GRE写作Argument模拟题9:Assume the Argument

In this argument, the author notes budgetary differences between two cities in the Treehaven region to argue that the residents of the less-funded city, Blue City, care less about public school education than the residents of the better-funded city Parson City. Closer inspection reveals that argument ignores a variety of factors that prove this assumption entirely unsound. The main problem with the argument is that we cannot assume that simply because residents of Parson City pays more, that it cares more. The first factor we must consider is that the Parson City school system may have greater needs than that of Blue City. Parson City may have more young people, for example, and thus have more students. In that event, the fact that Blue City does not need to educate so many students does not imply that it cares less about educating its students. It could mean the school system is smaller, not less important. The second factor to consider is that the government of Blue City may simply have less tax revenue to begin with. Both cities have equal populations, but Parson City may be richer, or may levy stiffer taxes. The real question of how important the public school system is to a city may be measured by the proportion of the budget spent on the public school system. If Parson City's budget is twice as large as Blue City's, then the two cities can be said to spend equal percentages of their budgets on education—and thus they care equally. Finally, the existing conditions of the school system in each city may differ. If Parson City's schools are in terrible condition, and Blue City's are pristine, then it is totally logical that Parson City would pay more to renovate them. This does not indicate that Parson City residents care more about education; it means that their school system simply needs more money. In sum, the argument is disastrously weak. A variety of factors, including the number of public school students in each town, the relative wealth of each town, an existing school conditions must be considered before we understand the reason Parson City pays more for its system than Blue City. A lack of care about the school system is one possible explanation for the school spending difference between the two cities, but it is by no means the only one.