Hi,
This is my first attempt in writing the essay.
Can anyone kindly provide feedbacks?
Thank you so much for your help!!
Question:
Read the statement(s) and the instructions that follow, and then make any notes that will help you plan your response. Begin typing your response in the box at the bottom of the screen.
The following appeared in the personal finance section of a popular magazine:
"The average price of an acre of land in the United States is now 50 times what it was in 1970, and nearly 200 times what it was in 1920. The nation's population is projected to keep increasing, even as the amount of land remains constant. Therefore, people who are approaching retirement should invest heavily in real estate in order to ensure their financial security."
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.
answer:
The argument that heavily investing in real estate can provide financial security for people who are approaching their retirement omits a few key concerns that must first be understood before any sound decision can be made. The only link that was given is that land is becoming more scarce in the United states as the main reason is not a very supportive reason.
First, the argument assumes that real estate prices all over the world will go up as much as it did in the United States. In other parts of the world, this might not be true and therefore, real estate investment in those countries might not be as profitable as mentioned. Also the argument only looks at the average price of the real estate, this means that in average it is profitable but there could be cases of losses as well and this point was not detailed. Second, the argument relies on the fact that land is becoming more scarce as the main driver for the increasing price of real estate. However it does not explore the other possibilities which could have cause the price of real estate to go up. Perhaps only certain land area which have geographic advantages or other positive factors did experience such growth. Third, the argument tries to suggest people who are approaching retirement to invest heavily in real estate without first understanding the current situation of those people and the suitability of real estate as an investment product. For example, what if the person requires a steady flow of income and within a shorter period of time? An investment in real estate could be volatile and there's no guarantee what will be the investment time frame be like.
In summary, as the argument leaves out many key issues, it is not very persuavive. If the issues above are more properly elaborated then we could have gotten a clearer understanding of the argument give.
This is my first attempt in writing the essay.
Can anyone kindly provide feedbacks?
Thank you so much for your help!!
Question:
Read the statement(s) and the instructions that follow, and then make any notes that will help you plan your response. Begin typing your response in the box at the bottom of the screen.
The following appeared in the personal finance section of a popular magazine:
"The average price of an acre of land in the United States is now 50 times what it was in 1970, and nearly 200 times what it was in 1920. The nation's population is projected to keep increasing, even as the amount of land remains constant. Therefore, people who are approaching retirement should invest heavily in real estate in order to ensure their financial security."
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.
answer:
The argument that heavily investing in real estate can provide financial security for people who are approaching their retirement omits a few key concerns that must first be understood before any sound decision can be made. The only link that was given is that land is becoming more scarce in the United states as the main reason is not a very supportive reason.
First, the argument assumes that real estate prices all over the world will go up as much as it did in the United States. In other parts of the world, this might not be true and therefore, real estate investment in those countries might not be as profitable as mentioned. Also the argument only looks at the average price of the real estate, this means that in average it is profitable but there could be cases of losses as well and this point was not detailed. Second, the argument relies on the fact that land is becoming more scarce as the main driver for the increasing price of real estate. However it does not explore the other possibilities which could have cause the price of real estate to go up. Perhaps only certain land area which have geographic advantages or other positive factors did experience such growth. Third, the argument tries to suggest people who are approaching retirement to invest heavily in real estate without first understanding the current situation of those people and the suitability of real estate as an investment product. For example, what if the person requires a steady flow of income and within a shorter period of time? An investment in real estate could be volatile and there's no guarantee what will be the investment time frame be like.
In summary, as the argument leaves out many key issues, it is not very persuavive. If the issues above are more properly elaborated then we could have gotten a clearer understanding of the argument give.
Last edited by melaos on Sun Feb 02, 2014 11:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
