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GRE ISSUE TOPIC I

As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the ability of
humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate.
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree
with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In
developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the
statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape
your position.

Over the last century the explosion of technology has made many problems of the
past obsolete. We communicate instantly, travel at phenomenal speeds and enjoy
far more comfortable lives. The modern omniprescence of technology has made
humanity dependant on it. In the past problems which would have been
insurmountable have been made insignificant by technology and are no longer even
worth considering.
This increased reliance on technology generates a plethora of new problems, such
as global warming and limited energy resources, that we now must face. These
problems can only be solved by imaginative and creative thinking.
On the other hand technology can make us complacent and less likely to think for
ourselves. For example, most people turn to the internet to find answers for their
problems instead of trying to think independently. With most answers easily
available at our fingertips the necessity for free thinking has been drastically
reduced.
The use of technology does not preclude the scope for independent thinking in
humans. It has changed the type of problems we face and made it easier for us to
choose an easy way out if one exists.

GRE ARGUMENT TOPIC I

Woven baskets characterized by a particular distinctive pattern have previously


been found only in the immediate vicinity of the prehistoric village of Palea and
therefore were believed to have been made only by the Palean people. Recently,
however, archaeologists discovered such a "Palean" basket in Lithos, an ancient
village across the Brim River from Palea. The Brim River is very deep and broad, and
so the ancient Paleans could have crossed it only by boat, and no Palean boats have
been found. Thus it follows that the so-called Palean baskets were not uniquely
Palean.
Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate
the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the
argument.

It may be true that the so-called Palean baskets were not uniquely Palean but the
authors argument are not enough to qualify this statement.
Archeologists have only found the baskets in two locations, across the brim river.
The assumption that boats would have been required to cross the deep and broad
Brim River is based on the current condition of the river. The author must research
the condition of the river in the era of consideration to see whether the assumption
is valid.
Further, since no boats have been found the author assumes that the baskets were
not unique as previously assumed. The absence of evidence of boats does not
preclude their existence. The remains of these ancient boats may have been easily
been washed down the river and the author needs to complete a much more
extensive study of the area before stating that there were no boats.

Another factor to consider is that both villages occupy a similar environmental


location and the natural resources found in each would have been similar. The
author needs to consider whether each village could have independently come up
with similar basket designs since they were limited to the same raw materials.
The assumption that the baskets were unique to the villages may be faulty. They
may have been common to the whole area and that all villages along the river may
have been using similar baskets. The environmental conditions of the two villages
may be such that the baskets were only preserved in these two locations. The
author must consider why fragile baskets were preserved in these two location and
conduct archeological searches in areas showing similar charecteristics to rule out
the possibility that the baskets were more widely used than belived.

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