我的第一篇argument，A1，求指点

jinze

Woven baskets characterized by a particular distinctive pattern have previously been found only in the immediate vicinity of the prehistoric village of Palea and therefore were believed to have been made only by the Palean people. Recently, however, archaeologists discovered such a‘Palean’ basket in Lithos, an ancient village across the Brim River from Palea. The Brim River is very deep and broad, and so the ancient Paleans could have crossed it only by boat, and no Palean boats have been found.Thus it follows that the so-called Palean baskets were not uniquely Palean.



Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.

The conclusion endorsed in this argument is that the woven baskets, which are previously thought to be unique in Palean, are found to be not conform to its reputation as "alean baskets". To substantiate(bolster) this assertion, the arguer points out evidence that archaeologists has discovered such a "alean" basket in Lithos which is an ancient village across a river from Palea. Furthermore, he indicates that the ancient Paleans have no ability to cross this river. At first glance, the author's argument seems to be cogent, but close scrutiny reveals that it is unconvincing in many aspects.



In the first place, the author unfairly assumes that no Palea's residents have ever been to Lithos for there is a river across them. While the arguer doesn't provide us sufficient materials such as geographical data or certain historical recordings to prove Palean was seperated from Lithos. Maybe they can just walk or tramp over hill and dale to Lithos. Even if the only way from Palean to Lithos is across the Brim river, the author's inference rests on the poor assumption that during thousands of years this river is always deep and broad. It is highly possible that this river is shallow and narrow or just not exit in prehistoric era. What is more, the author gratuitously mention that the ancient Paleans could have crossed the river only by boat and no Palean baskets have been found. Why should they have to come to Lithos by boat? A small raft or a simple drawbridge could be more convenient. The arguer's reasoning is apparently flawed unless he can persuade me that these situations mentioned above are unlikely and show me the proofs that Palea's inhabitant had no ability to cross Brim River.



In addition, the author assumes that only the Palean's residents can bring Woven baskets to another place. Nevertheless, the author fails to take into account other  possibilities. For example, a merchant had trades around this region can bring this type of basket to anywhere he went by. Besides, later generation also can transmit this style of handicraft to where he traveled. Even we cannot deny one situation that   the so-called Palean baskets discovered in Lithos are just counterfeits made by greedy marketers and this equivocal discovery was only commercial speculation. Hardly can the arguer firmly back his conclusions unless he can account for and rule out these and other alternative explanations and give me evidence that Palean baskets was accessible to ancient Palean residents only .



In sum, the conclusion reached in this argument is merely based on unfounded assumptions and dubious evidence. To make it logically accepted, the author should have to demonstrate that Palea was once totally isolated from outer world and its inhabitants had not found some alternative way to cross the Brim River rather than by boat. Furthermore, I would suspend my judgment about the reliability of this argument until he can provide me more information about whether someone except these indigenous have a chance to these baskets and whether this discovery is credible.

ppguo

这个题目很经典，好多人写过。明天来拍

erencie

我也写了A1。感觉文笔没有楼主的好。。。  大家帮我也评价一下吧。

The author of this article concludes that the so-called Palean baskets were not uniquely made by Palean people. To justify this conclusion the author points out the following: a "alean" basket, which was conventionally discovered in the vicinity of Palea, was surprisingly found in Lithos; the Brim River from Palea to Lithos is deep and broad; and yet no Paleans boats have been found. Close scrutiny of these facts, however, reveals that they lend little credible support to the conclusion.

First of all, the author unfairly assumes that the Palean woven baskets could only be transported from Palea to Lithos via a boat. The author overlooks a myriad of possible explanations of the fact that a Palean basket appearing in Lithos. Considering the fact that a woven basket floats on water, it is entirely possible that the ancient Palean people had dropped a basket at the riverside which was then moved by the water waves to the other side of the river, where ancient Lithos people picked it up. Another possible explanation might be that the Brim River was not that deep and broad as what it is now; therefore the Palean people can easily cross the river by foot or by swimming. In this case, the author has falsely assumes that the geological landscape remains exactly the same since the prehistoric era. Either of these alternative explanations, if true, would severely undermines the author's argument.

Secondly, even if the Palean woven baskets could only be transported via a boat exclusively, the mere fact that no Palean boats have been found can hardly suffices to prove that there are no Palean people bring their woven baskets to Lithos via a boat. The author hastily concludes that no boats exist on the basis of that no boats is found. Yet common sense tells us that ancient boats were made of wood which is degradable throughout the time. Thus the boat which Palean people used to transport woven baskets might already vanish at the bottom of the river. The fact that no Palean boats are found accomplishes nothing towards bolstering the argument that Palean baskets were not uniquely Palean.

Last but not least, the article fails to account for the actions what Lithos people have done to obtain the Palean woven baskets. It is entirely possible that the ancient Lithos people had come to Palea via a Lithos boat and exchanged their products with the Palean woven baskets. Yet the article does not mention anything about a Lithos boat, or any other means which might be taken by Lithos people to come to Palea. Without clear evidence on this respect, the conclusion that Lithos people can also made the same kind of woven baskets is untenable.

In sum, the author could not justify the conclusion on the basis of the scant evidence provided in this article. To strengthen the conclusion he must provide more convincing evidence that proves exclusively that the Palean woven baskets could only be transported via a boat and it is for sure that no Palean and Lithos people have ever crossed over the Brim River in any ways. Otherwise, the conclusion made in this article remains dubious.