Important Sample Essays for

GRE Analytical Writing Section

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GRE Issue

The GRE issue essay is one of the essays of the test section. This section is

specifically for measuring the analytical writing skills of a student. In an

essay, you are required to write detailed passages on the given topics. There

is a lot that can be judged from the written essay. That is why the writing

skills should be sharpened before taking the issue test.

The GRE has two types of essays to be written, the issue essay and the argument essay.

In the issue essay, you will be given a topic that is debatable. Since it is debatable, it can

have two sides to it, one is in support of the topic and the other is against the topic. You

can decide upon the stand you want to take and develop your line of thought in the

issue essay that you write. Basically, the issue essay is about the way you perceive the

given topic. That is why you should write your view, your thoughts, your experiences

and examples in the essay.

In order to explain your stand, you can make use of examples and support your thought.

This will make your essay impressive and strong. It should not only be convincing, it

should be written in grammatically correct English and must have a logical connectivity

throughout the essay. One thought should lead to another. However, nowhere in the

essay should you waver from the main topic. It is possible that while explaining your

stand, you divert from the topic and start discussing another issue. By doing this, the

logic and connectivity of the essay is lost.

This essay tests various skills of the test taker. It is not only a test of his thinking

capabilities, but it also checks his writing abilities. It measures how the test taker can

express his thoughts. It also tests the use of grammar and sentence formation.

Preparing for the GRE Issue Essay

Since there are two essays to be written in GRE, it is very essential to

understand the requirements of both the essays. The issue essay is

considerably different from the argument essay. It would be a blunder to

attempt these essays in the manner that you have been writing the essays in

your previous classes. It requires preparation before the test. While preparing

you should know the word limit of the essay, the marks and the time allotted

to the essay writing section.

In order to prepare for the issue essay, you should also make an effort to

attempt the sample questions of essays. Reading and learning is important,

but writing and applying your knowledge is equally important. It gives you

practice and you get to know how the actual test is going to be, what is the

pattern of the test, whether you will be able to complete the test in the given

time etc. Above all it makes you familiar with the real test, which helps you to

gain confidence and remove your inhibitions.

The issue essay can be attempted to the best of one's capabilities only with

good preparation and understanding. Thus, while preparing for the test, the

student should make it a point to prepare for the issue essays as well.

Issue - 1

"We learn through direct experience; to accept a theory without

experiencing it is to learn nothing at all."

Essay

The greatest teacher is experience. It is only through firsthand experience that any new

knowledge can get fixed in the mind. It is rightly said that experience is the best teacher.

Anything learnt virtually is only half learnt. Nevertheless, having an experience of the

thing puts you at a better position when it comes to learning the concept.

It is the nature's way of teaching things to animals as well as humans. A bird would

never be able to learn how to fly unless it flaps its wings. Similarly, when a baby comes

to this world, he is absolutely new to the world. As he grows up, he begins to observe

and incorporate things that he sees in his life. Once he picks up a thing by observing it,

he begins to imitate it and thus learn from it. Unless he touches something hot, he

would never know what it is to get burnt. Unless he gets cut from a sharp object, or trips

from a higher place, he would never understand the meaning of these things and thus

will never learn that he should stay away from such things.

Accepting a theory without experiencing it is to remain passive in life. Without

experience, one can never know the nature and the extent of any theory. As the famous

saying goes, 'only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches', it can be understood that

it is only when one indulges that one comes to know about the difficulties of a task.

Whether the task is easy or difficult is a question that can be answered only when it is

undertaken. For example, while preparing for an exam, if a student goes by just what is

told to him by his tutor, there is no surety of his having learnt his lessons properly. On

the other hand, if the student has practiced and solved the lesson on his own, he will

have a first-hand experience of the problems. He would solve on his own and find out

his capabilities, his weaknesses, and thus get a chance of improving himself. This is

learning in the real sense.

However, it is also true that everything cannot be experienced. To learn about

the moon and its nature, it is not essential to go on the moon. The only way a

common man can learn about such far reached things or imaginary theories is

when someone tells them something about them. That means you may not

have an experience of going on the moon, but it can be understood and

perceived by the human mind. Thus, experience cannot be called the sole

teacher. Learning happens in an environment where the student is ready to

learn what is available to him. Thus, the most important factor in learning is

the interest of a student in the subject.

The first step towards learning is made only with the help of a guide. Thus the

importance of learning by getting inspired cannot be ignored. It would be an

extreme statement to say that without experiencing there is no learning.

Learning is a continuous process. It goes on in the subconscious mind,

without ones knowledge of it. Since the mind is always working and

absorbing things, it has the capacity of picking up ideas and developing them

as well. Thus, before you actually experience something the mind has already

worked over the issue and prepared a base for it.

Thus, learning cannot be restricted to a particular manner. Learning requires

a participation of the mind and body. Thus, not only is it important to

experience the theories, but it is also important that the learner has a

mindset for learning and grasping the things he sees.

Issue 2

"Laws should not be rigid or fixed. Instead, they should be flexible

enough to take account of various circumstances, times, and places."

Essay

Laws are a system of rules that are formulated to bring order in a society. Thus, laws

help in bringing a system, country or society under one rule which everyone must obey

and accept. Laws are therefore enforced upon people without making any distinction

between them so that there is discipline and peace in a society.

Since the whole society that comes under one rule is subject to the same laws of the

society, it is the responsibility of the governing authority to make sure that the laws

pertain to the general public and are not against them. For this purpose while

formulating laws the government must look into the needs of the society. Moreover,

since the needs of a society as a whole are not fixed and are subject to time, place and

circumstances, laws should also not be fixed. It would be wrong to say that laws once

formulated will never change. Such governance where laws are not flexible and are rigid

takes the form of dictatorship. Therefore, for the purpose of forming a healthy

democratic society, it is important that the requirements of people should be taken into

consideration, and correspondingly changes introduced in laws.

The needs of people change with changing times. What was required in the past is

different from the requirements of the present. Moreover, with the passage of time the

success of laws can be judged. Thus, according to the present needs, a change should be

made in laws. For example, in the past, there were restrictions put the merchants to

practice free trade keeping in mind the upliftment of small scale industry and public

sector. However, with the passage of time, it was observed that such a restriction has

only alienated the country and thus has put hurdles in the way of progress. The private

sector forms a large part of the society and their needs must also be taken into

consideration. With the removal of such rigid laws and the practice of free trade coming

into existence, the economy has become stronger than ever. Thus, laws formed

according to the needs of the changing times not only bring in development but also

peace and harmony in a society.

Similarly, there can be changes in circumstances that require a change in

laws. For example, in case of violence or attack, it becomes essential to put

restriction over the common man keeping in mind the interests of the society.

Thus, a curfew or a state of emergency can be declared to bring the

circumstances back to normalcy. However, such laws are not required when

the circumstances do not allow and there is peace everywhere. A change in

place can also see a change in laws. According to laws and rights, a citizen of

a country may be free to move, settle or buy property in any part of the

country, but there can be restrictions put on such liberty according to the

place as well. Some places need to be protected by the government for

various purposes, like security, upliftment of poor and minority etc. Thus, the

laws must also be subject to change in place.

However, the change in laws should not be made at the click of a finger. In

such a system the importance of laws is diminished. There has to be a

predefined and proper procedure of amendment of laws which takes into

consideration every aspect of the society that would get affected with the

change. Thus, laws must be flexible but not weak so that they can be bent

and twisted to every desired way. Only strong laws that take into

consideration the interests of the society as a whole are the ones which form

a healthy and peaceful society.

Issue

"People are too quick to take action; instead they should stop to think

of the possible consequences of what they might do."

Essay

There are many ways of looking at a thing. Similarly, there are many consequences of a

particular thing. You can reach the desired goal according to the path you choose. It is

thus a matter of choosing the correct path at the correct time. If the right time is over,

then there is no way to turn back and mend your ways. That is why you must be very

cautious of your actions and think before you leap.

The benefits of thinking and proceeding with any job are many. Not only does it involve

calculations and planning, but it also turns out to be the wisest thing possible. When you

spare some time to ponder over the issue and the plan of action, it involves looking

deep into the issue keeping in mind all its aspects. Thus, the possibility of any hurdles

and shortfalls is previously thought over. In case there are some hurdles that are met

later during the course of action, one can deal with it in a better way. This is because

thinking of all the possibilities prepares you for all situations.

Jumping to conclusions is just an act of impulse. When you are subject to impulse, you

have a strong and sudden wish to do something without thinking about its results. It is

likely that what you do in such a case leads to the result that is expected. However,

there are great chances that it leads to the opposite or even a disastrous end. To avoid

any such chances, the best thing to do is to think of all the possible consequences and

then act according to requirement.

I had heard of an incident when a group of school boys had gone out in the

country side for a small picnic. The idea was to have fun and enjoy the day

playing around in the open. That is why on seeing a beautiful stream some of

them decided to jump in for a swim. Without thinking about any safety

measures, they jumped into the stream. To their surprise the stream was

flooded and the current was too much for them to fight against. Sooner than

they realized they were being washed away by the powerful stream. It was

only with the thoughtful and timely action of the other boys that a rescue

team could be called and the boys could be rescued. It can be seen that the

boys did not think that their activities of deriving fun would take such a

dangerous turn. The lesson from such an incident is for everyone to learn.

Had the boys thought over the possibility of such a thing, they would not

have probably thought of going for a swim. Alternatively, probably to satisfy

their wish of swimming, they could have chosen a better time when the

stream would not be so flooded, or a better place like a pool.

It is the general tendency of a person to listen to the heart. Thus, their

actions are guided by the heart and not by brain. However, this is not

applicable to one and all. It cannot be generalized to each and every person.

There are many people who think before doing any work. The action of

working on an impulse is largely due to the habits of an individual. If a person

is trained by his parents, teacher or guide to give a thought before acting

upon something, he can be conditioned to think logically before doing any

work.

It is not in our hands to change what is already done. However, we can surely

change the way things shape up by carefully thinking over the matter. Actions

are not reversible. Thus, the deed once done can never be corrected. The only

thing that is left later with the person is regret, that the consequence could

have been avoided with proper thought and planning. Thus, instead of

regretting and fretting, one must make the best of the opportunity and think

logically about the consequences and accordingly act upon the matter.

GRE Argument Essay

The argument essay in GRE is a very important part of the test. It is one of

the two essays that are required to be written in the essay writing section.

However, it is not just another essay writing question. The argument essay is

different from the normal essays that you have been writing as well as from

the issue essay asked in the same section of the test. That is why it is very

essential to understand the needs of this essay before attempting it.

The question of argument essay is in the form of an argument written by an author. It

represents the author's view about an issue. You are required to discuss the credibility

of the argument. That means you will have to discuss the logic behind the argument.

This includes the line of thought of the author that you will have to identify. Whether

the author is correct in maintaining his thought or he is mistaken and ignores some

important issues that can render the argument baseless in some cases. You can discuss

the areas where the argument does not hold good and suggest an alternate argument

or can add something to the same argument in order to make it more logical.

However, the student should keep in mind that he is not required to give his point of

view. You should not give your own views about the topic, or refute the topic. Instead,

you should critically analyze the topic and discuss the validity of the argument.

The argument essay is considered difficult by most of the students. This is because of its

being different from the usual essays. However, proper understanding and preparation

in the same direction can help in overcoming the difficulty and fear of the argument

essay.

How to Attempt the GRE Argument Essay?

The argument essay in GRE requires specific preparation in order to attempt it

successfully. First of all, the student should understand the argument

completely. He must identify the line of thought of the author. This line of

thought should be analyzed thoroughly.

It is important to have a critical bent of mind to analyze the argument. In

order to analyze it critically, try to identify the underlying assumptions over

which the argument is based. Place these assumptions in different situations

and find out if the argument holds true in all these situations. The best way to

attempt the essay is by attacking the argument from as many aspects as

possible.

The argument essay also requires you to have a good language. For this, you

must read as much as you can. This will help you to understand the correct

usage of the language and will make your grammar stronger. Moreover a

reading habit is beneficial because you come across a multitude of new words

which you can add to your vocabulary. Using good words improves the quality

of the essay.

There is great benefit in practicing for the essay at the time of preparation.

You can practice sample essays or even go through the solved essays. You

can get essays that are given a score and their shortcomings are explained.

This can help you to understand the requirement of the essay and thus help

in attempting the argument essay more efficiently.

Argument 1

The following appeared in a letter sent by a committee of

homeowners from the Deerhaven Acres to all homeowners in

Deerhaven Acres.

"Seven years ago, homeowners in nearby Brookville community

adopted a set of restrictions on how the community's yards should be

landscaped and what colors the exteriors of homes should be painted.

Since then, average property values have tripled in Brookville. In

order to raise property values in Deerhaven Acres, we should adopt

our own set of restrictions on landscaping and house painting."

Essay

The given argument brings out the fact that the average property values have

tripled in Brookville over the last seven years. There may be numerous

reasons for this steady escalation in property values. The rise in the average

property values may not necessarily be an outcome of the efforts put in for

landscaping communitys yards and deliberating upon the colors of the

exteriors of homes. The importance of paying attention to details like

landscaping of lawns and house painting may add to the scenic beauty of the

community as seen by an outsider, but that alone does not suffice as a reason

for the rise in property values.

The argument is weakened by the existence of several factors that may have

directly or indirectly affected the average property values of the Brookville

community in the last seven years. The location of the community is a

compelling reason for a substantial increase in the property rates. Proximity

to shopping centers, airport, railway stations and bus stands is a deciding

factor for such an increase. Rise in property rates of a particular area may

also be attributed to infrastructural development over a period of time. Such

development may include establishment of civic amenities like hospitals,

schools and roads. Infrastructural developments attract leading companies to

open factories and outlets in the vicinity of the community leading to an

increase in job opportunities. All these factors in addition to the security

situation prevalent in the area may be responsible for escalation of property

prices.

The situation with respect to the homeowners in Brookville community may

have been different seven years ago and adopting the same set of restrictions

in the present time does not imply a similar effect on the property values in

Deerhaven Acres. The argument could have been substantiated with

additional evidence in support of the claim that the rise in property values

was a direct implication of the set of restrictions adopted by the home owners

in the Brookville community. However, one cannot ignore the other factors,

highlighted in the previous paragraph, which may directly or indirectly play a

significant role in the appreciation of property values of the Brookville

community. The given argument could have been further strengthened if the

writer had mentioned landscaping of lawns and house painting as one of the

probable reasons for the growth in property values instead of citing it as the

only reason or if he had made a fleeting reference to the other factors

affecting escalation of property values. In its present form, the argument is

unconvincing due to lack of substantial logic in support of its claim.

Argument 2

The following appeared in a memo from a vice president of Alta

Manufacturing.

"During the past year, Alta Manufacturing had thirty percent more on-

the-job accidents than nearby Panoply Industries, where the work

shifts are one hour shorter than ours. Experts believe that a

significant contributing factor in many on-the-job accidents is fatigue

and sleep deprivation among workers. Therefore, to reduce the

number of on-the-job accidents at Alta and thereby increase

productivity, we should shorten each of our three work shifts by one

hour so that our employees will get adequate amounts of sleep."

Essay

The given argument presents a couple of assumptions to arrive at the

conclusion that shortening the work shifts by one hour will ensure that the

employees of Alta Manufacturing get adequate amounts of sleep, thereby

reducing the number of on-the-job accidents which in turn will increase

productivity. The argument has cited the example of the Panoply Industries in

support of its claim that on-the-job accidents can be largely reduced by

shortening the duration of the work shifts. A careful analysis of the given

argument brings into focus some aspects that have been ignored while

framing the argument leading to a conclusion that sounds unconvincing. Let

us now discuss each of these aspects individually.

Firstly, a major flaw in the argument is that there is absolutely no direct

relation between getting adequate amounts of sleep and reducing the work

shifts by an hour each. The company can by no means ensure that this extra

hour given to the workers will be utilized by them for sleeping. They are on

their own after their work shift is over and they may utilize the additional

time at hand as per their convenience. Therefore, the presumption that

reducing the work shifts by an hour will ensure that workers get adequate

amounts of sleep is totally baseless and unsound.

Secondly, lack of sleep may not be the primary reason for on-the-job

accidents. The argument presents the example of Panoply Industries where

such accidents are lesser in number and cites shorter shift duration as the

reason behind this. This assumption appears to be completely illogical as

there can be various other factors for a lesser number of on-the-job accidents

in Panoply Industries. Such accidents may be attributed to the quality and

condition of machines being utilized at Alta Manufacturing as compared to the

ones at Panoply Industries. In addition, the work environment, experience of

workers, usage of protective gear and the level of danger involved while

working with machines are important factors to be considered while

comparing the statistics of these two companies with respect to the frequency

of on-the-job accidents. Therefore, attributing such accidents to fatigue and

sleep deprivation in a major way seems far-fetched and illogical.

Thirdly, indicating an increase in productively as a direct outcome of lesser

on-the-job accidents is, by and large, an extremely flawed assumption. It is a

well known fact that the productivity of an industry depends on efficient

management, good supply chain, profitability, availability of raw materials,

availability of trained/skilled manpower, efficiency of the process of

production, quality and types of machines, size of the company and various

other socio-economic factors. Therefore, the assumption that a reduced

number of working hours and lesser on-the-job accidents will directly increase

productivity has weakened the given argument. The argument lacks

substantial evidence that can prove a direct link between productivity and on-

the-job accidents. At the same time, one cannot ignore the fact that reducing

the number of working hours may probably affect the productivity of Alta

Manufacturing in a negative manner.

The given argument may have been strengthened had more evidence been

included in the form of comparisons between the working conditions, quality

of machines and other statistics of Alta Manufacturing and Panoply Industries.

In its present form, due to lack of adequate evidence, the argument fails to

convince the reader that the conclusion is justified.

Argument 3

The following appeared in a newspaper article about law firms in the

city of Megalopolis.

In Megalopolis, the number of law school graduates who went to

work for large, corporate firms declined by 15 percent over the last

three years, whereas an increasing number of graduates took jobs at

small, general practice firms. Even though large firms usually offer

much higher salaries, law school graduates are choosing to work for

the smaller firms most likely because they experience greater job

satisfaction at smaller firms. In a survey of first-year students at a

leading law school, most agreed with the statement that earning a

high salary was less important to them than job satisfaction. This

finding suggests that the large, corporate firms of Megalopolis will

need to offer graduates more benefits and incentives and reduce the

number of hours they must work.

Essay

For the young and the aspiring the most important thing is to realize their

worth. That is why the author of the article has made the above observations.

The writer says that the law school graduates in Megalopolis prefer to join

small firms despite a lower salary since these small firms offer more job

satisfaction. Even if the large firms offer more income, they do not offer

enough opportunities that a fresh law graduate can learn and gain from. Thus

they prefer to join the smaller firms. The writer supports his argument with

the help of a survey that shows that majority of students prefer getting job

satisfaction to a handsome salary. He also says that there has been a 15

percent decline in the number of students joining large firms.

Since young students have their whole life in front of them, they are not in a

hurry to gain money. Instead, they know that now is the time that they can

learn and gain the most which is going to help them in their future. If they

have the skill and capability, they can earn as much money as they want. And

the small firms offer training of skills required in a successful profession.

There is a possibility of loss of money, but the skills are not subject to loss in

later life. Thus it is a better bargain to join small firms than larger firms.

The writer of the argument also says that the larger firms will have to make

their vacancies attractive by offering more incentives to fresh graduates in

order to make them join their firms instead of smaller firms. There is a

possibility of students getting lured by lesser number of working hours and

joining the larger firms instead of smaller firms.

The argument ignores many possibilities that may result in a different

observation. Firstly the writer generalizes the trend to all law school

graduates of Megalopolis by saying that the law school graduates find job

satisfaction in smaller firms and thus prefer to join the smaller firms than

larger ones. The writer also mentions a survey being conducted on first year

students, where most of them agreed to the fact. However, such a survey can

be misleading since it does not reflect the view of all the law school

graduates. Thus to make judgments about professional preferences by a

survey would be incorrect. Moreover, in the survey, the students agree that

earning more money is less important than job satisfaction. However, there is

no mention of them agreeing to joining smaller firms for the same. It is

possible that the larger firms also have enough job opportunities that offer

job satisfaction. Thus commenting on lesser number of students joining the

larger firms on account of lack of professional satisfaction would be a wrong

assumption. It is possible that the students do not join larger firms due to

other reasons like their being far away, or due to difficult process of

recruitment into the firms, making it difficult for the students to join these

firms. Thus saying that there is a decline in the number of students joining

large firms due of lesser job satisfaction could be a wrong assumption on

which the argument is based.

The last part of the argument says that the larger firms should provide

benefits and incentives like lesser working hours to attract more law students.

Considering the findings of the statement true, it can be said that if the

students choose to join the smaller firms that gratify their professional

satisfaction over getting more salary, then such incentives could not be

attractive enough to lure them to larger firms. Lesser working hours would

also mean lesser experience and thus lesser job satisfaction.

Thus the argument proves to be weak in many respects. It ignores many

possibilities that could affect the findings of the writer. The above discussion

proves that the writer has ignored many aspects that could result in the same

actions of the law school graduates.

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