Argument是一篇很有规律的文章,同issue问题相比,argument这篇作文更容易写。Argument每个题目由两个部分构成。第一部分是一句介绍性的话,用来提供论述的背景,这一句话没有逻辑错误可言。第二部分是论述本身,是一段完整的逻辑分析,其中肯定包括逻辑错误,这是我们阅读和攻击的重点。
Argument作文要求逻辑严谨,攻击有力到位,语言上掌握一些逻辑分析的语句等等。根据Argument作文的特点,为了加深对这些要点的理解,这里主要介绍一下在Argument写作中值得注意的地方,即一些好的建议。
建议1:仔细分析并找出argument中至少三、四个论证或论据方面的错误。
如果想拿到5分以上的分数,你就不能遗漏Argument中主要的逻辑错误。逻辑错误是argument作文中最重要的因素,如何快速准确地判断出argument论述中所隐含的逻辑错误就成为我们写作的重重之重。argument题库中题目虽然很多,有240多道,但是,这类作文是很有规律可言的,总结起来逻辑错误也就无外乎那么7大类,只要在考前做好充分的准备,这类文章是很有什么大问题的。逻辑错误主要有:因果类错误、类比类错误、数据统计类错误、无根据假定错误、急于概括性错误、言行不一错误、非此即彼(二选一,忽略其他同类)等。我们在备考中需要我们对这几类逻辑错误有充分的掌握,能够灵活运用攻击性的语句去攻击这些逻辑错误。
例如:
The following appeared in a newspaper article about law firms in the city ofMegalopolis.
"In Megalopolis, the number of law school graduates who went to work for large, corporate firms declined by 15 percent over the last three years, whereas an increasing number of graduates took jobs at small, general practice firms. Even though large firms usually offer much higher salaries, law school graduates are choosing to work for the smaller firms most likely because they experience greater job satisfaction at smaller firms. In a survey of first-year students at a leading law school, most agreed with the statement that earning a high salary was less important to them than job satisfaction. This finding suggests that the large, corporate firms of Megalopolis will need to offer graduates more benefits and incentives and reduce the number of hours they must work."
【题目译文】
在Megalopolis,过去三年间在大型合伙事务所就职的法学院毕业生数量下降了15%,而在小型,一般性事务所就职的毕业生数量则在增加。尽管大型事务所通常提供高的多的薪水,法学院毕业生选择在小型事务所工作主要是因为他们感受到更高的工作满足感。一项对于顶尖法学院一年级学生的调查显示,多数人同意挣更多的钱没有工作满足感更重要的说法。这一现象启示我们,Megalopolis的大型合伙事务所应该给毕业生提供更多的福利和激励,并减少他们的工作时间。
【文中的逻辑错误】
A. In the first place, the arguer fails to convince us that it was the lack of job satisfaction that resulted in the 15% decline in the number of law school graduates who went to work for large firms.
B. In the second place, the result of the surrey of first-year students at a leading law school does not lend strong support to the assumption that the smaller firm in the city ofMegalopoliscould offer more job satisfaction to graduates who choose to work there.
C. Finally, no evidence is provided as to why the large, corporate firms should offer graduates more benefits and incentives and reduce the number of work hours and how taking these actions could lead to job satisfaction.
我们在找逻辑错误的时候,要在你文章中合乎逻辑地安排各个论点的顺序。也就是说,你所找的逻辑错误要按照Argument中错误出现的先后顺序来进行。语言再好,字数再多,如果没有抓住原题主要的逻辑错误,你的作文成绩连及格都不可能达到。因此,准确地找出逻辑错误就是拿到高分的基础,如何去攻击这些逻辑错误则是高分的保障。
建议2:要用充分的理由和/或恰当的例子来支持你的观点。
找出了原题中的逻辑错误后,就需要我们去组织语言和收集一些例子对逻辑错误展开有效的攻击。仅仅抓住逻辑错误是不够的,我们必须从逻辑的角度或至少从常识的角度进行分析,论证原论述的不合理性,即说明其证据不足以支持其结论,其假设并未得到有效的支撑。下面就针对上文中所提到的题目,列举一些相应的攻击例子。
As the large firms offer the higher salaries, they also demand higher and stricter qualification such as the jobseekers’ working experience, excellent performance in schools. If the requirements of employment became higher than the last three years, the enrollment will certainly decrease which means less student candidates can pass the tests or the interview. Another main cause is that maybe the large firms in Megalopolis confront some crisis of operation, so they decide to hire less people than before.
在攻击的过程中,议论不要离题,不要在评论中掺杂自己的主观想法。这也是Argument写作中最忌讳的地方。因为,它是一篇客观的评论,不像Issue作文,要求明确阐述自己主观的想法。在驳论中,要用有说服力的语言去攻击原题中逻辑错误,要知道Argument的论点更有说服力还是欠缺什么,以及如何才能使你更深入地评判它。