Chapter 7. GMAT Essay Prompts

This chapter contains 25 sample prompts for the Issue task and 25 sample prompts for the Argument task. For your convenience, blank space is provided for you to plan your essays. Please use extra paper if necessary, or practice typing your essay on a computer. Prompts that are marked by an asterisk (*₎ are those for which sample essays are found in the following chapter.

ANALYSIS OF AN ISSUE PROMPTS

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“Television and radio broadcasts should be closely policed to prevent inappropriate material from airing; this will strengthen the moral fiber of our country’s citizens.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“Individual awards should not be used in youth activities—they will only cause children to think that there can only be one person who deserves praise in any given pursuit.” *

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“Schools should require that students participate in interscholastic sports to ensure that young adults receive a well-rounded education.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“A person can expect to have a successful career if he or she learns how to work in a team environment.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“In order to have success, one must learn to balance personal and professional achievement.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“The quality of a business can best be judged by looking at the quality of its highest-level managers.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“Leaders of democratic countries need to rely on their own best judgment rather than following the will of the people.”*

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“Compromising with one’s employees is more effective than demanding results from them.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“Recent high-profile corporate scandals point to a desperate need for more ethics classes in business school.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“The importance of winning should be deemphasized in children’s sporting activities. Only the act of participation should matter.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“Any manager who wants improved performance from his or her staff should rely heavily on praising a job well done and should seldom, if ever, criticize a sub-par effort.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“Our educational system should be structured, from the earliest grades, to teach our students how to compete in an increasingly global marketplace.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“A manager will get more out of staff members if he or she gives them the responsibility to follow through with a project. A manager will never be successful by carving off individual pieces of work for each member of his or her team—this will only cause employees to feel that they do not have a vested interest in the success of a project.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“Government needs to regulate industry to ensure that the environment is protected. Without regulation, companies will always strive for profits at the expense of the natural world.” *

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“Parents should be held responsible for the actions of their minor children.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“When deciding on a future career, students should consider where their interests lie instead of attempting to maximize their earning ability.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“The ultimate goal of a business career should be attaining financial security.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“The only music worth listening to is classical music, since it is the only musical genre that has proven its popularity over the course of centuries.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“Employees respond best to monetary compensation. No incentive will engender better performance than a raise in salary or a big bonus for a job well done.” *

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Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“No person acting by himself or herself can be as creative or effective in achieving a goal as a team of highly qualified people would be.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“People would do better to focus on long-term goals, rather than short-term satisfaction.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“The only history that we should teach our children is our own country’s history.

This will boost their patriotic feelings.”

*

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“Some economists believe that the role government plays in the business world should be very limited in order to improve the efficiency of the business world. Other economists believe that heavy government involvement is necessary to ensure that businesses do not unfairly treat consumers or competitors.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“People in business focus too much on the goal of reaching the top of their profession. Few realize that the key to success is to focus on the steps leading to a destination, not on the destination itself.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated below. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your experience, observations, or reading.

“Some parents believe that their children should receive as broad an education as possible; but children would be better served by studies that prepare them for a specific career.”

ANALYSIS OF AN ARGUMENT PROMPTS

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in a report from the business department of Plane Corporation:

“When Plane Corporation had its headquarters in Sepia City, near its major production plants, its profit levels were much lower than they are today now that Plane Corporation is headquartered in Chiltress City, which is over 1,000 miles away. Clearly, Plane Corporation has benefited from the change of headquarters because it allows upper management to focus more on the strategic vision of the company and allows the manufacturing bosses to focus on production without the distraction of being micromanaged by upper management.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in a report submitted for discussion at the board meeting of the Los Altos Rockets, a professional baseball team:

“Our attendance levels have been falling to the point where we have 5,000 fewer fans per game than we did five seasons ago. As everyone here knows, 5 years ago the owner of the Renegades moved his baseball team to Los Altos and began charging less for tickets than we charge. This is clearly the cause of our problems. The only course of action to stem our decline in ticket sales is to drop our price below the price for a Renegades game. This will increase our attendance and, thus, allow us to attract more businesses as sponsors. In the end, we will be more profitable after this move.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in the business section of the local newspaper in Thousand Acres City:

“Recent studies have shown that senior citizens (those over age 65) devote 60% of their discretionary income to playing golf or purchasing golf products. With the huge ‘baby-boom’ generation approaching this age, Thousand Acres should take note and prepare for a golf-related boom. The city council should approve a new golf course, and local businesses should begin to offer more golf-related products for sale, or the city will miss out.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in a memo to the president of Baby-And-Me Bread Company:

“Late last year we switched the supplier we use for bread bags in our Windy City bakery plant to AAA Plastics. This year we have seen over 5,000 defects in bags and each defective bag causes a need to throw out the loaf of bread. In our Bentonville bakery plant, where we use ZZZ Plastics, there have only been 1,000 defects in our bread bags. Even though AAA plastics charge considerably less for their bread bags, we should switch our Windy City plant to ZZZ Plastics in order to save money.” *

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in the editorial section of a statewide newspaper:

“Last week, two firefighters from every major city in the state traveled to the State Capitol to protest a bill being considered by the State Legislature that would cut funding for city firefighting forces by 10%. Since the average staff of a city firefighting department is 34, many more firefighters stayed behind. Evidently, the other firefighters are less concerned with the budget cuts. The State Legislature should not listen to the protests of a vocal minority and should go ahead with the proposed cuts.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in an advertisement from ABC Drinking Glasses:

“Both ABC Drinking Glasses and our main competitor XYZ Drinking Glasses intend to unveil a new line of ceramic coffee mugs in January. Over the last 5 years, we have sold 5 million more plastic drinking glasses than XYZ. Therefore if you wish to have a more trusted, higher quality ceramic coffee mug, you should buy ABC brand coffee mugs.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in an advertisement for the reelection of Mayor Carter:

“A vote to reelect Mayor Carter is a vote for increased prosperity in our city. Over the last four years since Mayor Carter was first elected, 1,000 new jobs have been created, the city’s tax revenues are up 20%, and 50% of our citizens have had increases in their wages. Clearly, Mayor Carter has been good for the livelihood of our citizens.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in a memorandum to the President of Sparky Dog Food Company:

“In order to increase production of Sparky Dog Food to meet future demand, we should begin construction on a new plant in Wayward City as soon as possible. Of all the cities that we have examined for a new plant,Wayward has the largest population and the most technical colleges; therefore, we should be able to staff our plant very quickly with qualified employees. In addition,Wayward has two meat companies, so we should be able to acquire the ingredients for our dog food at low cost.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in a memorandum to the Dean of the Culinary Institute of West Apria:

“Over the last two years, our main competitor, the Culinary Institute of East Apria, has offered cooking classes over the Internet. Over that time period, they have attracted 5,000 students to attend on-line classes, and have also seen a decrease in their food costs, since on-line students practice with food they buy themselves. Over the same time period, our school has seen a 10% decline in our student body, and food costs have remained steady as a percentage of revenue. In order to avert financial disaster, we should begin to offer on-line classes as soon as possible.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in a speech given by the new president of Lovelace’s, a major department store:

“I believe that good customer service is at the heart of good business. My first actions as president will be to increase the number of sales clerks in our stores, to open our stores earlier and close our stores later, and to offer free lollipops to all children in our stores. This emphasis on customer service will distinguish us from our many competitors, drive more business our way, and increase our profits.”*

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in a national newspaper:

“The National Society of Architects each year polls its members to see how much new business they have generated in the last year. The Society’s poll is a great way to predict future spending on construction projects. If architects are gaining new business at a higher rate than the previous year, surely construction spending should also rise based on the plans that are generated by architects.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following is excerpted from the business plan for a new coffee shop in Wyattsville:

“Of the five cities in Wyatt Valley,Wyattsville is the most attractive place to open a new coffee shop. Wyattsville has the largest population in the region and over 85% of its citizens drink coffee, a number 5% higher than the national average. In addition, there is an abundance of cheap rental property available in the city center because of an overbuilding of strip malls five years ago, so a store can be opened at lower expense than in other cities.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared as part of a promotional campaign to sell advertising on channels provided by the local cable television company:

“Advertising with Cable Communications Corporation is a great way to increase your profits. Recently the Adams Car Dealership began advertising with Cable Communications and over the last 30 days, sales are up 15% over the previous month. Let us increase your profits, just as we did for Adams Cars!”*

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in a memo to the Superintendent of Schools in Jerseytown:

“The school district in nearby Yorktown has seen a dramatic increase in school attendance associated with adding more computer classes to the elective curriculum of their high school. Jerseytown School District should immediately buy more computers so that our town can also enjoy higher attendance rates.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following is excerpted from the business plan for a new nursing home in West Bridgetown:

“The population of our nation is aging. In the region in which West Bridgetown sits, there are over 10,000 residents aged 65 years or older. Because there is not a state-of-the-art nursing home facility in West Bridgetown, there must be pent-up demand for nursing home services. Therefore, opening a nursing home in West Bridgetown will be very profitable.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in a memorandum to the president of Top Shape Fitness Centers:

“We currently operate no fitness centers in the western half of our nation. However, recent medical surveys have shown that 30% of the citizens in the West meet the definition of “obese.” Our services are clearly needed in the West. Therefore, if Top Shape Fitness Centers were to expand into the western half of the nation, we would more than double our profits.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in an open letter to the Governor that was published in a major newspaper:

“Our state needs to reduce the property tax levied on businesses in order to encourage more investment within the state. The current tax rate is 1.0% of assessed value, which is 33% higher than the national average. If our state were to drop the property tax rate to 0.5%, below the national average, it would attract more businesses to the state and help solve our unemployment problems.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in a regional fitness journal:

“A recent survey of this journal’s readers found that over 80% are or plan to be on a low-carbohydrate diet. This should serve as a warning to restaurants in our region. If they do not add low-carbohydrate meals to their menus, they could stand to lose 80% of their business.”*

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper:

“The children in our town suffer from obesity at a rate double the national average. The Superintendent of our school system believes that the problem lies in having too little funding to provide a balanced diet in our school cafeterias. If our city does not provide adequate funding for better meals, our town will soon have an even greater obesity problem.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in a medical journal:

“Recent research by psychiatrists has shown that people convicted of hate crimes have elevated neural activity in the prefrontal cortex of their brain when shown images of the groups of people that they claim to hate. If doctors can devise a way to control neural activity in the prefrontal cortex, then the perpetrators of hate crimes can be cured of their violent tendencies.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in a national newspaper:

“Recent research by a team of economists has shown that wages for unskilled laborers tend to be higher for those that work in traditionally dangerous jobs, such as mining. The researchers have used this evidence to recommend that all companies make their workplaces safer. They believe that this will reduce the wages required by workers and thus make businesses more profitable.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following investment advice was listed in a financial journal:

“The percentage of the population over the age of 65 who enjoy playing bocce ball is 24%, more than double the percentage for people under 65. In addition, the number of people aged over 65 years is expected to more than double within the next 7 years. Knowing these facts makes it obvious that we should all buy the stock of Bocce Corporation, the largest maker of bocce ball equipment.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared on the editorial page of a national newspaper:

“The ready availability of low interest rate loans in this nation has allowed more people to own homes than ever before. However, many of these new homeowners have lower credit ratings than those who owned homes before the availability of low interest rate loans. Therefore, we should expect to see a dramatic increase in the rate of foreclosures in this country over the next 5 to 10 years.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in a health and medicine journal:

“Oxycodone is a prescription drug popular with doctors for treating severe pain. However, Oxycodone is also an opium-based drug that can be highly addictive if abused. Since the patent for Oxycodone is expiring in the next year, and cheaper generic versions will then be available for prescription, we should expect to see a rise in Oxycodone addictions.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find the following arguments. 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.

The following appeared in a memorandum to the Chief Executive Officer of Tasty-Ice, a company that manufactures and distributes ice cream:

“It is time to reintroduce our goat-milk ice cream product that we took off the market three years ago. The only reason we stopped producing this product is that prices for goat milk three years ago were at 30-year highs. Now prices for the milk have fallen to more reasonable levels. Moreover, our major competitors have also stopped producing goat-milk ice cream. This will allow us to position our goat-milk ice cream as a premium product and to charge a premium price. Therefore, introducing a goat-milk product now will greatly improve our profits.”*