Argument Task:

DOs
what is offered as evidence, support or proof
what is explicitly stated, claimed or concluded
what is assumed or supposed, perhaps without justification or
proof
what is not stated, but necessarily follows from or underlies what
is stated
DONT
You are not being asked to discuss whether the statements in the
argument are true or accurate.
You are not being asked to agree or disagree with the position
stated.
You are not being asked to express your own views on the subject
being discussed (as you were in the Issue task).

Guidelines

You are expected to analyze the logic of the given argument. You must not start giving
your opinion of the subject matter of the argument.
(For example, if the argument claims that a certain newspaper is not selling well because it
has recently increased its price, you are not expected to give views on what makes a good
newspaper, or on marketing strategies. You simply have to discuss whether the evidence
provided warrants that conclusion.)
All the arguments will be seriously flawed. In your initial reading try to find the main

conclusion, identify the underlying logic of the argument and identify the major faults. The
main categories of logical error that you should be able to spot are:
Generalizations
Problems with surveys and statistics
False causes
False analogies
Hidden assumptions
Inadequate authority

Format of your essay

There is no specific format that the examiners recommend for addressing the Analyze an
Argument task. However, with only 30 minutes to plan and write the essay, you would be
advised to work out an approach that suits you. The following format should point you in the
right direction.

Part I - Introduction
Write an introduction explaining in your own words what the argument claims.
End your paragraph with a statement such as:
However, this conclusion seems unwarranted, or
However, the information provided does not justify this conclusion or
This conclusion is not well supported / fails to convince/ is flawed etc.
The exact wording will depend on the instructions you are given. For example, if you have been asked to
focus on the assumptions that the argument makes, you might use words along the lines of: contains a
number of unsupported assumptions that cast doubt on the authors conclusion.

Part II - The body of the essay

Write 2, 3 or 4 paragraphs to deal with the line of argument according to the specific instructions given.
For example, in the case in which you are asked to focus on alternative explanations, you can explain
what alternative reasons or other causes might need to be considered. In the case in which you are asked
what questions need to be addressed to evaluate the argument, you might find yourself (depending on
the actual argument in the question) focusing on misleading statistics and figures, the source of the
information, or dubious comparisons that are made.
No one formula fits all the topics in the pool, but you can easily work out the way to address the body of
the essay once you have tried a few of the topics for yourself.

You should also read the sample essays provided in the Official Guide to the GRE and on the GRE
website. DO NOT be tempted to copy the wording of these sample essays in your own response. If you
are judged to have plagiarised any part of your essay you risk having your score discounted.

Part III - What else is needed?

The final paragraph is the place to cover what else you would need to know before you are able to decide
whether the conclusion is actually valid. This what else paragraph obviates the necessity for a
formal conclusion. Useful statements are along the lines of:
In order to decide whether, indeed, ABC is actually the case, it would be useful to have access to XYZ.
XYZ might include one or other of: Expert opinion (e.g. business consultant) / statistics / surveys /
research data etc depending on the focus of the essay.
It is useful to end the essay on a note of doubt. Suggest that the argument might have a valid point, but
that more information would be needed to come to a specific conclusion.

Top 5 Strategies:

. Do not agree with the argument

The Argument essay gets its name not only from the fact that you must analyze an
argument, but also because you must provide your own argument. Specifically, you
are arguing how the argument is terrible (in a scholastic manner, of course!) and
filled with logical fallacies. You must in no way agree with the argument. It is there
for you to skewer with your logical and rhetorical abilities.

2. Dont belabor the introduction

The intro should be short and sweet. Many forget this and instead try to craft an
eloquent and attention-grabbing first sentence. Do not be seduced by such a
temptation! Instead, be as dry and formulaic as possible (the Issue statement, it
should be noted, allows for a little more flair).

3. Follow a rigid organizational scheme

Organization is key to scoring well on the GRE AWA. The good news is that the
Argument has an even more cookie-cutter template than the Issue. Essentially, you
want to open with a quick intro stating how the paragraph is weak for a variety of
reasons. You can mention those issues, before elaborating on them in the body
paragraphs.
Begin each body paragraph with a topic paragraph that states the specific fallacy
you are attacking. The second sentence should provide your reasoning. The third
sentence can elaborate on the second sentence by providing specific examples.
Your fourth sentence can be something like, Had the argument taken into
account, Had the argument not assumed Xthen.
The final sentence can recap the paragraph (think of it as a mini-conclusion that is
paragraph-specific).

4. Find the right balance

The GRE argument paragraph is a bar of Swiss cheese, the holes gaping logical
fallacies. It is easy to get carried away and try to enumerate all of the logical
inconsistencies in the paragraph. Doing so, however, detracts from your ability to
develop your criticism of any one logical inconsistency or questionable assumption.
At the same time, you could just as easily pick out one of these glaring assumptions
and write a really long paragraph, describing why an assumption is unwarranted
and ways to make the argument stronger.
The key is finding the right balance between highlighting specific fallacies and
developing a thoughtful and sustained (but not too sustained) dismantling of one of
the holes in the bar of Swiss cheese.
The magical number is three. Make sure you find three separate logical fallacies in
the paragraph. These fallacies of course should be the ones that you feel detract
most from the legitimacy of the argument.

5. Brainstorm/outline before you write

Simply rushing through the paragraph and writing whatever comes to mind is
probably not going to end well. Take a few minutes to digest what the argument is
saying. Often, one of the most glaring assumptions, the one that the argument
really hinges on, might escape you on first reading.
Once youve written down a few of the logical fallacies think to yourself how you
might develop a sustained attack. One great way is to consider how the argument
would have been made stronger had it not assumed X, Y, and Z.
Finally, thinking about what you write before you write will help you score big points
for organizationa critical part of your AWA score.