Speaking on opinions The following are topics that are similar to those that appear on the Versant test. It is important that the trainees do not memorize but get in to the habit of being able to answer similar questions with the correct sentence structure and most importantly in logical sequence. It is recommended that the trainer time the responses of the learners and give them only 20 sec to speak their answers. Initially to start this exercise off, the learners can be given time to compile their thought and then speak them out, however towards the end of these exercises the learners need to speak their thought logically and clearly in 20 seconds. Sample topics: 1. P a r e n t s u s u a l l y g i v e a n a l l o w a n c e t o t h e i r c h i l d r e n o n d o i n g their household chores. Do you think children should be paid to do chores? I think an allowance is a good idea because it gives the child a little independence. It will teach the child how to be responsible for jobs duties in the home. The income will teach the children about money, savings and responsibilities. This will also ensure that the children w i l l b e m o r e r e s p o n s i b l e t o w a r d s t h e w o r k . I s u p p o r t t h e i d e a o f paying allowance to the children for household chores. 2. Dog-owners are advised to walk their dogs twice a day. Do you think this is really necessary? I think this is really necessary for both the owner and for the dog. Dog’s owner and dog both need some kind of physical activity to f i g h t o b e s i t y . W a l k i n g w i l l h e l p t h e m t o r e l a x a n d r e l i e v e t h e i r energy. Exercising with the dog also promotes human-animal bond. G e n e r a l l y , d o g s a r e g o i n g t o b e h a p p i e r a n d m o r e c o n t e n t i f i t receives adequate exercise. 3. Do you think vegetables should be a part of your daily diet –why? Absolutely yes. Healthy diets rich in fruits and vegetables mayreduce the risk of cancer a n d o t h e r c h r o n i c d i s e a s e s . F r u i t s a n d vegetables also provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health. Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories and are filling. They also help you to fight obesity. 4. People have a tendency to sit in front of the television for long hours continuously. Do you think this affects health? If yes, in what way? Watching a television has severely negative impact on the viewers. It adds burden to our brain and causes long-term physical harm.W a t c h i n g a t e l e v i s i o n n o t o n l y k i l l s y o u r f r u i t f u l t i m e b u t a l s o expo ses you to obesity. Many studies have proved its ill effect on a human health. Study shows that every hour of TV watching shortens life by 22 minutes.
5. N o w a d a y s , t h e u s e o f m o b i l e p h o n e s i s b e c o m i n g m o r e p r o m i n e n t . W h a t i s y o u r o p i n i o n o n t h e u s a g e o f m o b i l e phon es? Cell phones have gradually become an integral part of one’s life. It has helped us to connect better to our family and friends. However, the use of mobile phone should be regulated among children below13. They should not be exposed to the radiations of a mobile phone. The mobile phone radiations may cause cancer. Although the use of mobile phone cannot be eliminated, we should try to limit it’ s use in our day to day life. 6. Technology seems to be advancing day by day. Will the growing trend of technology hinder lifestyles in any way? This is true that technology has touched all aspects of our lives. We h a v e g r o w n d e p e n d e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y . H i s t o r y h a s p r o v e d t h a t technology has benefitted human kind in many ways – be it medical science, be it automobile industry, or be it Information Technology. I do not see growing trend of technology hindering our lifestyles in any way.
7. P e o p l e a r e s o m e t i m e s j u d g e d o n t h e b a s i s o f t h e i r c a s t e o r color. Do you think this is fair? Explain. No, this is not fair. It’s not a good idea to judge a people on the basis o f t h e i r c a s t e o r c o l o r . W e s h o u l d t a k e t i m e t o k n o w n e w p e o p l e before making judgment about them. External appearance or caste often does not tell us anything about a person. A person should be judged on his merits and qualities. A good person can be from any caste or can be of any color. 8. If you had a disagreement with a close friend, how would you go about handling it? Well, any two people in a friendship are going to disagree from time to time. If I has a disagreement with my close friend, first thing I would do is to cool down. Secondly, I would try to see the situation from his perspective. After that, I would try to talk to him. We mightb e c o r r e c t i n o u r o w n o p i n i o n s a n d t h i s s h o u l d n o t a f f e c t o u r friendships. 9. N o w a d a y s , p a r e n t s h a v e t h e h a b i t o f l e t t i n g t h e i r c h i l d r e n make their own decisions. Do you think this is a healthy trend? We all learn from our mistakes. It’s important for children to make their own decision and learn from their mistakes. This will also make them self dependent. Sometimes it is also important for children to fail. After all, failure will teach them the most important lessons of t h e i r l i v e s . B y a l l m e a n s , i t i s g o o d t o e n c o u r a g e o u r c h i l d r e n t o make their own decision.
10. Education was different 100 years ago. Some people who werec o n s i d e r e d e d u c a t e d 1 0 0 y e a r s a g o w o u l d p r o b a b l y n o t b e considered educated today. Would you agree or disagree? I would disagree on this. In the past, it is true that we had very fews c h o l a r s . B u t w e s h o u l d a l s o n o t e t h a t w e d i d n o t h a v e t h e k i n d o f resources we have now. In the past, there was less number of colleges, t h e t e c h n o l o g y w a s n o t s o d e v e l o p e d , a n d t h e r e w e r e n o o n l i n e resources for study. Inspire of all these limitations, people in the past managed to get good education. 11. I n y o u r o p i n i o n , w h e r e i s t h e b e s t l o c a t i o n t o r a i s e a f a m i l y . Why do you feel that way? I have lived in several places with my family, however, I really think t h a t a p l a c e t h a t a l l o w s your children to have the freedom to b e o u t s i d e , p l a y w i t h t h e i r f r i e n d s , a n d a c c e s s a l i f e t h a t c r e a t e s memorie s is the best place. I guess I would think that the suburbs and rural towns facilitate is the best place. These places also have c o m p a r a t i v e l y l o w c r i m e r a t e s , s o a s p a r e n t y o u c a n r e l a x a b i t more. 12. F r o m y o u r p o i n t o f v i e w , i s i t b e t t e r t o w o r k i n a l a r g e o r g a n i z a t i o n o r i n a s m a l l o r g a n i z a t i o n ? P l e a s e e x p l a i n y o u r opi nion. I would like to work in big organization. Working in a large company provides access to a host of resources. Working with A large group of people for a large company brings a lot of relationships. Working for a large company is usually a less volatile environment than a small organization. Having a well known company on your CV can open a lot of doors in future. 13. Are you influenced by advertising? What makes you choose the products you buy? I do not usually buy the things advertisements show. Advertising Is no longer informative; it uses tricks and catchy phrases to get us to buy something. Now days, I think advertising is totally o verrated. W h e n I b u y a p r o d u c t , I m a k e s u r e t h a t t h i s i s r e a l l y w h a t I a m looking for. Price also plays an important role in my decision when I am buying a product. 14. Do you prefer to read true stories about real people who have actually lived or do you prefer stories about made-up people and events? Explain your choice. Well, I prefer to read books about real people. These books are very inspiring. These books are mostly about people’s fall and rise in their life and we can learn a lot from this. These books tend to be verym o t i v a t i o n a l a n d c a n i n s p i r e o n e ’ s l i f e . T h e s e b o o k s p r o v i d e a deeper and better understanding of real people lives.
15. Today, many people are living longer and many old people are being cared for by their children or grandchildren. How does this situation affect the family? This will have both financial and emotional bearing on the family. The family will be emotionally more a ttached to each other. Thechildren or grandchildren will have a sense of satisfaction and pridew h e n t h e y s u p p o r t t h e i r a g i n g p a r e n t s o r g r a n d p a r e n t s . O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h e c h i l d r e n w o u l d b e m o r e b u r d e n e d f i n a n c i a l l y because they have to incur all the cost of their aging parents. 16. Describe an event or celebration that has special meaning to your family. Please describe the event in detail. O n e s u c h e v e n t i s w e d d i n g o f m y e l d e s t b r o t h e r . I t h a s a s p e c i a l meaning in my life because he is the eldest among all siblings and his wedding was first in my family in our generation. All our friends and family got together on that occasion and we really had lots of fun during his wedding. I really cherish his wedding all the time. 17. Should children be allowed to read any kind of books they want or should the parents decide what kind of books to read? What is your opinion? I n m y o p i n i o n , t h e p a r e n t s s h o u l d d e c i d e w h a t k i n d b o o k s t h e i r children will read. Not all the books are suitable for children. Some books are very hard to comprehend. The parents should pick right kind of books for their children. This will make sure that children are reading the right books according to their age and mental status. 18. Imagine you were reading a book to prepare for a test. Would you read this book in a different way than if you were reading this book simply for enjoyment? Please explain Of course, I’ll read in a different way when I am reading a book for a t e s t . W h e n I a m r e a d i n g f o r e n j o y m e n t , I m a y s k i p s o m e o f t h e details. I may not tend to memorize the details. However, when I am reading for a test, I’ll read with full intent and try to remember all the details. I’ll try to memorize as much as I can. 19. W h o i s t h e b e s t t e a c h e r f o r a c h i l d a f a m i l y m e m b e r o r someone outside the family? Please explain your answer. I guess no one can understand your children better than you. So, af a m i l y m e m b e r w i l l b e a b e t t e r t e a c h e r f o r y o u r c h i l d t h a n a n outsider. I think the children will trust a family member more than outsider. This will give the parents a chance to connect better with their children. Additionally, a family member can observe the child all the time. 20. W h e n t a k i n g a t r i p t o a n e w l o c a t i o n , d o y o u l i k e t o h a v e a guide to lead you around or do you prefer to explore on your own? Please explain. I would like to explore the new place on my own. This will make sure t h a t t h e r e i s n o b o d y t o d i s t u r b m e . I c a n t a k e m y o w n t i m e a n d enjoy the place. This will add to my excitement as guided tour tends to be planned and time bound. I can relax, stay, and enjoy the place as much as I can if I don’t have a guide with me.
21. If you had the choice, would you choose to live for 12 months in a very warm location or a very cold location? Why? Explain. I would choose a colder place to stay if given a choice. I think I’ll enjoy a colder place more than a warmer place. I can continue with my routine like exercising even in a colder place. A warmer place t e n d s t o b e m o r e f a t a l f o r u s . I n a c o l d e r p l a c e , y o u c a n s i m p l y choose to be at home and enjoy different things with your family. 22. D o y o u t h i n k t h a t i t i s e a s i e r t h a t t o l e a r n n e w s u b j e c t s b y yourself or is it better to have a teacher help you with a new subject? Please explain. It is much easier to learn a new subject with the help of a teacher. There are many advantages of having a teacher – first, a teachercan act as guide to lead you to success. Second, the teacher can explain the complex subject in a very easy way. A teacher will teach t h e s u b j e c t i n t h e e a s i e s t w a y p o s s i b l e b y g i v i n g s o m e r e a l i s t i c example. 23. When children are arguing or fighting, what is the best way fora p a r e n t t o d e a l w i t h t h i s c o n f l i c t ? D e s c r i b e y o u r w a y o f thinking There are few things that a parent can do in such scenario. Thep a r e n t s h o u l d c a l m d o w n f i r s t a n d s h o u l d p a y m o r e a t t e n t i o n towards his child feelings. Parent should make sure that argumentc o m e s t o a n e n d f i r s t . W h e n t h e s i t u a t i o n b e c o m e s m o r e manageable, parent should try to convince his child. Parent should project himself as a friend of their child. This way, they will connect more with their children. 24. Do you think it is possible that som e children turn out bad no matter what their parents do? Please explain. Well, in some cases this is really true. There are many parents who do all the "right" things. They are present, attentive, caring, ande n c o u r a g i n g . H o w e v e r , t h e i r c h i l d r e n w i l l t u r n o u t b a d . A c h i l d p e r s o n a l i t y d e p e n d s o n ma n y f a c t o r s l i ke h e r e d i t a r y a n d environment a l . S o , o n l y p a r e n t ’ s e f f o r t s a r e n o t e n o u g h t o determine how the children will turn out. 25. Do you think television has had a positive or negative effect onfamily life? Please explain. TV has both negative as well as positive effects on family life. It brings a variety of entertainment to your bedroom. It has proved to be great babysitter, time-filler, and a substitute for friend. On the other hand, TV has long-term negative effect on your health and mental stress level. It may cause an increase in the violence level. 26. Do you like playing more in individual or in team sports? Please explain I like to play team sports. I sha re lots of happiness with my teammates while playing. It teaches me a great deal of team work and coordination. It also teaches me how to make strategy and how to execute them. When we win, we have a bunch of guys to celebrate and when we lose, there are people who can consol each other.
27. Given a choice, would you like to live in a large city or small town, please explain. I would like live in a large city. A big city has many facilities. The public transportation used to be very good in the big city. Secondly, you h a v e a c c e s s o f b e s t s c h o o l s a n d b e s t p a r k s i n t h e c i t y . T h i r d l y , y o u have lots of shopping malls and hang out place where you can spend your leisure time. 28. Like 500 years ago the established truth was the earth is flat now that has been changed. What can you say about this? Well, it is an established fact that the earth is actually round and flat. The flat earth theory is mainly consistent with some phrase in Quran and Bible. However, scientist has numerous prove that earth i s a c t u a l l y r o u n d . D u r i n g a p a r t i a l e c l i p s e , t h e c u r v e o f e a r t h i s clearly visible on the sun. This proves that Earth is round and not flat. 29. What is your greatest achievement? My greatest achievement till date is when I manage to move from a Hindi medium school to an English medium school. Initially, I had a v e r y t o u g h t i m e t o c o m p r e h e n d t h e l e c t u r e i n t h e c l a s s . L a t e r , I improved my vocabulary and started getting those lectures. After few months, it was like a routine for me. 30. D o y o u p r e f e r t o s e e a m o v i e a t a t h e a t r e w i t h a g r o u p o f people or would you later watch a film at home on a television? Give reasons. I would love to watch a movie in a theatre. Nothing can beat t h e e x p e r i e n c e o f l a r g e s c r e e n , g o o d s o u n d s y s t e m , a n d a g r e a t ambience. Watching a movie in theatre is fun-filled experience. You go out, meet your friends, have a nice time, and watch the movie. Overall, it’s a great experience to watch a movie in a theater. 31. Do you prefer to eat meals in your home or outside your home? Please explain. Eating your meal at home is healthier than eating at food stalls or restaurants. The outside food may be too much spicy or too much oily which is not good for health. The home meal is certainly more hygienic than outside food. Meal at home is also less expensive than having a meal at a restaurant. Eating at home can save your life. 32. Do you like to read children books? Explain your answer. Yes I do like reading children books. Reading a children book is af u n . T h e s t o r i e s t e n d t o b e i n s p i r a t i o n a l a n d o n e c a n l e a r n f e w lessons from them. The language is a very easy and you can read at a great pace. Children books are great source of entertainment and they can help you to relax. 33. People have friend for many different reasons. What qualities should a person have for you to choose that person as a friend? A person who likes me and respects me will make a good friend. Besides, I would also want him to be honest. A person whom I can t r u s t i m p l i c i t l y w o u l d m a k e a g o o d friend. I would like to see a person who stands by me in my bad days as my f r i e n d . A g o o d friend always stays connected with you and be ready to help you
