GRE® argument task

[Eisazadeh]

Hi everybody, please evaluate my essay.

Copper occurs in nature mixed with other minerals and valuable metals in ore, and the proportion of copper in the ore can vary considerably. Until fairly recently, the only way to extract pure copper from ore was by using a process that requires large amounts of electric energy, especially if the proportion of copper in the ore is low. New copper-extracting technologies can use up to 40 percent less electricity than the older method to process the same amount of raw ore, especially when the proportion of copper in the ore is high. Therefore, we can expect the amount of electricity used by the copper-extraction industry to decline significantly.

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In this memo, it has shown that a new copper-extracting technology led to decrease 40 percent of total amount of electricity which was used by the old one. Author concluded that it can be expected the amount of electricity used by the copper-extraction industry will be declined remarkably. However, according to other factors in which the amount of electricity may increase unpredictably, I cannot concede such a superficial assertion.

The first and foremost reason that impede me to accept this conclusion lies in the fact that efficiency of the new copper-extracting technology, even though, ameliorated considerably, it may not induce to decline the electric consumption because it encourage human to extract more and more copper, mineral material and valuable metal from ore. For instance, as shown throughout human history on the Earth, they have been always seeking to find new ways in order to use up natural resources. Therefore, this argument does not provide us with enough evidences that human by using such a new technology only deplete natural resource as same as the previous rate. They, in contrast, are more inclined to use this high efficiency way to extract more copper. Definitely based on this argument, it will not be clear the amount electricity which may be utilized by companies in the future.

A further more subtle point we must consider is that how much electricity will be saved especially while ore with low proportion of copper is processing. The arguer only points out that such a new technology reduces to 40 percent of the amount of electricity of the older method. It is possible that the new technology would use more electricity than the older one particularly the copper proportion is low. The arguer should take into account electricity usage of this new way while processing ore with low proportion of copper.

Another fallacy derived from this argument, which made it as an uncertain fact, is that there are not enough evidences in regards to cost of facilities of this new technology. Although the amount of electricity generally may be reduced, maybe because of high cost of facilities, companies certainly refuse to buy and consequently accommodate their factories. In the other hand, if companies take benefits of this new technology and purchase such expensive equipments, because it will incredibly cause to increase the final cost of pure copper, costumers surely will not buy such high cost copper because they are usually more inclined to inexpensive things.

To sum up, to persuade me that the new copper-extracting technology induces to decline the amount of electricity must be supply with other persuasive arguments. The arguer must also provide evidences whether this new technology affects on final cost of copper or not.