As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the ability of humans to
think for themselves will surely deteriorate.
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your
reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you
should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain
how these considerations shape your position
The statement linking technology negatively with free thinking plays on recent human
experience over the past century. Surely there has been no time in history where the lived
lives of people have changed more dramatically. A quick reflection on a typical day reveals
how technology has revolutionized the world. Most people commute to work in an
automobile that runs on an internal combustion engine. During the workday, chances are
high that the employee will interact with a computer that processes information on silicon
bridges that are .09 microns wide. Upon leaving home, family members will be reached
through wireless networks that utilize satellites orbiting the earth. Each of these common
occurences would have been inconceivable at the turn of the 19th century.
The statement attempts to bridge these dramatic changes to a reduction in the
ability for humans to think for themselves. The assumption is that an increased
reliance on technology negates the need for people to think creatively to solve
previous quandaries. Looking back at the introduction, one could argue that without
a car, computer, or mobile phone, the hypothetical worker would need to fnd
alternate methods of transport, information processing, and communication.
Technology short circuits this thinking by making the problems obsolete.
However, this reliance on technology does not necessarily preclude the creativity that
marks the human species. The prior examples reveal that technology allows for convenience.
The car, computer, and phone all release additional time for people to live more efciently. This
efciency does not preclude the need for humans to think for themselves. In fact, technology
frees humanity to not only tackle new problems, but may itself create new issues that did not
exist without technology. For example, the proliferation of automobiles has introduced a need
for fuel conservation on a global scale. With increasing energy demands from emerging
markets, global warming becomes a concern inconceivable to the horse-and-buggy
generation. Likewise dependence on oil has created nation-states that are not dependent on
taxation, allowing ruling parties to oppress minority groups such as women. Solutions to these
complex problems require the unfettered imaginations of maverick scientists and politicians.
*All responses in this publication are reproduced exactly as written, including errors, misspellings, etc., if any.
189
Overview of the GRE ® Analytical Writing MeasureIn contrast to the statement, we can even see how technology frees the human
imagination. Consider how the digital revolution and the advent of the internet has
allowed for an unprecedented exchange of ideas. WebMD, a popular internet portal
for medical information, permits patients to self research symptoms for a more
informed doctor visit. This exercise opens pathways of thinking that were previously
closed off to the medical layman. With increased interdisciplinary interactions,
inspiration can arrive from the most surprising corners. Jeffrey Sachs, one of the
architects of the UN Millenium Development Goals, based his ideas on emergency
care triage techniques. The unlikely marriage of economics and medicine has healed
tense, hyperinflation environments from South America to Eastern Europe.
This last example provides the most hope in how technology actually provides
hope to the future of humanity. By increasing our reliance on technology, impossible
goals can now be achieved. Consider how the late 20th century witnessed the
complete elimination of smallpox. This disease had ravaged the human race since
prehistorical days, and yet with the technology of vaccines, free thinking humans
dared to imagine a world free of smallpox. Using technology, battle plans were drawn
out, and smallpox was systematically targeted and eradicated.
Technology will always mark the human experience, from the discovery of fre to the
implementation of nanotechnology. Given the history of the human race, there will be
no limit to the number of problems, both new and old, for us to tackle. There is no need
to retreat to a Luddite attitude to new things, but rather embrace a hopeful posture to
the possibilities that technology provides for new avenues of human imagination.
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 25, column 13, Rule ID: SENT_START_CONJUNCTIVE_LINKING_ADVERB_COMMA[1]
Message: Did you forget a comma after a conjunctive/linking adverb?
Suggestion: Likewise,
...ble to the horse-and-buggy generation. Likewise dependence on oil has created nation-st...
^^^^^^^^
Line 30, column 1, Rule ID: CD_NN[1]
Message: Possible agreement error. The noun 'Overview' seems to be countable, so consider using: 'overviews'.
Suggestion: Overviews
...rors, misspellings, etc., if any. 189 Overview of the GRE ® Analytical Writing Measure...
^^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
actually, but, however, if, likewise, look, may, so, for example, in contrast, in fact, such as, in contrast to
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 14.0 19.5258426966 72% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 16.0 12.4196629213 129% => OK
Conjunction : 14.0 14.8657303371 94% => OK
Relative clauses : 14.0 11.3162921348 124% => OK
Pronoun: 30.0 33.0505617978 91% => OK
Preposition: 87.0 58.6224719101 148% => OK
Nominalization: 30.0 12.9106741573 232% => Less nominalizations (nouns with a suffix like: tion ment ence ance) wanted.
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 3720.0 2235.4752809 166% => OK
No of words: 651.0 442.535393258 147% => Less content wanted.
Chars per words: 5.71428571429 5.05705443957 113% => OK
Fourth root words length: 5.05120793913 4.55969084622 111% => OK
Word Length SD: 3.10352688293 2.79657885939 111% => OK
Unique words: 373.0 215.323595506 173% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.572964669739 0.4932671777 116% => OK
syllable_count: 1153.8 704.065955056 164% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.8 1.59117977528 113% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 6.0 6.24550561798 96% => OK
Article: 12.0 4.99550561798 240% => Less articles wanted as sentence beginning.
Subordination: 1.0 3.10617977528 32% => OK
Conjunction: 7.0 1.77640449438 394% => Less conjunction wanted as sentence beginning.
Preposition: 10.0 4.38483146067 228% => Less preposition wanted as sentence beginnings.
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 36.0 20.2370786517 178% => OK
Sentence length: 18.0 23.0359550562 78% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 31.731354494 60.3974514979 53% => The essay contains lots of sentences with the similar length. More sentence varieties wanted.
Chars per sentence: 103.333333333 118.986275619 87% => OK
Words per sentence: 18.0833333333 23.4991977007 77% => OK
Discourse Markers: 3.08333333333 5.21951772744 59% => More transition words/phrases wanted.
Paragraphs: 50.0 4.97078651685 1006% => Less paragraphs wanted.
Language errors: 2.0 7.80617977528 26% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 17.0 10.2758426966 165% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 7.0 5.13820224719 136% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 12.0 4.83258426966 248% => Less facts, knowledge or examples wanted.
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.238711419634 0.243740707755 98% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0546354082181 0.0831039109588 66% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0526470618653 0.0758088955206 69% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.046358212309 0.150359130593 31% => Maybe some paragraphs are off the topic.
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.055847465706 0.0667264976115 84% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 14.5 14.1392134831 103% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 36.28 48.8420337079 74% => OK
smog_index: 11.2 7.92365168539 141% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 12.7 12.1743820225 104% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 15.54 12.1639044944 128% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 9.94 8.38706741573 119% => OK
difficult_words: 223.0 100.480337079 222% => Less difficult words wanted.
linsear_write_formula: 8.5 11.8971910112 71% => OK
gunning_fog: 9.2 11.2143820225 82% => OK
text_standard: 10.0 11.7820224719 85% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Write the essay in 30 minutes.
Maximum six paragraphs wanted.
Rates: 66.67 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 4.0 Out of 6
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.