resembling the highly-rated noncommercial programs on public channels as much as possible.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared as part of an article in the business section of a daily newspaper.

    “Company A has a large share of the international market in video-game hardware and software. Company B, the pioneer in these products, was once a $12 billion-a-year giant but collapsed when children became bored with its line of products. Thus Company A can also be expected to fail, especially given the fact that its games are now in so many American homes that the demand for them is nearly exhausted.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in a photography magazine.

    “When choosing whether to work in color or in black-and-white, the photographer who wishes to be successful should keep in mind that because color photographs are more true-to-life, magazines use more color photographs than black-and-white ones, and many newspapers are also starting to use color photographs. The realism of color also accounts for the fact that most portrait studios use more color film than black-and-white film. Furthermore, there are more types of color film than black-and-white film available today. Clearly, photographers who work in color have an advantage over those who work in black-and-white.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of a letter to the editor of a local newspaper.

    “It makes no sense that in most places fifteen year olds are not eligible for their driver‘s license while people who are far older can retain all of their driving privileges by simply renewing their license. If older drivers can get these renewals, often without having to pass another driving test, then fifteen year olds should be eligible to get a license. Fifteen year olds typically have much better eyesight, especially at night; much better hand-eye coordination; and much quicker reflexes. They are also less likely to feel confused by unexpected developments or disoriented in unfamiliar surroundings, and they recover from injuries more quickly.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in an ad for a book titled How to Write a Screenplay for a Movie.

    “Writers who want to succeed should try to write film screenplays rather than books, since the average film tends to make greater profits than does even a best-selling book. It is true that some books are also made into films. However, our nation‘s film producers are more likely to produce movies based on original screenplays than to produce films based on books, because in recent years the films that have sold the most tickets have usually been based on original screenplays.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the ElectroWares company‘s marketing department.

    “Since our company started manufacturing and marketing a deluxe light bulb six months ago, sales of our economy light bulb — and company profits — have decreased significantly. Although the deluxe light bulb sells for 50 percent more than the economy bulb, it lasts twice as long. Therefore, to increase repeat sales and maximize profits, we should discontinue the deluxe light bulb.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following is taken from an editorial in a local newspaper.

    “Over the past decade, the price per pound of citrus fruit has increased substantially. Eleven years ago, Megamart charged 5 cents apiece for lemons, but today it commonly charges over 30 cents apiece. In only one of these last eleven years was the weather unfavorable for growing citrus crops. Evidently, then, citrus growers have been responsible for the excessive increase in the price of citrus fruit, and strict pricing regulations are needed to prevent them from continuing to inflate prices.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared as part of an article in a local newspaper.

    “Over the past three years the tartfish industry has changed markedly: fishing technology has improved significantly, and the demand for tartfish has grown in both domestic and foreign markets. As this trend continues, the tartfish industry on Shrimp Island can expect to experience the same over-fishing problems that are already occurring with mainland fishing industries: without restrictions on fishing, fishers see no reason to limit their individual catches. As the catches get bigger, the tartfish population will be dangerously depleted while the surplus of tartfish will devalue the catch for fishers. Government regulation is the only answer: tartfish-fishing should be allowed only during the three-month summer season, when tartfish reproduce and thus are most numerous, rather than throughout the year.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a proposal from the development office at Platonic University.

    “Because Platonic University has had difficulty in meeting its expenses over the past three years, we need to find new ways to increase revenues. We should consider following the example of Greene University, which recently renamed itself after a donor who gave it $100 million. If Platonic University were to advertise to its alumni and other wealthy people that it will rename either individual buildings or the entire university itself after the donors who give the most money, the amount of donations would undoubtedly increase.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in the business section of a local newspaper.

    “Hippocrene Plumbing Supply recently opened a wholesale outlet in the location once occupied by the Cumquat Café Restaurant. Hippocrene has apparently been quite successful there because it is planning to open a large outlet in a nearby city. But the Cumquat Café, one year after moving to its new location, has seen its volume of business drop somewhat from the previous year‘s. Clearly, the former site is a better business location, and the Cumquat Café has made a mistake in moving to its new address.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the manager of KMTV, a television station.

    “Applications for advertising spots on KMTV, our local cable television channel, decreased last year. Meanwhile a neighboring town‘s local channel, KOOP, changed its focus to farming issues and reported an increase in advertising applications for the year. To increase applications for advertising spots, KMTV should focus its programming on farming issues as well.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in a computer magazine.

    “A year ago Apex Manufacturing bought its managers computers for their homes and paid for telephone connections so that the managers could access Apex computers and data files from home after normal business hours. Since last year, productivity at Apex has increased by 15 percent. Other companies can learn from the success at Apex: given home computers and access to company resources, employees will work additional hours at home and thereby increase company profits.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following was excerpted from an article in a farming trade publication.

    “Farmers who switched from synthetic to organic farming last year have seen their crop yields decline. Many of these farmers feel that it would be too expensive to resume synthetic farming at this point, given the money that they invested in organic farming supplies and equipment. But their investments will be relatively minor compared to the losses from continued lower crop yields. Organic farmers should switch to synthetic farming rather than persist in an unwise course. And the choice to farm organically is financially unwise, given that it was motivated by environmental rather than economic concerns.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a letter to prospective students from the admissions office at Plateau College.

    “Every person who earned an advanced degree in science or engineering from Olympus University last year received numerous offers of excellent jobs. Typically, many of the Plateau College graduates who want to pursue an advanced degree have gone on to Olympus. Therefore, enrolling as an undergraduate at Plateau College is a wise choice for students who wish to ensure success in their careers.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared in a memorandum sent by a vice-president of the Nadir Company to the company‘s human resources department.

    “Nadir does not need to adopt the costly ‘family-friendly’ programs that have been proposed, such as part-time work, work at home, and job-sharing. When these programs were made available at the Summit Company, the leader in its industry, only a small percentage of employees participated in them. Rather than adversely affecting our profitability by offering these programs, we should concentrate on offering extensive training that will enable employees to increase their productivity.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in a trade magazine for breweries.

    “Magic Hat Brewery recently released the results of a survey of visitors to its tasting room last year. Magic Hat reports that the majority of visitors asked to taste its low-calorie beers. To boost sales, other small breweries should brew low-calorie beers as well.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in an editorial from a newspaper serving the town of Saluda.

    “The Saluda Consolidated High School offers over 200 different courses from which its students can choose. A much smaller private school down the street offers a basic curriculum of only 80 different courses, but it consistently sends a higher proportion of its graduating seniors on to college than Consolidated does. By eliminating at least half of the courses offered there and focusing on a basic curriculum, we could improve student performance at Consolidated and also save many tax dollars.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of a business plan by the Capital Idea Investment firm.

    “Currently more and more books are becoming available in electronic form — either free of charge on the Internet or for a very low price per book on CD-ROM.* People who would not pay bookstore prices will now have access to whatever book they want from their home or work computers. Consequently, literary classics are likely to be read more widely than ever before: 72 percent of those responding to a recent online survey said they would read books in electronic form, and 81 percent said they believed that reading classic works was important. Given this newly developing market, we should invest in E-Classics, a new company that sells electronic versions of literary classics.”

    *A CD-ROM is a small portable disc capable of storing relatively large amounts of data that can be read by a computer.

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as an editorial in a magazine concerned with educational issues.

    “In our country, the real earnings of men who have only a high-school degree have decreased significantly over the past fifteen years, but those of male college graduates have remained about the same. Therefore, the key to improving the earnings of the next generation of workers is to send all students to college. Our country‘s most important educational goal, then, should be to establish enough colleges and universities to accommodate all high school graduates.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of a business plan created by the management of the Take Heart Fitness Center.

    “After opening the new swimming pool early last summer, Take Heart saw a 12 percent increase in the use of the center by members. Therefore, in order to increase the number of our members and thus our revenues, which depend on membership fees, we should continue to add new recreational facilities in subsequent years: for example, a multipurpose game room, a tennis court, and a miniature golf course. Being the only center in the area offering this range of activities would give us a competitive advantage in the health and recreation market.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared in a letter from a staff member in the office of admissions at Argent University.

    “The most recent nationwide surveys show that undergraduates choose their major field primarily based on their perception of job prospects in that field. At our university, economics is now the most popular major, so students must perceive this field as having the best job prospects. Therefore, we can increase our enrollment if we focus our advertising and recruiting on publicizing the accomplishments of our best-known economics professors and the success of our economics graduates in finding employment.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of a memorandum from the loan department of the Frostbite National Bank.

    “We should not approve the business loan application of the local group that wants to open a franchise outlet for the Kool Kone chain of ice cream parlors. Frostbite is known for its cold winters, and cold weather can mean slow ice cream sales. For example, even though Frostbite is a town of 10,000 people, it has only one ice cream spot — the Frigid Cow. Despite the lack of competition, the Frigid Cow‘s net revenues fell by 10 percent last winter.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of a letter to the editor of a local newspaper.

    “Bayview High School is considering whether to require all of its students to wear uniforms while at school. Students attending Acorn Valley Academy, a private school in town, earn higher grades on average than Bayview students and are more likely to go on to college. Moreover, Acorn Valley reports few instances of tardiness, absenteeism, or discipline problems. Since Acorn Valley requires its students to wear uniforms, Bayview High School would do well to follow suit and require its students to wear uniforms as well.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memo to the Saluda town council from the town‘s business manager.

    “Research indicates that those who exercise regularly are hospitalized less than half as often as those who don‘t exercise. By providing a well-equipped gym for Saluda’s municipal employees, we should be able to reduce the cost of our group health insurance coverage by approximately 50% and thereby achieve a balanced town budget.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum written by the assistant manager of a store that sells gourmet food items from various countries.

    “An interesting discovery was made last month at a local wine store: the store sold more French than Italian wine on days when recordings of French accordion music were played, but more Italian wine was sold on days when Italian songs were played. Therefore, I recommend that we put food specialties from one particular country on sale for a week at a time and play only music from that country while the sale is going on. By this means we will increase our profits in the same way that the wine store did, and we will be able to predict more precisely what items we should stock at any given time.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the director of research and development at Ready-to-Ware, a software engineering firm.

    “The package of benefits and incentives that Ready-to-Ware offers to professional staff is too costly. Our quarterly profits have declined since the package was introduced two years ago, at the time of our incorporation. Moreover, the package had little positive effect, as we have had only marginal success in recruiting and training high-quality professional staff. To become more profitable again, Ready-to-Ware should, therefore, offer the reduced benefits package that was in place two years ago and use the savings to fund our current research and development initiatives.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the vice-president of the Dolci Candy Company.

    “Given the success of our premium and most expensive line of chocolate candies in a recent taste test and the subsequent increase in sales, we should shift our business focus to producing additional lines of premium candy and discontinuing our lesser-priced, ordinary candies. When the current economic boom ends and consumers can no longer buy major luxury items, such as cars, they will still be able to afford small luxuries, such as expensive candies.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the business office of the Lovin‘ Cupful, a national restaurant chain.

    “The Lovin‘ Cupful franchises in our northeast region have begun serving customers FasT, a brand new powdered instant tea, in place of brewed tea. From what waiters report, it seems that only 2 percent of the customers have complained about the taste and that customers who want refills typically ask for more ’tea.‘ Apparently, then, about 98 percent of the customers are perfectly happy with the switch, or else they cannot tell powdered instant from brewed tea. Therefore, in order to take advantage of the lower price per pound of FasT, all of our restaurants should begin substituting it for brewed tea.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the director of marketing for a pharmaceutical company.

    “According to a survey of 5,000 urban residents, the prevalence of stress headaches increases with educational level, so that stress headaches occur most often among people with graduate-school degrees. It is well established that, nationally, higher educational levels usually correspond with higher levels of income. Therefore, in marketing our new pain remedy, Omnilixir, we should send free samples primarily to graduate students and to people with graduate degrees, and we should concentrate on advertising in professional journals rather than in general-interest magazines.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an editorial in the Waymarsh City newspaper.

    “Last year the parents of first graders in our school district expressed satisfaction with the reading skills their children developed but complained strongly about their children‘s math skills. To remedy this serious problem and improve our district’s elementary education, everyone in the teacher-training program at Waymarsh University should be required to take more courses in mathematics.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following is from an editorial that appeared in a River City newspaper.

    “The Clio Development Group wants to build a multilevel parking garage on Dock Street in River City, but the plan should not be approved. Most of the buildings on the block would then have to be demolished. Because these buildings were erected decades ago, they have historic significance and must therefore be preserved as economic assets in the effort to revitalize a restored riverfront area. Recall how Lakesburg has benefited from business increases in its historic downtown center. Moreover, there is plenty of vacant land for a parking lot elsewhere in River City.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a corporate planning memorandum for a company that develops amusement parks.

    “Because travel from our country to foreign countries has increased dramatically in recent years, our next project should be a World Tour theme park with replicas of famous foreign buildings, rides that have international themes, and refreshment stands serving only foods from the country represented by the nearest ride. The best location would be near our capital city, which has large percentages of international residents and of children under the age of 16. Given the advantages of this site and the growing interest in foreign countries, the World Tour theme park should be as successful as our Space Travel theme park, where attendance has increased tenfold over the past decade.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the publisher to the staff of The Clarion, a large metropolitan newspaper.

    “During the recent campaign for mayor, a clear majority of city readers who responded to our survey indicated a desire for more news about city government. To increase circulation, and thus our profits, we should therefore consistently devote a greater proportion of space in all editions of The Clarion to coverage of local news.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the assistant manager of Pageturner Books.

    “Over the past two years, Pageturner‘s profits have decreased by five percent, even though we have added a popular café as well as a music section selling CD’s and tapes. At the same time, we have experienced an increase in the theft of merchandise. We should therefore follow the example of Thoreau Books, which increased its profits after putting copies of its most frequently stolen books on a high shelf behind the payment counter. By doing likewise with copies of the titles that our staff reported stolen last year, we too can increase profitability.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a River City newspaper.

    “The Clio Development Group‘s plan for a multilevel parking garage on Dock Street should be approved in order to strengthen the economy of the surrounding area. Although most of the buildings on the block would have to be demolished, they are among the oldest in the city and thus of little current economic value. Those who oppose the project should realize that historic preservation cannot be the only consideration: even Athens or Jerusalem will knock down old buildings to put up new ones that improve the local economy.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the owner of Carlo‘s Clothing to the staff.

    “Since Disc Depot, the music store on the next block, began a new radio advertising campaign last year, its business has grown dramatically, as evidenced by the large increase in foot traffic into the store. While the Disc Depot‘s owners have apparently become wealthy enough to retire, profits at Carlo’s Clothing have remained stagnant for the past three years. In order to boost our sales and profits, we should therefore switch from newspaper advertising to frequent radio advertisements like those for Disc Depot.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of the business plan of the Capital Idea investment firm.

    “Across town in the Park Hill district, the Thespian Theater, Pizzazz Pizza, and the Niblick Golf Club have all had business increases within the past two years. Capital Idea should therefore invest in the Roxy Playhouse, the Slice-o‘-Pizza, and the Divot Golf Club, three new businesses in the Irongate district. As a condition, we should require them to participate in a special program: Any customer who patronizes two of the businesses will receive a substantial discount at the third. By motivating customers to patronize all three, we will thus contribute to the profitability of each and maximize our return.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in a newsletter for farmers.

    “Users of Solacium, a medicinal herb now grown mainly in Asia, report that it relieves tension and promotes deep sleep. A recent study indicates that a large number of college students who took pills containing one of the ingredients in Solacium suffered less anxiety. To satisfy the anticipated demands for this very promising therapeutic herb and to reap the financial benefits, farmers in this country should begin growing it.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the president of Aurora, a company that sells organic milk (milk produced without the use of chemical additives).

    “Sales of organic food products in this country have tripled over the past five years. If Aurora is to profit from this continuing trend, we must diversify and start selling products such as organic orange juice and organic eggs in addition to our regular product line. With the recent increase of articles in health magazines questioning the safety of milk and other food products, customers are even more likely to buy our line of organic products. And to help ensure our successful expansion, we should hire the founder of a chain of health-food stores to serve as our vice-president of marketing.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the human resources department of Diversified Manufacturing.

    “Managers at our central office report that their employees tend to be most productive in the days immediately before a vacation. To help counteract our declining market share, we could increase the productivity of our professional staff members, who receive a total of four weeks paid vacation a year, by allowing them to take no more than one week of vacation at a time. They will thus take more vacation breaks during a year and give us more days of maximum productivity, thereby helping to increase our market share.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from a regional supervisor of post office operations.

    “During a two-week study of postal operations, the Presto City post office handled about twice as many items as the Lento City post office, even though the cities are about the same size. Moreover, customer satisfaction appears to be higher in Presto City, since the study found fewer complaints regarding the Presto City post office. Therefore, the postmasters at these two offices should exchange assignments: the Presto City postmaster will solve the problems of inefficiency and customer dissatisfaction at the Lento City office while the Lento City postmaster learns firsthand the superior methods of Presto City.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum written by the managing director of the Exeunt Theater Company.

    “Now that we have moved to a larger theater, we can expect to increase our revenues from ticket sales. To further increase profits, we should start producing the plays that have been most successful when they were performed in our nation‘s largest cities. In addition, we should hire the Adlib Theater Company’s director of fund-raising, since corporate donations to Adlib have increased significantly over the three years that she has worked for Adlib.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the human resources department of HomeStyle, a house remodeling business.

    “This year, despite HomeStyle‘s move to new office space, we have seen a decline in both company morale and productivity, and a corresponding increase in administrative costs. To rectify these problems, we should begin using a newly developed software package for performance appraisal and feedback. Managers will save time by simply choosing comments from a preexisting list; then the software will automatically generate feedback for the employee. The Human Resources department at CounterBalance, the manufacturer of the countertops we install, reports satisfaction with the package.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in a weekly newsmagazine.

    “The country of Oleum can best solve the problem of its balance of trade deficit by further increasing the tax on its major import, crude oil. After Oleum increased the tax on imported crude oil four months ago, consumption of gasoline declined by 20 percent. Therefore, by imposing a second and significantly higher tax increase next year, Oleum will dramatically decrease its balance of trade deficit.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of a business plan by the Capital Idea investment firm.

    “In recent years the worldwide demand for fish has grown, and improvements in fishing technology have made larger catches and thus increased supply possible: for example, last year‘s tuna catch was 9 percent greater than the previous year’s. To capitalize on these trends, we should therefore invest in the new pugfish processing plant on Pugfish Island, where increasing revenues from tourism indicate a strong local economy.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a speech by a stockholder of Consolidated Industries at the company‘s annual stockholders’ meeting.

    “In the computer hardware division last year, profits fell significantly below projections, the product line decreased from twenty to only five items, and expenditures for employee benefits increased by 15 percent. Nevertheless, Consolidated‘s board of directors has approved an annual salary of over one million dollars for our company’s chief executive officer. The present board members should be replaced because they are unconcerned about the increasing costs of employee benefits and salaries, in spite of the company‘s problems generating income.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the business planning department of Avia Airlines.

    “Of all the cities in their region, Beaumont and Fletcher are showing the fastest growth in the number of new businesses. Therefore, Avia should establish a commuter route between them as a means of countering recent losses on its main passenger routes. And to make the commuter route more profitable from the outset, Avia should offer a 1/3 discount on tickets purchased within two days of the flight. Unlike tickets bought earlier, discount tickets will be nonrefundable, and so gain from their sale will be greater.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the vice-president of Gigantis, a development company that builds and leases retail store facilities.

    “Nationwide over the past five years, sales have increased significantly at outlet stores that deal exclusively in reduced-price merchandise. Therefore, we should publicize the new mall that we are building at Pleasantville as a central location for outlet shopping and rent store space only to outlet companies. By taking advantage of the success of outlet stores, this plan should help ensure full occupancy of the mall and enable us to recover quickly the costs of building the mall.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum written by the chair of the music department to the president of Omega University.

    “Mental health experts have observed that symptoms of mental illness are less pronounced in many patients after group music-therapy sessions, and job openings in the music-therapy field have increased during the past year. Consequently, graduates from our degree program for music therapists should have no trouble finding good positions. To help improve the financial status of Omega University, we should therefore expand our music-therapy degree program by increasing its enrollment targets.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum to the work-group supervisors of the GBS Company.

    “The CoffeeCart beverage and food service located in the lobby of our main office building is not earning enough in sales to cover its costs, and so the cart may discontinue operating at GBS. Given the low staff morale, as evidenced by the increase in the number of employees leaving the company, the loss of this service could present a problem, especially since the staff morale questionnaire showed widespread dissatisfaction with the snack machines. Therefore, supervisors should remind the employees in their group to patronize the cart — after all, it was leased for their convenience so that they would not have to walk over to the cafeteria on breaks.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of an article in a trade magazine.

    “During a recent trial period in which government inspections at selected meat-processing plants were more frequent, the amount of bacteria in samples of processed chicken decreased by 50 percent on average from the previous year‘s level. These results indicate that the trial schedule should be made permanent: by continuing with more frequent inspections, the government could thus cut in half the incidence of stomach and intestinal infections throughout the country. In the meantime, consumers of Excel Meats should be safe from infection because Excel’s main processing plant has shown more improvement in eliminating bacterial contamination than any other plant cited in the government report.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following editorial appeared in the South Fork Gazette.

    “Last year, the city contracted with Flower Power to plant a variety of flowers in big decorative pots on Main Street and to water them each week. By midsummer many of the plants were wilted. This year the city should either contract for two waterings a week or save money by planting artificial flowers in the pots. According to Flower Power, the initial cost for artificial flowers would be twice as much as for real plants, but after two years, we would save money. Public reaction certainly supports this position: in a recent survey, over 1,200 Gazette readers said that the city wastes money and should find ways to reduce spending.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    A planning consultant to the Banbridge Riverfront Festival Committee made the following recommendation to the committee.

    “The Riverfront Festival drew 10,000 visitors — not bad for your first year. You should double that number, however, by bringing in the Jolly Pirate Ship. In St. Clyde, the Harbor Week Festival averaged 30,000 visitors per year over the last decade, but the attendance reached a high point of 45,000 a couple of years ago, when the Jolly Pirate was at the Harbor Week Festival. One of the organizers reported that the ship was especially popular with school groups. Have the Jolly Pirate Ship sail into the Riverfront Festival next summer, and your festival will be much more successful.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the development director of the Largo Piano Company.

    “The Largo Piano Company has long been known for producing carefully handcrafted, expensive pianos used by leading concert pianists. During the past few years, however, our revenues have declined; meanwhile, the Allegro Musical Instrument Company introduced a line of inexpensive digital pianos and then saw its revenues increase. In order to increase Largo‘s sales and in fact outsell Allegro, we should introduce a line of digital pianos in a variety of price ranges. Our digital pianos would be likely to find instant acceptance with customers, since they would be associated with the prestigious Largo name.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the CEO of Volare Airlines.

    “Even though our record last year of on-time takeoffs and arrivals was not as good as that of several other major airline companies, our total revenues were among the highest of any airline. Clearly, an on-time record is not the passengers‘ first concern, and so we should not risk reducing our revenues by trying to improve our record. Instead, we should try to attract new passengers by announcing a program of incentives and discounts. Consider that Flugel Airlines saw ridership increase last year after it lowered fares on its most popular routes, whereas Aero Airlines lost customers even after its president appeared on television to apologize publicly for flight delays.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the marketing department to the general manager of the Swiftville Gazette.

    “In an effort to expand its readership, the Swiftville Gazette made plans to replace the current editor-in-chief and to launch a costly subscription drive. Neither of these measures is now necessary, however: newspaper readership is on the rise once again, as newly released results of a national study show that the top five daily newspapers in the country are enjoying increased circulation for the first time in years. Therefore, the Gazette can expect to become a profitable enterprise for the first time since the editor-in-chief was hired. Moreover, since people are once again interested in the news, we can streamline our operations by dropping some of our ‘extras,’ such as the gardening column, the real estate section, and the local sports news.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared as part of a business plan created by the general manager of the Multon Electronic Company.

    “In response to complaints from customers about the difficulty of installing and operating Multon‘s products, Multon Electronic Company tried an experiment. The Customer Service Department has long suspected that customers are not reading the instructions that are included with every new purchase, and so it inserted a gift certificate at the end of every instruction manual. Because only 75 people returned the certificates in a three-month period last year, Multon Electronics has proved its point that customers are not reading the instructions. The Customer Service Department can solve this problem by providing every new customer with an instructional videotape.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following is a memorandum to the president of the EZ-Manufacturing Company from the manager of cafeteria services.

    “Offering pizza in our cafeteria has proved extremely profitable. To further increase our profits from pizza sales, we should switch to PDQ Pizzeria to supply our pizza. PDQ pizza was twice voted the ‘best pizza’ in the neighboring town of Hamiltonia in on-line surveys of Hamiltonia Gazette readers. The PDQ branch in our town currently sells pizza for only slightly more than our cafeteria does and has begun offering free daily delivery. Switching to PDQ pizza will clearly improve satisfaction with our cafeteria and hence increase the cafeteria‘s profits.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared in a memorandum from the marketing department of Reel magazine.

    “In order to determine the cause of the recent decline in sales of our magazine, we sent a survey to customers who have canceled their subscription during the last nine months. Results indicate that 80 percent of the 450 respondents feel that Reel contains too many ads. In order to retain current customers and win back customers who have canceled their subscriptions, we should reduce the number of ads. This solution will not only improve customer satisfaction but also increase our revenue by boosting magazine sales.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in an article in a health and fitness magazine.

    “A recent study of balding men revealed that 80% had higher than normal levels of the chemical compound DHT in their bodies. A second study discovered that rats fed a diet high in animal fats produced elevated levels of the same chemical. In this second study, however, one group of rats did not produce DHT when they also ate portions of wheat germ — a food rich in vitamin E — along with the other foods high in animal fat. Viewed together, these studies show that the best way to maintain healthy hair and scalp is to reduce fat consumption sharply and to take daily vitamin E supplements.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memo from the vice president in charge of fundraising at Waymarsh University:

    “Three years ago, as part of a very successful campaign to increase the amount of money donated for scholarships, Sophia College used student volunteers to telephone selected alumni and request contributions. That year the total amount of money donated to Sophia exceeded its annual goal by 150%. To reduce overhead costs for fundraising and increase contributions, Waymarsh University should begin using student volunteers to make telephone requests in all our fundraising efforts. Furthermore, since the enrollment at Waymarsh University is more than twice that at Sophia College, we should be able to raise at least as much money each year as Sophia did by using this same method.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a newspaper:

    “Last year when Washington County received a special appropriation for improving highway safety, it spent all those funds to straighten sections of certain county roads. Unfortunately, the number of traffic accidents in the county was actually higher than in the previous year. Although Adams County received a smaller appropriation for improving highway safety, it hired more police officers and enforced traffic laws more strictly. Last year Adams County reported 15% fewer traffic accidents than during the previous year. Since money for improving highway safety throughout the state is limited, we can achieve greater success with less expenditure by using all such funds for stricter enforcement of speed limits.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memo from a vice president of Mama Mia's, a chain of Italian restaurants:

    “Officials of the movie industry report that over 70% of the movies released last year targeted a teenage audience. Furthermore, national sales data indicate that the favorite food of teenagers is pizza. Since a branch store of Good Times Movie Rental opened on Center Street six months ago, sales of takeout pizza at our restaurant next door have been higher than at any other restaurant in our chain. Because the rental of movies seems to stimulate pizza sales, the best way to increase our profits is to open new Mama Mia's restaurants next to or very near all of the Good Times Movie Rental stores.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    The following appeared in a memo from the vice president of the Fizzle Soda Company.

    “There is apparently a market for new beverages, as can be seen from the fact that other companies have recently introduced new juice drinks and sports drinks. Given this market and customer surveys indicating that many drinkers of regular Fizzle soda add chocolate syrup to their soda, we can increase our company‘s sales by creating a new chocolate-flavored soda, ’Choco-Fizz.‘ Choco-Fizz will help us attract new customers and keep our customers who might otherwise switch to our competitors’ chocolate beverages. And Choco-Fizz will be more successful than Fizzle Plus, our most recently introduced flavor, because it will be easier to distinguish from regular Fizzle soda.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Argument Questions for the GMAT

    The following appeared in a memo from the president of the Meltaway Company, a producer of ice cream.

    “Health concerns and convenience appear to be the key factors affecting sales of ice cream. Last year‘s publication of research suggesting that some types of fat can be beneficial to health must have made people more willing to eat regular ice cream, which contains fat. Over the past year, national sales of regular ice cream increased about 8 percent, while sales of fat-free or lowfat ice cream increased by only 1 percent. During the same time period, sales of ice cream were similarly affected by consumers’ demand for convenience, as grocery stores increased their sales volume for ice cream by 9 percent, compared to a 3 percent increase for ice-cream parlors and other stores specializing in ice cream. Therefore, we can expect that most of our profits over the next few years will come from providing regular ice cream to grocery stores.”

    Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

    Analysis of Issue Questions for the GMAT

    In some countries, television and radio programs are carefully censored for offensive language and behavior. In other countries, there is little or no censorship.

    In your view, to what extent should government or any other group be able to censor television or radio programs? Explain, giving relevant reasons and/or examples to support your position.

    “It is unrealistic to expect individual nations to make, independently, the sacrifices necessary to conserve energy. International leadership and worldwide cooperation are essential if we expect to protect the world‘s energy resources for future generations.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Corporations and other businesses should try to eliminate the many ranks and salary grades that classify employees according to their experience and expertise. A ‘flat’ organizational structure is more likely to encourage collegiality and cooperation among employees.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Of all the manifestations* of power, restraint in the use of that power impresses people most.”

    * manifestations: apparent signs or indicators

    Explain what you think this quotation means and discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with it. Develop your position with reasons and/or specific examples drawn from history, current events, or your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “All groups and organizations should function as teams in which everyone makes decisions and shares responsibilities and duties. Giving one person central authority and responsibility for a project or task is not an effective way to get work done.”

    To what extent do you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above? Support your views with reasons and/or specific examples drawn from your own work or school experiences, your observations, or your reading.

    “There is only one definition of success — to be able to spend your life in your own way.”

    To what extent do you agree or disagree with this definition of success? Support your position by using reasons and examples from your reading, your own experience, or your observation of others.

    “The best way to give advice to other people is to find out what they want and then advise them how to attain it.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “For hundreds of years, the monetary system of most countries has been based on the exchange of metal coins and printed pieces of paper. However, because of recent developments in technology, the international community should consider replacing the entire system of coins and paper with a system of electronic accounts of credits and debits.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Employees should keep their private lives and personal activities as separate as possible from the workplace.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “In any enterprise, the process of making or doing something is ultimately more important than the final product.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    Analysis of Issue Questions for the GMAT

    “When someone achieves greatness in any field — such as the arts, science, politics, or business — that person‘s achievements are more important than any of his or her personal faults.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Education has become the main provider of individual opportunity in our society. Just as property and money once were the keys to success, education has now become the element that most ensures success in life.”

    In your opinion, how accurate is the view expressed above? Explain, using reasons and examples based on your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Responsibility for preserving the natural environment ultimately belongs to each individual person, not to government.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Organizations should be structured in a clear hierarchy in which the people at each level, from top to bottom, are held accountable for completing a particular component of the work. Any other organizational structure goes against human nature and will ultimately prove fruitless.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Nations should cooperate to develop regulations that limit children‘s access to adult material on the Internet.”*

    *The Internet is a worldwide computer network.

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Public buildings reveal much about the attitudes and values of the society that builds them. Today‘s new schools, courthouses, airports, and libraries, for example, reflect the attitudes and values of today’s society.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Some people believe that the best approach to effective time management is to make detailed daily and long-term plans and then to adhere to them. However, this highly structured approach to work is counterproductive. Time management needs to be flexible so that employees can respond to unexpected problems as they arise.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “If the primary duty and concern of a corporation is to make money, then conflict is inevitable when the corporation must also acknowledge a duty to serve society.”

    From your perspective, how accurate is the above statement? Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    Some employers who recruit recent college graduates for entry-level jobs evaluate applicants only on their performance in business courses such as accounting, marketing, and economics. However, other employers also expect applicants to have a broad background in such courses as history, literature, and philosophy.

    Do you think that, in the application process, employers should emphasize one type of background — either specialization in business courses or a more varied academic preparation — over the other? Why or why not? Develop your position by using reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    Analysis of Issue Questions for the GMAT

    “In this age of automation, many people complain that humans are becoming subservient to machines. But, in fact, machines are continually improving our lives.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Job security and salary should be based on employee performance, not on years of service. Rewarding employees primarily for years of service discourages people from maintaining consistently high levels of productivity.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Clearly, government has a responsibility to support the arts. However, if that support is going to produce anything of value, government must place no restrictions on the art that is produced.”

    To what extent do you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above? Develop your position by giving specific reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Schools should be responsible only for teaching academic skills and not for teaching ethical and social values.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “A powerful business leader has far more opportunity to influence the course of a community or a nation than does any government official.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “The best strategy for managing a business, or any enterprise, is to find the most capable people and give them as much authority as possible.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Location has traditionally been one of the most important determinants of a business‘s success. The importance of location is not likely to change, no matter how advanced the development of computer communications and others kinds of technology becomes.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “A company‘s long-term success is primarily dependent on the job satisfaction and the job security felt by the company’s employees.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Because businesses use high-quality advertising to sell low-quality products, schools should give students extensive training in how to make informed decisions before making purchases.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    Analysis of Issue Questions for the GMAT

    “Too many people think only about getting results. The key to success, however, is to focus on the specific task at hand and not to worry about results.”

    What do you think this piece of advice means, and do you think that it is, on the whole, worth following? Support your views with reasons and/or examples drawn from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Companies benefit when they discourage employees from working extra hours or taking work home. When employees spend their leisure time without ‘producing’ something for the job, they will be more focused and effective when they return to work.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Financial gain should be the most important factor in choosing a career.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “You can tell the ideas of a nation by its advertisements.”

    Explain what you think this quotation means and discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with it. Develop your position with reasons and/or specific examples drawn from history, current events, or your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “People are likely to accept as a leader only someone who has demonstrated an ability to perform the same tasks that he or she expects others to perform.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “All citizens should be required to perform a specified amount of public service. Such service would benefit not only the country as a whole but also the individual participants.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Business relations are infected through and through with the disease of short-sighted motives. We are so concerned with immediate results and short-term goals that we fail to look beyond them.”

    Assuming that the term “business relations” can refer to the decisions and actions of any organization — for instance, a small family business, a community association, or a large international corporation — explain the extent to which you think that this criticism is valid. In your discussion of the issue, use reasons and/or examples from your own experience, your observation of others, or your reading.

    “Businesses and other organizations have overemphasized the importance of working as a team. Clearly, in any human group, it is the strong individual, the person with the most commitment and energy, who gets things done.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Since science and technology are becoming more and more essential to modern society, schools should devote more time to teaching science and technology and less to teaching the arts and humanities.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Courtesy is rapidly disappearing from everyday interactions, and as a result, we are all the poorer for it.”

    From your perspective, is this an accurate observation? Why or why not? Explain, using reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    Analysis of Issue Questions for the GMAT

    “It is difficult for people to achieve professional success without sacrificing important aspects of a fulfilling personal life.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “With the increasing emphasis on a global economy and international cooperation, people need to understand that their role as citizens of the world is more important than their role as citizens of a particular country.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “The best way to preserve the natural environment is to impose penalties — whether fines, imprisonment, or other punishments — on those who are most responsible for polluting or otherwise damaging it.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Scientists are continually redefining the standards for what is beneficial or harmful to the environment. Since these standards keep shifting, companies should resist changing their products and processes in response to each new recommendation until those recommendations become government regulations.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “The most important reason for studying history is not that knowledge of history can make us better people or a better society but that it can provide clues to solving the societal problems that we face today.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “All companies should invest heavily in advertising because high-quality advertising can sell almost any product or service.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “The most effective way for a businessperson to maximize profits over a long period of time is to follow the highest standards of ethics.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    Businesses are as likely as are governments to establish large bureaucracies, but bureaucracy is far more damaging to a business than it is to a government.“

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    The primary responsibility for preventing environmental damage belongs to government, not to individuals or private industry.“

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    In matching job candidates with job openings, managers must consider not only such variables as previous work experience and educational background but also personality traits and work habits, which are more difficult to judge.

    What do you consider essential in an employee or colleague? Explain, using reasons and/or examples from your work or worklike experiences, or from your observations of others.

    Analysis of Issue Questions for the GMAT

    “Ask most older people to identify the key to success, and they are likely to reply ‘hard work.’ Yet, I would tell people starting off in a career that work in itself is not the key. In fact, you have to approach work cautiously — too much or too little can be self-defeating.”

    To what extent do you agree or disagree with this view of work? Develop your position by using reasons and/or examples from your reading, experience, or observations.

    How far should a supervisor go in criticizing the performance of a subordinate? Some highly successful managers have been known to rely on verbal abuse and intimidation. Do you think that this is an effective means of communicating expectations? If not, what alternative should a manager use in dealing with someone whose work is less than satisfactory?

    Explain your views on this issue. Be sure to support your position with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “The presence of a competitor is always beneficial to a company. Competition forces a company to change itself in ways that improve its practices.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Successful individuals typically set their next goal somewhat — but not too much — above their last achievement. In this way, they steadily raise their level of aspiration.”

    In your opinion, how accurate is this statement? Explain, using specific reasons and examples from your reading, your own experience, or your observation of others.

    “The term ‘user friendly’ is usually applied to the trouble-free way that computer software moves people from screen to screen, function to function. However, the term can also refer to a government office, a library, public transportation, or anything designed to provide information or services in an easy, friendly way. Just as all societies have many striking examples of user-friendly services, so do they abound in examples of user-unfriendly systems.”

    Identify a system or service that you have found to be either “user-friendly” or “user-unfriendly.” Discuss, from the user‘s perspective, in what way the system either is or is not easy to use and explain the consequences or effect of such a system.

    “Popular entertainment is overly influenced by commercial interests. Superficiality, obscenity, and violence characterize films and television today because those qualities are commercially successful.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with this opinion. To support your position, use reasons and/or examples from your reading, your observations, or your experiences as a consumer of popular entertainment.

    “Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”

    To what extent do you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above? Explain your point of view by giving reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “The secret of business is to know something that nobody else knows.”

    Explain what you think the above quotation means and discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with it. Support your position with relevant reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Everywhere, it seems, there are clear and positive signs that people are becoming more respectful of one another‘s differences.”

    In your opinion, how accurate is the view expressed above? Use reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading to develop your position.

    Analysis of Issue Questions for the GMAT

    “What is the final objective of business? It is to make the obtaining of a living — the obtaining of food, clothing, shelter, and a minimum of luxuries — so mechanical and so little time-consuming that people shall have time for other things.”

    — A business leader, circa 1930

    Explain what you think the quotation above means and discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the view of business it expresses. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Juvenile crime is a serious social problem, and businesses must become more involved in helping to prevent it.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Employers should have no right to obtain information about their employees‘ health or other aspects of their personal lives without the employees’ permission.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Even at its best, a government is a tremendous burden to business, though a necessary one.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “What education fails to teach us is to see the human community as one. Rather than focus on the unique differences that separate one nation from another, education should focus on the similarities among all people and places on Earth.”

    What do you think of the view of education expressed above? Explain, using reasons and/or specific examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “As government bureaucracy increases, citizens become more and more separated from their government.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “The goal of business should not be to make as big a profit as possible. Instead, business should also concern itself with the well-being of the public.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “The rise of multinational corporations is leading to global homogeneity*. Because people everywhere are beginning to want the same products and services, regional differences are rapidly disappearing.”

    * homogeneity: sameness, similarity

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that their products are safe. If a product injures someone, for whatever reason, the manufacturer should be held legally and financially accountable for the injury.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    Analysis of Issue Questions for the GMAT

    “Work greatly influences people‘s personal lives — their special interests, their leisure activities, even their appearance away from the workplace.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Since the physical work environment affects employee productivity and morale, the employees themselves should have the right to decide how their workplace is designed.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “The most important quality in an employee is not specific knowledge or technical competence. Instead, it is the ability to work well with other employees.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “So long as no laws are broken, there is nothing unethical about doing whatever you need to do to promote existing products or to create new products.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Commercialism has become too widespread. It has even crept into schools and places of worship. Every nation should place limits on what kinds of products, if any, can be sold at certain events or places.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Companies should not try to improve employees‘ performance by giving incentives — for example, awards or gifts. These incentives encourage negative kinds of behavior instead of encouraging a genuine interest in doing the work well.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    People often give the following advice: “Be yourself. Follow your instincts and behave in a way that feels natural.”

    Do you think that, in general, this is good advice? Why or why not? Develop your point of view by giving reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “The people we remember best are the ones who broke the rules.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “There are essentially two forces that motivate people: self-interest and fear.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “For a leader there is nothing more difficult, and therefore more important, than to be able to make decisions.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    Analysis of Issue Questions for the GMAT

    Although ‘genius’ is difficult to define, one of the qualities of genius is the ability to transcend traditional modes of thought and create new ones.“

    Explain what you think the above statement means and discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with this definition of genius. In your discussion, be sure to include at least one example of someone who, in your opinion, exemplifies genius or a particular characteristic of genius.

    Most people would agree that buildings represent a valuable record of any society‘s past, but controversy arises when old buildings stand on ground that modern planners feel could be better used for modern purposes.

    In your opinion, which is more important — preserving historic buildings or encouraging modern development? Explain your position, using reasons and examples based on your own experiences, observations, or reading.

    “The ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee, and it is worth more than any other commodity under the sun.”

    Explain what you think the above quotation means and discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with it. Support your position with relevant reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “As individuals, people save too little and borrow too much.”

    From your perspective, how accurate is the view expressed above? In your discussion, be sure to consider the conditions under which it is appropriate to save money and the conditions under which it is appropriate to borrow. Develop your position using reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “No one can possibly achieve any real and lasting success or ‘get rich’ in business by conforming to conventional practices or ways of thinking.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Business and government must do more, much more, to meet the needs and goals of women in the workplace.”

    What do you think of the opinion expressed above? In your discussion, be sure to use reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us.”

    Explain what you think this statement means and discuss the extent to which you do or do not agree with it. Support your views with reasons and/or specific examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

    “A business should not be held responsible for providing customers with complete information about its products or services; customers should have the responsibility of gathering information about the products or services they may want to buy.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Advertising is the most influential and therefore the most important artistic achievement of the twentieth century.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Whether promoting a product, an event, or a person, an advertising campaign is most effective when it appeals to emotion rather than to reason.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading

    Analysis of Issue Questions for the GMAT

    “As technologies and the demand for certain services change, many workers will lose their jobs. The responsibility for those people to adjust to such change should belong to the individual worker, not to government or to business.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your position with specific reasons and/or examples drawn from your reading, your observations, or your own experience.

    “Each generation must accept blame not only for the hateful words and actions of some of its members but also for the failure of other members to speak out against those words and actions.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading

    “The study of history is largely a waste of time because it prevents us from focusing on the challenges of the present.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading

    “People often complain that products are not made to last. They feel that making products that wear out fairly quickly wastes both natural and human resources. What they fail to see, however, is that such manufacturing practices keep costs down for the consumer and stimulate demand.”

    Which do you find more compelling: the complaint about products that do not last or the response to it? Explain your position using relevant reasons and/or examples drawn from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Government should establish regulations to reduce or eliminate any suspected health hazards in the environment, even when the scientific studies of these health hazards are incomplete or contradictory.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Employees should show loyalty to their company by fully supporting the company‘s managers and policies, even when the employees believe that the managers and policies are misguided.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “To be successful, companies should trust their workers and give them as much freedom as possible. Any company that tries to control employees‘ behavior through a strict system of rewards and punishments will soon find that such controls have a negative effect on employee morale and, consequently, on the company’s success.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “If parents want to prepare their children to succeed in life, teaching the children self-discipline is more important than teaching them self-esteem.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “Companies are never justified in employing young children, even if the child‘s family would benefit from the income.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    Analysis of Issue Questions for the GMAT

    “What a society chooses to preserve, display, and commemorate is the truest indicator of what the society values. Therefore, in order to understand a society, we must examine the contents of its museums and the subjects of its memorials.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “In business, more than in any other social arena, men and women have learned how to share power effectively.”

    Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

    “In order to accommodate the increasing number of undergraduate students, colleges and universities should offer most courses through dist