新gre红宝书:GRE作文范文大全(153)
First and foremost, the argument relies on the assumptions that Groveton students are just
as capable of detecting cheating as faculty monitors, and that these students are just as likely
to report cheating whenever they observe it. However, without evidence to substantiate these
assumptions one cannot reasonably conclude that the honor code has in fact resulted in a
decline in the incidence of cheating at Groveton. Besides, common sense tells me that these
assumptions are dubious at best; an impartial faculty observer is more likely to detect and
report cheating than a preoccupied student under peer pressure not to report cheating among
classmates.
The argument also assumes that during the five-year period all other conditions possibly
affecting the reported incidence of cheating at Groveton remained unchanged. Such
conditions include the number of Groveton students and the overall integrity of the student
body. After five years it is entirely possible that these conditions have changed, and that the
reported decrease in cheating is attributable to one or more such changes. Thus, without ruling
out such alternative explanations for the reported decrease, the author cannot convince me
that the honor code has in fact contributed to a decline in the incidence of cheating at
Groveton.
The author's recommendation that other colleges follow Groveton's example depends on
the additional assumption that Groveton is typical in ways relevant to the incidence of cheating.
However, this is not necessarily the case. For instance, perhaps Groveton students are more
or less likely to report cheating, or to cheat under an honor system, than typical college
students. Lacking evidence that Groveton students are typical in these respects, the argument
is indefensible.
Finally, the survey that the author cites might be unreliable in any of three respects. First, the
author fails to assure us that the survey's respondents are representative of all college
students. Second, the survey results depend on the honesty and integrity of the respondents.
Third, hypothetical predictions about one's future behavior are inherently less reliable than
reports of proven behavior. Lacking evidence that the survey is reliable, the author cannot
reasonably rely on the survey in recommending that other colleges adopt an honor code.
In conclusion, to persuade me that other colleges should adopt an honor code in order to
reduce cheating, the author must supply clear evidence that cheating at Groveton in fact
decreased after the honor code was instituted there, and that it is this code that was
responsible for the decrease. Finally, to better assess the usefulness of the survey I would
need specific information about the survey's sampling methodology. 感谢您阅读《GRE作文范文大全(153) 》一文,出国留学网(liuxue86.com)编辑部希望本文能帮助到您。
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