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Sample Response to Real GRE Argument Questions
Topic # 5: The following
appeared in the editorial section of a health and fitness magazine.
"In a study of the effects of exercise on longevity, medical researchers
tracked 500 middle-aged men over a 20-year period. The subjects
represented a variety of occupations in several different parts of the
country and responded to an annual survey in which they were asked: How
often and how strenuously do you exercise? Of those who responded, the men
who reported that they engaged in vigorous outdoor exercise nearly every
day lived longer than the men who reported that they exercised mildly only
once or twice a week. Given the clear link that this study establishes
between longevity and exercise, doctors should not recommend moderate
exercise to their patients but should instead encourage vigorous outdoor
exercise on a daily basis."
It is natural to assume that exercise would have a positive effect on the
length of life for middle-aged men given all of the medical literature
that has been published in the past showing a positive correlation between
exercise and longevity. In this particular argument, the writer puts forth
a study purporting to track five hundred middle-aged men with different
occupations in different parts of the country. The survey was apparently
conducted on the basis of an annual survey asking how often and how
strenuously these men exercised. The writer not only concludes that there
is a clear link between longevity and exercise, but that doctors should
not recommend moderate exercise, rather vigorous outdoor exercise on a
daily basis to all their patients. This writer's argument fails to
convince in a number of areas due to several lapses in logical thinking.
The first and most glaring error in logic lies in the fact that the
results of only two types of exercising men are reported: those that
exercise strenuously outdoors almost every day and those that only had
mild exercise once or twice per week. There are no other results mentioned
from the survey, such as the results of men who exercise vigorously
indoors every day, or those that exercise moderately either indoors or
outdoors three or four times per week. Additionally, it is likely that
those men that are exercising outdoors vigorously and almost every day are
already in better health than those men that only exercise mildly once or
twice per week. Unhealthy men, either due to obesity, smoking or other
health-related problems, would naturally be expected to exercise less and
die sooner than those apparently healthy men who are physically able to
exercise strenuously every day.
Furthermore, the writer indicates that the survey looked at men in
different parts of the country with a variety of occupations. It would
follow that men that can exercise vigorously outdoors almost every day
must live in more favorable climates for such exercise. Milder weather
that permits outdoor exercise would likely be healthier for any men rather
than the harsher climates that may be present in other parts of the
country. In addition, some occupations such as a policeman, firefighter or
steelworker are naturally more dangerous than others, leading to a
possibly reduced life span. The writer fails to take into account any
possible disparity in longevity that may be caused by climatic differences
where the men lived or due to their occupations, thus weakening the
argument and its conclusion.
Finally, the argument suffers from a critical flaw in its conclusion when
the writer states that doctors should not recommend moderate exercise for
their patients, instead stating that they should only encourage vigorous
outdoor exercise on a daily basis. This conclusion is supported by
absolutely no evidence in the argument - indeed moderate exercise is not
even mentioned until the end of the editorial. Additionally, the argument
fails to take into account that the study only addresses men, not women or
children that are also doctors' patients. Furthermore, for some men, women
or children, outdoor vigorous exercise on a daily basis might actually be
detrimental to their health, such as those at risk for a heart attack or
living in harsh climates.
In summary, the writer fails to show that doctors should recommend
vigorous daily outdoor exercise rather than moderate exercise whether it
is for men, women or children. To strengthen the argument, evidence should
be presented that directly links strenuous outdoor exercise on a daily
basis for men as well as all doctors' patients before any such
recommendation should be adopted. This weak argument might actually cause
more damage to patients' health than it would prevent.
(615 words) |
