The expression “Never, never give up” means to keep trying and never stop working for your goals. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Persistence is perhaps the surest way to attain success in any venture. In todays competitive, dog eat dog world, failure is not an option. Talent, at best, plays a secondary role for there any many people out there that are talented but unsuccessful. To try, try and try again is the mantra that has led to the most success stories and those who give up, inevitably fall by the wayside.
The expression ‘never, never give up does indeed mean to keep on trying to achieve your goals and never give up on them. It is not a matter of interpretation or a play with clever words. ‘Never, never give up’ means to constantly strive to achieve your goals until you have achieved your objectives. The importance of this expression can never be underestimated in today’s world.
One reason I believe that this expression means to constantly strive to achieve your goals is that this expression literally means to keep trying. As far as I know, this expression does not have a figurative meaning and thus is not open to interpretation. This expression is a simple fact of life that is engrained in us from childhood and that we should adhere to always. 
Another reason that I agree with the interpretation of this expression in this topic is that it is an oft used and expression that usually comes packaged with several analogies that demonstrate the simple facts of this expression. I am sure that we have all heard the story of the spider that kept on trying to get its web together and finally succeeded and became the inspiration of a historical figure. This whole analogy clearly demonstrates that the meaning of this expression is to just not give up.  
I would like to also offer the example of my high school literature teacher who often quoted this expression when discussing our mastery (or lack of it) of Shakespeare. The difficulty of the language and the esoteric concepts were hard for us to grasp and it was precisely at this juncture that my literature 5teacher used this quotation. I believe that a scholar of his stature would not get a simple expression like this wrong and am inclined to agree that ‘Never, never give up’ exhorts us to persistence.
Apart from the interpretation of this expression, I would also li9ke to point out its importance in our lives. Losers are those who have given up on their dreams and the ones who persist are often those who become achievers. For example, where would Bill Gates be now if he had become disheartened by early failures? Thus, I would like to conclude by stating that the interpretation of this expression in this topic is absolutely accurate that this expression is one that is extremely relevant in today’s world.

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? With the help of technology, students nowadays can learn more information and learn it more quickly. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

I am in total agreement of the statement. I will put some of the facts in the support of this statement in the following statements.
It is the technology that has made life simpler and easier. This has been observed in almost all aspects of life. First of all I would like to define technology. What is it? I feel that technology is an achievable sophistication of human imagination. Man is the sole creator of technology. Man used to think on a particular question or problem, very critically and thoroughly, and comes out with a brilliant solution. This solution is called as Technology.
Now we will see how it helps the students to learn more information and learn more quickly. Internet, email, interactive computer based tutors are some of the forms of the new technology which help students learn quickly. In my school days I used to sit in the class rooms for hours. Teachers used to be age old and highly boring just like subjects. But I couldn’t complain about that in those days. I used to get nervous at some point of time. But now a student can sit or even lie down in his or her bedroom and attend the class on Television or even as video conference. I feel that most of the children used to perceive a very good morale at home. They are fresh and enthusiastic at home. In this state of mind they can learn more in less time.
With the advent of computer based tutors, the time constraint for learning has also been vanished. Student can take his or her class as and only when he or she wants. It is not likely with every body that one will be fresh and ready to grasp for 8 hours daily. Sometime somebody may feel little drowsy or sick. CBT have the best answer to this question.
With the advent of internet, it is not at all necessary that you should attend the classes of the same age old and boring teachers only. One can discuss with the best professors in the world on any subject of one’s liking. The new electronic storage devices like tapes, CDs and floppies have made the students able to store whole lot of information in their pockets. Big bulky books are being replaced by Adobe Acrobat Documents. Only having whole lot of information is also not enough. Because then you will have to search for the information back and forth. There are certain software packages which help students in managing his knowledge bank also. This has made learning faster and easier.
One thing is sure, if thing is simple, smoother and easier anybody will take interest in it. The new technology is very attractive. Students have started taking interest in the core subjects it self which are being taught with the help of new technology. I have one example to support this.
One my friend was highly unwilling to come to school. He used to feel very sad in the school time. Then his father made a very intelligent move. He bought a set of new shoes, new school uniform and a new water bag. He asked his car driver to drop him to school daily. And to my surprise, after that day, he became the most regular student in the class. The new uniform and new shoes gave him the new look. The new water bag gave him the eleventh hour help and coming by car gave him the pleasure of traveling.
In conclusion I would say that, same is the case with technology also. Technology gives the new look to your studies. It provides help at the eleventh hour and it provides the pleasure of learning also. What else one needs to learn more information with more pace?

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Attending a live performance (for example, a play, concert, or sporting event) is more enjoyable than watching the same event on television. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

Attending a live performance is really more enjoyable than watching the same event on television. As I am very interested in football matches, I have experienced that watching a football match at a stadium is not comparable with watching the same thing on TV. I never forget the first time that I went the stadium and the match is inscribed in my mind. It was an unforgettable event.
     At a live performance, you can see everything that is not possible on TV. Cameras zoom on special scenes and you cannot see what is going on the rest of the stage. For example, at a football match, the cameraman always tries to see the ball and its related events. When you are watching a football match on TV you cannot see that a player kicks another one because it is out of stage. But when you are present at the stadium you can easily see it.
     On the other hand, you can cheer and boo and even cry in a live performance. A crowd like you has attended the match. All cheer and shout together and it encourages you to take part in their happiness. This is really enjoyable. Imagine you were attending Michael Jackson show then you could dance, whistle and cheer. This was not the case when you were at home. You might be alone because others did not like that specific show or they wanted to study. So you could neither dance nor cheer. You had to sit before T.V and turn down its voice. It is not enjoyable at all.
     Another advantage that you achieve by virtue of attending a live performance is that you can have the feeling of participating in the performance. Every thing is live. If it is a football match for instance, then it is as if you were playing yourself. You were part of the match and could sense the kicks of the players on the ball.
     Above all advantages there is only one disadvantage. It is that you must pay money to buy the ticket and spend time to reach the location of the performance. But it does not matter for me. By considering that I can achieve many things like seeing any event, cheering and shouting and feeling that I am participating in the performance are with no doubt unforgettable and highly enjoyable. I myself attend a football match even if it were in another country and it would cost me money and time.

Businesses should hire employees for their entire lives. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

There are many advantages and disadvantages to offering employees job security for life. In Japan, for example, prospective employees know that their employers will provide them with job security for their entire working days and they are better able to plan for their future and family. However, many businesses are now realizing that their employees have less motivation to work and this leads to less profits for the company. I will describe the advantages and disadvantages of this system in this essay and I will show that ultimately “jobs for life” is not good for a society.

Job security is very important for both the employee and the employer. For the employee, job security is important because she can depend on her source of income and better plan her future accordingly. For the employer, the employee represents an investment because of the number of hours of training required and the company will continue to have a return on this investment. As we all know, feeling secure about where our future income will come from is very important for our well-being—anybody who has lost a job and has had trouble finding a new one knows that this transition period can cause a lot of anxiety.

However, job security tends to lead to decreased productivity. In general, employees who are certain that they can never lose their jobs tend to work less efficiently, thereby contributing to an overall reduction of productivity in the company. A common example all over the world is that of civil servants. In Thailand, for example, many government workers are so indolent that it can take days or months for something to be finished that should only take a few days. It is not uncommon to walk into a government office and see employees filing their nails, making personal calls on the telephone, taking three-hour lunches, or surfing the Internet for fun.

Finally, the model of capitalism is proving to be the most efficient model that we have right now. This model of job security completely contradicts the foundations of capitalism. We can see in the United States now that people are starting to change jobs, even careers more and more often. Some career consultants even recommend that employees find new jobs every three to five years. Even in countries that still offer job security for life, this model is showing signs of dying out. For example, in Japan, once famous for its lifelong jobs, both employees and employers are starting to expect that these jobs will not last a lifetime. Many of my Japanese friends travel back and forth between the United States and Japan are have been able to find temporary professional jobs while they are in Japan.

In short, I disagree that companies should offer their employees jobs for life. We can see this example in some parts of the world and in other areas in the United States, but these examples are generally regarded as outmoded ways of conducting business. Finally, the models of capitalism, even though it may seem cruel, the so-called “law of the jungle,” are proving to be the most effective way to raise the standard of living of a country.

You have received a gift of money. The money is enough to buy either a piece of jewelry you like or tickets to a concert you want to attend. Which would you buy? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

In the hypothetical situation where I receive a sum of money and the sum of money were enough only to buy either a piece of jewelry or tickets to a concert and if my choices were restricted to the above two, I would definitely prefer to buy tickets to a concert.
A piece of jewelry serves no practical purpose. No bauble can be deemed practical because it is purely ornamental in nature. A piece of jewelry is positioned on a piece of our anatomy for several purposes that lack substance. People wear jewelry to look better but beauty does not depend on just how much jewelry you have on but on several intrinsic factors that have nothing to do with trinkets. An inner beauty does not come from ornaments but from the inherent attractiveness that one possesses. Another reason people wear jewelry is to show their place in society or just to plain and simple show off! The less said about these reasons for wearing jewelry the better. Some people buy jewelry to secure their futures so that they can sell the jewelry in times of need. All I have to say in this regard is that prevention is better than cure and that if one is careful with their finances, one will never fall foul. Thus, in my opinion buying jewelry is very ostentatious and not an endeavor worth of a thinking person.
Music, on the other hand, is the food of life. Music speaks to us in many tongues and molds us into many different shapes. Music relaxes, invigorates, energizes and heals. From the great masters like Strauss and Mozart to the more contemporary Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin, music has always been the soul of mankind and a measure of a society’s development. Live music is especially attractive to any music lover because one gets to actually see their favorite musicians and hear them unplugged. A musical concert today is pure and undiluted energy. The musicians feed off the crowd’s energy and vice versa. A concert is an experience of a lifetime and one that you will continue to savor for the rest of your life. It is a once in a lifetime experience that will never be repeated and it remains in the memory for a long time. A concert is an adrenaline rush that canned music cannot hope to replicate and a bauble cannot replace.
Thus, if I were indeed to make the choice, I would definitely choose to go to a concert due to the numerous reasons above.

Some people believe that the Earth is being harmed (damaged) by human activity. Others feel that human activity makes the Earth a better place to live. What is your opinion?

It is a long way from the days when the earth nurtured the human and the human attempted to give back to the earth what he had taken from it. Today, the human endeavors to extract whatever he can from the earth for his own gain with scant regard to anything else. It is, thus, my firm belief that human activities are indeed harming the earth rather than making it a better place to live in.
 What is the use of the information highway and super conductors if one day we may have to live indoors for the fear of radiation? The alarming state of the ozone layer makes this almost a certainty. Is this the kind of world that our children will inherit from us? All the advancements that humans have made till this day have taken their toll on the earth. Today rainforests have been converted into rice fields, mountains have been degraded, carbon particles greet us as we leave home and our rivers have chemical effluents in them. All this is the result of human follies. We have degraded nature to such an extent that it is no longer able to nurture us. One example I would like to offer in this regard is that of the river Bagmati in my home town of Kathmandu. When I was a child we used to go swimming in this river. There was plenty of water then and the water was clean. Since then, however, hundreds of industries and factories have sprung up next to the river due to the easy access to water. These worthy pillars not only take water from the river but also discharge all their effluents into it. The results today is that no one dares to swim in this river, the waters are a sludgy black and the river itself stinks to the high heaven. If this is not human activity, what is it?
Wherever we look, human activity is making the earth a worse place. Besides the degradation of the environment activities like terrorism, narcotic smuggling, and crime are doing their bit to make the world worse. Even cultural hegemony, bigotry, religious fundamentalism contribute to making this world worse. These are all common phenomenon. As an example,l just look at the great numbers of people who die in the terrorist insurgency of Nepal-my country. Another example is the race riots that erupt on a regular basis in Gujrat state in India. Scores are either killed, maimed or psychologically scarred.
Thus, I would like to reiterate that even though there may be a small number of human activities that make the world a better place, the vast majority of our activities contribute to making the world a worse place.

You have decided to give several hours of your time each month to improve the community where you live. What is one thing you will do to improve your community? Why? Use specific reasons and details to explain your choice.

I live in Nepal, a beautiful Himalayan country that is nestled in the highest mountains in the world. I live in a very traditional community in the capital Kathmandu. One thing that I would like to do to improve my community is to clean up the area of the community and install a waste disposal protocol for the residents.
I would like to improve cleanliness in my community because my community suffers from a chronic lack of knowledge about the ill effects of poor sanitation. People throw garbage right on the street in front of their houses. The sight of people spitting on the street is common and it is a fact of life that people often urinate into open drains at the side of the street. This lack of knowledge is what is causing our community to degenerate day by day. People do not associate the common diseases that they suffer from with the lack of cleanliness in our community. Thus, if I could educate them about waste disposal it would be helpful in improving the health of the community as a whole. 
I would also like to tackle the problem of sanitation in my community in order for the community to make my community a model community that will be an example for all other communities in the city. If I succeed in my endeavors, it will result in other communities following suit and thus this will result in the whole city becoming cleaner and healthier. In our city, there are cholera, dysentery and malaria epidemics and this is all due to the lack of facilities for waste disposal and cleanliness. The sheer volume of the work ahead and the lack of funding and resources overwhelm the government. Thus, my effort will also be a great help to the government and will take a big burden of its shoulders.
Thus, I would really like to help my community in this way because every individual has the right to live an aware and healthy life. Society, as a whole will be benefited by my endeavors and I will be able to make a great impact upon people by improving their lives through my sanitation module. 

People do many different things to stay healthy. What do you do for good health?

Many people do many different activities I order to stay healthy. Some adhere to a healthy lifestyle by moderating their intake of food while others jog or indulge in sport. I, however, play soccer in order to stay healthy and thus avail of the many benefits that this great game has to offer.
One reason for my choice of soccer as a health activity is that a game of soccer is a complete workout. One runs several miles in a standard game but also exercise muscled other than the leg muscles. I tackling, covering and heading one exercises all or most of ones muscles and in doing so gets a full workout.
Another reason for my choice of soccer as a health activity is that while playing soccer one also develops a sense of teamwork that one cannot develop in solitary health activities. One has to coordinate with all ones teammates while playing soccer and this gives one the benefits of better health along with important lessons in life- teamwork is the best way top approach a task and there is no ‘I’ in the word team!
Perhaps the most crucial reason for my choice of soccer as a health activity is that soccer is an extremely cerebral game and one needs not just stamina and strength but also vision. Soccer is a game where one can best learn that vision is also important in life and one can actually put it into practice physically before putting it into practice mentally.
Thus, for all the above reasons, I have chosen soccer as my favorite health activity and I hope that I will continue to play this beautiful game for many years to come and continue to enjoy it.

Some famous athletes and entertainers earn millions of dollars every year. Do you think these people deserve such high salaries?

People expect to receive remuneration for their services and some famous entertainers and athletes earn millions for their efforts every year. I believe that these professionals thoroughly deserve the amount they get paid for several reasons that I will attempt to elaborate upon in the following paragraphs.
One reason that I believe that an actor, singer or athlete deserves his multi-million pay packet is that we are discussing highly specialized skills here. It is not everyone who can sing like Luciano Pavarotti or Slam dunk like ‘Air’ Jordan! These performers and athletes have honed their skills to a point where they might just be the only people on the planet who [possess such skills. Thus, because these skills are highly developed, I think that they deserve their large pay packets.
Another reason for my belief is that the skills that performers and althletes have in very high demand. The reason for the high demand is that skills like these are also in short supply! How many quarterbacks like Greg Favre does the planet have? On the other hand, how many skilled managers does the plant have? Whuile the skills of Greg Favre are indeed in short supply, skilled managers abound and it is universal law that the more of a thing there is, the less it is valued and vice versa.
Another reason I believe that performers and athletes are deserving of the money they are paid is that they literally have to go through heel in order to acquire those skills. I totally discount talent, as there are plenty of talented but unsuccessful people. Sweat, blood and tears is what makes a successful performer or athlete and the competition is much stiffer that in all other fields.
Thus, I truly believe that athletes and performers deserve their high pay and so I would urge all to not be jealous of those high pay packets as these performers and athletes also add a lot of value to our lives for free!

The twentieth century saw great change. In your opinion, what is one change that should be remembered about the twentieth century?

There have been a great many changes in the twentieth century and most of them have contributed to the betterment of the world. However, the one change that has contributed to the betterment of the world the most is the development of Information technology as it has transformed the world in many ways.
One reason for my belief is that the IT revolution has truly made the world a smaller place. Communication has improved drastically and what, previously, used to take days can now be done in the blink of an eye. E-Mail has made it possible to correspond with a person halfway around the globe in a flash as optic fiber cable and wireless technology send e-mails from Asia to America in less than one second! File Transfer Protocols on the Internet have made the couriers virtually redundant except for when hard copy is necessary.
The IT revolution has also transformed the way we research things. There is more information available on the Internet than there is in any library in the world. One can easily access any kind of information and use it. Internet has given students and researchers a plethora of options and thus, made the acquisition of knowledge easier.
Another way in which IT has benefited the world is to open up Commerce. Today, virtual anything can be purchased on the net with just a mouse click. There are much greater options than the ordinary supermarket. E-Commerce has brought buyers and sellers closer and thus it has given commerce a tremendous shot in the arm!   
Perhaps the greatest benefit of the IT boom is in employment. In my country India, unemployment was more rampant before the IT boom but today there is a lack of qualified IT professionals despite millions of qualified professionals being created everyday. Thus, once when people had limited employment options, a good IT course is enough to guarantee a lifetime of employment!
Thus, the IT revolution has truly benefited the world the most among all the developments that occurred in the last century and thus truly warrants its place as the most important development of the last century

When famous people such as actors, athletes and rock stars give their opinions, many people listen. Do you think we should pay attention to these opinions?

If  Eminem were giving an opinion on Quantum Physics, I would carefully evaluate that opinion before following it. However, if Eminem were giving an opinion on Hip Hop music I would respect that opinion because I think he would most definitely know what he was talking about. In the context of this topic, I think that one should not blindly follow the opinions of celebrities like rock stars, athletes and actors because they may just have a very limited perspective of the world. However, if they were giving an opinion that pertains directly to their own fields, I would most definitely listen carefully and be respectful of that opinion. Thus, I think that the opinions of celebrities like rock stars, actors and athletes should only be blindly followed when they are talking about a matter that pertains directly to their fields. 
Imagine getting a lesson in Basketball from the one and only Michael Johnson! Which aspect of basketball is this amazing human familiar with? Imagine listening to Santana talking about guitars! Who would question these greats about their expertise in their own fields? But then again, imagine Santana talking about the Renaissance! Who would automatically attach any credibility to what he says without listening to his take on the nuances of the renaissance first? I, for one, would listen carefully first and then decide whether to value to opinion or not.
There is not even one example of a human who knew everything there is to know. Even the smartest human being ever, Albert Einstein, who would be the first to confess that he did not know it all! Thus, attaching importance to any opinion of a celebrity is not derived from the persona or the success of the celebrity himself but from his expertise in the matter at hand.   
So, in my final analysis, I would like to unequivocally state that it is a matter of examining the credentials of the celebrity in question and evaluating them against the field that the opinion arose from. After all, there have been plenty of people who have achieved success in films, athletics and music who were not even proficient in their own fields. One has but to look at the terrible histrionic abilities of a Marilyn Monroe to evince that!   

In the future, students may have the choice of studying at home by using technology such as computers or television or of studying at traditional schools. Which would you prefer?

Learning is not a solitary activity to be imparted by machines. The degree of human interaction makes it imperative for us to learn in an environment where interaction is possible. Thus, I would prefer to go to a traditional school over learning at home through televisions and computers.
The first reason for my choice is interaction itself. Learning by oneself gives you a varied and rich perspective and it is this perspective that contributes to our intellect. Learning at home will only give one the perspective of a computer program or a television program and will be extremely limited in nature.  Interaction has several other benefits also. It imparts in us a sociability that is extremely important. It teaches us the importance of brainstorming together because many minds are truly better than one. In school, we can also get the perspective or different teachers and enrich our own.
The second reason for my choice is that at school we can benefit from a plethora of resources like libraries and computer labs. These resources are not available in the homes of most students and access to them is extremely important to our development. At home, the very best resource that we can enjoy is the Internet and this is extremely limited due to the vast variety of information available that is virtually impossible to sift through. In a library, one can get more focus in the search for information and thus can achieve erudition more easily.
The last reason for my choice is that in school, one can also have a social life and get a more varied experience because of the large range of extra and co curricular activities that school students participate in. Thus, we will emerge from school truly social beings rather than the hermits we will surely emerge as if we study at home. The planet is becoming smaller day-by-day and social abilities are truly important in the present day context.
Thus, I hope that I have been able to convince who is contemplating studying at home that this is not a very good option because of the tremendous benefits of attending school.