GMAT考试写作指导：Argument范文十三

　　73. The author of this editorial asserts that trespassing, vandalism, and theft

　　associated with stealing fruit from farms is a trivial problem and, as a result, enacting

　　laws to protect farm- and land-owners from these crimes is a waste of lawmakers time.

　　In support of this claim, the author points out only that the nations cities are plagued by

　　far more serious problems of violence and crime. To the extent that this author has

　　provided any argument at all, it is a poor one,

　　First of all, the author unfairly assumes that if lawmakers are taking rural crime

　　issues seriously, then they cannot be taking urban crime issues seriously. The author is

　　presenting a false dilemma by imposing an either-or choice between two courses of

　　action that need not be mutually exclusive. It is equally possible that legislators can

　　address both areas of concern concurrently.

　　Secondly, the argument relies on the assumption that the legislators in question

　　have the opportunity to address urban crime problems. However, we are not told

　　whether this legislatures jurisdiction encompasses both rural and urban areas. If it

　　encompasses only rural areas, then the authors implicit conclusion that the legislators in

　　this region should instead be addressing urban crime problems would be completely

　　undermined.

　　Finally, the author unfairly trivializes the severity of rural crime by simply

　　comparing it with urban crime. While trespassing, vandalism, and fruit-stealing may

　　seem minor peccadilloes, especially compared to violent urban crimes, these rural

　　crimes might nevertheless result in serious financial damage to farm owners, depending

　　on the frequency and extent of the violations. The author fails to provide evidence for

　　the claim that these rural crimes are trivial. Instead, the author attempts to call attention

　　to a more dramatic but potentially irrelevant problem.

　　In conclusion, the argument is weak. It potentially distorts the alternatives

　　available to legislators in the region, as well as deflecting attention from the problem at

　　hand. To better evaluate it, we would need more information about the geographical

　　scope of this legislatures jurisdiction and about the extent of the fruit-stealing problem