GMAT考试写作指导：Argument范文十二

　　72. Based upon sales reports over a three-month period that indicate an increase in

　　profits for stores that sell products for the home and a decrease in profits for clothing

　　stores, the business manager of a department store concludes that consumers are

　　choosing to purchase home furnishings rather than clothing. On the basis of this

　　conclusion, the manager recommends a reduction in the size of the clothing department

　　and an increase in the size of the home-furnishings department. This recommendation is

　　problematic in two critical respects.

　　In the first place the authors conclusion that consumers are choosing to buy

　　products for their homes instead of clothing is based upon too small a sample. Data

　　gathered from a three-month period is insufficient to establish the conclusion drawn

　　from it. It is quite possible that the three-month period chosen is idiosyncratic and not

　　representative of entire years sales. If so, reducing the size of the clothing departments

　　and enlarging the home-furnishings departments may be a costly mistake.

　　In the second place, the data collected during the three month period may be

　　biased. The fact that the data reflects sales in local stores is cause for concern. It is

　　possible that the sales trend in a particular location is not representative of sales in other

　　regions. For example, sales of clothing in Florida during the winter months are likely to

　　be quite different from sales of clothing in Alaska during the same period.

　　In conclusion, this argument is not persuasive as it stands. A more convincing

　　argument must provide additional sales data, collected at different periods of the year

　　and at different locations, that substantiates the trend in question.