Argument Analysis Essay Flashcards

An argument concludes that a new policy caused a rise in sales after being implemented. Which question best challenges this reasoning?

Answer: Could other factors have caused the sales increase?

Challenging causation by identifying confounding variables is a core analytical skill for GRE Argument essays.

If a GRE argument cites 'experts' without naming or qualifying them, you should:

Answer: Question the reliability and specificity of the unidentified sources

Vague appeals to unnamed authorities constitute weak evidence and should be flagged as an unverifiable appeal to authority.

An argument states: 'Our city reduced crime after installing more streetlights; therefore, streetlights reduce crime.' This is best described as:

Answer: Confusing correlation with causation

The argument commits the post hoc fallacy by treating temporal sequence as proof of causation without ruling out other contributing factors.

How many body paragraphs does a well-structured GRE Argument Analysis essay typically have?

Answer: Two to three

Most high-scoring responses contain two to three focused body paragraphs, each addressing a distinct logical flaw.

What does it mean to 'evaluate the evidence' in a GRE Argument Analysis essay?

Answer: Assess whether the cited data actually supports the argument's conclusion

Evaluating evidence means determining whether the data logically leads to the stated conclusion or whether a gap exists between them.

An argument uses a survey of 50 employees to represent the views of 5,000 employees. Which flaw does this best illustrate?

Answer: Unrepresentative or insufficient sample

Generalizing from a small or potentially unrepresentative sample is one of the most common logical flaws tested in GRE Argument prompts.