2. Describe a thing you cannot live without (not a mobile or computer).

• You should say:

What it is?
How long have you had it for?
Why you cannot live without it?
Explain how you felt when you were without it?

• Introducation: and What it is?

Well, different people are obsessed by different things and often feel they cannot live without those and one such thing which is very important for me is my wristwatch.

• How long have you had it for?

I received this watch from my grandfather when I was in Grade 10. I still remember it was my birthday and my grandpa took me to a shop from where he got me a very expensive branded wristwatch with a beautiful dial and a leather band.

• Why you cannot live without it?

From that day it has become a part and parcel of my life. Unfortunately, he is no more so this watch is the only souvenir of my grandpa that I have. I wear it all the time as I am a very punctual person and make sure that I do everything on time and this wristwatch helps me to do be on time. This watch is pretty old but has basic features like I can set alarm on it which was quite unique in those days, so this watch helps me to get up in time to get ready for school. Every morning I make a schedule of things to do so that I do not miss anything important and I regularly check time on my watch to do things promptly.

• Explain how you felt when you were without it?

In fact, after school, I have to attend a couple of extra classes and because of this watch, I never get late. Unfortunately, once It stopped working and I had to get it fixed which took a couple of days and at that time I realized how dependent I am on this thing.

• Conclusion:

Overall, it is one that I possess and cannot live without.

3. Describe an item on which you spent more than expected.

• You should say What it is?

How much did you spend on it? Why you bought it? And explain why you think you spent more than expected.

• Introduction:

Well, I must say I am a frugal spender who really do not believe in wasting money and spending it on unnecessary things. But, lately, for my cousin’s wedding, I ended up spending too much money. The fact is that at this wedding I was going to be the best man and I was super excited about it. And of course, I wanted to look for something special on this day. For that reason, I visited the branded store at the local shopping mall where I could buy some party wears.

• What it is?

At this store, I was able to found what I was actually looking for. It was a pant coat black in color and elegantly designed; the cost of this suit was 15,000 that was too little high.

• How much did you spend on it? and Why you bought it?
and
Explain why you think you spent more than expected?

However, I liked it so much, so I decided to buy it. In fact, the sales guy showed me a white silk shirt that would go really well with this pant coat, and he compelled me to buy it. Finally, I paid 20,000 at this store and came back with these two things, and later in the evening, I tried this attire to check my looks. At this point, I realized that I did not have matching formal shoes to wear with this dress, so I went to the market to buy a new pair of shoes, and it cost me another 4000 rupees. Finally, I thought it was all over now, and I was ready for this wedding. One of my friends suggested that this dress is incomplete without some accessories. I must wear a tie or a bow and a brooch to look more classy and elegant. Hence, I had to spend few more thousand rupees to get all these things now it was the wedding evening.

• Conclusion:

I was beautifully dressed up, and I must say that I received hundreds of compliments from my near and dear ones for looking so handsome in this dress, and I realized that it was worth spending this much money. Overall it was a time when I spent a lot of money on something.

•Follow up Questions

A. Do you often buy more than you expected?

Yes, I often buy more than I expected, but it is normally in case of small household items or grocery items. For example, I would buy 2 pairs of jeans if they are on an offer, even if I need just one. The iPhone was the first time I spent so much more than I should have spent.

B. What do you think young people spend most of their money on?

I think young people spend their money on clothes and other fashion accessories like belts, shoes, etc. Also, I think a lot of youth spend their money on gadgets like mobile phones, laptops, and headphones.

C. Do you think it is important to save money? Why?

Yes, I think it is crucial as we can never be certain about the future. The recent Corona epidemic has made it even more clear that how uncertain life is. Many people died because they couldn’t afford the costly healthcare. Also, if people didn’t have savings, it would have been impossible to tide over these difficult times.

D. Do people buy things that they don’t need?

Yes, all the time. I think we buy things because buying things makes us happy. Even though we know we won’t be using the thing, we buy it for momentary happiness. A common example is an electric drill, which people barely use for 10 mins after buying and then collects dust sitting unused for years.

4. Describe an activity that you usually do that wastes your time.

• You should say

What it is?
When you usually do it?
Why do you do it?
And explain why you think it wastes your time.

• Introduction:

Well, life has become extremely fast and busy, and people often complain that they are short on time, yet we waste a lot of time intentionally or unintentionally.

• What it is?

Here I would like to talk about an activity that I do regularly, and it wastes my hours easily.

• When you usually do it? and Why do you do it?

The fact is that I am quite active on social media, which is more like a weed these days. It is a more practical way to remain in touch with friends and relatives as it saves a lot of time and energy when compared to meeting others personally.

• Explain why you think it wastes your time?

• But sometimes, I feel I waste too much time on this. Firstly, I have a huge network of friends who are active on different apps like Whatsapp, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and others, and for their sake, I always have to remain active on these platforms.
• In addition, people sometimes share posts unduly and always expect from
• others to comment, and a few of my friends are so obsessed that they get angry with me if I don’t comment in time.
• Similarly, every second day is someone’s birthday, and I have to spare time to wish them. Moreover, these platforms are bombarded with extremely tempting advertisements, and once I get on these sites to check anything, I end up wasting a lot of time.

• Conclusion:

• I feel very bad because now I am kind of addicted to using these platforms. I can utilize this time more productively than I waste here unduly.
• So, this is an activity that I do regularly, which wastes a lot of time of mine.

•Follow up Questions

A. How do you balance work and life?

I think balancing work and life is always a work in progress. We are always doing it, and it is not something specific. For example, if we go on vacation with the family, we come back and spend extra time at work to make up for the pending work. Another rather unhealthy way, we achieve it is by cutting down on our sleep hours, but it takes a big toll on our mental and physical health.

B. Will you continue doing something when you are aware that it wastes your time?

I think the adage ‘bad habits die hard’ would be the best answer to this question. I think we do such things because we are addicted to them. I think it’s very hard to give up on such activities, and it requires a lot of willpower. However, the realisation that the activity is wasteful is the first step, and once people have that, it becomes easier to stop.

C. What kind of things make people pressured?

I think there are millions of things in today’s life that stress us- for example, financial obligations, unreasonable work deadlines, competition with others, and maintaining relationships. The pressure each puts varies according to the stage of life- for example, competition stress is in the early stages when we are trying to get into universities or trying to secure a good job and financial stress comes a little later when we have to manage the expenses for the whole family.

D. Why do some people refuse to abide by the rules?

I think there is a certain thrill in breaking the rules and doing whatever we want. In some ways, it is exhilarating and freeing to not care about the rules and regulations. Actually, I think it is good as long as we don’t harm others because it prevents life from becoming monotonous and boring.

5. Describe a person who impressed you the most when you were in primary school

• You should say-

Who he/she is?
How you knew him/her?
Why he/she impressed you the most-?
And how you feel about him/her?

• Introduction

On our schooling days, we meet and take advice from a lot of people. However, there are only a few people who impress us, and we always seek flashes of inspiration from such persons. As far as I am concerned, I met a remarkable personality in my childhood, and according to me, he is the most impressive person I have ever met.

• Who he/she is?

He is Mr Gordon and right now he is 50 years old.

• How you knew him/her

When I was in 5th standard, I came across Mr Gordon. He was the librarian of our school.

• Why he/she impressed you the most

• The reason why he impressed me the most was through his determination, dedication and discipline he brought a paradigm shift in my life.
• During my budding years, I used to be an average student. I was not much interested in studying, and my teachers would rebuke me a lot.
• Due to such a low performance, I had developed an inferiority complex in myself. In my 5th standard, when I started going to the library, I would sit there for hours, practically doing nothing.
• Upon seeing my plight, Mr Gordon came to my rescue. Every day he used to make me read 2-3 pages of my favourite cartoon book.
• He did this task with me for three months, and the result was that I became a voracious reader in just three months. After seeing improvement in my performance, my teachers had started taking me seriously, and I became the topper of my class.
• Today I am a successful person, and the credit of my success goes to Mr Gordon.
• Not only me, but he has also turned the life of many other students towards an impressive growth trajectory.

• And how you feel about him/her

He is an altruist person who always goes beyond the conventional domain to help others.

•Follow up Questions

A. Why do people always miss their childhood?

There is no denying this conviction that childhood time is the best time of our life. During this time, we are devoid of worries. Moreover, we have plenty of time at our disposal to do our tasks as per our likes and dislikes.

B. Are kids happier than adults? Why?

Yes, kids remain much happier than adults. During adulthood, a lot of responsibilities are there on our shoulders related to our career, finances and health etcetera. Hence a large proportion of our time goes towards taking care of our goals.

C. Why do people still remember many of their friends from primary school?

It is due to the reason that during our formative years in primary school we spend a sizeable time of our day in the company of our friends. And during this time, we become more aware of their likes and dislikes. Hence due to this reason, the friends made during our primary schooling remain our friends for a long period. And the good moments spent with them always remain etched in our memories.

D. What kinds of primary school teachers impress students?

Those primary school teachers impress students who are balanced in their approach. In the budding years, children minds are in the nascent stage, and the good habits learned during this period help the students in leading their lives towards an impressive growth trajectory. Therefore those teachers who can teach in a consummate manner manage to impress the students.

E. Did you have a happy childhood?

Yes, I had a happy childhood because I had a vast friend circle, and I used to spend quality time with my amigos. Moreover, I had plenty of time at my disposal to widen my social circle. Apart from this, I did not have many pressures because I used to get good grades without much hard work.

F. What did you like to do when you were a child?

As a child, I had the freedom to do work as per my choice. My favourite activities were playing with my friends, going for a long drive with my dad, and doing the painting.

G. What were some embarrassing situations when you were a child?

The most embarrassing situation of my childhood was when I fell from the stage after receiving the award. All the schoolmates and teachers had guffaws of laughter.

6. Describe a skill that was difficult for you to learn.

• You should say

When you learned it?
Why you learned it?
How you learned it?
How you felt when you learned it?

• Introduction:

Well, some skills are quite essential to learn but can be quite difficult to acquire. Today I am going to talk about one such skill is driving, which I learned but found very difficult.

• When you learned it? and Why you learned it?

Actually, I had a great deal of fear on my mind towards driving. So that I could gain confidence, my father got me enrolled at a driving school. Mr. Singh was my driving instructor who was quite confident, friendly, and soft-spoken.

• How you learned it?

On my first day, he helped me to gain control over the steering. Though we were driving on the ground with no vehicle around, I was still scared and trembling, but my instructor motivated me to boost my confidence.

• How you felt when you learned it?

• Once I got on the highway, Frankly speaking, every time a truck was coming from the other side, I was getting off the road in fear. This time my trainer got a little angry t! with me and said, you must keep the courage if you want to learn this skill.
• Slowly and steadily, I got more and more comfortable with driving on the road in different conditions. I was feeling like that I have learnt to drive but then the most challenging part came which was to drive in the city centre the area with heavy traffic.
• I got goosebumps to drive in this busy area. The car was hardly moving because of traffic, and my engine was going off again and again, but I kept the courage this time. Though I had a minor accident with an auto-rickshaw.

• Conclusion:

I learned a lot from my mistakes and the experience of Mr. Singh, and today, I can confidently drive a car, but it was not an easy skill to acquire for me.

•Follow up Questions

A. What skills do students need to master?

Academically speaking, I think students need to master skills like reading, math, and speaking. Non academically, I think skills like cooking, money management, driving, and so on are skills that every student should possess. Also, in today’s world, everyone should try to have computer skills.

B. Is it hard for students to learn new skills?

On the contrary, I feel it is easier for them to pick up new skills as they are young, and their minds can pick up and retain things better. That is why children are encouraged to learn many things like driving, swimming, foreign languages at a young age.

C. Is it hard for old people to learn new skills?

I wouldn’t say it is hard for them either. But it is not as easy as it is for children or kids to pick up new things. Old people might not be able to remember things, so they might need to do things repeatedly for them to pick up on skills.

D. Is a good teacher very important for students learning experience? Why?

Yes, absolutely. Teachers are not only responsible for teaching but also ensuring that children are motivated to learn things. Moreover, nowadays, children are very impatient and lose focus easily. If the teacher is not able to grab and hold on to their attention, he would not be able to teach anything.

7. Describe a time you moved to a new home/school.

• You should say

When you moved? Why you moved? Where you moved? How you felt about it?

• Introduction:

Well, these days, it is quite common to see people moving from one pace to the other for different reasons.

• When you moved?

I, too, had experienced the same thing when I was in 8th grade.

• Why you moved?

Actually, earlier we used to live in a village in a joint family with my grandparents and uncles and aunts. The Experience of being together was amazing, and the peaceful life of a village away from the hustle and bustle of cities cannot be explained in words.

• Where you moved?

However, my family decided to move to the city for my higher studies and a better future. It was not easy for all A of us to leave our ancestor’s house to live separately in a city where nobody knew us. We were finding it hard to adapt to the new place. Luckily, our neighbor Mr.Singh was really a friendly and C Al kind- hearted person. He helped us in every possible way to make us feel at ease. Surprisingly, his son Karan was my age mate, and I got admission in the same school where he was studying; and Just because of Karan, I could easily adjust at school and made many friends. In fact, on weekends, Mr. Singh, along with his family, used to take us for city tours.

• How you felt about it? and Conclusion:

Although we initially missed our family and village house a lot slowly and steadily, we got used to city life, especially visiting shopping malls, cafes, parks, playing in grounds, studying in libraries, and others.

•Follow up Questions

A. Why do people move to a new home?

There are many reasons why people move to a new home. But, most commonly, people move for job, education. In other words, people move when they get a job or join an educational institute, which is too far for them to commute daily. Another big reason is marriage or because of children. This is because either they want independence and privacy or because their earlier house might be too small to accommodate the growing family.

B. What problems do people face after moving to a new place?

How do people solve these problems? I think it depends upon the place they are moving to. For example, if they are moving to a new place with a different culture, they might face a culture shock. Another problem is getting to know neighbours and making new friends. People solve these problems by having a housewarming party to invite new neighbours and get to know them.

C. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in the same place?

It is comfortable to live in the same place for a long time. As people are familiar with everything, they don’t need to spend time setting up things again and again. On the other hand, it gets boring and monotonous to live in the same place.

D. Is it good to move to a new place frequently? Why?

I don’t think it is good to move to a new place too frequently. Firstly, it might be challenging to do so financially. Moving involves a lot of expenses. Secondly, it might be difficult to make new friends and people might miss their old place. Finally, from a children’s point of view, it can be disastrous as it would affect their educational continuity.

8. Describe a time you got up early.

• You should say

When was it? Why did you get up early? What did you do after getting up? How did you feel about it?

• Introduction:

To be honest, I’m a person who stays awake till late at night but finds it really hard to get up early in the morning. But here I would share one incident when I had to get up quite early in the morning, in fact, 3 a.m.

• When was it? and Why did you get up early?

What happened exactly that in last summer’s my family decided to go for a weekend trip to Shimla as the weather was really hot, so we decided to go to Shimla, which is a beautiful hill station and famous for its pleasant weather but my father decided to start this journey at 3 in the morning. As soon as I heard it, my excitement turned into disappointment because I never wanted to get up that early in the morning anyhow. I had to get up just like other family members, we all got up at around 2 a.m., and we got ready for this journey.

• What did you do after getting up?

in fact, I helped my mother pack the food and luggage, and we started our journey and sharp 3 a.m. My father made a good decision because we avoided travelling in the Sun during this time the temperature was quite low and we had a comfortable journey in our car. Another thing that I must say is that there was hardly any recall on the road, so we covered the distance in much lesser time. We also avoided the peak hour traffic of major cities on the way.

• How did you feel about it?

Our early start gave us extra time to spend in Shimla doing a variety of activities. Because of this journey, we did not get tired as well though being a night person, I was not willing to get up early.

• Conclusion:

That day I realized the importance of getting up early or having an early start.

•Follow up Questions

A. Do you know anyone who likes to get up early?

Yes, actually both the parents like to get up early. My mother wakes up as early as 5’o clock. My father also wakes up quite early but not as early as my mother. As for my sister and I, we can sleep for as long as we are not woken up.

B. Why do people get up early?

I think the main reason for people to get up early is that they can finish their household chores before going to work. After coming back from school or work, it hard to finish them due to work tiredness and stress.

C. What kind of situations need people to arrive early?

I think people should always arrive early for formal commitments like interviews, office meetings and medical appointments. For other occasions like family meets, I don’t think it is necessary to reach before time, but one should try to be on time.

D. Why do some people like to stay up late?

I think people who stay up late are generally those who like quiet and spending time with themselves. They feel that during the day, they get might disturbed, so they prefer staying up late and doing their work at night.

9. Describe a difficult thing you did.

• You should say

What it was? How did you complete it? Why it was difficult? And how you felt about doing it?

• Introduction:

I always try to keep things simple, and short, however, on a few occasions, the circumstances prompt me to try my hand at daunting tasks. Recently I had such instance when after tremendous hard work, I finished a difficult task.

• What was it?

A few months back, the second wave of the corona was wreaking havoc in my country. Due to that, the higher authorities imposed a stringent lockdown. Since the colleges were closed, I had to take my exams online. A few days before the exam, my laptop stopped working. To my dismay, all repair shops had ceased their operations during that time, and I did not have any other option but to repair the laptop myself.

• Why it was difficult?

It was difficult for me because I didn’t have any knowledge of it. Although I had decent knowledge regarding how to run it, for repair work I was a novice.

• How did you complete it?

To do it, first I took the internet’s help. I had watched numerous videos, none of them provided me with enough knowledge to complete the task. In the end, I decided to take the help of one of my friends who was an expert at repairing computers. With his unabated support and my hard work, I managed to repair my laptop, after working hard for six hours. The most challenging part was to reassemble the system post repair.

• How you felt about doing it?

I had a sigh of relief, and I felt proud of myself.

• Conclusion:

Doing challenging tasks is a must-have attribute to gain success in life.

•Follow up Questions

A. What kinds of jobs require people to be confident?

I think confidence is a skill which is a must-have for all the jobs. Because in this contemporary epoch where fierce competition has become an integral part of our lives, it is difficult to lead your life towards an impressive growth trajectory just n the basis of domain expertise. Our success in today’s thrives primarily on our soft skills. Thus confidence is an essential attribute for all jobs because it empowers you to handle conflicts adroitly at your workplace.

B. On what occasions should children be encouraged? How?

Whenever children do something beyond the conventional domain, they must be encouraged. It is the bounden duty of the parents and teachers to develop confidence in children by motivating them. For example, whenever children do something creative, the school authorities must reward them.

C. How can people in the neighbourhood help the elderly during an epidemic?

During the epidemic, the life of the elderly comes to a standstill. In such circumstances, it is the indubitable responsibility of the young people to provide unabated support to them. They can do so by offering doorstep service to the elderly. All the youngsters of the neighbourhood must work in tandem to work for the welfare of the elderly.

D. Do you see this kind of help occurring in your neighbourhood?

Yes, during the ongoing corona pandemic, all the people in our neighbourhood had provided unstinted support to the needy people in the area. Almost all the inhabitants contributed financially, and moreover, those who couldn’t pay due to financial crunch provided enough help by delivering the necessities.

10. Describe a time when you felt proud of a family member.

• You should say

When it happened? Who is this person? What the person did? And explain why you felt proud of him/her.

• When it happened?

Unfortunately, he comes from a poor family, and often his parents find it difficult to pay his school fee, but last month his father had an accident, and because of that, a lot of money went into his treatment for that reason, the parents were unable to pay his school fee. The school management was quite unsympathetic, and they issued a notice to Raj that if the school fee is not paid on time, he would not be allowed to sit in exams. But Simran told Raj not to worry I will pay your school fee.

• Who is this person? and What the person did?

My brother who had been saving money to change his mobile phone, which was really giving him a lot of trouble for almost 1 year time. Without thinking twice, he paid the school fee for Raj from his saved money.

• Explain why you felt proud of him/her?

Now he made such a huge sacrifice but didn’t even tell anyone, not even me. Some time ago, when Raj visited our house, he came with a flower bouquet to thank my brother, and during this time, he revealed the entire story of how Simran helped him. To listen this, we got emotional, we hugged Simran tightly, and we were really feeling proud on him. lt was really a proud moment for the entire family. I must say that my father was especially proud on my brother because he always wanted to see his son as a kind and generous person.

• Conclusion:

Overall, it was the time when my brother made us proud by helping someone in dire need.

•Follow up Questions

A. When would parents feel proud of their children?

Parents feel proud of their children when they meet and achieve their goals. It can be getting good grades in school, getting into the sports team, graduating from college, and getting their first job, etc. For younger children parents are proud when they achieve tiny milestones like saying their first word, taking their first step, tying their shoelaces by themselves, etc.

B. Should parents reward children? Why and how?

Yes, parents should reward children for their achievements and hard work. It encourages them to continue doing it and makes them feel good about them themselves. Instead of giving material goods as rewards, parents should reward children by praising them, letting them do a favourite activity, or spending more time with them.

C. Is it good to reward children too often? Why?

I don’t think parents should reward children too often as it can make them feel entitled. Buying them toys, gadgets as rewards can make them materialistic. Younger kids may become too focused on the reward and forget about the reason they are being rewarded for. They can even start negotiating with parents for every small task they do.

D. On what occasions would adults be proud of themselves?

Adults have many occasions when they are proud of themselves, like a promotion at their job, buying their first home, getting their children into good schools, doing social work like helping others or a friend in need, etc.