GRE Argument Topic 81

NOTE: The above topic has wording similar to Argument Tasks 9 and 81 of this Website. However, if you read carefully you will notice that the topic and the task instructions are different. Hence, it is very important to read the topic as well as its instructions completely before you start to write your response.

Sample 1:

Health Naturally is expanding, and, like any well-run company, has researched existing conditions before deciding which towns to select for its new stores. Using past experience, Health Naturally has determined that Plainsville is a suitable location. The company vice president has loaded his memo with highly charged words in an effort to persuade others to adopt his recommendation. "All-time high", "more than ever", and "always full" make the future in Plainsville sound very promising. These descriptors mean little or nothing when taken out of context.

When Plainsville merchants claim that sales of running shoes are at an all-time high, they don't reveal by how much in dollars or how many units sold. Sales in total dollars would just have to be one dollar higher than the previous best year to be considered an all-time high. The high dollar amount might be a result of an increase in the prices of running shoes. The merchants may actually have sold fewer pairs of shoes. The number of units sold might be a better measure of greater-than-ever success, but, again, selling one more pair of shoes than in the previous best year should not determine the health consciousness of Plainsville residents. If the conditions stated here are true, they do not support the argument put forth by Health Naturally's vice president.

The health club in Plainsville also appears to be thriving, claiming more members than ever before. A total membership of one more than the previous best year supports this claim, but one additional member is not sufficient to justify the expense of building a Health Naturally store in this location. In fact, this company should seek to know why the health club had so little business five years ago. There may have been several other clubs in the area that actually have closed in the intervening years, leaving this club as the only one still standing. When members of the closed clubs sought another place to exercise, they had no other choice but the club in Plainsville. This same situation explains why the aerobics and weight-training classes are always full. On the other hand, the health club may have reduced the number of classes, causing those who want to attend to crowd in to those available. Membership in the health club may fluctuate throughout the year. Some of the most popular New Year's resolutions are to lose weight and to adopt a healthier life style. If Health Naturally interviewed the merchants and the health club owner shortly after the beginning of the New Year, their numbers may be inflated. If those interviews took place in May or September, for example, the numbers reported could be a reason for optimism.

A presumption in this argument is that people who exercise will buy health foods, and they will buy them at a Health Naturally store. If the residents of Plainsville buy natural foods, they must already have a source for it, maybe even the local grocery store. Getting people to change their shopping habits is expensive and time consuming and, ultimately, may not be possible. Knowing the socioeconomic status of Plainsville residents would help Health Naturally make a decision about locating there. Natural foods are generally more expensive than foods carried in typical grocery stores. If the income levels in Plainsville are too low, the new health store will probably fail.

Finally, the vice president of the company assumes that the children of Plainsville are sure to become future customers of the store. Because the children must participate in a Fitness for Life program, they will continue to practice what they learn. A piece of information that would help determine the veracity of this assumption is the employment picture in Plainsville. Unless today's children can be assured of employment as adults, they will have to leave to seek their fortunes elsewhere.

The vice president of Health Naturally needs more detailed evidence to support his proposal to establish one of the company's new stores in Plainsville. It may turn out that this town is indeed health conscious and would welcome a store offering products that enhances their lifestyle choice. In contrast, further evidence may reveal the shallow nature of the apparent healthy behavior in Plainsville, and the decision to locate a new store in another location would be the wisest one.

Sample 2:

The argument is based on a memo written by the vice president of a chain of stores selling health food and other health-related products named Nature’s Way. The vice president of Nature’s Way recommends that the company should build a new store in Plainsville because this place has residents who are highly concerned with leading healthy lifestyles. He has supported his argument by citing information about sale of sports products, the situation of local health club and a program called “fitness for life” in schools. However, none of these evidence lends credible support to the recommendation.

In the first place, the sale of running shoes and exercise apparel makes no sense to the conclusion that the residents would be interested in buying Nature’s Way products. People of Plainsville might pay more attention to exercise rather than health diet. It is highly possible that exercise apparel happens to be fashionable at the moment. Even if the sales of these products can represent the residents’ enthusiastic attitude towards keeping themselves healthy, there is no information that shows that their passion towards exercise would continue or increase. Hence, this evidence is not strong enough to conclude the argument. On the contrary, there is a chance of their believing that as a result of regular exercise they are sufficiently fit and healthy and do not need a health diet.

Secondly, the popularity of the local health club is little indication that Nature’s Way will earn a profit from a store on Plainsville. There is no evidence that shows that the poor business of local health club five years ago was due to little concern of residents towards health. In the past the club might have had a high membership fee or poor quality of equipment or untrained instructors and therefore, people did not go to it to exercise any more. Moreover, now the success of one health club cannot represent other clubs also. May be the local club is doing well now due to change in its management and improvement in the whole quality of the club. The author has not given convincing arguments in the support of his recommendation.

The third point is the fact that a certain fitness program is mandatory for Plainsville’s schoolchildren. This fact accomplishes nothing towards bolstering the recommendation. The author has not thought about the other side of this point that students who participate in a “fitness for life” program might not buy food from Nature’s Way. Moreover, they exercise a lot by playing football, baseball etc to keep themselves healthy. Hence, they are not the customers of the health diet.

Hence, the author’s recommendation is based entirely on some assumptions and the author has failed to support his assumptions with concrete evidence. The author should have analyzed the market and understood the attitude of residents in Plainsville. He should have talked to people who are the health club’s members, exercise regularly, buy exercise clothes etc. In addition, other information, such as the detailed situation of club, taste of children and average income of people in Plainsville would have helped to take a decision.