GRE argument essay tests the writing proficiency of candidates through an essay. GRE argument sample essay - Sartorian focuses on the production of a men’s clothing manufacturer. Candidates need to focus on finding the flaws of the argument and write supporting points with relevant examples. Candidates will find similar topics in GRE writing practice papers.

Topic:

The following appeared in a memo from the new vice president of Sartorian, a company that manufactures men’s clothing.

“Five years ago, at a time when the company faced challenges in getting a reliable supply of high-quality wool fabric, the company stopped the production of its deluxe alpaca overcoats. Now that the company has got a new fabric supplier, it is rethinking how to resume the same production. The coat should sell very well since the company has not offered an alpaca overcoat for the last five years and since there is no major competitor capable of making an alpaca overcoat. There are expectations that there will be pent-up customer demand. Also, since the price of the majority of clothing types has increased in the last five years, the customers are ready to pay significantly higher prices for alpaca overcoats than they were paying five years ago. It will help in increasing the company’s profits significantly.

Answer:

According to the vice president of clothing manufacturing, the company believes that it must resume the production of its deluxe alpaca coats, whose production has been stopped from the past five years ago due to the non-availability of high-quality wool fabric. The availability of a new fabric supplier is an inspiring reason to restart the production. But the arguer utilizes two assumptions stating whether coats will get a good demand in the market. The first assumption regarding the same is that there can be pent-up customer demand for alpaca coats in the market as there is no major competitor offering the same over the last five years. While another assumption is that the customers are ready to pay even the higher prices for alpaca coats as there has been a rise in the prices of clothing in the last five years. Despite the assumptions made by the arguer, the argument is wrong in many aspects.

Also check:

The argument proved weaker mainly due to the lack of information related to the fabric supplier. As long as the cost and quality of the fabric that is being delivered by the new supplier is not known, it would be a mistake to assume that the alpaca coats are made up of the good quality material which is supplied by this fabric supplier. Additionally, another assumption is that there might be a possibility that the quality of the material being supplied is good. But the new supplier might not be able to meet the expectations of the company which might result in production problems later. In case the supplier is able to meet the requirements of the company, no information related to the supplier’s credibility, trustworthiness, and adherence to deadlines is mentioned. Thus, the contention that the production of alpaca coats must be resumed only because there is a new fabric supplier is largely fallacious.

Another assumption that there will be a high demand for alpaca coats in the market is inadequately supported by the evidence. Earlier the production of alpaca coats was discontinued mainly due to zero demand in the market and this would also explain why Sartorian’s major competitors have not manufactured alpaca coats in the past. Moreover, it is expected that alpaca coats have been replaced in the market by more affordable coats that are made using superior quality. Furthermore, there is a possibility that alpaca coats are no longer in fashion at present and thus there is no or very low demand for the same in the market. Thus assuming that there will be a pent-up demand for alpaca coats in the market could not be substantiated by the arguer mainly due to lack of credible evidence supporting the statement.

Finally, another assumption that people are ready to pay even higher prices for the alpaca coats is grossly unconvincing despite the fact there has been a surge in clothing prices. In the past five years, customers have started buying a different kind of variety in coats and if the production of alpaca coats restarts then there are higher chances that it will have to face stiff opposition from such coats that have strong consumer support. Therefore, there are higher chances that people will not discontinue using their popular coats and might not spend a high amount in buying alpaca coats. Moreover, if the production of alpaca coats was stopped mainly five years ago due to lack of consumer demand, then it is unlikely that this demand will rise within a few days and people will be ready to spend even higher prices buying these coats. Additionally, in case the cost of the wool, which is being supplied is very high, then it will become difficult for the company to get high profits from the sales of alpaca coats. Therefore, assuming that the company can make higher profits from the sale of alpaca coats is quite unjustifiable.

Thus to conclude, it is evident that the arguments are unpersuasive in its present form mainly due to the absence of substantial evidence that proves beyond doubt that the production of alpaca coats would indeed be a profitable venture for Sartorian.