The GRE samples for argument task - Maple County is an argumentative essay that talks about how the council is planning to limit the over-development of the place. GRE analyze an argument tests how capable the candidates are in understanding the topic and writing a proper essay. To improve your writing skills, practicing different topics from the GRE AWA practice papers is required.

Maple County - GRE Samples for Argument Task

TOPIC

The council of Maple County, concerned about the county's becoming overdeveloped, is debating a proposed measure that would prevent the development of existing farmland in the county. But the council is also concerned that such a restriction, by limiting the supply of new housing, could lead to significant increases in the price of housing in the county. Proponents of the measure note that Chestnut County established a similar measure ten years ago, and its housing prices have increased only modestly since. However, opponents of the measure note that Pine County adopted restrictions on the development of new residential housing fifteen years ago, and its housing prices have since more than doubled. The council currently predicts that the proposed measure, if passed, will result in a significant increase in housing prices in Maple County.

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the prediction and the argument on which it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the prediction.

Answer:

The council’s decision of limiting the residential development in Maple County is a questionable assumption and contains numerous flaws. The argument is a weak one since it fails to flourish a logically sound case.

The council has stated that Maple County is over-development. But it has failed to establish the facts for upholding Maple County as over-developed. Is it the economic prosperity that they are referring to or the increase in Gross Domestic Product? Or, is it the industrial development, or the activities involved in the trade or other features? The statement of the council is fragile since it doesn’t cater to any of the facts above which would have strengthened its focus on the over-development of the county. If any economic survey or statistical analysis would have been provided then the argument could have been supported.

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The next weakening assumption of the council to pause over-development is by restraining the existing farmland’s development and also keeping an eye on the new housing. One thing may be accepted that the formation of new housing will increase the population count but that doesn’t signify over-development. What the council can actually do to pause the over-development is limiting industrial production, amping up the tax rates, and decline trade relations with surrounding countries.

The council, moreover, deduced its decision by referring to the instances of the neighboring Pine and Chestnut counties. The council focusing on the measure undertaken by the other counties and their possible outcomes concluded that Maple County would also not undergo any significant change for fifteen years. What the council didn’t count is the economic growth, house rates as well as land costs and development charges which may have followed a different path as compared to the conditions of Maple County. Nevertheless, the weather, climate, culture and people could have had a strong effect on the housing societies in Pine County as a result of which the costs have doubled in the fifteen years, and quite the contrary happened in Chestnut. But what the council should have done is analyzing and predicting the upcoming times and make future decisions based on them. Or, they could have also studied the present ongoings of other countries who have followed similar paths to limit over-development.

The council should have consulted economists and analysts to get an idea about the increase or decrease in the prices of housing developments. Restraining the housing developments will directly affect the population when people will find a scarcity of residential places they will expectedly look for better places to reside. This will eventually negatively affect Maple County.