|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
17 Dec 2013, 12:56
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi guys,
I will be taking the GMAT soon and I would love you to rate my essay to know where I am standing on this section.
I would really appreciate 5 minutes of your time.
Thanks!
The following appeared in the health section of a magazine on trends and lifestyles:
“People who use the artificial sweetener aspartame are better off consuming sugar, since aspartame can actually contribute to weight gain rather than weight loss. For example, high levels of aspartame have been shown to trigger a craving for food by depleting the brain of a chemical that registers satiety, or the sense of being full. Furthermore, studies suggest that sugars, if consumed after at least 45 minutes of continuous exercise, actually enhance the body’s ability to burn fat. Consequently, those who drink aspartame-sweetened juices after exercise will also lose this calorie-burning benefit. Thus it appears that people consuming aspartame rather than sugar are unlikely to achieve their dietary goals.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
This passage states that people who are trying to lose weight should consume sugar instead of the artificial sweetener aspartame. As a result, the argument presents some points that try to support this main claim. Although at first glance, the argument may appear to have some merit, the conlusion is definitely not logically supported by the evidence offered.
First of all, the author presents a list of so-called benefits in favour of sugar that at the end are not such and does not focus on the big picture of the aspartame vs. sugar comparison. For example, the writer of the argument states that one of the benefits of consuming sugar rathen than the artificial sweetener is that the former may enhance the body´s ability to burn fat if consumed 45 minutes after of physical excercise. Nonetheless, how many times do individuals consume sugar in this context? This is not representative of all the sugar consumption habits. In a weak attempt to undermine aspartame, the author suggests that those not consuming sugar will lose this benefit. Once again, he or she tries to adress a small detail to approach a big-picture situation.
Second, the author omits any statistics in what should be a health article. Data about people consuming both sweeteners at different age ranges, genders or statistics about how many kilograms were lost with both products are not mentioned anywhere along the passage. The writer of the argumetn also addresses the example of high levels of aspartame encountered in a chemical that influences satiety, but does not mention the amount of sugar encountered there or the ratio between both sweeterners. Apart from not addressing quantitative data, the author fails to quote the sources where the information was extracted as well and only limit the analysis to vague phrases such as "studies suggest", "it appears that" and similar.
Third, the passage does not address any side effect of consuming sugar by itself in any diet, when it has been widely proved that sugar is in fact one of the main products that should be avoided to lose weight. This so-called benefits do not surpass the disadvantage of consuming the product.
To summarize, this severely flawed argument should have been made more persuasive if it would have addresed and explained all of the above points. It does not focus in the big picture, does not provide representative statisitcs or sources and fails to mention the disadvantages of sugar. More thorough information should be conducted to fully understand the complete frame of the situation.
I will be taking the GMAT soon and I would love you to rate my essay to know where I am standing on this section.
I would really appreciate 5 minutes of your time.
Thanks!
The following appeared in the health section of a magazine on trends and lifestyles:
“People who use the artificial sweetener aspartame are better off consuming sugar, since aspartame can actually contribute to weight gain rather than weight loss. For example, high levels of aspartame have been shown to trigger a craving for food by depleting the brain of a chemical that registers satiety, or the sense of being full. Furthermore, studies suggest that sugars, if consumed after at least 45 minutes of continuous exercise, actually enhance the body’s ability to burn fat. Consequently, those who drink aspartame-sweetened juices after exercise will also lose this calorie-burning benefit. Thus it appears that people consuming aspartame rather than sugar are unlikely to achieve their dietary goals.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
This passage states that people who are trying to lose weight should consume sugar instead of the artificial sweetener aspartame. As a result, the argument presents some points that try to support this main claim. Although at first glance, the argument may appear to have some merit, the conlusion is definitely not logically supported by the evidence offered.
First of all, the author presents a list of so-called benefits in favour of sugar that at the end are not such and does not focus on the big picture of the aspartame vs. sugar comparison. For example, the writer of the argument states that one of the benefits of consuming sugar rathen than the artificial sweetener is that the former may enhance the body´s ability to burn fat if consumed 45 minutes after of physical excercise. Nonetheless, how many times do individuals consume sugar in this context? This is not representative of all the sugar consumption habits. In a weak attempt to undermine aspartame, the author suggests that those not consuming sugar will lose this benefit. Once again, he or she tries to adress a small detail to approach a big-picture situation.
Second, the author omits any statistics in what should be a health article. Data about people consuming both sweeteners at different age ranges, genders or statistics about how many kilograms were lost with both products are not mentioned anywhere along the passage. The writer of the argumetn also addresses the example of high levels of aspartame encountered in a chemical that influences satiety, but does not mention the amount of sugar encountered there or the ratio between both sweeterners. Apart from not addressing quantitative data, the author fails to quote the sources where the information was extracted as well and only limit the analysis to vague phrases such as "studies suggest", "it appears that" and similar.
Third, the passage does not address any side effect of consuming sugar by itself in any diet, when it has been widely proved that sugar is in fact one of the main products that should be avoided to lose weight. This so-called benefits do not surpass the disadvantage of consuming the product.
To summarize, this severely flawed argument should have been made more persuasive if it would have addresed and explained all of the above points. It does not focus in the big picture, does not provide representative statisitcs or sources and fails to mention the disadvantages of sugar. More thorough information should be conducted to fully understand the complete frame of the situation.
Moderators:
188 posts
