The social strata are changing and the gap between the rich and the poor is becoming wider, the rich are becoming richer and the poor are becoming poorer. What do you think are the causes of this problem and suggest solutions to tackle it.

 Q. The social strata are changing and the gap between the rich and the poor is becoming wider, the rich are becoming richer and the poor are becoming poorer. What do you think are the causes of this problem and suggest solutions to tackle it.

Income in any society should be evenly distributed to maintain equilibrium in social structure. Unfortunately, this is not the case and the gap between the rich and the poorer is widening. Of course, there is no single factor which contributes to such a situation and there are many reasons for it which are discussed in the paragraphs below with possible solutions.

To initiate with, the contributing factors of such gap, the first is taxation policy of the government which helps the high income group to evade tax. For instance, the government has different tax slabs which make them avail tax exemption like, opening an office in a special economy zone to result in good savings and increase in profit. Another reason for this almost unbridgeable gap is that very few people from the wealthy class use their money for the benefit of the society or for helping those who are less privileged than them. Moreover, unethical activities like corruption and crime also help people to amass enormous amount of wealth.

However, this gap can be reduced by making some efforts. First of all, the authorities should make rules that promote equal opportunity for all sections of the society, if people are working to achieve it. Besides this, the wealthy should have a will to share the extra income, rather than spending fortune on useless things like driving luxurious cars, eating in sophisticated restaurants etcetera. They should be encouraged to donate some amount of charity. Further, heavy taxes should be levied on the affluent class and the money gained should be put to use to improve the life of the underprivileged.

In conclusion, it is undeniable that the differences between the rich and the poor are widening so appropriate and timely steps should be taken before something undesirable happens because “prevention is better than cure”.

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

There is an unbridgeable gap between the rich and the poor. // it is the direct outcome of unequal income distribution // factors like unfair taxation, crime, corruption, self centred attitude all contribute to the issue. // steps like equality, willingness to share, change in taxation can help to lessen the gap.

VOCABULARY: Rich: wealthy // lessen: reduce // widening: increasing // enormous: quite big, huge

RELATED QUESTION:

The increasing gap between the rich and the poor is the result of and is resulting into many issues. Discuss the same, mentioning any relevant examples.

Co-education.

 Q. With changing trends in education like all other aspects, co-education is becoming increasingly common. What do you think are the positive and negative aspects of this development?

Change is inevitable. Life goes through a continuous process of change and education is no exception. In ancient times, women were not allowed to receive education and men were sent to schools called Gurukuls. With the passage of time, education became common and males amd females were sent to different institutions. However, nowadays, co-education is gaining popularity, this refers to the boys and girls studying in common schools and classrooms. In the paragraphs further, I will discuss the positive and negative aspects of this trend.

To begin with, co-education is necessary today and there are numerous reasons for the necessity of co-education. Boys and girls think differently, generally boys are logical and girls are emotional, with regular interaction, a better understanding can be formed between them. Also, it generates a healthy competition between them and there will always be appreciation of perspectives, strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, co-education gives confidence to girls as they are treated as equals. This is of great significance in a patriarchal society like ours and it emphasizes the role of education for women. Another great benefit is that friendship, teamwork and mutual respect develops between both the genders as they are involved in multiple activities together and this makes way for open-minded individuals who can easily adapt to the highly globalised society.

However, there are some demerits of co-education. Attraction towards the opposite gender can hamper concentration of students in studies and they may get involved in unethical activities with each other. Besides this, unnecessary arguments may take place due to difference of opinion and it may create an unhealthy atmosphere resulting in negative feelings for each other.

To sum up, I would like to say that like most other things, co-education has both merits and demerits but merits outnumber the demerits and co-education is very beneficial for the betterment of society.

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

Co-education is studying of girls and boys together // In ancient times, only boys were sent to schools // Later, separate schools were there for boys and girls // Nowadays, Co-education prevails // It has several positives and drawbacks // should be promoted keeping in mind its merits.

VOCABULARY:

Co-education: studying of both genders together // patriarchal: male-dominated // benefit: merit, advantages // drawback: demerit, disadvantage

RELATED QUESTION:

What are the benefits and disadvantages of mixed sex education? Do you think this system is suitable for the kind of culture you live in?

Work from home.

Q. Due to advancement in technology, it is possible to work from home. Some people say that this benefits the employees more than the employers. To what extent do you agree or disagree ?

The development in science and technology has made things possible which were once unimaginable. Working from home is called telecommuting or teleworking. People no longer need to go to the traditional workplace to do their work and this, in the opinion of some people, benefits the workers more than the companies they work for. I will discuss my views in the succeeding paragraphs.

To commence with, the privilege of working from home serves several advantages to its employees. The first benefit is that it helps workers to save time and money as they do not need to spend on travelling to work. Another is that working at home provides a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere and people can spend more time with their families without any compromise on their work. People normally spend most of their time in offices. Thus, the household chores and time with children can be managed along with work leading to better family bonding. Furthermore, employees also have the merit that they can decide when to start or stop work or take a break because the efficiency of every individual is different like some people can work efficiently in the morning while others are more efficient when they work in the evening.

Moving further, the stress added to the lives of the individuals due to traffic woes can also be avoided. This keeps the individual stress-free and active for longer periods of time. However, I think the only possible advantage that it offers to the employees is they save space, electricity and infrastructure costs. 

To summarize, I would like to say that working from home is a blessing of technology and it definitely has greater advantages for employees than for employers.

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

Working from home is called telecommuting or teleworking // One of the blessings of advancing technology // Saves commuting expenses, frustration of traffic jams, provides calm atmosphere, flexible working hours to the employees // Less advantageous for the bosses, only saves resources like water, electricity.

VOCABULARY:

Advantage: merit, benefit // telecommuting: teleworking // blessing: boon // greater: more // employers: bosses // employees: workers

RELATED QUESTIONS:

Telecommuting has become the new trend in the working arena. What are the some of the advantages and disadvantages of this? // The possibility of working from home is further making people lazy and dependent. This is another move in the direction of making man a slave of technology. How far do you agree/disagree to this statement?

Studying history is a waste of time.

Q. Some people think that studying history is a waste of time, whereas others think it is essential to learn history. Discuss both sides and your opinion. 

The word History is derived from combining his and story. It is the study of the story of mankind and refers to the study of past events, particularly human affairs. History mostly includes events, places or people and their relation to one another at a given time period. It is one of the many important subjects taught and studied at all levels of education. Some people view the study of history as an important dimension of education, on the contrary, others consider it as an unnecessary subject. I will cast light on both views and also my opinion in the writing that follows. 

In the opinion of some people, history is a waste of time because first and foremost, it is tedious to learn dates, names of people and places which are not even useful in everyday life. Also, if one could learn past mistakes, even then history would not have comprised of repeated mistakes like the world wars. Another concern is that very old curriculum are taught in most schools which which includes contemporary history in very small amounts. This is not relevant to the world in which people live today. Moreover, modern epoch is that of science and technology, so laying emphasis on such subjects is of more use rather than learning something which is done and dusted. 

On the other hand, some think teaching of history is vital for education due to plethora of factors. The major reason is that it helps the generation of today to understand its culture and traditions which are being followed since ancient times. It also creates a sense of belonging to our roots. In addition to this, important events like the Holocaust, teach people about the horrific tragedies which occurred in the past, to remember those who were killed and to ensure that a tragedy of such colossal magnitude does not repeat. Last but not the least, it also shows the patterns of behaviour and lifestyle along with their outcome which help to avoid the negative ones and follow those which are beneficial.

To wrap up, I would say that though a few people underestimate the importance of history but in my opinion, it is one of the most important subjects ever taught at any level or in any form of learning.

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

History is the study of past events // it is a waste of time since it is a repetition of mistakes // it has very little reference to the modern world of science and technology // it is beneficial because it keeps individuals connected to their roots, teaches about culture and traditions // it makes people remember sacrifices, horrific tragedies so as to avoid such occurrences in the future.

VOCABULARY:

Tedious: boring // emphasis: stress // colossal: huge // magnitude: extent // underestimate: underrate

RELATED QUESTIONS:

History has been much a taught and learnt subject since ages. Do you think advantages of studying history outnumber its disadvantages? // According to some people, boring subjects like history have little relevance in today’s world and should therefore be replaced by modern ones which lays more stress on science and technology. Do you agree or disagree ?