insolentsia

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. Six months ago the region of Forestville increased the speed limit for vehicles traveling on the region's highways by ten miles per hour. Since that change took effect, the number of automobile accidents in that region has increased by 15 percent. But the speed limit in Elmsford, a region neighboring Forestville, remained unchanged, and automobile accidents declined slightly during the same six-month period. Therefore, if the citizens of Forestville want to reduce the number of automobile accidents on the region's highways, they should campaign to reduce Forestville's speed limit to what it was before the increase. Simply stated, the people of Forestville believe that because Elmsford experienced a slight decrease in automobile accident number with their unchanged speed limit, Forestville can, too, lower its auto accident number by decreasing its speed limit to what it was before. The evidence provided holds room for doubt---there seems to be many other relevant possibilities that have been disregarded. Firstly, one wonders what **was** Elmsford's original speed limit. If there exists an undeniable correlation between speed limit and accident number, then if Elmsford's original speed highway limit was, say, a ridulous 25 mph, Forestville would need to decrease their speed limit down to that rate to validly use Elmsford as a precedence. Decreasing by ten miles per hour might not make the Elmsford par. The citizens of Forestville ought to provide the explicit detail of the numbers, such as the actual speed limits of both cities. The should also cite statistical results from civil engineering studies having to do with the (positive) correlation between speed limit and auto accident numbers. Moreover, accidents are often not due to speed limits, as it is always a gamble to the driver's favor against the highway patrol to defy that silly number on a sign. Perhaps the road conditions between the two cities differ. The existence of irksome potholes in the midst of otherwise nicely paved roads may significant change the accident rate. The proper construction of roads to allow for adequate draining during rainy seasons is another factor. They ought to provide information regarding the possible different road conditions. But, they seem to have sacrificed quality of medium for vague quasi-quantities. Finally, they have also failed to compare the difference between the two cities. One city might be a tourist attraction, which might explain for the most frequent cause of the auto accidents---a wandering traveler drives too slowly, while an unwary local zooms by unto the fated statistical crash. Providing detail to the circumstances of the accidents might help Forestville's stance. Or, the geography of one city might involve excess twists and turns in its roads. If Forestville roads are a convoluted series of paths through a dense forest, then they ought to consider reducing the speed limit according to the demands of their own geography---not that of the neighboring Elmsville, which consists, perhaps, of stretches of plain straight roads. In short, changing the speed limit to what it was before might not promise a decrease in the number of automobile accidents. Other conditions beyond the numbers, such as road quality, weather and geography concerns, may violate the alleged nifty trend in data.

Present your perspective on the issue below, using relevant reasons and/or examples to support your views. "Both the development of technological tools and the uses to which humanity has put them have created modern civilizations in which loneliness is ever increasing." In the beginning, there was fire----and sticks and stones. Tools that could be used for work and weaponry. Both uses require man to command the tool or weapon. Yet, both have the tendency to render him more independent. Some might argue that independence unto a single individual is the limiting goal of technology. And, if so, man's loneliness would ever increase until he is truly forlorn. But, although technology has the potential to make a single man as powerful as a horde, such that he does not require anyone else to live, it also has the power to provide companionship. The invention of the car, the horseless carriage, marked the end of both horseback-riding and wagons as popular means of transportation. Its cardinal difference between its predecessor is its tendency towards independence of the driver---no longer does the wealthy gentleman need hire a wagoncar-driver: through gears and the wheel of the car, he is now in control of his own ride. Moreover, man need never deal with the temper of a horse to cross distances at great speed---his car could bring him there faster than any horse---without the excess nighing. Man sits alone atop the upholstered seat in his car; he needs no one but himself to get to where he wants to go. Without the need for others, independence seems at the price of isolation. Then again, man could invite a friend along for the ride. Yet, since the car has constant endurance if given the pabulum of gas, he is now endowed with the ability to go great distances. Going far means he might not be able to find a friend who will stay with him all the way, and loneliness becomes an inevitable part of the journey. Nowadays, though, there have been tremendous development in usability add-on's to the standard car. The possibility of having a travel buddy via decently intelligent artificial intelligence is nigh. In the near future, one might be able to hold conversations with one's car as if with a close friend. Currently, though, there is a plethora of "useful friends," such as global detection systems that serve as the ultimate maps, wireless internet providing access beyond the domain of the classic yellow pages, and the ability to communicate with anyone anywhere via modern cell phones---with the latter two technologies, if loneliness befalls one upon a journey, one can just call up or instant message a friend. These are merely a few of the countless instances where technology has the potential to eliminate loneliness, if the bearer chooses. Tools are merely tools---to be used as per the intention of man, the user. Although technology has the potential to make man need only himself and no one else, it is not a rigid kismet of loneliness that such power sets him up for: he can choose how to use all the tools available to him through technology, and in fact, he can use the very tools that seem to induce loneliness and ostracization as the tools of comradeship anywhere, anytime. If he finds himself falling unto an abyss of loneliness, it would be he, himself, who took that first fall---technology would be the ropes of support he abandoned.

http://www.nusoy.com/screengrepowerprep.gif nope. as you can see, no matter how large i change my resolution to, the screen stays at 480x640... as a result the right side of the screen is lopped off!

sheepishly, i admit *yes* ... they do give me a fun break away from my summer penance of constant studying. eventually, i might make the words into a series of comic strips. have you seen http://postsecret.blogspot.com ? maybe this could become the gre words version of that? yah? so send me your words, ppl.

i can't get powerprep to show at the right resolution on windows XP... my graphics card doesn't have a resolution lower than 800x600 ... and 1/4 of the powerprep screen doesn't show right. help???

eh.. i dunno about 4000 words. very likely you'd only need a small fraction of them. i'm creating a list of "pictowords" based on the Princeton Review's Hit parade and a few other sources http://pictowords.blogspot.com

http://pictowords.blogspot.com ^ a way to memorize words

I'm starting a new blog where I'll post pictowords I've made of GRE words... Check it out, send me comments, or even your own pictowords: http://pictowords.blogspot.com