1.
Personal portals like blog, face book and twitter are taken by some people as platforms for self-promotion whereas there are others who feel that these sites are venues for extreme social interaction.

How do you see these two arguments?
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2.
The ever increasing digital density among children and teenagers is a ploy of market forces aimed at catching them young and thereby making them slaves of technology.

How far can you endorse this view?

3.
Newspaper as a social organ has been much more powerful in transforming people and effecting changes in societies across the world. But, now some people believe that such times have gone by.

Do you think today’s newspapers are as powerful as they were?
What differences do you see in today’s Dailies?
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4.

University curriculum committees need to incorporate HR personnel of major employment providers of the nation so that they can help define the curriculum in such a way that the ones who pass out of these universities would be industry-friendly and employment-ready.

How appropriate is this idea in your opinion?
What advantages do the parties involved enjoy?

5.

Unemployment at times is caused more by people’s lack of attitude to take up the available opportunities than by the absence of enough opportunities.

How far can you agree with this view?

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Five questions
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1.
Some people believe that four-day-week with longer working hours would make employees enjoy life better and, as a result, perform more when they are at work. But there are people who think that lesser working days would do more harm than good.

Look at both the views and express your opinion on them.

2.
Longer and harder working hours with hefty pay packages and fewer and flexible working hours with handsome pays are the two options today’s professionals are left to choose from.

What do you think are the major advantages these two options offer for professionals?
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3.
The best way to educate a population about the need for preserving the available resources is to make the population in question feel the difficulty of resource crunch by imposing artificial shortage.

Argue for and against this view.

4.
The best way to abolish alcohol and tobacco products (substance abuse) and their heinous effects on humanity is to impose blanket ban on production and sales of these substances outright.

To what extent to do you agree or disagree with this?

5.
Keeping children away from the clutches of deadly habits like drinking and smoking is primarily the responsibility of their parents.

To what extent to do you agree or disagree with this?
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Studies show that children of developing nations spend more time online than those from developed nations. Some say it is a welcome development as the Internet is a great source of academic information. However, there are concerns that children being online longer would do more harm than good to them.

· Why is this disparity in the number of online hours?
· How advantageous or disadvantageous is the Net for children?

There is heated discussion on the good and bad of children being online. However, the finding that their numbers are higher in poor nations points to a few factors. I think rising online time of children is obviously useful and harmful.

Looking at the higher figures of time spent by children of poor nations, the most important reason in my opinion is falling figures of family time most parents have in poor nations. As a result, children get a lot of parent-free time. Secondly, computer and its possibilities are rather new in many families, and they take it as sign of their better being. Thirdly, a great majority of children in these nations follow hectic academic schedule which demands them to be much more informed and connected to be successful. Of course, there are other minor reasons, too.

Coming to the Net and its being good or bad for children, I think it is sort of a double edged sword. It all depends on how children make use of this medium. If children are given controlled and responsible access to the Net, it would greatly benefit children by way of academic information. But, on the other hand, if they are given a free hand on the Net, there will be much more problems than prospects, because the Net is as rich with good things as with bad and dangerous things. Obviously, children being immature may get snared in the Net.

To conclude it, the Net is very much part of our life, and the times children of rich and poor nations spend on it may differ on varying factors. However, the responsibility lies with their parents as to find out how well their children exploit this great mine of information.

275 words

E. tutoring and e. learning is becoming increasingly popular all over the world. This virtual learning platform offers great advantages for tutors and learners alike.

· Do you think its advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

E. tutoring and E. learning are very common today. This is mainly to the mounting popularity of the Net as an interactive medium. Obviously, both tutors and learners reap benefits, and in my opinion, it offers enough advantages to outweigh the disadvantages.

Online tutoring and learning offers several advantages for both the parties involved. Primary advantage is that it works 24/7 and round the year. Tutors and students can benefit each other by way of interaction, education and value addition. Secondly, it is a virtual learning experience as tutors could be from different nations, and so could students be. It is a kind of exchange. Thirdly, this is a great employment provider. Educated, employed and even retirees could make use of their free time and earn a lot of money. It is a win-win for all in more ways than one.

There are certain disadvantages for E. education though. Firstly, it is the limited possibilities for tutor-leaner face-to-face. This may dampen the spirit of learning. Secondly, accountability factor may be absent because the authenticity or veracity of information imparted may not be reliable. This may harm students and their performance. Thirdly, we cannot rule out the inconveniences it is likely to cause with regard to geographical positioning of both the students and tutors. There could be a few more pitfalls anyway.

Looking at the positives of the concept, it may be concluded that negatives are not strong enough to counter the positives. It is all a matter of how we make use of it. What is there that does not have an unpleasant side? E. education is no exception.

260 words

Some people believe that getting regularly and rightly informed is nothing short of being educated. Some others feel that being informed is one thing and being rightly educated is just another.

· Which view do you endorse and state why?

Being educated, what it actually is? And being rightly informed, what does it make one? Of course there are differing views. In my opinion, being educated is much more and greater than being rightly informed. Being informed is part of being educated.

This view can be substantiated by citing an example. Let us take the case of student who has done some 10 years of schooling and a few more years of college life. He or she can be called an educated person. Depending on the quality of education he or she has received and the discipline that comes there of, the candidate may stand well apart from someone who has got enough and regular information on things of his or her interest. In short, being educated is a holistic personality development process involving innumerable things like, school, teachers, curricular, extra curricular activities, periodic evaluation, certification, and the list goes on and on.

When I look at the other proposition that being informed is nothing short of being educated, what I find is that it is much short of being educated. This can be proved by looking at the way one collects information. Today, information is in the air, and one finds it virtually impossible to segregate what information is needed and what is not. Therefore, being informed randomly is like accumulating matters on a haphazard manner. There is hardly any system or propriety in the process. Being educated has all these, but being informed does not.

Looking at both the views, I would like to conclude that information and its collecting is just part of education. But education as such has countless other factors that make it a unique experience for every one who gets educated.

280 words

1.
Studies show that children of developing nations spend more time online than those from developed nations. Some say it is a welcome development as the Internet is a great source of academic information. However, there are concerns that children being online longer would do more harm than good to them.

· Why is this disparity in the number of online hours?
· How advantageous or disadvantageous is the Net for children?
Jaypeesdoc. 28.6.010 www.jpsukham.blogspot.com

2.
E. tutoring and learning is becoming increasingly popular all over the world. This virtual learning platform offers great advantages for tutors and learners alike.

· Do you think the advantages outweigh its disadvantages?

3.

Some people believe that getting regularly and rightly informed is nothing short of being educated. Some others feel that being informed is one thing and being rightly educated is just another.

· Which view do you endorse and state why?

4.

Some people feel that there should be constitutional guarantee for employment for all the educated human resource in line with their qualifications because they are the ones who guarantee the constitutional well being of a nation.

· Do you think constitutional employment guarantee is a feasible idea?
· Suggest your own ways to ensure employment for all the educated.

Jaypeesdoc. 28.6.010 www.jpsukham.blogspot.com

5.

It is argued that right to employment is a fundamental right and, if a State fails to engage its educated and productive manpower in some worthwhile income generating mode, it may be deemed as a case of violation of human rights.

· Argue for and against this view.

When it comes to maintaining the standard of education, there is an impression that it is solely the responsibility of the institution. However, a small minority feels that learners themselves have to do their best to live up to the expectations of the institution.

· How far are these two views acceptable to you?

It is true that academic standards are thought to be ensured by institutions. But unless learners themselves try to get qualified to the standards of the institution they study in, even the best of institutions cannot claim of any quality. In think it is a mutual responsibility.

Firstly, when I look at the first view, I feel that the institution does have a major responsibility to ensure quality of education. To achieve this goal, there needs to be a host of things. For example, unless there are enough qualified faculty, sufficient infrastructure like labs, library and study aids, and a foolproof quality upkeep mechanism, we cannot expect an institution to produce best quality candidates. However, it is a fact that academic standards involve several other different things than what an institution has per se.

Therefore, the second view becomes equally relevant, and I strongly feel that learners themselves have to do their best to keep the standards. This is all the more important because it is not the institution that enjoys the quality but the student/s. Even if the institution has everything, the duty of maintaining quality standards is vested equally with the learners. For example, a learner can be complacent, but somehow get through an exam. But, it is his or her performance that matters most not that of the institution one belongs to.

In short, quality of education is achieved by a host of contributory factors. One without the other may not bring in the right result. So, it is right to conclude that institutions and the students are equally committed to keep up the standards of both of them.



270 words

Reading is more a means to promote the holistic development of an individual’s personality than a mere source of information.

How appropriate does this statement sound to you?
How do you look at the view that it is only a source of information?

History shows that reading has been instrumental to the making of many a great souls. So, when I look at the statement, I find that it is much more a means of an individual’s holistic development than a mere source of information.

History has it that man had developed scripts and started writing and reading much before the advent of printing itself. That is proof enough to show that reading as such is endowed with many merits. Might be, it is these merits that help incessant readers develop into a many sided personalities. For example, reading polishes one’s language, refines one’s thinking, makes one question things, encourages one to compare and, above all, one who reads voluminously is able to know the whole world in a vicarious manner. In short, reading transforms a person.

When I look at reading, of course in a limited sense, it is just a means of information. This is much more so today that it was yesterday. In the past, people looked at reading as a great source of knowledge, a self learning exercise, and a noble pastime. But these days, people find it appropriate to take reading as a source of information. In a way, it is true too. However, there is much more to reading than what it brings in by way of information. What reading does is a kind of “transinformation”, let me take the liberty to coin a word.

Looking at reading as a means of holistic transformation and a source of information, I find that the former is much appropriate than the latter. Those who take it as a source of information may not know that it is right information that makes people transform themselves.

270 words

The unprecedented increase in the number of students who go abroad to study is an indicator of the awareness levels of today’s young generation regarding the importance of quality education and international exposure.

How far is this finding true when it comes to your place?
Are there are other factors that necessitate this movement?

Academic migration is on the rise world over. This rise indicates several different factors. The first thing is the knowledge of the young about the need to be exposed to international education and experience. This is true to some extent in my place too.

The youngsters of my country take overseas education as a dream come true. This is because they are very much conscious of the opportunities beyond their national borders. Naturally, they find international education and exposure as a springboard towards their dream careers. For example, whenever there is an overseas education fair in the neighbourhood, thousands of prospective students manage to make it to their destinations overseas. This is, to a greater extent, because of their increasing awareness on the need for cutting edge qualifications. Today, only the fittest survive.

Obviously, there are several other factors. Firstly, it is the availability of affordable qualifications offered by centers of learning abroad. They attract students by in many ways. Secondly, a sizeable of percentage of students moves to foreign schools to try their luck in fetching permanent migration opportunities. For example, the frequent change of rules put in by border agencies indicate that the number of youngsters who overstay is increasing. And, finally, due to rising cost of living in countries like ours, many families want at least one of their dear ones earns some foreign money.

To conclude it, either for better qualifications or for trying their luck, movement of students across the world is a welcome sign in my place too. After all, today, world is a global village where people and their prospects hardly know any borders. It’s virtual.

270 words

Five questions

1.
The unprecedented increase in the number of students who go abroad to study is an indicator of the awareness levels of today’s young generation regarding the importance of quality education and international exposure.

How far is this finding true when it comes to your place?
Are there are other factors that necessitate this movement?


2.
Some are of the opinion that the best way to keep a workforce productive all the time is to offer them monitory benefits according to their performance. However, opinions differ, and some say mere money may not increase productivity.

· How do you look these two views?
Jaypeesdoc. 21.6.010 www.jpsukham.blogspot.com
3.
When it comes to maintaining the quality standards of education, there is an impression that it is solely the responsibility of the institution. However, a small minority feels that the learners themselves must do their best to live upto the expectations of the institution in question.

· Are these two views equally acceptable to you?


4.
The times of conventional educational qualifications have gone by, and it is the time of tailor-made technical courses and the opportunities they offer thereof.

How best does this view suit to your environs?
How good or bad is it not to pursue conventional qualifications?

5.
Reading is more a means to promote the holistic development of an individual’s personality than a mere source of information.

How appropriate does this statement sound to you?
How do you at the view that it is only a source of information?
Jaypeesdoc. 21.6.010 www.jpsukham.blogspot.com

Globalization is an understanding reached by world nations in order to uniformly meet the diverse demands of the world. So, there is no question of brain drain, rather it is an arrangement for mutual gain.

Argue for and against this statement.

Though globalization is a being looked at by different people differently, its roll as a growth platform for all member nations is being accepted by all uniformly. However, there are instances of exploitation and disparity in this arrangement.

If we argue for this, we can cite many examples to prove that this arrangement offers tremendous possibilities for growth irrespective of statuses of nations involved. For example, today, it is very common to see people moving from nation to nation for different purposes, ranging from education to entertainment. So is the case with movement of essentials, technology, resources and know-how. Here we find human brains being wisely applied for the well being of the world, and resources are made available according to the demands of the world.

Let’s check how far this arrangement is able not to make brain drain. This could be explained by citing an example. It is seen that great number of brains from poor nations migrates to developed ones, and they make the rich nations richer. This leads the latter to have supremacy over the poor by way of military preparedness, scientific advancements, technical know-how, to mention a few. This is a clean case of exploitation. Here brains are being bargained for money and material prospects. Can intellectual property be equated in terms of money of any size?

Therefore, it is clear that globalization is a platform for mutual growth and, at the same time, it causes exploitation of brains. However, it is wise to know the fact that brains better used is much better than either unused or underused.

260 words

Since streets and roads are increasingly getting filled, polluted and dangerous by luxury private passenger carriers, ordinary people who depend on ordinary modes of transportation need to be given subsidized fairs and free insurance cover be generating funds from the luxury automobile owners.

How feasible is this idea in your opinion?

Today roads and streets are unsafe due to the revolution that is happening in the private passenger carrier segment. Obviously, it is the ordinary folks who bear the brunt. Therefore, subsidized fairs for common man sounds good, but giving free insurance cover for them does not sound feasible to me.

Today, the need for moving faster is increasing. So many people depend on personal transport means like cars. However, this is possible only for a smaller rich minority. But the bigger majority depends solely on public transport system which is replete with inadequacies. The result is congested, polluted and dangerous roads and streets. This is unfair. So, there needs to be compensation for their suffering. Undoubtedly, subsidized fairs for ordinary man will be a right option. The fund for the same shall be raised from the richer section on the roads.

Coming to ordinary passengers’ free insurance cover, there are practical difficulties. Firstly, it is the huge size of the population that makes use of public transport system. Covering their life will be a huge burden. Secondly, implementing such a system may not be successful because it is humanly impossible to identify who travels when, how frequently one travels, how far, and what the extent of cover is. Finally, imposing exorbitant taxes on a smaller minority is undemocratic. So, free insurance does not sound viable.

Therefore, it may be concluded that unsafe and dangerous roads and streets should not make the life of ordinary man miserable. The richer section does have a role to alleviate the sufferings of the majority of road users. But free insurance cover for all is too much to ask for.


275 words

Since streets and roads are increasingly getting filled, polluted and dangerous by luxury private passenger carriers, ordinary people who depend on ordinary modes of transportation need to be given subsidized fairs and free insurance cover by raising funds from the owners of luxury car owners.

How feasible is this idea in your opinion?

Today roads and streets are unsafe due to the revolution that is happening in the private passenger carrier segment. Obviously, it is the ordinary folks who bear the brunt. Therefore, subsidized fairs for common man sounds good, but giving free insurance cover for them does not sound feasible to me.

Today, the need for moving faster is increasing. So many people depend on personal transport means like cars. However, this is possible only for a smaller rich minority. But the bigger majority depends solely on public transport system which is replete with inadequacies. The result is congested, polluted and dangerous roads and streets. This is unfair. So, there needs to be compensation for their suffering. Undoubtedly, subsidized fairs for ordinary man will be a right option. The fund for the same shall be raised from the richer section on the roads.

Coming to ordinary passengers’ free insurance cover, there are practical difficulties. Firstly, it is the huge size of the population that makes use of public transport system. Covering their life will be a huge burden. Secondly, implementing such a system may not be successful because it is humanly impossible to identify who travels when, how frequently one travels, how far, and what the extent of cover is. Finally, imposing exorbitant taxes on a smaller minority is undemocratic. So, free insurance does not sound viable.

Therefore, it may be concluded that unsafe and dangerous roads and streets should not make the life of ordinary man miserable. The richer section does have a role to alleviate the sufferings of the majority of road users. But free insurance cover for all is too much to ask for.


275 words

There is a view that parents of younger children need to spend more quantity time with their children than quality time as the latter ensures children’s’ graceful growth. However, opinions differ when it comes to spending more quantity time in today’s living conditions.

How do you approach these two opinions?

Smart parenting is a sensitive issue. Naturally, opinions differ on whether it is more quantity time or quality time that would benefit children more. Though more quantity time is better, what is happening around us is the other way round. In my opinion, it is unfortunate.

Looking at the view that it is better to spend more quantity time with children, I find that children grow more gracefully when they get more time with their parents. After all, it is their parents who are their primary teachers. Their way of life, character, manners, language, likes and dislikes are what constitute the basic lessons of a growing child. Obviously, the more quantity time they spend with their children, the better. On the other hand, more quality time makes parenting a pressure for children. Pressure and pleasure do not match.

Unfortunately though, today, not many parents have the fortune of sparing more quantity time with their children, and a little times they get is being made quality times by way of imposing academics and fostering performance. This is primarily due to the pressures of modern life. It acts in two ways. Firstly, parents are forced to make more money to better their children’s life. Secondly, children are pressured to perform much early in their life so as to be successful in the long run. It gives more pressures to children than pleasures of growing gracefully.

Concluding it, I find it right to say that smart parenting is more a matter of quantity parenting time than anything else. The sinless pleasures of growth are not only for the growing ones but also for parents who, in turn, grow gracefully into much smarter parents.

260 words ajaypees doc. 13/6/010

Though human life is said to be more and more convenient and comfortable these days by way of innovations in science and technology, the general human well being across the world is threatened in several different ways.

How far is it a man-made situation in your opinion?
Do you think Science and technology is to be blamed?

Not many would deny the fact that human life is much more comfortable today than ever thanks to science and technology. However, the truth remains that such a life is made more uncomfortable in myriad ways. I think it is more manmade than the other way round.

Humans have always been trying to better their lives. The comforts and conveniences we boast of today are the results of those efforts. These efforts have changed the way we live, communicate, move and get our things done. Unfortunately, human greed and their inherent nature of defeating others for gratifying ones ego etc. leave the very comfortable life threatened. Obviously, all such threats can be attributed to humans themselves. For example; the war havocs, climate change, nuclear stockpile and its looming terror, to mention a few, are all manmade.

However, humans themselves are able to threaten the very life because there is science and technology to design those threats. And those designs happen to be backfiring most of the time. Anyway, this self destruction cannot in anyway attributed to science and technology alone. These two actually are the brainchildren of humans. It is humans who are supposed to make use of them wisely. Unfortunately, personal priorities and prejudices most often prevail over common sense and cause. The result is science and technology turns out to be a double edged sword; threatening and fostering.

Looking at both the propositions, it is all the more right to conclude that science and technology is for human well being. But the threat to the very well being felt world over is the result of human’s senselessness and insensitivity to the surroundings and fellow beings.

270 words