【タスク2】練習問題

You should spend 40 minutes on this task.

• In the modern world, the image (photograph or film) is becoming a more powerful way of communicating than the written word.
  To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge and experience.

Sample Answer

To begin with, in today’s fast-paced life people have very little time to sit down and put their thoughts and experiences on a piece of paper. Writing diaries and letters have become a thing of the past. Moreover, a person might not be capable enough to eloquently describe a cherished moment. A good illustration of this could be a piece of writing describing the beautiful mountains of Nanga Parbat. The writer might not be able to do justice to such a picturesque place by merely writing about it;, in contrast, a single picture would say much more. Thus, it is clear that writing is not a strong method of communication.

Meanwhile, photos have proved to have a lasting and powerful impact on today’s communication. Considerable advancements in technology have made available numerous devices to take photos and make videos of high quality. Capturing memories are now just a click away. Most importantly, taking photos consumes only a few seconds, making it a popular choice among millennials. A good illustration of this is the photos showing the aftermath of the war in Syria. No words can describe the ordeal the people of Syria are going through; truly a picture is worth a thousand words. Therefore, it is easy to see why photographs are being considered a more effective mode of communication.

After having discussed the most pertinent points of this issue, I feel the only logical conclusion is that indeed photos and videos are a preferred method of communicating in the modern world.

You should spend 40 minutes on this task.

• Women are better at childcare than men, therefore they should focus more on raising children and less on their work-life.
  To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge and experience.

Sample Answer

Although the care of children has traditionally been the role of women, nowadays many men have decided to stay at home to raise children while the woman in the family goes to work. However, some people believe that women have a natural ability for childcare and this role should be left to them. I disagree with this for the following reasons.

Firstly, both men and women have qualities which are important for bringing up and educating children. These qualities are not specific to men or women, therefore both genders are able to raise children successfully. By saying that childcare is a specific female role, children will receive a message which portrays women as carers only. For example, young girls who are taught to believe that the place of women is in the home may not try hard in school subjects which are more male-dominated, such as science.

Secondly, the role of women in the workplace has changed significantly in the last fifty years. Many women now hold senior positions in many areas of employment. Women contribute a range of skills to the workplace which is both valuable and important. In my opinion, women should continue to focus on their careers and ensure that their daughters are aware of the opportunities which are available to them in life. Men should also take on some of the responsibility of childcare and teach their sons that this is a valuable role in society for men as well as women.

In conclusion, it is important that men and women share childcare duties because both genders have important qualities and skills. However, women and men should also be allowed to focus on their careers and provide strong role models for children.

You should spend 40 minutes on this task.

• More people decided to have children at a later age than in the past. Why?Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge and experience.

Sample Answer

Creating a family with children at an older age has many ardent supporters but also fervent opposition, making this issue highly debatable. I am inclined to believe that the positive aspects of this matter prevail over the negative ones. In this essay, I shall delve into this issue by revealing the culprits behind it and identifying not only the disadvantages but also the advantages of it, before concluding on my opinion.

Looking at this phenomenon from an economic point of view, we can say that nowadays people tend to postpone having children due to an increased focus on their career. In other words, most people have been studying for many years and they feel that they need to prove themselves professionally by building a successful career before having a family. Another logical reason for the occurrence of this issue is also that most people these days want to have children after being financially stable and feeling mature enough to raise a child. It is true that being a parent is one of the most significant responsibilities that somebody can take through their life, thus you have to be prepared for it.

One of the most beneficial aspects adding to the support of this issue is that it lets people live their life to their fullest potential before becoming parents. To put it more simply, the older you decide to have children, the more time you will have to educate yourself and find what makes you really a happy individual. This will result not only in a more fulfilling life and inner satisfaction but will also create the foundations for a happy family.

Continuing with the drawbacks, it would be an omission not to emphasize that the older somebody gets the most difficult is to have children. To put it more simply, scientific evidence suggests that the probability of having a child is getting smaller, especially after becoming 40, and that is why many people seek medical advice when they are facing this problem. With the combination of high infertility rates in many countries, giving birth to a child after a certain age seems to be a really challenging issue.

To conclude, the causes of this phenomenon are quite evident as they seem to appear all over us and in my opinion the benefits of creating a family at a later stage of your life outweigh the drawbacks.

You should spend 40 minutes on this task.

• Some people believe that we cannot learn anything from the past for our life today, while others believe that history is a valuable source of information to understand humans’ life.
  Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge and experience.

Sample Answer

The study of history has been a topic of ongoing debate. While supporters assert that history is critical in helping people understand human lives, others feel that learning about the past does not affect the way we live now. I will discuss both opinions in this essay, and explain why I agree more with the former viewpoint.

Some people feel that there is no relevance in reviewing history since the way that people lived in former times is dramatically different from the present-day. For example, two decades ago, the primary mode of communication was through old-fashioned mail. However, the evolution of technology has rendered that method obsolete, since most people communicate via emails or text messages nowadays. Since critics find modern-day living to be more superior, it is therefore unsurprising that they do not hold history review in high regard.

On the other hand, believers feel that learning about history provides us with an avenue for reflection to consequently show progress with our development. In other words, learning about past happenings provides people with opportunities to be retrospective and learn from past events. For instance, when looking back at Albert Einstein’s life journey, people learn that he has had countless experiments before his inventions were successful and became recognized. Such accounts have been recorded in countless books to highlight the life experiences of historically significant people. The emphasis is to encourage people to learn from past successes, such as develop a persevering attitude in working towards a more positive future.

In conclusion, while some feel that there is no value in the study of history, I contend with the opposing viewpoint. Even though past and present circumstances may appear disparate, it is necessary for us to learn and reflect on events in history to progress ourselves towards a better future.

You should spend 40 minutes on this task.

• People in all modern societies use drugs, but today’s youth are experimenting with both legal and illegal drugs and at an increasingly early age. Some sociologists claim that parents and other members of society often set a bad example.Discuss the causes and some effects of widespread drug use by young people in modern-day society. Make any recommendations you feel are necessary to help fight youth drug abuse.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge and experience.

Sample Answer

Drug abuse has been reported in all societies in the modern age. However, adolescents nowadays tend to experiment with all types of drugs, at an earlier and earlier age. If, as sociologists claim, parents and other people are the ones setting the bad example, what can be done to solve this problem?

First, the causes of why teenagers are consuming drugs should be considered. One of the main causes of this problem may be found in each of our houses. Many of our parents and older family members smoke and drink alcohol frequently. If this is done by the generation that is supposed to set the example, how can teenagers believe when they are told that legal drugs such as these are bad for their health? Furthermore, we often see in newspapers and tv stories of celebrities using illegal drugs. For example, it is not difficult to find tv-series with protagonists who take drugs, as “Suits”, “13 Reasons Why”, and so on.

However, the intake of drug substances by young people can have serious consequences in their lives. Drug usage has been proven to impede cerebral growth, for example. Naturally, drug users may have difficulty processing and retaining information. In this case, this means poor results at school. More importantly, drug abuse has been correlated to the appearance of some psychological diseases, such as bipolar and borderline syndrome. I, for instance, have seen this happen to two friends of mine who, because of drug abuse, have seen their life significantly impaired.

To conclude, drug abuse is a problem that many times starts at home with parents and other role models setting a bad example. This means teenagers do not look at drug consumption seriously and they do not think how drugs might limit or destroy their life, mainly as a student. I believe that to fight this issue, we must invest in education. It is vital to instill critical thinking at an early age, to help young minds to look at their surroundings and identify what is a good example and what is not. Another solution might be to spread stories of combating drug abuse by celebrities, for example. I believe this could inspire teenagers to pay attention to this issue. In short, education and stories by positive young models might be a good solution.

You should spend 40 minutes on this task.

• Many people believe that high levels of violence in films today are causing serious social problems.
  What are these problems? How could they be reduced?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge and experience.

Sample Answer

The increasing amount of violence that is shown regularly in films has been a cause of concern for some time. Such films make violence appear entertaining, exciting, and even something to be copied. However, it seems to be increasingly clear that this development is causing problems in our society.

First of all, those who enjoy such films eventually stop associating the violence with any real consequences. They, therefore, lose their sense of reality and no longer take violence seriously or have any sympathy with the victims. This is bad for both individuals and for our whole society. Another worrying trend is that in these films the heroes are shown as people to be admired, even though they are very violent characters. This leads impressionable people to believe that they can gain respect and admiration by copying this aggressive behavior, and so the levels of violence increase, especially in major cities throughout the world.

What is needed to combat these problems is a definite action. The government should regulate the film industry on the one hand, and provide better education on the other. Producers must be prevented from showing meaningless violence as ‘fun’ in their films. Instead, films could emphasize the tragic consequences of violent acts and this would educate people, especially young people, to realize that violence is real.

To conclude, I think that viewing violence as entertainment may indeed cause serious social problems and that the only way to improve this situation is by regulating the industry and educating the public about the real human suffering that such violence brings.

You should spend 40 minutes on this task.

• Car ownership has increased so rapidly over the past thirty years that many cities in the world are now ‘one big traffic jam’.
  How true do you think this statement is? What measures can governments take to discourage people from using their cars?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge and experience.

Sample Answer

Most people would agree that car ownership has increased in recent years and is causing a range of problems, particularly in built-up areas. I think there are a number of ways that governments can aim to deal with this.

Many big cities in the world have traffic problems but these problems vary. For example, it is reasonably easy to drive around my city after 10 am and before 5 pm. However, outside these hours, you have to allow double the usual time to reach your destination. In some other cities, traffic is congested at all times, and there is the continual sound of car horns as people try to get wherever they want to go.

One of the best approaches governments can take in busy cities is to encourage the use of public transport. This means the transport facilities have to be well run and people must be able to afford them. Buses, trams, and trains are good ways of getting around, and if they are cheap and reliable, people will use them.

Another approach is to discourage people from actually entering the city by building car parks and shopping centres on the outskirts. Many cities around the world do this quite successfully and offer passengers bus transport into the center, if they need it.

At peak travel periods, governments can also run campaigns to encourage people to be less dependent on their cars. Apparently, a lot of car trips involve very short journeys to, say, the supermarket or local school. These are often unnecessary, but we automatically get in our cars without thinking.

Clearly, we all have a responsibility to look after our cities. Governments can do a lot to improve the situation and part of what they do should involve encouraging individuals to consider alternatives to driving.