Testprep数学精解

WE SAW THAT

WRITERS USE CERTAIN WORDS TO FLAG CONCLUSIONS; LIKEWISE WRITERS USE CERTAIN

WORDS TO FLAG PREMISES. FOLLOWING IS A PARTIAL LIST OF THE MOST COMMON PREMI

SE INDICATORS:

PREMISE INDICATORS

BECAUSE FOR

SINCE IS EVIDENCE THAT

IF IN THAT

AS OWING TO

SUPPOSE INASMUCH AS

ASSUME MAY BE DERIVED FROM

EXAMPLE:

SINCE THE INCUMBENT’S VIEWS ARE OUT OF STEP WITH PUBLIC OPINION, HE PROBABLY

WILL NOT BE REELECTED.

HERE "SINCE" IS USED TO FLAG THE PREMISE THAT THE INCUMBENT’S POSITIONS ARE

UNPOPULAR.

SUPPRESSED PREMISES

MOST ARGUMENTS DEPEND ON ONE OR MORE UNSTATED PREMISES. SOMETIMES THIS INDIC

ATES A WEAKNESS IN THE ARGUMENT, AN OVERSIGHT BY THE WRITER. MORE OFTEN, HOW

EVER, CERTAIN PREMISES ARE LEFT TACIT BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO NUMEROUS, OR THE

WRITER ASSUMES THAT HIS AUDIENCE IS AWARE OF THE ASSUMPTIONS, OR HE WANTS TH

E AUDIENCE TO FILL IN THE PREMISE THEMSELVES AND THEREFORE BE MORE LIKELY TO

BELIEVE THE CONCLUSION.

EXAMPLE:

CONCLUSION: I KNEW HE DID IT.

PREMISE: ONLY A GUILTY PERSON WOULD ACCEPT IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION.

THE SUPPRESSED PREMISE IS THAT HE DID, IN FACT, ACCEPT IMMUNITY. THE SPEAKER

ASSUMES THAT HIS AUDIENCE IS AWARE OF THIS FACT OR AT LEAST IS WILLING TO B

ELIEVE IT, SO TO STATE IT WOULD BE REDUNDANT AND PONDEROUS. IF THE UNSTATED

PREMISE WERE FALSE (THAT IS, HE DID NOT ACCEPT IMMUNITY), THE ARGUMENT WOULD

NOT TECHNICALLY BE A LIE; BUT IT WOULD BE VERY DECEPTIVE. THE UNSCRUPULOUS

WRITER MAY USE THIS PLOY IF HE THINKS THAT HE CAN GET AWAY WITH IT. THAT IS,

HIS ARGUMENT HAS THE INTENDED EFFECT AND THE FALSE PREMISE, THOUGH IMPLICIT

, IS HARD TO FIND OR IS AMBIGUOUS. POLITICIANS ARE NOT AT ALL ABOVE USING TH

IS TACTIC.

A COMMON QUESTION ON THE GMAT ASKS YOU TO FIND THE SUPPRESSED PREMISE OF AN

ARGUMENT. FINDING THE SUPPRESSED PREMISE, OR ASSUMPTION, OF AN ARGUMENT CAN

BE DIFFICULT. HOWEVER, ON THE GMAT YOU HAVE AN ADVANTAGE--THE SUPPRESSED PRE

MISE IS LISTED AS ONE OF THE FIVE ANSWER-CHOICES. TO TEST WHETHER AN ANSWER-

CHOICE IS A SUPPRESSED PREMISE, ASK YOURSELF WHETHER IT WOULD MAKE THE ARGUM

ENT MORE PLAUSIBLE. IF SO, THEN IT IS VERY LIKELY A SUPPRESSED PREMISE.

EXAMPLE:

AMERICAN ATTITUDES TEND TO BE RATHER INSULAR, BUT THERE IS MUCH WE CAN LEARN

FROM OTHER COUNTRIES. IN JAPAN, FOR EXAMPLE, WORKERS SET ASIDE SOME TIME EA

CH DAY TO EXERCISE, AND MANY CORPORATIONS PROVIDE ELABORATE EXERCISE FACILIT

IES FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES. FEW AMERICAN CORPORATIONS HAVE SUCH EXERCISE PROGRA

MS. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THE JAPANESE WORKER IS MORE PRODUCTIVE THAN THE

AMERICAN WORKER. THUS IT MUST BE CONCLUDED THAT THE PRODUCTIVITY OF AMERICAN

WORKERS WILL LAG BEHIND THEIR JAPANESE COUNTERPARTS, UNTIL MANDATORY EXERCI

SE PROGRAMS ARE INTRODUCED.

THE CONCLUSION OF THE ARGUMENT IS VALID IF WHICH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING IS ASS

UMED?

(A) EVEN IF EXERCISE PROGRAMS DO NOT INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY, THEY WILL IMPROV

E THE AMERICAN WORKER’S HEALTH.

(B) THE PRODUCTIVITY OF ALL WORKERS CAN BE INCREASED BY EXERCISE.

(C) EXERCISE IS AN ESSENTIAL FACTOR IN THE JAPANESE WORKER’S SUPERIOR PRODUC

TIVITY.

(D) AMERICAN WORKERS CAN ADAPT TO THE LONGER JAPANESE WORK WEEK.

(E) AMERICAN CORPORATIONS DON’T HAVE THE FUNDS TO BUILD ELABORATE EXERCISE F

ACILITIES.

THE UNSTATED ESSENCE OF THE ARGUMENT IS THAT EXERCISE IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF

PRODUCTIVITY AND THAT JAPANESE WORKERS ARE MORE PRODUCTIVE THAN AMERICAN WO

RKERS BECAUSE THEY EXERCISE MORE. THE ANSWER IS (C).

COUNTER-PREMISES

WHEN PRESENTING A POSITION, YOU OBVIOUSLY DON’T WANT TO ARGUE AGAINST YOURSE

LF. HOWEVER, IT IS OFTEN EFFECTIVE TO CONCEDE CERTAIN MINOR POINTS THAT WEAK

EN YOUR ARGUMENT. THIS SHOWS THAT YOU ARE OPEN-MINDED AND THAT YOUR IDEAS AR

E WELL CONSIDERED. IT ALSO DISARMS POTENTIAL ARGUMENTS AGAINST YOUR POSITION

.. FOR INSTANCE, IN ARGUING FOR A STRONG, AGGRESSIVE POLICE DEPARTMENT, YOU M

AY CONCEDE THAT IN THE PAST THE POLICE HAVE AT TIMES ACTED TOO AGGRESSIVELY.

OF COURSE, YOU WILL THEN NEED TO STATE MORE CONVINCING REASONS TO SUPPORT Y

OUR POSITION.

EXAMPLE:

I SUBMIT THAT THE STRIKERS SHOULD ACCEPT THE MANAGEMENT’S OFFER. ADMITTEDLY,

IT IS LESS THAN WHAT WAS DEMANDED. BUT IT DOES RESOLVE THE MAIN GRIEVANCE--

INADEQUATE HEALTH CARE. FURTHERMORE, AN INDEPENDENT STUDY SHOWS THAT A WAGE

INCREASE GREATER THAN 5% WOULD LEAVE THE COMPANY UNABLE TO COMPETE AGAINST J

APAN AND GERMANY, FORCING ITSINT

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