Introduction
1. Restate the argument by briefly:
"The author proposes plan X to accomplish goal Y ..."
2. Make a single "controlling point" or broad statement about how the argument fails to work in general
For ex:
"The statement ... simply describes the [warning] system ... This alone does not constitute a logical argument ... and it certainly does not provide support or proof ..."
"This plan is fundamentally flawed, in that ..."
"... the evidence provided fails to support the author's claim ..."
"... the argument is riddled with serious logical gaps ..."
"... the argument makes numerous unwarranted assumptions ..."
If you'd like to give a positive nod to the argument, do so before your controlling point using "a concession" word such as although
"Although the argument has some merits, a number of defects undermine the claim ..."
Body
1. Describe and justify 3-5 specific flaws in the argument
- "One basic flaw in the argument is ..."
- "But what if ... ?"
- "The proposal fails to consider ..."
- "As a result, implementation would become ..."
2. You can put each flaw and talk about how you would fix each flaw in a separate body paragraph if you have to say a lot about each one
You can even group a couple of flaws together in one paragraph, if they are related. For instance, you could make one body paragraph about poor use of evidence (with 2-3 flaws) and another about faulty line of reasoning (with another 2-3 flaws)
Conclusion
1. Recap briefly how the argument is flawed
" In summary ..."
2. Mention fixes to the argument if you haven't already
"To address the problem in the argument, one would have to ... (gather more data of XYZ kind) (run pilot projects to test the hypothesis) (etc.)
Need a novel way to say?
Replace particular words (e.g., flaw) with synonyms (error, gap, mistake, defect, fault, imperfection,...)
(from GMAT Manhattan Guide 9)
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