TOEFL Sample essay : integrated essay from TPO8

In this set of materials, the reading passage discusses the accuracy of the Chevalier de Seingalt's memoir. In this regard, the passage provides three different examples. However, the lecturer finds all the ideas dubious and presents some evidence to refute them all.

First, the author of the passage claims that the Chevalier was not wealthy since there is some evidence that he had borrowed a great amount of money from a Swiss merchant. Conversely, the lecturer states that the loan does not mean that he was poor. The Chevalier spent a great deal of money on parties and gambling and he had wealth as well, but as it was real asset, it took some time to convert his assets to actual money. Therefore, he had to borrow money when he was out of cash, until his money arrived.

Second, it is mentioned in the reading passage that the Chevalier had touched on his conversations between himself and Voltaire - the famous writer - and it is unbelievable and impossible to remember exact phrases of conversations for many years. In contrast, the lecturer asserts that the Chevalier had written everything about the conversations that he could remember every night. Additionally, he had kept his notes for many years as he noted in the memoir and the witnesses who lived with him later declared that he consulted the conversation notes when he was composing the memoir.

Finally, the reading passage questions the story of escape from Venice prison that the Chevalier has related in the memoir. On the contrary, the speaker presents an old evidence of temporary government presenting that the ceiling of the prison needed to be repaired a few time after the escape. If the Chevalier had not been escaped, why should the ceiling have been repaired? In addition, other prisoners had more powerful friends than he had that they could bribe to get released, but none of them were able to get freedom.