【GRE写作】Argument 精选真题范文（十七）

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Argument:

Workers in the small town of Leeville take fewer sick days than workers in

the large city of Masonton, 50 miles away. Moreover, relative to population

size, the diagnosis of stress-related illness is proportionally much lower in

Leeville than in Masonton. According to the Leeville Chamber of Commerce, these

facts can be attributed to the health benefits of the relatively relaxed pace of

life in Leeville.

Instructions:

Write a response in which you discuss one or more alternative explanations

that could rival the proposed explanation and explain how your explanation(s)

can plausibly account for the facts presented in the argument.

Introduction

According to the argument, the facts stated can be attributed to the health

benefits of the relatively relaxed pace of life in Leeville. However, there are

alternative explanations that can plausibly account for those facts.

Body

【本文以部分逻辑疑点为例。逻辑疑点，课堂上见】

First, taking sick days does not surely indicate having illness, and vice

versa. ← find the point of doubt in the argument】 Some of the sick days taken by

Masonton workers may be attributed to the situation that those workers use

having illness as the excuse for their absence from work. Meanwhile, it is

likely that Leeville workers do not take sick leave when they have illness, and

as a result, the sick days they take are fewer. ← explain the point of doubt in

detail】 In addition, the number of sick days is not surely equal to the number

of workers who are sick. ← find the point of doubt in the argument】 A likely

case is that many Leeville workers get sick and each asks a few days off, and a

few Masonton workers get sick and each asks a number of days off. ← explain the

point of doubt in detail】In this case, although Leeville witnesses a smaller

number of sick days, it has more sick workers, and the health benefits of its

relaxed pace of life is suspicious. ← challenge the proposed explanation】

Moreover, even though the two aforementioned issues may be clarified, there

remains another possibility. Leeville, as a small town, may be less polluted

than Masonton, the large city, and Masonton may not have a hectic pace of life.

If this is the case, that Leeville workers take fewer sick days may be

attributed to the Leeville’s cleaner environment and have nothing to do the pace

of life.

← 逻辑靠近的点可以写在同一个段落里。→

Since Leeville, the small town, is only 50 miles away from Masonton, the

large city, it is likely that Leeville patients travel the short distance to the

nearby large city of Masonton to seek medical advice and treatment, and the

diagnoses of their stress-related illness are taken into the records of

Masonton’s hospitals. ← state a situation that would refute the argument’s

logic】In fact, there may be many such Leeville patients and a few local patients

in Masonton’s hospitals. ← then draw the point of doubt】In this case, the health

benefits of Leeville’s relaxed pace of life is dubious. ← challenge the proposed

explanation】 In addition, Since Leeville is the small town, it may have fewer

and less good hospitals and physicians than does Masonton, the large city. Some

cases of stress-related illness may be misdiagnosed as other conditions. In this

case, Leeville’s relaxed pace of life may offer no health benefits, and the

town’s lower proportion of stress-related illness is due to the

misdiagnosis.

In addition, the type of work may also be a factor behind the

stress-related illness. ← state the essence of the alternative explanation】 It

may be because Leeville has a smaller number of workers whose jobs require

mental abilities and are likely to cause stress than does Masonton that Leeville

has the lower rate of stress-related illness. ← elaborate on the essence】 In

other words, even if Leeville’s pace of life is fast, the chance of getting

stress-related illness is lower in the town’s population.← although there aren’t

the words “alternative explanation”, the whole paragraph is depicting an

alternative situation / case / explanation. 】

Conclusion

In light of the aforementioned points of doubt, the line of reasoning of

the argument is untenable at multiple places. Unless all of the alternative

possibilities are ruled out, the proposed explanation hardly represents the case

behind the facts stated in the argument.