以下是gre考生参加2011年9月北京新gre机考作文的题目，并且附注了他所参加考试的考点信息，希望对其他新g考生有所帮助。

　　考试时间：2011年9月3日

　　考试地点：北京师范大学

　　issue:

　　Scandals are useful because they focus our attention on problems in ways that no speaker or reformer ever could.

　　Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position.

　　Argument:

　　The following memorandum is from the business manager of Happy Pancake House restaurants.

　　"Recently, butter has been replaced by margarine in Happy Pancake House restaurants throughout the southwestern United States. This change, however, has had little impact on our customers. In fact, only about 2 percent of customers have complained, indicating that an average of 98 people out of 100 are happy with the change. Furthermore, many servers have reported that a number of customers who ask for butter do not complain when they are given margarine instead. Clearly, either these customers do not distinguish butter from margarine or they use the term 'butter' to refer to either butter or margarine."

　　Write a response in which you discuss one or more alternative explanations that could rival the proposed explanation and explain how your explanation(s) can plausibly account for the facts presented in the argument.