GRE-Argument

1.Woven baskets characterized by a particular distinctive pattern have previously been

found only in the immediate vicinity of the prehistoric village of Palea and therefore

were believed to have been made only by the Palean people. Recently, however,

archaeologists discovered such a ‘Palean’ basket in Lithos, an ancient village across

the Brim River from Palea. The Brim River is very deep and broad, and so the ancient

Paleans could have crossed it only by

boat, and no Palean boats have been found.

Thus it follows that the so-called Palean baskets were not uniquely Palean.

Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to

evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the

argument.

一种具有独特花纹的编织篮子以前只在史前村庄Palea的临近地区发现过，因而被认为是Palea居民所独有的。然而最近，考古学家在一个与Palea隔着一条叫做Brim河的村庄Lithos发现了一个这样的Palea篮子。Brim河很深很宽，所以古代Palea人只能坐船穿过它，但并没有发现Palea人使用的船只。这表明那种所谓的Palea篮子并不是那里所独有的。

写一篇response，在文章中，请你列举出评价此篇Argu所需的具体论据，并解释这些论据是如何强化或是削弱此篇Argu的说服力的。

The notion which the arguer concludes by the evidence that the discovery of such

a ‘Palean’ basket in Lithos, which is an ancient village across the Brim River from

Palea, and no Palean boats having been found, seems at first glance to be a dramatic

conclusion. However, we may accept part of the claims concerning Palean. The

arguer’s point that the so-called Palean baskets were not uniquely Palean lacks some

critical evidence(un.), thus we cannot completely accept the conclusion.(The

argument that…suffers from several critical fallacies, thus the conclusion cannot be

reached)

First of all, the author’s evidence that the Brim River which is very deep and

broad isolates Palea from Lithos is

insufficient to the conclusion that the ancient

Paleans could have crossed it only by boat. Even if we could rule out the possibility

that some Paleans good at swimming swim across the river, Paleans or Lithos also

likely cross the river by logs or rafts because of lack of information in this argument

to exclude the probability. Besides, there is no geological evidence provided by author

to warrant the existence of the Brim River in all ancient times when Paleans and

Lithos lived. If the river did not exist at that time, the Paleans could easily reach the

opposite village Lithos with basket. To strengthen author’s argument, more

archaeological information about the Brim River and the manufacturing capability of

Paleans and Lithos are needed to provide.

Secondly, the implication reached by the author that the discovered ‘Palean’

basket in Lithos was merely brought by Paleans through the Brim River might not be

absolutely. For example, the basket which was lost in the river probably was wafted to

the other side of the bank, or was brought from a merchant who trudges a long way

from Palean to Lithos. Thus, some extra evidence about the origin of raw material of

the basket found in Lithos may solidify the argument. Additionally, the author confound the concept that no boats have been found

with no boat in the Brim River. Obviously, no discovery of boats can not imply that

Paleans was incapable of manufacturing boats. Meanwhile, the argument provide no

evidence to demonstrate the capability of manufacturing boats of Lithos. If they can,

then the basket can also be brought Lithos by boat.

To conclude, the argument is not persuasive as it stands. Before the conclusion

that the so-called Palean baskets were not uniquely Palean are reached, the arguer

would have to demonstrate the existence of the Brim River in all ancient times and the

raw material of basket originating from Palea. Additionally, the arguer must provide

evidence to rule out the possibility that Paleans cross the river by some other simple

tools.

2. The following appeared as part of a letter to the editor of a scientific

journal.

A recent study of eighteen rhesus monkeys provides clues as to the effects of birth

order on an individual’s levels of stimulation. The study showed that in stimulating

situations (such as an encounter with an unfamiliar monkey), firstborn infant monkeys

produce up to twice as much of the hormone cortisol, which primes the body for

increased activity levels, as do their younger siblings. Firstborn humans also produce

relatively high levels of cortisol in stimulating situations (such as the return of a

parent after an absence). The study also found that during pregnancy, first-time

mother monkeys had higher levels of cortisol than did those who had had several

offspring.

Write a response in which you discuss one or more alternative explanations that

could rival the proposed explanation and explain how your explanation(s) can