1、GRE（ ANALYTICAL WRITING）模拟试卷 1及答案与解析 一、 Analyze an Issue 1 You will be given a brief quotation that states or implies an issue of general interest and specific instructions on how to respond to that issue. You will then have 30 minutes to plan and compose a response according to the specific instruc
2、tions. A response to any other issue will receive a score of zero. Make sure that you respond according to the specific instructions and support your position on the issue with reasons and examples drawn from such areas as your reading, experience, observations, and/or academic studies. Trained GRE
3、readers will evaluate your response for its overall quality, based on how well you: Respond to the specific task instructions Consider the complexities of the issue Organize, develop, and express your ideas Support your ideas with relevant reasons and/or examples Control the elements of standard wri
4、tten English Before you begin writing, you may want to think for a few minutes about the issue and the specific task instructions and then plan your response. Be sure to develop your position fully and organize it coherently, but leave time to reread what you have written and make any revisions you
5、think are necessary. Issue Topic The best way to teach is to praise positive actions and ignore negative ones. Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting yo
6、ur position, describe specific circumstances in which adopting the recommendation would or would not be advantageous and explain how these examples shape your position. 二、 Analyze an Argument 2 The following appeared in a memorandum from the owner of Movies Galore, a chain of video rental stores. “I
7、n order to reverse the recent decline in our profits, we must reduce operating expenses at Movies Galores ten video rental stores. Since we are famous for our special bargains, raising our rental prices is not a viable way to improve profits. Last month our store in downtown Marston significantly de
8、creased its operating expenses by closing at 6:00 P.M. rather than 9:00 P.M. and by reducing its stock by eliminating all movies released more than five years ago. Therefore, in order to increase profits without jeopardizing our reputation for offering great movies at low prices, we recommend implem
9、enting similar changes in our other nine Movies Galore stores.“ Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be addressed in order to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result. Be sure to explain how the answers to those questions would help to ev
10、aluate the recommendation. GRE（ ANALYTICAL WRITING）模拟试卷 1答案与解析 一、 Analyze an Issue 1 【正确答案】 The recommendation presents a view that I would agree is successful most of the time, but one that I cannot fully support due to the “all or nothing“ impression it gives. Certainly as an educator I agree full
11、y that the best way to elicit positive response from students is to make use of students positive energy and then encourage actions that you would like to see repeated. It is human nature that we all want to be accepted and achieve on some level, and when people in authority provide feedback that we
12、 have done something well, the drive to repeat the action that was praised is bound to be particularly strong. This blanket statement would obviously pay dividends in situations in which a teacher desires to have students repeat particular behaviors. For example, if an educator is attempting to teac
13、h students proper classroom etiquette, it would be appropriate to openly praise a student who raises his or her hand when wishing to speak or address the class. In such cases, the teacher may also help shape positive behaviors by ignoring a student who is trying to interject without approval from th
14、e teacher. In fact, the decision to ignore students who are exhibiting inappropriate behaviors of this type could work very well in this situation, as the stakes are not very high and the intended outcome can likely be achieved by such a method. However, it is important to note here that this tactic
15、 would only be effective in such a “low-stakes“ situation, as when a student speaks without raising her hand first. As we will discuss below, ignoring a student who hits another student, or engages in more serious misbehaviors, would not be effective or prudent. To expand on this point, it is import
16、ant for teachers to be careful when working with the second half of this statement, only ignoring negative actions that are not serious. Take for instance a student who is misbehaving just by chatting with a fellow classmate. This student might not be presenting much of a problem and may be simply s
17、eeking attention. Ignoring the student might, in fact, be the best solution. Now assume the negative action is the improper administering of chemicals in a science experiment or the bullying of a fellow student. To ignore these negative actions would be absurd and negligent. Now you are allowing a p
18、roblem to persist, one that could potentially lead to much bigger and more dangerous issues. In a more serious situation, addressing the negative actions quickly and properly could stop the problem it in its tracks. It is for reasons like this that I do not advocate the idea that a teacher can be su
19、ccessful by simply ignoring negative actions. I do, however, greatly support the idea that the central focus of teaching should be to build on and encourage positive actions. However, the authors all-encompasing statement leaves too many negative possibilities for the classroom. Perhaps a better way
20、 to phrase this statement would be to say, “The best way to teach is to praise positive actions and ignore negative ones that are not debilitating to class efficiency or the safety of any individual“. Thus, in the original statement, there are indeed some good intentions, and there could be a lot of
21、 merit in adopting its basic principles. Data proves that positive support can substantially increase motivation and desire in students and contribute to positive achievements. In fact, most studies of teaching efficacy indicate that praising positive actions and ignoring negative ones can create a
22、more stable and efficient classroom. It needs to be stressed, however, that this tool is only effective at certain levels of misbehavior. As mentioned above, when the behavior is precipitated by feelings of revenge, power or total self-worthlessness, this methodology will likely not work. It is like
23、ly to be very successful, however, when the drive behind the misbehavior is simple attention seeking. In many of these instances, if the teacher demonstrates clearly that inappropriate behavior does not result in the gaining of attention, students are more likely to seek attention by behaving proper
24、ly. Should the student choose this path, then the ignoring has worked and when the positive behavior is exhibited, then the teacher can utilize the first part of the theory and support or praise this behavior. Now it is much more likely to be repeated. If the student does not choose this path and in
25、stead elects to raise the actions to a higher level that presents a more serious issue, then ignorance alone cannot work and other methods must be employed. In conclusion, one can appreciate the credo expressed in this instance, but surely we all can see the potential error of following it through t
26、o the extreme. 【试题解析】 This response receives a 6 for its well-articulated, insightful analysis of the issue. Rather than simply rejecting or accepting the prompt, the writer argues that the recommendation made by the prompt can often be true but is too “all or nothing“ to be endorsed without qualifi
27、cation. The writer turns this idea into an insightful position by providing examples and evidence to fully and persuasively support its nuanced argument. The response offers nicely detailed situations that provide compelling support for a claim that the recommendation can, in fact, work. At the same
28、 time, it also highlights the recommendations limits using additional specific, detailed examples. Particularly persuasive is the fourth paragraph, in which the writer compares the impact of ignoring minor behavioral problems like talking in class to the potential costs of ignoring more serious issu
29、es like bullying. Thus, the writer recognizes that the prompts claim, as well as his/her own, is inevitably dependent on the specific context for its success or failure. Throughout the response, the writer demonstrates the ability to convey ideas fluently and precisely using effective vocabulary and
30、 sentence variety. This sentence demonstrates the level of language facility seen throughout the response: “It is human nature that we all want to be accepted and achieve on some level, and when people in authority provide feedback that we have done something well, the drive to repeat the action tha
31、t was praised is bound to be particularly strong.“ 二、 Analyze an Argument 2 【正确答案】 One question which needs to be addressed before implementing the recommendation is whether there are not other ways to improve profits besides cutting operating expenses. Without proof, the author decides, first, that
32、 there are only two viable options for increasing the profits of Movies Galore: raising rental prices, and cutting costs. He rules out the first course, and hence claims the second option must be chosen. But it seems there may be alternative methods of increasing profits, such as initiating advertis
33、ing campaigns or closing unprofitable Movies Galore locations. Even if it is granted that there are only two options for increasing profitability cutting costs, and raising rental prices one might wonder why raising rental prices is so unthinkable. The author implies that because Movies Galore is fa
34、mous for special bargains, raising the rental prices would eliminate this competitive advantage and decrease profitability. However, in making this conclusion, he makes several assumptions without considering questions that need to be addressed. First, he assumes that there is no room to raise curre
35、nt prices and yet maintain lower prices than competitors. One would need to ask if prices could be increased slightly, while keeping them cheap. Even if there is no room for such a strategy, the author assumes that Movies Galores reputation for bargain pricing would evaporate if they increased their
36、 prices slightly. Perhaps such a reputation would be widespread enough to persist despite a slight increase in prices. And thirdly, even if the reputation for bargains would be eliminated by an increase in prices, the author assumes that Movies Galore cannot change course and be successful in some o
37、ther way. Perhaps it could instead become known as the store with the friendliest employees. Perhaps it already is, and the author is wrong to believe that a causal relationship between bargain prices and success exists, when the real cause of Movies Galores good reputation is entirely independent o
38、f its prices. The author needs to answer these questions to convince us that profits are caused by bargains, and not by the other factors that may be involved. Another question that needs to be raised is whether or not the downtown Marston store is truly analogous to the other nine Movies Galore sto
39、res. The author seems to assume that because the cost-cutting measures worked at the Marston location, it will work at the others, but this is far from clear. Perhaps the patrons of the other Movies Galore locations would resent such changes in the hours and stock of their local stores. Perhaps the
40、most important question that needs to be asked is whether the Marston locations changes truly increased profitability. The author writes that the Marston store decreased operating expenses by closing earlier and cutting its stock, but he makes no mention of increased profitability. It is quite possi
41、ble that the Marston locations profits decreased as a result of their cost cutting, and this is a question that needs to be addressed. The author then jumps to the conclusion that taking similar measures would increase profitability at other locations, though such a connection has not even been esta
42、blished at the Marston store. Even if the cost-cutting measures increased profitability at the Marston store last month(and a causal relationship, though presumably assumed, is still far from evident), there is no guarantee that such measures would continue to increase profitability over time. One w
43、ould need to ask: Why not observe how the Marston locations action affect profitability over several months, before implementing such sweeping changes at every store? A single month is a very short time span, and the habits of customers may change slowly. As word gets around that the Marston store h
44、as cut their hours and their selection, they may in fact jeopardize their reputation for offering “great movies at low prices.“ After all, the name of the franchise is Movies Galore, and by drastically reducing the available selection, they may alienate their customer base. If, as mentioned above, M
45、ovies Galore is famous for more than its great bargains if customers prefer Movies Galore because of its selections, as well then such a move may drastically reduce profits overtime. It seems extremely rash to implement such a new and relatively untried strategy at every Movies Galore location, befo
46、re the effects can be fully observed and interpreted. 【试题解析】 This outstanding response clearly addresses the specific task directions and presents a cogent, insightful analysis by discussing specific questions that need to be addressed in order to analyze the argument presented. It is worth noting t
47、hat although the directions ask for questions, it is not necessary that these be phrased in question form. The response articulately discusses the information needed to evaluate whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result and demonstrates how this information would help to eval
48、uate the recommendation. There are many examples of ways in which the writer addresses questions without putting them in question form(e.g., “he assumes that there is no room to raise current prices and yet maintain lower prices than competitors. One would need to ask.“ or “it seems there may be alt
49、ernative methods of increasing profits“). Throughout this response, the writer provides the cogent development typical of a 6 response. For example, the discussion of Movies Galores reputation gets at a number of flaws in the arguments reasoning, making nuanced points(e.g., “Perhaps it could instead become known as the store with the friendliest employees. Perhaps it already is.“)that create a compelling case for the writers objections. Transitions are natural, and the paragraphs build on one another, succinctly and completely developing the writers points. Because of its comp
