TOFEL WRITING -2

(Integrated Writing)

The passage and the lecture analyze altruism in very different perspectives. The passage views altruism as a selfless act in many animals, including human beings, and cites the behavior of sentinel meerkats as a strong evidence. However, the lecture reveals deeper findings of a research in meerkats’ behaviors, which considers altruism as a way for one’s own benefits. The lecture’s aspects are discussed and compared with the passage in the following paragraphs.

Firstly, the lecture reveals that sentinel meerkats have a full stomach when they serve as guards, which means they could get benefits from their “altruistic” behavior. On the contrary, the passage alleged that they do their job for no return, which proves to be wrong from the finding.

Secondly, the lecture points out that sentinel meerkats have greater chance to escape from predators, for it is easier for them to find a near shelter than its peers. Research also finds out predators are prone to attack other peers, while the passage believes the sentinel are under greater danger. By the 2 new findings, the lecture inferred that altruistic animals (including humans) may evaluate the benefits of being altruistic to be far greater than the costs. For example, an altruistic person may view donating his/her own kidney as a very valuable thing, and he/she could receive great self-worth and non-material values from the act.