GRE Argument Topic 6

Sample 1:

his argument posits that the deer population in the Arctic region of Canada has declined due to melting ice caused by global warming. However, this argument is replete with vague suppositions and anecdotal information that cannot support either the actual decline in the deer populations or the reasons for that purported decline. Maybe global warming trends caused sea ice to melt, preventing the deer's traveling between islands in search of food. There is no evidence to support this. The writer needs to demonstrate that the habitat of the arctic deer was, indeed, affected by sea-ice melt. It appears that, for some of the year, the ice does melt, and that has always been the case. Considering the number of environmental watch-dog groups in existence, one should be able to find concrete evidence of where and when arctic ice melt has occurred. That evidence could support the argument in the passage or cause the writer to look for other factors or events that could affect the deer population.

What else could have caused a decline in the deer population? Wild animals are susceptible to danger from several fronts. Most animals have natural predators. Deer may be prey to wolves or coyotes. Is there evidence of an increase in the numbers of those animals in the arctic deer habitat? Deer populations have also fallen victim to the deer tick, a parasitic insect that takes up residence in the deer's brain and, eventually causes its death. Necropsy clearly discovers the presence of this tick. Alternatively, humans are also deer's natural enemy. It could be that the human residents have over-hunted the deer. Many areas have severely restricted the hunting of does to sustain their deer populations. Evidence of increased predation, deer ticks, or over hunting could weaken the argument proposed in this passage.

Despite the reports of local hunters, there is no concrete evidence that the deer population has declined. Has a census been conducted? It is not uncommon to tag wild animals with radio transmitters that allow officials to track their movements and their deaths. Such tactics might reveal that the deer have not returned to their traditional feeding grounds or that they have died off for some reason. A reduction in the deer's food supply would compel them to move or remain elsewhere. Alternatively, increased hunting in certain locations may compel deer to move to different locations, resulting in the appearance of a reduced population.

Neither the author nor his purpose for the argument has been identified. What is the writer's interest in the arctic deer population? The writer's agenda may influence his willingness to accept the unfounded information presented in the passage. The reader requires more empirical evidence before accepting the conclusions presented in this argument.

Sample 2:

In an editorial in a wild life journal, it was published that the arctic deer which live on islands in Canada’s arctic region are declining in number, as reported by the local hunters. The editorial has drawn similarities of this report with the recent global warning trends and drawn the conclusion that the decline in arctic deer population is due to inability of deer to follow their age old migration patterns across the frozen sea.

This argument is not based on reports from any authentic sources and is thereby very unconvincing. It rests on the feedback given by local hunters who themselves can be misguided as they are not the experts to notice the changing patterns. There is every possibility that the arctic deer have migrated to other regions leaving the hunters to make guesses. It is equally possible that in spite of the climatic changes, it is actually the local hunters who are responsible for the migration or decline of the arctic deer. Hence, the inability of deer to cope up with the changing climate is probably only a word spread by hunters to cover up the cruel pace at which they went on hunting the deer.

The author has quickly jumped to the conclusion that the population of arctic deer is waning because of global warming hampering their age-old patterns of migration across the frozen sea. Though it is true that global warming has caused sea ice in Polar Regions to melt, but it may not be the cause of decline of the arctic deer. They need a habitat cold enough for at least some part of the year and this condition is likely to have been met in the arctic region. Moreover, if global warming was the cause, then it should have affected other animals in the same region as well. No such issue is covered in the editorial.

The author was not only quick to assume that there is a decline in the arctic deer population, but also overlooked any causes of this, other than the global warming trends, when there can be different reasons for the decline of deer, if at all it is true. It could be due to their natural habitats being disturbed by increasing human interference, or due to increase in the number of their predators. The fall in number may also be associated with some sort of pollution of water or due to shortage of the plants they feed on. There may even be lack of suitable environment for their mating. Before arriving at any conclusion, the adaption trends of different animals, especially arctic deer in this case should have been studied. Since it is quite likely that just as birds change their timing and countries of migration, adapting to the changing climates, arctic deer have also adapted to the rise in temperature due to global warming and migrated to a different location.

Conclusively, the argument given by the author in the editorial of wild life journal is denounced due to lack of evidence. The author should have supported it with more reliable statistical data.