GRE Analyze an Argument examines your ability to understand and analyze the arguments, evaluating them in the form of an essay. GRE analyze an argument question containing a brief passage describing a course of events. You need to write an essay of 500-600 words and finish GRE analytical writing in 30 minutes. Go through the GRE practice papers to get numerous test papers for furthermore practice.

Argument:

The following appeared in a memorandum from the planning department of an electric power company.

“Several recent surveys indicate that homeowners are increasingly eager to conserve energy and manufacturers are now marketing many home appliances, such as refrigerators and air conditioners, that are almost twice as energy-efficient as those sold a decade ago. Also, new technologies for better home insulation and passive solar heating are readily available to reduce the energy needed for home heating. Therefore, we anticipate that the total demand for electricity in our area will not increase, and may decline slightly. Since our three electric generating plants in operation for the past 20 years have always met our needs, construction of new generating plants should not be necessary.”

Answer:

The author has reached the conclusion that there will be no need for additional electric generating plants in the region owing to a stable or a slight reduction in the consumption of electricity. The author proposes that there will not be an increase in the consumption of electricity due to three factors- the eagerness of homeowners to conserve energy, the marketing of energy-efficient home appliances by manufacturers, and the availability of new technologies for home insulation and heating. But this proposal is based on factors that may need further scrutiny and its impact on electricity consumption to be validated. So, the conclusion given by the author is not convincing.

First, the author bases his conclusion on recent surveys showing the eagerness of homeowners to conserve energy. Here, some questions that need to be answered before considering the survey as a basis for decision making are how recent the survey is and how it was conducted. Whether the participants sampled in the survey represented the population accurately? Whether the questionnaire framed or the methods adopted for the survey could actually gauge the mindset of the people? Even if the survey was recent, it is not evident whether the participants would actually have the drive to reduce energy consumption in practice. They may also not implement the needed measures or develop energy-saving habits which shall result in a drop in energy needs.

Also, Check

Another important factor that the author has failed to account for is the energy demand from other sectors in the region. The author has talked about the surveys conducted on homeowners. Nowhere there is a mention of other key consumers like industries, offices, businesses, and city infrastructure. Even if the demand from homeowners reduces, there may be an increase in demand from other consumers. There can be new industries and businesses popping up and new infrastructure projects that may increase the electricity needs.

We should also consider the population in the region. The growth of the population is not considered in the memorandum. Any population grows in a predictable manner. But there can also be sudden explosions in population due to migration that can be triggered by real estate prices, rapid development, economic growth, zoning laws, and many other factors. Even if homeowners use energy-efficient appliances, the increase in population will drive up the energy demands. So, the accuracy, recency, relevancy, and comprehensiveness of the survey are not adequate to reach a conclusion.

The second factor is the marketing of energy-efficient home appliances. Even though the home appliances may be twice as efficient as those sold a decade ago, people may be slow in adopting them. The efficiency of the marketing campaign in increasing sales, the price of the new appliances, affordability, and the purchasing power of the consumers are not detailed. This may result in very slow adoption of the appliances thereby not reducing the electricity consumption as expected.

Regarding the easy availability of better home insulation and passive solar heating, the same question about the rate of adoption pops up. People may be reluctant to adopt these new systems due to less awareness, higher cost, and difficulty in implementing the system to existing home plans. The zoning and city laws and even the weather may play a spoilsport in the implementation of the system. The author does not present detailed facts or exhibit its certainty to have arrived at the conclusion of people adopting these technologies that will result in lower energy consumption.

Finally, the author mentions that the three electric generation plants that are currently working are 20 years old. The author has not considered the soundness of the plants. The plants themselves may run poorly, be prone to breakdowns and not be as efficient or clean as a new plant might be. The author should also consider the time taken in putting up the new plant in case there are sudden changes in the electricity demand in the region.

Hence, the statements discussed above only point to the author depending on a loose set of data and assumptions to arrive at a conclusion. The author has not considered strong facts and evidence. He should have deliberated each statement, found answers to each of the questions that arise, and then come to a conclusion. The key areas that the author should have explored are the relevance of the survey, rate, and feasibility of adoption of new technologies such as energy-efficient appliances, insulation, and passive solar heating techniques, and the soundness of the existing generation plants.