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GRE AWA MODEL ESSAYS

Topics in the following list may appear in your actual test. You

should become familiar with this list before you take the GRE-AWA

test. Remember that when you take the test you will not have a

choice of topics. You must write only on the topic that is assigned to

you.

The Pool of Issue Topics

Present your perspective on the issue below, using relevant reasons and/or examples

to support your views.

Issue 1

"We can usually learn much more from people whose views we share than from people whose

views contradict our own."; disagreement can cause stress and inhibit learning."

Do we learn more from people whose ideas we share in common than from those whose

ideas contradict ours? The speaker daims so, for the reason that disagreement can cause

stress and inhibit learning. I concede that undue discord can impede learning. Otherwise, in

my view we learn far more from discourse and debate with those whose ideas we oppose than

from people whose ideas are in accord with our own.

Admittedly, under some circumstances disagreement with others can be counterproductive

to learning. For supporting examples one need look no further than a television set. On today's

typical television or radio talk show, disagreement usually manifests itself in meaningless

rhetorical bouts and shouting matches, during which opponents vie to have their own message

heard, but have little interest either in finding common ground with or in acknowledging the

merits of the opponent's viewpoint. Understandably, neither the combatants nor the viewers

learn anything meaningful. In fact, these battles only serve to reinforce the predispositions and

biases of all concerned. The end result is that learning is impeded.

Disagreement can also inhibit learning when two opponents disagree on fundamental

assumptions needed for meaningful discourse and debate. For example, a student of

paleontology learns little about the evolution of an animal species under current study by

debating with an individual whose religious belief system precludes the possibility of evolution

to begin with. And, economics and finance students learn little about the dynamics of a

laissez-faire system by debating with a socialist whose view is that a centrv2ized power should

control all economic activity.

Aside from the foregoing two provisos, however, I fundamentally disagree with the speaker's

claim. Assuming common ground between two rational and reasonable opponents willing to

debate on intellectual merits, both opponents stand to gain much from that debate. Indeed it is

primarily through such debate that human knowledge advances, whether at the personal,

community, or global level.

At the personal level, by listening to their parents' rationale for their seemingly oppressive

rules and policies teenagers can learn how certain behaviors naturally carry certain

undesirable consequences. At the same time, by listening to their teenagers concerns about

autonomy and about peer pressures parents can learn the valuable lesson that effective

parenting and control are two different things. At the community level, through dispassionate

dialogue an environmental activist can come to understand the legitimate economic concerns

of those whose jobs depend on the continued profitable operation of a factory. Conversely, the

latter might stand to learn much about the potential public health price to be paid by ensuring

job growth and a low unemployment rate. Finally, at the global level, two nations with opposing

political or economic interests can reach mutually beneficial agreements by striving to

understand the other's legitimate concerns for its national security, its political sovereignty, the

stability of its economy and currency, and so forth.

In sum, unless two opponents in a debate are each willing to play on the same field and by

the same rules, I concede that disagreement can impede learning. Otherwise, reasoned

discourse and debate between people with opposing viewpoints is the very foundation upon

which human knowledge advances. Accordingly, on balance the speaker is fundamentally

correct.

Issue 2

"No field of study can advance significantly unless outsiders bring their knowledge and

experience to that field of study."

I strongly agree with the assertion that significant advances in knowledge require expertise

from various fields. The world around us presents a seamless web of physical and

anthropogenic forces, which interact in ways that can be understood only in the context of a

variety of disciplines. Two examples that aptly illustrate this point involve the fields of cultural

anthropology and astronomy.

Consider how a cultural anthropologist's knowledge about an ancient civilization is

enhanced not only by the expertise of the archeologist--who unearths the evidence--but

ultimately by the expertise of biochemists, geologists, linguists, and even astronomers. By

analyzing the hair, nails, blood and bones of mummified bodies, biochemists and forensic

scientists can determine the life expectancy, general well-being, and common causes of death

of the population. These experts can also ensure the proper preservation of evidence found at

the archeological site. A geologist can help identify the source and age of the materials used

for tools, weapons, and structures--thereby enabling the anthropologist to extrapolate about

the civilization's economy, trades and work habits, life styles, extent of travel and mobility, and

so forth. Linguists are needed to interpret hieroglyphics and extrapolate from found fragments

of writings. And an astronomer can help explain the layout of an ancient city as well as the

design, structure and position of monuments, tombs, and temples--since ancients often looked

to the stars for guidance in building cities and structures.

An even more striking example of how expertise in diverse fields is needed to advance

knowledge involves the area of astronomy and space exploration. Significant advancements in

our knowledge of the solar system and the universe require increasingly keen tools for

observation and measurement. Telescope technology and the measurement of celestial

distances, masses, volumes, and so forth, are the domain of astrophysicists.

These advances also require increasingly sophisticated means of exploration. Manned and

unmanned exploratory probes are designed by mechanical, electrical, and computer

engineers. And to build and enable these technologies requires the acumen and savvy of

business leaders, managers, and politicians. Even diplomats might play a role--insofar as

major space projects require intemafional cooperative efforts among the world's scientists and

governments. And ultimately it is our philosophers whose expertise helps provide meaning to

what we learn about our universe.

In sum, no area ofinteUectual inquiry operates in a vacuum. Because the sciences are

inextricably related, to advance our knowledge in any one area we must understand the

interplay among them all. Moreover, it is our non-scienfists who make possible the science,

and who bring meaning to what we learn from it.

Issue 3

"A nation should require all its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter

college rather than allow schools in different parts of the nation to determine which academic

courses to offer."

The speaker would prefer a national curriculum for all children up until college instead of

allowing schools in different regions the freedom to decide on their own curricula. I agree

insofar as some common core curriculum would serve useful purposes for any nation. At the

same time, however, individual states and communities should have some freedom to

augment any such curriculum as they see fit; otherwise, a nation's educational system might

defeat its own purposes in the long tenn.

A national core curriculum would be beneficial to a nation in a number of respects. First of all,

by providing all children with fundamental skills and knowledge, a common core curriculum

would help ensure that our children grow up to become reasonably informed, productive

members of society. In addition, a common core curriculum would provide a predictable

foundation upon which college administrators and faculty could more easily build curricula and

select course materials for freshmen that are neither below nor above their level of educational

experience. Finally, a core curriculum would ensure that all school-children are taught core

values upon which any democratic society depends to thrive, and even survive--values such

as tolerance of others with different viewpoints, and respect for others.

However, a common curriculum that is also an exdusive one would pose certain problems,

which might outweigh the benefits, noted above. First of all, on what basis would certain

course work be included or excluded, and who would be the final decision- maker? In all

likelihood these decisions would be in the hands of federal legislators and regulators, who are

likely to have their own quirky notions of what should and should not be taught to

children--notions that may or may not reflect those of most communities, schools, or parents.

Besides, government officials are notoriously susceptible to influence-peddling by lobbyists

who do not have the best interests of society's children in mind.

Secondly, an official, federally sanctioned curriculum would facilitate the dissemination of

propaganda and other dogma which because of its biased and one-sided nature undermines

the very purpose of true education: to enlighten. I can easily foresee the banning of certain text

books, programs, and websites which provide information and perspectives that the

government might wish to suppress--as some sort of threat to its authority and power.

Although this scenario might seem far-fetched, these sorts of concerns are being raised

already at the state level.

Thirdly, the inflexible nature of a uniform national curriculum would preclude the inclusion of

programs, courses, and materials that are primarily of regional or local significance. For

example, California requires children at certain grade levels to learn about the history of

particular ethnic groups who make up the state's diverse population. A national curriculum

might not allow for this feature, and California's youngsters would be worse off as a result of

their ignorance about the traditions, values, and cultural contributions of all the people whose

citizenship they share.

Finally, it seems to me that imposing a uniform national curriculum would serve to

undermine the authority of parents over their own children, to even a greater extent than

uniform state laws currently do. Admittedly, laws requiring parents to ensure that their children

receive an education that meets certain minimum standards are well-justified, for the reasons

mentioned earlier. However, when such standards are imposed by the state rather than at the

community level parents are left with far less power to participate meaningfully in the

decision-making process. This problem would only be exacerbated were these decisions left

exclusively to federal regulators.

In the final analysis, homogenization of elementary and secondary education would amount

to a double-edged sword. While it would serve as an insurance policy against a future

populated with illiterates and ignoramuses, at the same time it might serve to obliterate cultural

diversity and tradition. The optimal federal approach, in my view, is a balanced one that

imposes a basic curriculum yet leaves the rest up to each state--or better yet, to each

community.

Issue 4

"The video camera provides such an accurate and convincing record of contemporary life that

it has become a more important form of documentation than written records."

According to the speaker, the video recording is a more important means of document hag

contemporary life than a written record because video recordings are more accurate and

convincing. Although I agree that a video provides a more objective and accurate record of an

event's spatial aspects, there is far more to document ha life than what we see and hear. Thus

the speaker overstates the comparative significance of video as a documentary tool.

For the purpose of documenting temporal, spatial events and experiences, I agree that a

video record is usually more accurate and more convincing than a written record. It is

impossible for anyone, no matter how keen an observer and skilled a journalist, to recount ha

complete and objective detail such events as the winning touchdown at the Super Bowl, a

Ballanchine ballet, the Tournament of Roses Parade, or the scene at the intersection of

Florence and Normandy streets during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Yet these are important

events in contemporary life the sort of events we might put ha a time capsule for the purpose

of capturing our life and times at the turn of this millennium.

The growing documentary role of video is not limited to seminal events like those described

above. Video surveillance cameras are objective witnesses with perfect memories. Thus they

can play a vital evidentiary role in legal proceedings--such as those involving robbery, drug

trafficking, police misconduct, motor vehicle violations, and even malpractice in a hospital

operating room. Indeed, whenever moving images are central to an event the video camera is

superior to the written word. A written description of a hurricane, tornado, or volcanic eruption

cannot convey its immediate power and awesome nature like a video record. A diary entry

cannot "replay" that wedding reception, dance recital, or surprise birthday party as accurately

or objectively as a video record. And a real estate brochure cannot inform about the lighting,

spaciousness, or general ambiance of a featured property nearly as effectively as a video.

Nonetheless, for certain other purposes written records are advantageous to and more

appropriate than video records. For example, certain legal matters are best left to written

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