GMAT考试写作指导：Argument范文三一

　　39. The conclusion in this Avia Airlines memorandum is that a review of the airlines

　　baggage-handling procedures will not further its goal of maintaining or increasing the

　　number of Avia passengers. The authors line of reasoning is that the great majority of

　　Avia passengers are happy with baggage handling at the airline because only one

　　percent of passengers who traveled on Avia last year filed a complaint about Avias

　　procedures. This argument is problematic in two important respects.

　　First, the argument turns on the assumption that the 99 percent of Avia passengers

　　who did not complain were happy with the airlines baggage-handling procedures.

　　However, the author provides no evidence to support this assumption. The fact that, on

　　the average, 9 out of 1000 passengers took the time and effort to formally complain

　　indicates nothing about the experiences or attitudes of the remaining 991. It is possible

　　that many passengers were displeased but too busy to formally complain, while others

　　had no opinion at all. Lacking more complete information about passengers attitudes,

　　we cannot assume that the great majority of passengers who did not complain were

　　happy.

　　Secondly, in the absence of information about the number of passengers per flight

　　and about the complaint records of competing airlines, the statistics presented in the

　　memorandum might distort the seriousness of the problem. Given that most modern

　　aircraft carry as many as 300 to 500 passengers, it is possible that Avia received as

　　many as 4 or 5 complaints per flight. The author unfairly trivializes this record.

　　Moreover, the author fails to compare Avias record with those of its competitors. It is

　　possible that a particular competitor received virtually no baggage-handling complaints

　　last year. If so, Avias one percent complaint rate might be significant enough to

　　motivate customers to switch to another airline.

　　In conclusion, the author has failed to demonstrate that a review of the baggage-

　　handling procedures at Avia Airlines is not needed to maintain or increase the number

　　of Avias passengers. To strengthen the argument, the author must at the very least

　　provide affirmative evidence that most Avia passengers last year were indeed happy

　　with baggage-handling procedures. To better evaluate the argument, we would need

　　more information about the numbers of Avia passengers per flight last year and about

　　the baggage-handling records of Avias competitors.