IELTS Speaking Guesswork JUN-AUG (2020)

Speaking Guesswork

Jun-Aug 2020

Darshan Singh

Author | Speaker | Trainer

 

TARGET 9

SCF-32, 2^ND Floor, Phase-5, Mohali, Punjab, India, 160059

 

 

IELTS SPEAKING: ULTIMATE GUIDE TO IELTS SUCCESS by Darshan Singh https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086TVZNJD/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_dpB8EbPDHQ23F via @amazon

 

Buy the best book for IELTS speaking today – Only book in the world having 250+ solved Topics along with 800+ solved follow-up Questions

 

IELTS Cue Card Topics for Jun-Aug 2020

A poisonous plant you know

Which is the plant and how do you know about it

What is the shape of that plant?

Have you ever seen that plant?

India is rich in flora and fauna. There are millions of species of plants that a person can spend his/her entire life counting them all. I know about a handful of plants that are harmful or poisonous. The one which I am going to talk about today is Wild Carrot.

It is one of the most poisonous plants that are found in my country. This plant was first found in temperate regions of Europe and Southwest Asia. This plant can also be found in some areas of North America and Australia.

I came to know about this plant when I was in school. I had participated in a botanical exhibition where schools from all over my hometown had come there to participate in that exhibition. Our teacher selected me and one of my friends for my class to participate in the exhibition.

Our teacher told us the details of the plant and the school administration arranged it for us. That plant doesn’t look so big. It is only a foot tall over of the ground. The leaves of the wild carrot are very thin and spiky.

The leaves are of light green colour and has small flowers on it. The colour of the flowers is white and pale yellow. It has a solid but thin stem that supports hairy like leaves at the top. The leaves are very thin and curved at the edges. The leaves are in the shape of a needle. Thick at the bottom and it becomes thin at the top.

This plant blooms in summers and just before the winters start. Its leaves are also allergic and can cause irritation to the skin when held in hand. This plant is very rare, and people can also mistake it for the real carrot that we eat. The plant is similar in size, but the carrot’s texture and colour are different.

I had never seen such a plant in my life before. We handled that plant with care and explained the features to everyone in the exhibition. We used surgical gloves to touch the plant as it might have caused allergy to us.

(Note: You can also search and speak about Tobacco – as the poisonous plant)

A poisonous flower you know

How do you know that flower?

How is that flower poisonous

Is that flower useful

I am not a botanist, but I know one flower that is very poisonous and can be deadly if not handled with care or misused. I am talking about the Opium flower. It is a widely known flower in the world that is used to produce drugs and medicines.

It is also known as Poppy pod or Poppy flower. The flower is of light green colour and is spherical in shape. It mostly grows in cold areas of the world. The main areas where the Opium grows is Afghanistan, Burma, Colombia, Laos, Mexico, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey and China. Its origin is possibly Asia, Spain or some argue that it originated in France.

The usual Opium flower is around 100 grams in weight and of the size of a fist of an adult person. Opium flower grows on a lush green plant. The leaves are broad and curly. The stems shoot up from the middle of the plant that supports the opium flower at the top. The stem is around two centimetres thick. The top of the Opium flowers has rounded spikes that resembles a crown on the head.

The flower contains latex which is a thick white liquid. The flower is cut or slit to get the Latex. The latex is used to produce heroin chemically. It is one of the most expensive flowers in the world. The average cost of an Opium flower per kilo is US$ 20,000 approximately. It is the most smuggled flower in the world. A drug called morphine is extracted from the latex of the Opium and is converted into heroin which is a very strong drug and is banned in many countries.

People in the past have been collecting Opium. Some researchers say that people have been using it as a medicine since 3400 BCE or prehistoric times. In some societies, Opium has also religious significance. Some societies have known to worship Opium.

A poisonous fruit you know

Is that fruit common in your country

Have you seen that fruit?

Can that fruit be used for something

I have seen many fruits on internet that are known to have poisonous properties. There are rare fruits that are poisonous and dangerous for humans to eat. I came to know about one fruit that can be poisonous and fatal for humans if they consume it.

The name of the fruit is Star fruit. The reason it is called a star fruit is that it has 5 or 6 ridges along its sides and when the fruit is cut in cross section, it resembles a star. The colour of this fruit is yellow. This fruit is consumed by many people across Southeast Asia, the south pacific, Micronesia and parts of East Asia.

Some people eat it raw and some cook it to make certain dishes. According to some people the star fruit is tasty and has few health benefits. Star fruit is low in calories, high in fibre, and loaded with vitamin C. it is sweet and sour in taste and the skin of the fruit is also edible.

However, star fruit contains high number of Oxalates that can cause poison in the body. Unfortunately, anyone with weak kidneys can die after eating this fruit. Even a health person can face kidney failure and death in case of excessive consumption of star fruit.

This fruit can also interact with certain kinds of medicines. Despite that some people eat this fruit but it is not recommended by the experts. Apart from eating it for leisure there are no health benefits associated with this flower.

I have never seen this flower in my life as it is not grown in India. But I read about this fruit in a general knowledge book. Even if I get this fruit in my hand, I will never eat it.

Talk about a time when you visited somewhere and lost your important thing there

Where you went

What you lost

How did you lose that thing?

I have lost a couple of things in my life. Today I would like to tell you about a thing that was very dear to me, but I lost it in a wedding and I still regret it. I went to my cousin’s wedding in Delhi last year and lost one of my most precious possessions.

I lost my smart watch and I was so upset when I was not able to find that. I will tell you the whole story that why and when I might have lost that watch. That watch was given to me by my sister on my birthday. I was so attached to that watch that I would never give it to anyone.

That day I was wearing that watch on my left wrist. I wear that watch even when I sleep because it tracks my sleep as well as activities for the whole day. It also shows me that how many calories I have burnt and how many steps I have taken in a day.

That watch also shows me notifications for calls and the messages. I remember when I reached at the wedding I was sitting at a corner with my relatives. We were having some snacks and light conversation. At that time, I remember that I was still wearing the watch.

After some time, we all decided to go on the dance floor and show some moves. We started dancing and I felt a bit irritated by the watch. The watch was clinging on my jacket. So, to get rid of that I opened the watch and kept it in my jacket.

I thought of wearing the watch after the wedding. To my surprise when I came back from the wedding, I couldn’t find my watch. I was so worried and started searching it in my jacket and other pockets. I felt so sad when I was not able to find my watch. I called my cousins to ask them whether they have seen my watch or not. But I couldn’t find it after that.

I was so angry with me and blamed myself for my loss. I wouldn’t have lost it if I was still wearing it. It was an expensive watch and I had never lost something that costly before that. I felt so embarrassed that day, but my family consoled me after that incident.

Describe a person who apologized to you

How is the person related to you?

Why did he/she apologize

Did you forgive or not?

There have been few instances in my life when people have apologized to me for certain things. On some occasions people were faulty but on the other occasions their actions were unintentional. Today I would like to tell you one incident in my life when a person sought an apology from me.

The name of that person is Rajiv and he is one of my old friends. This happened when I was in my 10^th standard. Me and Rajiv went along well. We used to sit together in class and shared a lot of things and secrets with each other.

One day we both were playing a game in which we had to tell about one of our secrets. We promised each other not to reveal those secrets to other friends. While playing the game I was asked to tell one of my secrets. I told him about one of my pet names kept by my friends in my colony. The name was very funny, but I knew that Rajiv won’t tell it to anyone in school as we had promised each other.

But what came to my surprise that everyone in the school was teasing me with that pet name that I had told Rajiv. I was very upset and angry with him. He kept on telling me that he hasn’t done it, but I knew that this secret can only be leaked by Rajiv as no other student knew about it.

I changed my bench with another student and stopped talking to Rajiv for what he did with me. I could see from his face that he was apologetic and feeling guilty. Afterall we were good friends before that incident.

One day he came to me quietly and said sorry for what he did. He admitted that he was the one who told my pet name to one of his friends, who leaked it like a wildfire. I accepted his apology and told him to not repeat such behavior with anyone. I told him that if you keep a promise then fulfil it no matter what the situation is.

After that we became friends again but from that day onwards, I never shared any secrets of mine with him.

Talk about a time when you unexpectedly met someone

Who do you meet?

 

Why was it unexpected

 

What did you do?

 

There have been a lot of instances in my life when I met people unexpectedly. Once I was totally surprised by meeting one of my childhood friends after 10 years.

 

I was astonished because I was meeting my classmate after so many years and I could hardly recognise him from his appearance. This happened when I was travelling in a train to New Delhi. I boarded an express train which takes three hours to Delhi from Chandigarh.

 

I was sitting on the window side and on the next stop, one person came and quietly sat on my adjacent seat. He introduced himself as Harman. After every two minutes he was looking at me and I was doing the same. The reason I was looking at him again and again was that I thought that he and his name resembles my childhood friend from school.

 

After a while I asked him about his primary schooling. I was surprised to hear that he was the same person whom I was thinking about. I told him my name and after a few seconds he recognised me as well. We shook our hands tightly and laughed for a while.

 

I never expected to meet him in a train in India. The reason is that he studied with me till the class 4. After that he moved to United States of America with his family. I was stunned to meet him after so many years in a train journey.

 

I asked him about his life and shared a lot of things with him. He told me that he had come to India after 5 years and was now going back to USA. He had to catch a flight from New Delhi Airport. I really enjoyed my time with him in the train.

 

We chatted on length about our childhood and school. We talked a lot about or colleagues and teachers. Soon the journey was about to get over. So, he asked me to give him my contact details. We exchanged our numbers and addresses. I also connected with him on social networking sites.

 

In the end we said goodbye to each other at the New Delhi railway station. Even now I am in touch with him on the internet.

 

Talk about a performance you gave at school or college

 

Did you often participate at school?

 

What was the performance about?

 

Did it go well

 

I was not someone who gave a lot of performances in my school time. However, I gave a few that I am going to share with you today. Once I participated in a skit that was performed on the annual day function of our school.

 

Me and four of my other friends from my class were the part of that act. The performance included different characters of animals and sea creatures that would demonstrate the effect of plastic waste on animals.

 

Many people are not aware about the fact that thousands of animal species die due to pollution from plastic in the ocean and on land. So, our teachers decided to do this skit with five of us. First, they took a screening test and then finalized five students from our class.

 

The function was held in our school’s auditorium. It was a big hall with a seating capacity of over 500 people. I was feeling nervous at the start but slowly gained confidence as the skit went on. Everyone had to perform for about a minute and lecture about the cause.

 

We all had to dress up like different animals and mammals. One of our friends became a Penguin and told the audience about the deadly effects of plastic straws on Penguins. He told that the Penguins eats straws thinking that it is food and chokes themselves to death in the ocean.

 

I was dressed as cow and told the spectators that throwing away plastic or polyethene bags are deadly for the cows. There are thousands of stray cows in India. They graze plastic with their feed that is stuck in their internal organs or the throat. This cause severe problems and most of the cows die because of that.

 

One by one we came at the centre of the stage and gave our one-minute speech. The audience were looking very interested in the information and applauded loudly after our performance was over. The act went very well. We all were very happy. We also got recognition from the principal for bringing up such an awareness.

 

Describe an important journey that was delayed

 

Why that journey was important

 

Where were you going

 

Why the delay happened

 

In the given topic I am reminded of a situation that occurred in my life and I learned a great deal of things from that incident. I am talking about a journey that I had to make early in the morning and reach Jaipur for an important scholarship exam.

 

This exam was held by the Rajasthan government and students who would score good in the exams would be handed over scholarships to study in top Rajasthan universities for free of cost. I came to know about the exam on the internet.

 

I filled the form and took my father’s consent to go there. I started preparing for the exam as it was still a month away. I was getting ready for my exam and packing for the trip a couple of days in advance. Jaipur is located 500 kilometres away from Chandigarh.

 

I booked a flight ticket that takes one and a half hours to reach Jaipur. I was very excited for the journey, but one silly error would have cost me a lot. My exam was on Sunday at 10 AM and I booked the flight for Saturday. I was scheduled to reach on Saturday. For that I had also booked a hotel.

 

The time of my flight was 7 in the morning, but I had mistaken it for 7 in the evening. When we reached the airport, I came to know that the flight had already left in the morning. I was dejected as I had prepared for the exam so hard and I was ready to give it. I started weeping but my father quickly sorted the issue by giving me an idea.

 

He booked a taxi on the phone and decided to go with me to Jaipur. It took us 10 hours to reach Jaipur and another hour to find the exam centre. I reached at the venue just in time and gave the exam. My exam didn’t go well as I was so tired after the journey. But my father supported me and told me to learn a lesson from this mistake.

 

From that day I learned to check the departure and arrival times of the railway journeys and flights. I couldn’t clear the exam but learnt a great lesson that day.

 

Describe your dream workplace

 

Why is it your ideal workplace

 

Do you wish to work there one day?

 

Are most people able to work in their dream workplace?

 

My ideal working place would be a Travel Vlogger. The reason behind this is that I love to travel, and I like to see new places. I get very happy when I see new people and interact with them. My ideal working place would be all over the world.

 

I wish to work as a travel vlogger every day of my life. I know that it is not an easy job. One needs to be highly motivated if he/she wishes to work in such an industry. A Travel vlogger needs to be travel fit and should be open to any kind of challenge that a person can face while travelling.

 

There are many famous Travel Vloggers in the world like Drew Binsky and Renata Perrera. I am a huge fan of these vloggers and I never miss a chance to see their videos. They make superb quality travel videos and engage their viewers in a very interesting manner.

 

I wish to work as a Travel Vlogger for my YouTube channel. I would like to travel the world and visit the most exotic and charming places. I will tell people about that country, culture and region I visit. In my travel vlogs I will give information on how to travel new places and what are the things to keep in mind while travelling. What are the places to eat and where to do shopping?

 

In my travelling vlog, I plan to visit every country in the world. It will take a lot of money and efforts, but I am making plans for that. After doing a job or business for a period of 5 years, I will work as a full-time Travel Vlogger. I will also look for sponsors for my channel.

 

In my opinion most people are not able to work in their dream places. I think the main reason behind that is money. People these days run after money rather than passion. I am lucky enough to have parents who support me in any decision I make.

 

Describe a company which employs many people in your hometown

 

What that company is about

 

Have you ever visited that company?

 

Tell about that company in detail

 

There are two or three huge companies that employ a lot of people in my hometown. There are companies like Mahindra & Mahindra and Infosys. But I would like to speak about Reliance Industries. Reliance is one of the companies that employs most people across our country.

 

There are many subsidiaries of Reliance Industries. The company is one of the largest brands in India. The name of the owner of Reliance Industries is Mr. Mukesh Ambani. They provide hundreds of services to people in our country.

 

One of the newly launched service is JIO. This provides fast speed internet and satellite channels at a low cost. They have employed thousands of people in this field over the past few years. I have met a lot of people who are working with Reliance Industries in my hometown.

 

Apart from this, Reliance has thousands of clothing and groceries stores all over the country and my hometown. You can find their store in literally every city of India. Not only this, Reliance employs thousands of people in petroleum and yarn industries.

 

There are Reliance digital stores in my hometown that deal in electronic gadgets. There is a huge Reliance Mart near my house that sells groceries on a wholesale rate. There are many stores and offices of Reliance industries in my hometown.

 

I have been to most of their stores in my hometown. They have one store that opened recently by the name of Trends. It sells latest clothes and garments.  I went there last week and bought a pair of jeans. Moreover, Reliance has myriad of retail stores of groceries around the town.

 

They have certainly employed millions of people across India and thousands in my hometown alone.

 

Describe a bicycle tour you took

 

Do you often ride bicycle?

 

What was the tour about?

 

Who were the other participants?

 

I don’t ride the bicycle often, but I have one bicycle at my home. I go on a ride a couple of times in a month. I like riding the bike when I am free but I hardy get a chance due to my busy schedule. Recently I saw one guy who rides bicycle every day in my colony.

 

I connected with him and he told me about his group. He has formed a group of around 20 people who get up early in the morning every day and go for cycling. They go on different routes and cycle for around an hour. The name of his group is cycler’s corner.

 

I was impressed with his idea and asked if I could join the group and cycle with them. He instantly agreed and added me to his what’s app group. He introduced me to his other friends and told me about the timings and place of gathering a day before the tour. I had previously told him that I won’t be a regular member but would love to go on the bicycle tours when I get time.

 

Next morning, I was ready to go on the tour at 5 AM. We all gathered at a nearby landmark and began our journey. Our leader led us to a garden nearby where we breath in fresh air. After that we went to the Sukhna Lake which is in the east side of my hometown.

 

After cycling for about half an hour, we all took water break and continued with our journey. We took the best roads in the town that are integrated with a cycling track. After a few minutes we reached near our assembly point and parked our bikes there.

 

One of the group members then took out his phone and start clicking selfies and photos of all the riders. We talked to each other for about 5 minutes and everyone started going back to their destinations.

 

I thanked the leader and told him to keep me informed for the weekend rides. I thoroughly enjoyed that day and will never forget it for a long time.

 

 

Describe a popular teacher you know

 

Who’s that teacher

 

Why that teacher is popular

 

Have you met him/her?

 

I know quite a few teachers from my senior secondary, but I clearly remember one of the most popular teachers in my hometown. Her name is Ms. Shanti.

 

The reason I know her is that she is probably the most renowned teacher in my hometown. She has taught thousands of students in the field of Mathematics. She runs a coaching centre in a prominent area in Chandigarh. She teaches about 4 or 5 batches in a day.

Her teaching methods are well known to many all over the town. Previously she was a schoolteacher in one of the biggest schools in Chandigarh. Some years ago, she left her job and started teaching at her house. Soon she became so popular that she had to setup a huge academy to cater a greater number of students.

There are many reasons that why Ms Shanti is popular. The first one is that she is very polite. You don’t see many mathematics teachers who are so polite in their interaction. Moreover, she is very hardworking as she teaches hundreds of students every day. Also, she has won many prizes in the field of mathematics over the past few years.

 

She is also famous because she has made so many students believe in themselves. She has helped thousands of students clear the complex exams of mathematics. When I was in my 10^th class, I was struggling with my maths.

 

I came to know about Ms Shanti from one of my uncles. I joined her coaching class and met her for the first time. I was feeling more interested and confident in the subject as her teaching methods are fantastic. I scored more than my expectations.

 

Not only me but she’s been helping weak students get stronger every day. She is like a motivation for me and for many others.

 

Describe a night when you could not sleep at all

 

Why you couldn’t sleep that night

 

Do you often feel insomnia?

 

Did you wake up well the next morning?

 

There have been few nights in my life when I was not at all able to sleep. The one that I remember the most is when I visited a foreign country for the first time.

 

This happened a couple of years ago. My father gave us a surprise holiday package. Me, my father, my mother and my younger brother were set to visit Dubai for the first time. This was the first foreign trip for all of us.

 

I remember that I started preparing for that trip a month before we had to board the flight. I was feeling very excited for the trip. A couple of days before the trip I finished my packing and was now eagerly waiting for the trip to get started.

 

I remember that one night before the trip I couldn’t stop thinking about Dubai. I couldn’t sleep even for a minute. I was so curious for the tour that I had already taken out my clothes and shoes that were to be worn the next day.

 

I tried hard but there was no chance of me getting to sleep. However, I was also aware that if I couldn’t sleep well tonight then I will find it difficult on the next day. So, I decided to try a method to get myself some sleep.

 

I tried reading some old books and listening to some old songs but that didn’t help. I also called my father to help me in sleeping. He told me to do light exercise in order to get some sleep. I did some exercise for 15 minutes but that didn’t work.

 

I was so frustrated with this that I decided to stay awake. Decision of staying awake was not a good one. The next day when all were fresh and ready to go, I was feeling sleepy and tired. But I had to manage as I couldn’t have afforded to miss the trip.

 

Describe a person who likes to travel by plane

 

Why that person travels in plane

 

Does he/she travel frequently in plane

 

Do you like to travel by planes as well?

 

I know a few people who like to travel by plane. Today I would like to speak about my cousin who loves to travel by plane. His name is Ashish and he lives in New Delhi. He is working in a Multi-national organisation there.

His favourite hobby is to book a plane ticket and travel the world. He often takes breaks to go around the world. He has visited more than 30 countries over the past few years. He is a frequent traveller by plane. He journeys more than five times through plane in one year.

He says that he feels rejuvenated when he travels through plane. He has collected all the plane tickets of his past journeys as a memoire. He is so obsessed with travelling by plane that he books plane tickets to even places where it is easy to reach by train or bus.

Recently he flew to Jaipur from Delhi for leisure. He wanted to just experience a short flight. The distance from Delhi to Jaipur is only 250 kilometres that can be covered in merely four hours by car or bus. But he chose to travel by plane just to experience a short journey.

Recently he completed his 100^th journey by plane. He tells about that to everyone with a sense of pride and achievement. I have never seen a person like him in my life who loves to travel by plane so much.

His love for planes is amazing. He has even bought a huge replica of Boeing 787 and kept it in his lobby of the house. I am not as crazy as him when it comes to travelling by plane. I don’t relish the plane travel much as I feel it’s quite tiring and congested.

Describe an advice you received on your subjects or work OR Describe some good advice about choosing a job or subject

What advice did you receive?

 

Was the advice helpful

 

Do you often take advice on your subjects or work?

 

I have had wonderful people in my life who have supported me in all aspects and have given me words of wisdom in every situation. I have received many useful and some great advices from people around me.

 

One advice that I remember I took from my elder sister proved to be vital in my life and career. I remember when I was studying in 10^th class I never thought of choosing my subjects in senior secondary. But my sister always encouraged me to choose the subjects while studying in 10^th class so that I could plan my future well in advance.

 

When I stepped into 10^th class I was confused about choosing subjects for my further studies. I understood my sister’s thoughts about choosing the subjects in advance. This allows a student to manage his/her future properly and in a better way.

 

I was confused between choosing medical or non-medical. I thought that I was good at medical subjects but that was not the case. To be successful in medical field one needs to be good at memorizing thousands of terms and medical substances. I thought that medical field was restricted to only biology. Moreover, I wasn’t the kind of the person who could sit for very long hours and study same subject repeatedly.

 

So, my sister came to my rescue. She explained me about the current scenario of subjects and bright future in the field of non-medical. This subject is not restricted to only one type of job like the medical field is and gives you more choices after the 12^th class.

 

After discussions with my sister I chose the non-medical field and felt quite confident about it. After that I never looked back and worked hard on that subject.

 

An activity that you found boring

 

Which activity is that?

 

Why did you find that activity boring?

 

Do you often get bored from doing similar activities every day?

 

There are not many activities that I don’t relish. I don’t easily get bored from any activity. However, there is one thing that I found very boring. That activity was compulsory drawing class. I never found drawing to be interesting and attractive.

 

Whenever there was drawing class in the school, I felt very boring. I was never interested in this subject. There were many things about drawing that I didn’t like. The first one is that I am not that patient, and I can’t fill colours in designated areas. It takes a lot of toll on me. I feel that drawing required a lot of patience and precision.

 

I am not the kind of person who possesses a lot of concentration and patience. I was always angry when I had to draw a certain sketch or fill colours in an image. I was never a big fan of drawing from my childhood itself.

 

I always felt that it was just a waste of time and energy. I never felt happy in my drawing class. I always found ways to avoid the class but couldn’t do it as it was a compulsory subject. I remember once I was sitting in the drawing class and was feeling very sleepy. My teacher came up to me and asked me if I had any problem. I couldn’t say anything but told her that I was not well.

 

There were not many activities that I found boring in my earlier life. But drawing is such an activity that I found the most boring.

 

Describe an experience when you were with people and got bored

 

Where were you and why did you get bored

 

Did other people get bored as well

 

Did you do anything to get out of that boredom

 

I remember one instance in life when I was surrounded by a lot of people and got really bored. This happened a couple of years back when I was going to Mumbai to my Aunt’s house for a holiday.

 

I boarded my flight from New Delhi and reached the airport 2 hours before the departure. I checked-in my baggage and went to the boarding gate to wait for the flight’s departure. I was waiting there and was well on time. I saw a lot of people coming there one by one.

 

There was still 30 minutes to departure but there was no sign of flight gate opening. I asked a person on the inquiry counter about the flight departure, but he didn’t give me any information regarding it. He told me to wait for 10 minutes.

 

After some time, an announcement was made that the flight was delayed by 3 to 4 hours due to a technical slag. I was very disappointed for the delay as I was so excited for the trip. I went to the inquiry desk again and asked about the issue. They assured that the flight won’t be cancelled but the delay will surely happen.

 

That wait proved to be very boring for me. There was no entertainment source at the gate. There was no TV and the WIFI at the airport was also not working. I felt so frustrating and jaded at that time.

 

I didn’t have a book or a movie in my mobile as to kill the time. I was looking at the faces of the people around me and I could sense that everyone was feeling frustrated and bored.

 

There were about 300 people who were waiting for the flight to depart. I couldn’t connect with anyone as they were all strangers for me. I was feeling so alone and bored at the time that I have never been in my life.

 

I tried many things to get out of boredom, but I can easily say that it was one of the most boring moments in my life.

 

Describe a time when you first met someone OR A famous personality you have met.

 

Who was the person?

 

What did you do in that meeting?

 

How do you react when you meet a person for the first time?

 

I have met many people for the first time in my life, but I can hardly remember about most of the people. However, there are some people who leave a strong impression on you. I would like to tell you about a person whom I met, and he had a great influence on me.

 

I am talking about Mr Sachin Tendulkar who is a great personality in our country and around the world. He was the best Cricket player of his time. He had broken numerous records while playing the game for India.

 

I was very fortunate to meet him accidently in Mussoorie. Mussoorie is a quiet hill station situated in the northern part of our country in Uttaranchal Pradesh. I went there with my family and was staying there for a week.

 

On the second day of our trip we were roaming in the market early in the morning. There was no rush as it was an early morning of a winter day and there was a lot of snow everywhere. Suddenly I saw someone coming from the front side. That man was wearing a blue woollen cap and as he came closer, I recognised him and loudly took his name.

 

At first, he ignored it, but I chased him and told him that I had recognised him. He was kind to me and stopped and acknowledged my greetings. I told him that I was one of his biggest fans and always dreamt of meeting him one day.

 

I shook his hand tightly and hugged him lightly. I asked for a selfie and he smiled to my request. I requested him to stay with me for a minute as my parents were also coming from behind. The next moment my parents were there, and they were very shocked to see Sachin Tendulkar.

 

They couldn’t control their emotions and we again clicked a few pictures with him. After that we bade goodbye and I can never forget his smile and his humbleness while meeting his fans.

 

That day he inspired me that despite of all the success and despite of having everything in life, he was so humble and down to earth.

 

Describe a time you were sleepy but had to stay awake

 

Why were you feeling sleepy?

 

Why you had to stay awake

 

How did you manage to stay awake?

 

There have been times in my life when I had to stay awake till early in the morning or till late night. But those occasions were optional. I was with my friends and enjoying or I was in a party and came late. But I remember one situation when I felt the need to sleep but had to wake up the whole night.

 

This happened last year in summer days. There was a power cut in our area in the morning. The electricity didn’t show up till afternoon and we waited till evening for that. The electricity was not yet available. The invertor batteries went down and we all were feeling very hot as the temperatures can go up to 45 degrees in peak summers.

 

At night there was no electricity. Forget air conditioners, fans and lights were also not working due to the drainage of batteries. I was feeling so helpless and frustrated. I called on the electricity department phone and they replied that there was a major fault in the electricity grid of our colony, and it would take another 10 or 12 hours to get the things repaired.

 

As the night fell, I was feeling so sleepy as my day was very hectic. I tried sleeping but couldn’t as I was choking with heat and drenched in sweat. I decided to sit outdoors and sleep on the chair. But after some time that didn’t work as well.

 

I was feeling so sleepy, but I couldn’t sleep as the heat was too much for me. I started getting scratches on my neck and back due to excessive sweating. Finally, I decided to go for a car drive with my brother.

 

We sat in the car and went on a long drive with its Air conditioner on full. We drove for three hours and came back early in the morning. To our surprise the electricity was still not on. Eventually I decided to get some rest, but I was still not able to sleep.

 

Luckily at 6 in the morning, the electricity was supplied, and everyone clapped with joy. But it was already time to get ready and go to work. So that was the day when I felt sleepy but couldn’t sleep.

 

Talk about a handmade product made only in your country

 

What is that product

 

Why that product is only made in your country

 

Have you ever used that product?

 

There are some renowned products like Pashmina Shawls that are handmade in Kashmir. Or Ayurvedic medicines that are made by hands in some parts of India. But today I would like to speak about Jute Bags.

 

These are traditional handmade bags that are also known as Gunny sacks or tow sacks in some areas of our country. These bags are made from Indian jute and are very inexpensive and durable to use. These bags are also exported to many parts of the world as well.

 

These bags are biodegradable and good for the environment as they are not made from polypropylene. Instead they are made from the natural fibres of jute. These types of bags were invented in ancient India and are only made with Indian jute.

 

There are still traditional workers that weave the jute fibres and make ropes and sacks out of it. The sack made from jute is very strong and can bear a great amount of pressure and weight. These bags or sacks are tan or light brown in colour due to the colour of the jute.

 

These bags come in different shapes and sizes. The most common is the one that has two carry handles and can support a weight of up to 10 kilos. People mostly use these kinds of bag to put daily items or for groceries.

 

The other famous shape is the rectangle one that can support more than 50 kilos in it. This type of bag or sack is generally used to store rice and wheat in it. These sacks can be seen in the supermarkets where bulk material is packed.

 

These bags are very useful, and the biggest advantage is that these bags can be recycled. Even if the bag is not recycled, it is not dangerous for the environment. Moreover, it is very cheap to produce and buy.

 

Traditional weavers make the bags in villages and small industries in some towns. Traders buy directly from them in bulk and sell the bags in the market.

 

Talk about a person in news whom you would like to meet

 

Who’s that person

 

Why do you want to meet him/her?

 

What will you do when you will meet that person?

 

There are many famous personalities these days in news who are worth meeting. However, if I intend to choose one person then it would be prime minister Narendra Modi.

 

He is the current prime minister of our country and is one of the boldest and dynamic leaders of our times. He is always in news as he is the prime servant of our country. He is known for his extra ordinary speeches and work since he took the office in 2014 as the Prime Minister.

 

I have read about him and his early day struggles. If I am given a chance to meet one person in news, then it would be Narendra Modi. He has inspired millions of people in our country and around the world as well. I want to personally meet him and learn a great deal of things from him.

 

I will ask him a lot of questions when I will meet him. I will learn myriad of things from him. He’s an experienced leader and can teach me a lot of things that are required to lead a great life. He is a fantastic leader and after meeting him I can seek some advice on leadership.

 

Mr Narendra Modi rose from a very humble beginning and reached the pinnacle of the politics. He used to sell tea at a tea stall with his father and later with his brother at railway station. Despite being short of resources he fought his way up the ladders of politics.

 

I want to learn everything from him about life and how to acquire certain traits that he has. He is such person who is almost every day in news due to important decisions that he makes for our country.

 

So, if I am given a chance to meet someone who’s in the news then it would be our prime minister Mr. Narendra Modi.

 

Talk about a meeting you attended at your school or workplace

 

What was that meeting about?

 

What was your contribution in the meeting?

 

Do you like attending meetings

 

I have not attended many meetings during my school time. But there was one instance when I was involved in a meeting. At that time, I was the monitor of the class and the monitors across different sections were invited in that meeting.

 

The meeting was about preparing for the sports event. All the monitors from 10^th class were selected as the event managers. We were five monitors in total and were given certain responsibilities. We were supported by our respective class teachers and we were also allocated some capital for the same.

 

The meeting was called upon by the principal of our school. Our principal Ms. Shalini is an inspiration for many. She is very dynamic and full of life. She placed trust in us and gave us all the responsibility to manage and organise the annual sports day.

 

I was given the responsibility of arranging the trophies and medals for the participants and the winners. In total there were twenty events. The total number of participants were 300. In meeting, the principal gave us different responsibilities and asked us about any suggestions that we can give.

 

I was told about the participants and the events. I had to buy medals and trophies for all. I gave suggestion to the principal about the trophies. I told her to buy only medals instead of trophies as the medals would cost less. She was impressed with my idea and gave me a go ahead.

 

Yes, I like attending meetings because it gives a person many ideas for a certain thing or event. People in meetings share ideas with one another and I feel that participating in meetings enhances the maturity level of a person.

 

A time when you had to hide truth from your friend

 

Why you had to hide the truth

 

What was the truth

 

Did your friend find out the truth?

I am not the kind of a person who hides truth from others. But there can be situations when hiding truth is the best thing. There are some situations when you tell lie but it’s for the good for everyone.

 

I remember one situation when I had to hide truth from my best friend. This happened a few weeks back. I was at my friend’s house and he was on his way from his tuition. My friends name is Amit. I was waiting for him in his room. Suddenly I heard a loud sound from the adjacent room.

 

I rushed towards that room and saw that my friend’s father had slipped and was lying on the floor. My friends’ brother and mother rushed towards the scene and we all picked up his father. He was in a lot of pain. He said that his lower back is extremely sore and was not able to walk properly.

 

They decided to take him to the hospital. My friends mother told me that I shouldn’t tell my friend about this incident as he was having an exam the next day. So, I stayed at Amit’s home and waited for him to come.

 

When he arrived, he asked me about his parents and brother as he couldn’t find anybody in the house except me. I tried my best to hide the truth and told him a made-up story. I told him that his parents and brother had gone to his relatives to meet them.

 

I felt guilty of not telling him the truth. I was feeling very bothered about his father as well. But I felt that it was better to hide the truth than to tell him everything in that situation.

 

Talk about a time when you used a foreign language to communicate

Why you had to use a foreign language to communicate

Did you communicate well

Do you often use foreign language to communicate?

I generally speak decent English but when one communicate with a native speaker then it can be a bit of a challenge. I want to tell you about an instance when I had to communicate with a foreigner in English for some time.

Yes, I often use English in school and in daily life while studying. Although I have studied all my life in English medium schools but when it comes to communicating with a foreigner in a foreign language, it can get a bit difficult as their accents can be a lot different from us.

One day some months ago I was roaming in the most famous commercial area of my hometown with my friend. I saw some foreigners confused and finding a certain location. They hesitantly approached me and asked me about one of the café’s in that area.

They were looking for the Indian coffee house. It is one of the oldest and famous cafes’ in our city. They asked me about the directions for the café. They also inquired about the local transportation in the city. I was happy and eager to help them.

I gave them much needed information regarding the local transport system and how to bargain for the fares. I was roaming there in my free time, so I told them to follow me to the café. After ten minutes we reached at the café. They were very happy with my help.

They were four of them and invited me and my friend to join them. We agreed and I ordered some of the local delicacies. They enjoyed the food and I did all the conversation with them in English. They came from England for a holiday. We had a great time together and conversed with them well.

This was the first situation in my life when I had to talk with someone entirely in a foreign language.

 

Describe a wrong decision you once made

What was the decision?

Why that decision went wrong

Did you correct it after that?

There have been many decisions in my life that didn’t go well. However, there have been some choices that proved fruitful. One decision that I regret very much is deciding the dates of my holidays.

I was in my 11^th class and me and my family decided to go on holidays in winter breaks. We planned to go to Dubai and thought of celebrating Christmas and New Year there. At first, I thought it was a great decision by me, but we were not aware about the consequences of it.

Our flight was scheduled on 23^rd of December in the evening. After reaching at the hotel it took us so long to check in to the hotel room. The reason was that it is the peak season and millions of travelers had flocked to Dubai for Christmas and New Year.

Next day we were greeted in the morning by the tour company and the guide took us to the main malls and attractions on that day. Wherever we went, it took us long time to buy tickets and we had to wait in long lines to see the attractions.

We faced huge rush in every mall. People were all over the place. I felt that my decision to visit Dubai in the month of December was not good. For the simple reason that I don’t like huge crowd. I like quiet places and places that have less people.

Due to the over tourism in that period everything was expensive. It was hard to find a taxi. Even if we found one, it was expensive than normal days. All the prices of souvenirs went up due to the high season.

I will always remember from the next time that I will never plan a holiday in December. Although we enjoyed our trip, but it could have been better if we would have planned it some other time of the year rather than December. So, I feel that this was the decision that went wrong for me.

Describe a method that helps you to save money

What is that method

Does that method work every time

How much savings do you do every month and how do you spend it?

I am the kind of a person who likes to save money. I use different methods in my life that can be helpful for me to save money. I don’t eat outside food and I also don’t buy expensive clothes. I save that money and keep it for my future.

The method that I use to save money is cycling. This activity saves me a lot of money. I commute by cycle to my school and work. Cycling saves me from burning a hole in my pocket as there is not a great transportation system in my hometown.

People rely mostly on their private vehicles to travel from one place to the other. So, the private scooters and autos for mass transportation are expensive in my hometown. To save money, I use cycle and I prefer to walk for short distances.

Cycling not only saves me a lot of money but it is also time saving. I can beat the traffic at peak hours. This way of transport is also environment friendly. Moreover, it keeps me healthy. I prefer using cycle for going anywhere in my hometown.

It is safe to ride a bicycle in my hometown as there are dedicated cycle tracks all over the city where I live. I maintain my cycle myself. I have a small kit that includes all kinds of stuff needed to maintain the bicycle.

Till date I have saved a lot of money by riding this bicycle and I hope to do the same in the future as well. So, this is the best method that helps me save money.

Describe something that helps you in concentration yoga/meditation

What is that thing

How does it help you to make concentration?

What breaks your concentration

I know a few methods that helps me improving my concentration. One sure shot method is doing Yoga or meditation early in the morning. This is the best activity that helps me building concentration from a lot of years.  

Not only this, yoga and meditation also help me in maintaining good health and temperament. I usually do yoga in the early hours of the day. I have learnt certain postures of Yoga from my mother as well from television.

I see videos of Yoga from specialists and have tried to learn the positions and exercises to improve concentration. Distorted concentration is the most common problem that people face today especially the youngsters.

Even I was facing this issue in the past. But since I started the Yoga, I started improving my concentration. I do Yoga and meditation early in the morning. I usually get up at 5 and then I do certain postures and take deep breaths. There is one exercise that I do the most. In that exercise I sit on the floor with my legs folded. Then I keep my index finger on my forehead and rest of the fingers over my closed eyes. I use my thumb to close the ears.

Then I need to inhale and exhale for at least four to five minutes continuously without interruption. This exercise really helps me in improving my concentration and it also reduces my stress levels.

There are certain things that breaks my concentration. While studying I need pin drop silence. Previously I was disturbed by even the slightest of disturbances. But now I have changed. Due to the Yoga and meditation I can bear disturbances without breaking my concentration.

I recommend everyone to do Yoga and meditation to get rid of concentration problems.

What makes you angry

Do you often get angry?

What are the things that makes you angry?

How do you get rid of your anger?

No, I often don’t get angry. But there are few things that disturbs me and can also make me angry. I don’t like people telling lie and I get angry of someone who is behaving in an amateur way other than kids.

The one thing that makes me angry is the wastage of valuable resources. I can’t simply see the natural resources getting wasted. When I see someone misusing water, electricity and wood, I get very angry.

I can never see the wastage of water. I see many people washing their cars with flowing water. That makes me very angry. I have had many altercations with people who do such activities. There was one guy in our colony who used to wash his car daily and wasted hundreds of liters of water on one wash.

I explained him the importance of water, but he refused to listen. I always keep all the fans and lights switch off if not required. I get angry when any of my family members keeps the lights on when not in room.

This kind of attitude irritates me to a great extent. Sometimes I explain myself that it is not a thing to be angry. But I can’t resist myself from getting angry if anyone is wasting natural resources.

I feel that these resources are very expensive to produce and if these resources are exhausted, we will not be able to get them again. Resources such as water and fuel are limited hence, we should be responsible in using them and them for the future generations.

Talk about a high paying job in your country

What are the high paying jobs in your country?

Why do you think that this job is highly paid?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this job?

There are many jobs in my country that are well paid. Top engineers, scientists and sports people earn a great deal of money from their profession. In my opinion, doctors and surgeons get the most handsome salary in my country.

There are other fields such as IT that are also very well paid. However, most of the doctors and surgeons earn way better than most of the other professions in my country. Doctors can open clinics anywhere in our country with easy permissions from the government.

They can also earn good salary by working in hospitals. Although to become a doctor is not an easy thing but they can earn good amount of money. Doctors earn a great respect in our society. They are given the designation of God in our country. I think this is the reason they are paid well.

A famous doctor or a surgeon earns much more money than a scientist or a businessman. No doubt that the job of doctors is not that easy. It is one of the most stressful and hardworking jobs. This job should always be highly paid, and I think that doctors should be compensated for these efforts and struggles they make during their life.

There are many advantages of being a doctor. Doctors know the anatomy of the body well and can give advice to the sick people and benefit them. It is a very satisfying job. It has another big advantage that people give a lot of respect to the doctors.

On the other hand, being a doctor is very tiring and responsible. Doctor always have a huge responsibility on them. They medicate their patients and take care of their surgeries. They have very little family time and time for themselves. They have high risk of getting infected as they are always exposed to sick people. Being a doctor is a very thankless job as well.

In the end, I would like to sum up by saying that being a doctor in my country is highly respected and a good earning profession.

Talk about a person with whom you like to spend your leisure time

Who’s that person

Why do you like to spend time with him/her?

Do you often spend time with him/her?

There are many people in my life with whom I can spend my leisure time. I can spend my leisure time with any of my family members or my good friends. The one person that I am fond of very much is my elder sister.

I like to spend time with her, and I usually spend a lot of my leisure time with her at my home and while outside. She is three years elder than me and we have a lot of things in common. I call her DIDI, usually a name used in India to call an elder sister with respect.

She is studying Law and is a very knowledgeable person. Whenever I spend time with her, I get to learn a great deal of things. She has similar hobbies as I have. She likes to read books, watch sports and play several computer games.

She is my senior, so I have learnt a great deal of things from her. Whenever I felt issues with any subject, I always look up to her. She has taught me many things related to study and life. If I am given a chance to spend my leisure time with anyone then it would be my sister.

We are generally busy in our day to day routine, but we never miss a chance to spend time together. We read together in the evening and watch TV also. We spend more time on weekends and play a lot of games together. So, my sister is the person with whom I like to spend time.

Common dress that female in your country wear

What is the common dress for people of your country?

Is that dress comfortable

Do you feel that a person is judged on attire he/she wears?

It is very difficult to say that exactly what is the common dress code in our country. Ours is a big country and all the different states have variations in dress code for both male and female. If I talk about the general attire of female of my country, then I would say that nowadays young women like to wear jeans with top.

Some also wear formal dresses and long dresses, but jeans and top are one of the most frequent attire of women of today’s society. Previously women were more inclined to wear Salwar Suits and Sarees.

If you see in today’s scenario then women mostly prefer Jeans and top. There are many reasons behind choosing this type of dress. The first one is that you don’t need to iron this type of clothing. Moreover, you can wear it on most of the occasions.

Apart from this, one doesn’t need to wash jeans after every wear as it doesn’t get dirty easily. Jeans is durable and can be worn easily. There are many designs and styles of jeans available these days. Jeans look good on any body type.

As far as the tops are concerned, they are light, easy to wear and comfortable. In our country where most of the months are hot, it is a good type of dress to wear. Tops come in different colours and styles. Tops and jeans are not that expensive as well. Most women are more relaxed in wearing this type of dress.

I feel that in today’s era a person is judged from his/her dress. I don’t think it is the right attitude though, but it is a bitter truth.

A female leader you would like to meet

Do you follow politics

Why would you like to meet that leader?

What will you do when you meet her?

There are quite a few female leaders that I would like to meet in my life. I like Michell Obama and Angela Markel from outside India. But if I am given a chance to meet a female leader in my life then I would love to meet Mamata Banerjee. She is the 8^th Chief minister of West Bengal.

She is one of the most powerful female leaders in our country. She is currently serving as the Chief Minister of the state of West Bengal from the year 2011. She has been the most successful leader in West Bengal till now. She was the first women chief minister of West Bengal. She is popularly known as DIDI, an elder sister.

Previously she also served as the Minister of railways for two terms. She was the first women railway minister. She held several ministries and positions previously in the central government. She started her political career with congress and soon rose up the ranks and became the head of youth congress and women congress in west Bengal.

After some controversies with the congress party she left the group and formed her own party in Bengal by the name of All India Trinamool Congress in 1997. After that she defeated her rival in 2011 and became the Chief minister of West Bengal for the first time. She continued her success and won the second term elections in 2016 and is still the chief minister in 2020.

She adorns a simple and light coloured Saree and lives a simple lifestyle. She has achieved many landmarks in life. She has reached the pinnacle of politics as a woman in our country. She is also considered as one of the most powerful women in Indian politics.

If I meet her then I would first greet her and will ask about the secret of her success. I will ask her the things from which I can learn. I admire her as a leader and will like to meet her if given a chance.

A piece of clothing you received as a gift

Do you often receive gifts?

What type of attire was gifted to you?

Did you like the gift?

Yes, I often receive gifts from my loved ones. I generally receive gifts on my birthday but a piece of clothing I got as a gift was not on my birthday. I got a dress gifted by my aunt who returned from Canada.

She lives in Canada from the past many years. She is my beloved aunt and I have a cordial relation with her. She is my mother’s sister. Whenever she comes to meet us, she brings a lot of gifts from Canada.

Last time she came to India in December. She brought a beautiful jacket for me. As soon as she handed me over the gift, I quickly opened it and thanked her for that. That was a blue coloured leather jacket of xxxx brand.

She has a great choice in selecting clothes for everyone. I instantly liked the jacket and tried it. It fit me properly and I was looking good. I stood in front of the mirror and checked my looks. I was looking more sophisticated in that.

That brand is famous worldwide and is expensive. There were many pockets in and out on the jacket. All the pockets were lined by a steel zip. The colour of the jacket was bright and the leather had a crumbly texture.

The texture gave it a great look. It was a full sleeves jacket with an option of removing the sleeves and converting it into a sleeveless jacket. I had never seen that before in any jacket. There was a zip on the shoulder that could be opened in order to remove the sleeves. The zip on the shoulder was nicely tucked by an overlapping seal. There was a removable hood at the back of the collar as well.

I was so impressed with that jacket that I used to wear it on every second day in the winters. I flaunted that jacket to all my friends in the neighbourhood. They also liked it very much.

Have you ever seen that plant?

India is rich in flora and fauna. There are millions of species of plants that a person can spend his/her entire life counting them all. I know about a handful of plants that are harmful or poisonous. The one which I am going to talk about today is Wild Carrot.

It is one of the most poisonous plants that are found in my country. This plant was first found in temperate regions of Europe and Southwest Asia. This plant can also be found in some areas of North America and Australia.

I came to know about this plant when I was in school. I had participated in a botanical exhibition where schools from all over my hometown had come there to participate in that exhibition. Our teacher selected me and one of my friends for my class to participate in the exhibition.

Our teacher told us the details of the plant and the school administration arranged it for us. That plant doesn’t look so big. It is only a foot tall over of the ground. The leaves of the wild carrot are very thin and spiky.

The leaves are of light green colour and has small flowers on it. The colour of the flowers is white and pale yellow. It has a solid but thin stem that supports hairy like leaves at the top. The leaves are very thin and curved at the edges. The leaves are in the shape of a needle. Thick at the bottom and it becomes thin at the top.

This plant blooms in summers and just before the winters start. Its leaves are also allergic and can cause irritation to the skin when held in hand. This plant is very rare, and people can also mistake it for the real carrot that we eat. The plant is similar in size, but the carrot’s texture and colour are different.

I had never seen such a plant in my life before. We handled that plant with care and explained the features to everyone in the exhibition. We used surgical gloves to touch the plant as it might have caused allergy to us.

(Note: You can also search and speak about Tobacco – as the poisonous plant)

A poisonous flower you know

How do you know that flower?

How is that flower poisonous

Is that flower useful

I am not a botanist, but I know one flower that is very poisonous and can be deadly if not handled with care or misused. I am talking about the Opium flower. It is a widely known flower in the world that is used to produce drugs and medicines.

It is also known as Poppy pod or Poppy flower. The flower is of light green colour and is spherical in shape. It mostly grows in cold areas of the world. The main areas where the Opium grows is Afghanistan, Burma, Colombia, Laos, Mexico, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey and China. Its origin is possibly Asia, Spain or some argue that it originated in France.

The usual Opium flower is around 100 grams in weight and of the size of a fist of an adult person. Opium flower grows on a lush green plant. The leaves are broad and curly. The stems shoot up from the middle of the plant that supports the opium flower at the top. The stem is around two centimetres thick. The top of the Opium flowers has rounded spikes that resembles a crown on the head.

The flower contains latex which is a thick white liquid. The flower is cut or slit to get the Latex. The latex is used to produce heroin chemically. It is one of the most expensive flowers in the world. The average cost of an Opium flower per kilo is US$ 20,000 approximately. It is the most smuggled flower in the world. A drug called morphine is extracted from the latex of the Opium and is converted into heroin which is a very strong drug and is banned in many countries.

People in the past have been collecting Opium. Some researchers say that people have been using it as a medicine since 3400 BCE or prehistoric times. In some societies, Opium has also religious significance. Some societies have known to worship Opium.

A poisonous fruit you know

Is that fruit common in your country

Have you seen that fruit?

Can that fruit be used for something

I have seen many fruits on internet that are known to have poisonous properties. There are rare fruits that are poisonous and dangerous for humans to eat. I came to know about one fruit that can be poisonous and fatal for humans if they consume it.

The name of the fruit is Star fruit. The reason it is called a star fruit is that it has 5 or 6 ridges along its sides and when the fruit is cut in cross section, it resembles a star. The colour of this fruit is yellow. This fruit is consumed by many people across Southeast Asia, the south pacific, Micronesia and parts of East Asia.

Some people eat it raw and some cook it to make certain dishes. According to some people the star fruit is tasty and has few health benefits. Star fruit is low in calories, high in fibre, and loaded with vitamin C. it is sweet and sour in taste and the skin of the fruit is also edible.

However, star fruit contains high number of Oxalates that can cause poison in the body. Unfortunately, anyone with weak kidneys can die after eating this fruit. Even a health person can face kidney failure and death in case of excessive consumption of star fruit.

This fruit can also interact with certain kinds of medicines. Despite that some people eat this fruit but it is not recommended by the experts. Apart from eating it for leisure there are no health benefits associated with this flower.

I have never seen this flower in my life as it is not grown in India. But I read about this fruit in a general knowledge book. Even if I get this fruit in my hand, I will never eat it.

Talk about a time when you visited somewhere and lost your important thing there

Where you went

What you lost

How did you lose that thing?

I have lost a couple of things in my life. Today I would like to tell you about a thing that was very dear to me, but I lost it in a wedding and I still regret it. I went to my cousin’s wedding in Delhi last year and lost one of my most precious possessions.

I lost my smart watch and I was so upset when I was not able to find that. I will tell you the whole story that why and when I might have lost that watch. That watch was given to me by my sister on my birthday. I was so attached to that watch that I would never give it to anyone.

That day I was wearing that watch on my left wrist. I wear that watch even when I sleep because it tracks my sleep as well as activities for the whole day. It also shows me that how many calories I have burnt and how many steps I have taken in a day.

That watch also shows me notifications for calls and the messages. I remember when I reached at the wedding I was sitting at a corner with my relatives. We were having some snacks and light conversation. At that time, I remember that I was still wearing the watch.

After some time, we all decided to go on the dance floor and show some moves. We started dancing and I felt a bit irritated by the watch. The watch was clinging on my jacket. So, to get rid of that I opened the watch and kept it in my jacket.

I thought of wearing the watch after the wedding. To my surprise when I came back from the wedding, I couldn’t find my watch. I was so worried and started searching it in my jacket and other pockets. I felt so sad when I was not able to find my watch. I called my cousins to ask them whether they have seen my watch or not. But I couldn’t find it after that.

I was so angry with me and blamed myself for my loss. I wouldn’t have lost it if I was still wearing it. It was an expensive watch and I had never lost something that costly before that. I felt so embarrassed that day, but my family consoled me after that incident.

Describe a person who apologized to you

How is the person related to you?

Why did he/she apologize

Did you forgive or not?

There have been few instances in my life when people have apologized to me for certain things. On some occasions people were faulty but on the other occasions their actions were unintentional. Today I would like to tell you one incident in my life when a person sought an apology from me.

The name of that person is Rajiv and he is one of my old friends. This happened when I was in my 10^th standard. Me and Rajiv went along well. We used to sit together in class and shared a lot of things and secrets with each other.

One day we both were playing a game in which we had to tell about one of our secrets. We promised each other not to reveal those secrets to other friends. While playing the game I was asked to tell one of my secrets. I told him about one of my pet names kept by my friends in my colony. The name was very funny, but I knew that Rajiv won’t tell it to anyone in school as we had promised each other.

But what came to my surprise that everyone in the school was teasing me with that pet name that I had told Rajiv. I was very upset and angry with him. He kept on telling me that he hasn’t done it, but I knew that this secret can only be leaked by Rajiv as no other student knew about it.

I changed my bench with another student and stopped talking to Rajiv for what he did with me. I could see from his face that he was apologetic and feeling guilty. Afterall we were good friends before that incident.

One day he came to me quietly and said sorry for what he did. He admitted that he was the one who told my pet name to one of his friends, who leaked it like a wildfire. I accepted his apology and told him to not repeat such behavior with anyone. I told him that if you keep a promise then fulfil it no matter what the situation is.

After that we became friends again but from that day onwards, I never shared any secrets of mine with him.

Talk about a time when you unexpectedly met someone

Who do you meet?

 

Why was it unexpected

 

What did you do?

 

There have been a lot of instances in my life when I met people unexpectedly. Once I was totally surprised by meeting one of my childhood friends after 10 years.

 

I was astonished because I was meeting my classmate after so many years and I could hardly recognise him from his appearance. This happened when I was travelling in a train to New Delhi. I boarded an express train which takes three hours to Delhi from Chandigarh.

 

I was sitting on the window side and on the next stop, one person came and quietly sat on my adjacent seat. He introduced himself as Harman. After every two minutes he was looking at me and I was doing the same. The reason I was looking at him again and again was that I thought that he and his name resembles my childhood friend from school.

 

After a while I asked him about his primary schooling. I was surprised to hear that he was the same person whom I was thinking about. I told him my name and after a few seconds he recognised me as well. We shook our hands tightly and laughed for a while.

 

I never expected to meet him in a train in India. The reason is that he studied with me till the class 4. After that he moved to United States of America with his family. I was stunned to meet him after so many years in a train journey.

 

I asked him about his life and shared a lot of things with him. He told me that he had come to India after 5 years and was now going back to USA. He had to catch a flight from New Delhi Airport. I really enjoyed my time with him in the train.

 

We chatted on length about our childhood and school. We talked a lot about or colleagues and teachers. Soon the journey was about to get over. So, he asked me to give him my contact details. We exchanged our numbers and addresses. I also connected with him on social networking sites.

 

In the end we said goodbye to each other at the New Delhi railway station. Even now I am in touch with him on the internet.

 

Talk about a performance you gave at school or college

 

Did you often participate at school?

 

What was the performance about?

 

Did it go well

 

I was not someone who gave a lot of performances in my school time. However, I gave a few that I am going to share with you today. Once I participated in a skit that was performed on the annual day function of our school.

 

Me and four of my other friends from my class were the part of that act. The performance included different characters of animals and sea creatures that would demonstrate the effect of plastic waste on animals.

 

Many people are not aware about the fact that thousands of animal species die due to pollution from plastic in the ocean and on land. So, our teachers decided to do this skit with five of us. First, they took a screening test and then finalized five students from our class.

 

The function was held in our school’s auditorium. It was a big hall with a seating capacity of over 500 people. I was feeling nervous at the start but slowly gained confidence as the skit went on. Everyone had to perform for about a minute and lecture about the cause.

 

We all had to dress up like different animals and mammals. One of our friends became a Penguin and told the audience about the deadly effects of plastic straws on Penguins. He told that the Penguins eats straws thinking that it is food and chokes themselves to death in the ocean.

 

I was dressed as cow and told the spectators that throwing away plastic or polyethene bags are deadly for the cows. There are thousands of stray cows in India. They graze plastic with their feed that is stuck in their internal organs or the throat. This cause severe problems and most of the cows die because of that.

 

One by one we came at the centre of the stage and gave our one-minute speech. The audience were looking very interested in the information and applauded loudly after our performance was over. The act went very well. We all were very happy. We also got recognition from the principal for bringing up such an awareness.

 

Describe an important journey that was delayed

 

Why that journey was important

 

Where were you going

 

Why the delay happened

 

In the given topic I am reminded of a situation that occurred in my life and I learned a great deal of things from that incident. I am talking about a journey that I had to make early in the morning and reach Jaipur for an important scholarship exam.

 

This exam was held by the Rajasthan government and students who would score good in the exams would be handed over scholarships to study in top Rajasthan universities for free of cost. I came to know about the exam on the internet.

 

I filled the form and took my father’s consent to go there. I started preparing for the exam as it was still a month away. I was getting ready for my exam and packing for the trip a couple of days in advance. Jaipur is located 500 kilometres away from Chandigarh.

 

I booked a flight ticket that takes one and a half hours to reach Jaipur. I was very excited for the journey, but one silly error would have cost me a lot. My exam was on Sunday at 10 AM and I booked the flight for Saturday. I was scheduled to reach on Saturday. For that I had also booked a hotel.

 

The time of my flight was 7 in the morning, but I had mistaken it for 7 in the evening. When we reached the airport, I came to know that the flight had already left in the morning. I was dejected as I had prepared for the exam so hard and I was ready to give it. I started weeping but my father quickly sorted the issue by giving me an idea.

 

He booked a taxi on the phone and decided to go with me to Jaipur. It took us 10 hours to reach Jaipur and another hour to find the exam centre. I reached at the venue just in time and gave the exam. My exam didn’t go well as I was so tired after the journey. But my father supported me and told me to learn a lesson from this mistake.

 

From that day I learned to check the departure and arrival times of the railway journeys and flights. I couldn’t clear the exam but learnt a great lesson that day.

 

Describe your dream workplace

 

Why is it your ideal workplace

 

Do you wish to work there one day?

 

Are most people able to work in their dream workplace?

 

My ideal working place would be a Travel Vlogger. The reason behind this is that I love to travel, and I like to see new places. I get very happy when I see new people and interact with them. My ideal working place would be all over the world.

 

I wish to work as a travel vlogger every day of my life. I know that it is not an easy job. One needs to be highly motivated if he/she wishes to work in such an industry. A Travel vlogger needs to be travel fit and should be open to any kind of challenge that a person can face while travelling.

 

There are many famous Travel Vloggers in the world like Drew Binsky and Renata Perrera. I am a huge fan of these vloggers and I never miss a chance to see their videos. They make superb quality travel videos and engage their viewers in a very interesting manner.

 

I wish to work as a Travel Vlogger for my YouTube channel. I would like to travel the world and visit the most exotic and charming places. I will tell people about that country, culture and region I visit. In my travel vlogs I will give information on how to travel new places and what are the things to keep in mind while travelling. What are the places to eat and where to do shopping?

 

In my travelling vlog, I plan to visit every country in the world. It will take a lot of money and efforts, but I am making plans for that. After doing a job or business for a period of 5 years, I will work as a full-time Travel Vlogger. I will also look for sponsors for my channel.

 

In my opinion most people are not able to work in their dream places. I think the main reason behind that is money. People these days run after money rather than passion. I am lucky enough to have parents who support me in any decision I make.

 

Describe a company which employs many people in your hometown

 

What that company is about

 

Have you ever visited that company?

 

Tell about that company in detail

 

There are two or three huge companies that employ a lot of people in my hometown. There are companies like Mahindra & Mahindra and Infosys. But I would like to speak about Reliance Industries. Reliance is one of the companies that employs most people across our country.

 

There are many subsidiaries of Reliance Industries. The company is one of the largest brands in India. The name of the owner of Reliance Industries is Mr. Mukesh Ambani. They provide hundreds of services to people in our country.

 

One of the newly launched service is JIO. This provides fast speed internet and satellite channels at a low cost. They have employed thousands of people in this field over the past few years. I have met a lot of people who are working with Reliance Industries in my hometown.

 

Apart from this, Reliance has thousands of clothing and groceries stores all over the country and my hometown. You can find their store in literally every city of India. Not only this, Reliance employs thousands of people in petroleum and yarn industries.

 

There are Reliance digital stores in my hometown that deal in electronic gadgets. There is a huge Reliance Mart near my house that sells groceries on a wholesale rate. There are many stores and offices of Reliance industries in my hometown.

 

I have been to most of their stores in my hometown. They have one store that opened recently by the name of Trends. It sells latest clothes and garments.  I went there last week and bought a pair of jeans. Moreover, Reliance has myriad of retail stores of groceries around the town.

 

They have certainly employed millions of people across India and thousands in my hometown alone.

 

Describe a bicycle tour you took

 

Do you often ride bicycle?

 

What was the tour about?

 

Who were the other participants?

 

I don’t ride the bicycle often, but I have one bicycle at my home. I go on a ride a couple of times in a month. I like riding the bike when I am free but I hardy get a chance due to my busy schedule. Recently I saw one guy who rides bicycle every day in my colony.

 

I connected with him and he told me about his group. He has formed a group of around 20 people who get up early in the morning every day and go for cycling. They go on different routes and cycle for around an hour. The name of his group is cycler’s corner.

 

I was impressed with his idea and asked if I could join the group and cycle with them. He instantly agreed and added me to his what’s app group. He introduced me to his other friends and told me about the timings and place of gathering a day before the tour. I had previously told him that I won’t be a regular member but would love to go on the bicycle tours when I get time.

 

Next morning, I was ready to go on the tour at 5 AM. We all gathered at a nearby landmark and began our journey. Our leader led us to a garden nearby where we breath in fresh air. After that we went to the Sukhna Lake which is in the east side of my hometown.

 

After cycling for about half an hour, we all took water break and continued with our journey. We took the best roads in the town that are integrated with a cycling track. After a few minutes we reached near our assembly point and parked our bikes there.

 

One of the group members then took out his phone and start clicking selfies and photos of all the riders. We talked to each other for about 5 minutes and everyone started going back to their destinations.

 

I thanked the leader and told him to keep me informed for the weekend rides. I thoroughly enjoyed that day and will never forget it for a long time.

 

 

Describe a popular teacher you know

 

Who’s that teacher

 

Why that teacher is popular

 

Have you met him/her?

 

I know quite a few teachers from my senior secondary, but I clearly remember one of the most popular teachers in my hometown. Her name is Ms. Shanti.

 

The reason I know her is that she is probably the most renowned teacher in my hometown. She has taught thousands of students in the field of Mathematics. She runs a coaching centre in a prominent area in Chandigarh. She teaches about 4 or 5 batches in a day.

Her teaching methods are well known to many all over the town. Previously she was a schoolteacher in one of the biggest schools in Chandigarh. Some years ago, she left her job and started teaching at her house. Soon she became so popular that she had to setup a huge academy to cater a greater number of students.

There are many reasons that why Ms Shanti is popular. The first one is that she is very polite. You don’t see many mathematics teachers who are so polite in their interaction. Moreover, she is very hardworking as she teaches hundreds of students every day. Also, she has won many prizes in the field of mathematics over the past few years.

 

She is also famous because she has made so many students believe in themselves. She has helped thousands of students clear the complex exams of mathematics. When I was in my 10^th class, I was struggling with my maths.

 

I came to know about Ms Shanti from one of my uncles. I joined her coaching class and met her for the first time. I was feeling more interested and confident in the subject as her teaching methods are fantastic. I scored more than my expectations.

 

Not only me but she’s been helping weak students get stronger every day. She is like a motivation for me and for many others.

 

Describe a night when you could not sleep at all

 

Why you couldn’t sleep that night

 

Do you often feel insomnia?

 

Did you wake up well the next morning?

 

There have been few nights in my life when I was not at all able to sleep. The one that I remember the most is when I visited a foreign country for the first time.

 

This happened a couple of years ago. My father gave us a surprise holiday package. Me, my father, my mother and my younger brother were set to visit Dubai for the first time. This was the first foreign trip for all of us.

 

I remember that I started preparing for that trip a month before we had to board the flight. I was feeling very excited for the trip. A couple of days before the trip I finished my packing and was now eagerly waiting for the trip to get started.

 

I remember that one night before the trip I couldn’t stop thinking about Dubai. I couldn’t sleep even for a minute. I was so curious for the tour that I had already taken out my clothes and shoes that were to be worn the next day.

 

I tried hard but there was no chance of me getting to sleep. However, I was also aware that if I couldn’t sleep well tonight then I will find it difficult on the next day. So, I decided to try a method to get myself some sleep.

 

I tried reading some old books and listening to some old songs but that didn’t help. I also called my father to help me in sleeping. He told me to do light exercise in order to get some sleep. I did some exercise for 15 minutes but that didn’t work.

 

I was so frustrated with this that I decided to stay awake. Decision of staying awake was not a good one. The next day when all were fresh and ready to go, I was feeling sleepy and tired. But I had to manage as I couldn’t have afforded to miss the trip.

 

Describe a person who likes to travel by plane

 

Why that person travels in plane

 

Does he/she travel frequently in plane

 

Do you like to travel by planes as well?

 

I know a few people who like to travel by plane. Today I would like to speak about my cousin who loves to travel by plane. His name is Ashish and he lives in New Delhi. He is working in a Multi-national organisation there.

His favourite hobby is to book a plane ticket and travel the world. He often takes breaks to go around the world. He has visited more than 30 countries over the past few years. He is a frequent traveller by plane. He journeys more than five times through plane in one year.

He says that he feels rejuvenated when he travels through plane. He has collected all the plane tickets of his past journeys as a memoire. He is so obsessed with travelling by plane that he books plane tickets to even places where it is easy to reach by train or bus.

Recently he flew to Jaipur from Delhi for leisure. He wanted to just experience a short flight. The distance from Delhi to Jaipur is only 250 kilometres that can be covered in merely four hours by car or bus. But he chose to travel by plane just to experience a short journey.

Recently he completed his 100^th journey by plane. He tells about that to everyone with a sense of pride and achievement. I have never seen a person like him in my life who loves to travel by plane so much.

His love for planes is amazing. He has even bought a huge replica of Boeing 787 and kept it in his lobby of the house. I am not as crazy as him when it comes to travelling by plane. I don’t relish the plane travel much as I feel it’s quite tiring and congested.

Describe an advice you received on your subjects or work OR Describe some good advice about choosing a job or subject

What advice did you receive?

 

Was the advice helpful

 

Do you often take advice on your subjects or work?

 

I have had wonderful people in my life who have supported me in all aspects and have given me words of wisdom in every situation. I have received many useful and some great advices from people around me.

 

One advice that I remember I took from my elder sister proved to be vital in my life and career. I remember when I was studying in 10^th class I never thought of choosing my subjects in senior secondary. But my sister always encouraged me to choose the subjects while studying in 10^th class so that I could plan my future well in advance.

 

When I stepped into 10^th class I was confused about choosing subjects for my further studies. I understood my sister’s thoughts about choosing the subjects in advance. This allows a student to manage his/her future properly and in a better way.

 

I was confused between choosing medical or non-medical. I thought that I was good at medical subjects but that was not the case. To be successful in medical field one needs to be good at memorizing thousands of terms and medical substances. I thought that medical field was restricted to only biology. Moreover, I wasn’t the kind of the person who could sit for very long hours and study same subject repeatedly.

 

So, my sister came to my rescue. She explained me about the current scenario of subjects and bright future in the field of non-medical. This subject is not restricted to only one type of job like the medical field is and gives you more choices after the 12^th class.

 

After discussions with my sister I chose the non-medical field and felt quite confident about it. After that I never looked back and worked hard on that subject.

 

An activity that you found boring

 

Which activity is that?

 

Why did you find that activity boring?

 

Do you often get bored from doing similar activities every day?

 

There are not many activities that I don’t relish. I don’t easily get bored from any activity. However, there is one thing that I found very boring. That activity was compulsory drawing class. I never found drawing to be interesting and attractive.

 

Whenever there was drawing class in the school, I felt very boring. I was never interested in this subject. There were many things about drawing that I didn’t like. The first one is that I am not that patient, and I can’t fill colours in designated areas. It takes a lot of toll on me. I feel that drawing required a lot of patience and precision.

 

I am not the kind of person who possesses a lot of concentration and patience. I was always angry when I had to draw a certain sketch or fill colours in an image. I was never a big fan of drawing from my childhood itself.

 

I always felt that it was just a waste of time and energy. I never felt happy in my drawing class. I always found ways to avoid the class but couldn’t do it as it was a compulsory subject. I remember once I was sitting in the drawing class and was feeling very sleepy. My teacher came up to me and asked me if I had any problem. I couldn’t say anything but told her that I was not well.

 

There were not many activities that I found boring in my earlier life. But drawing is such an activity that I found the most boring.

 

Describe an experience when you were with people and got bored

 

Where were you and why did you get bored

 

Did other people get bored as well

 

Did you do anything to get out of that boredom

 

I remember one instance in life when I was surrounded by a lot of people and got really bored. This happened a couple of years back when I was going to Mumbai to my Aunt’s house for a holiday.

 

I boarded my flight from New Delhi and reached the airport 2 hours before the departure. I checked-in my baggage and went to the boarding gate to wait for the flight’s departure. I was waiting there and was well on time. I saw a lot of people coming there one by one.

 

There was still 30 minutes to departure but there was no sign of flight gate opening. I asked a person on the inquiry counter about the flight departure, but he didn’t give me any information regarding it. He told me to wait for 10 minutes.

 

After some time, an announcement was made that the flight was delayed by 3 to 4 hours due to a technical slag. I was very disappointed for the delay as I was so excited for the trip. I went to the inquiry desk again and asked about the issue. They assured that the flight won’t be cancelled but the delay will surely happen.

 

That wait proved to be very boring for me. There was no entertainment source at the gate. There was no TV and the WIFI at the airport was also not working. I felt so frustrating and jaded at that time.

 

I didn’t have a book or a movie in my mobile as to kill the time. I was looking at the faces of the people around me and I could sense that everyone was feeling frustrated and bored.

 

There were about 300 people who were waiting for the flight to depart. I couldn’t connect with anyone as they were all strangers for me. I was feeling so alone and bored at the time that I have never been in my life.

 

I tried many things to get out of boredom, but I can easily say that it was one of the most boring moments in my life.

 

Describe a time when you first met someone OR A famous personality you have met.

 

Who was the person?

 

What did you do in that meeting?

 

How do you react when you meet a person for the first time?

 

I have met many people for the first time in my life, but I can hardly remember about most of the people. However, there are some people who leave a strong impression on you. I would like to tell you about a person whom I met, and he had a great influence on me.

 

I am talking about Mr Sachin Tendulkar who is a great personality in our country and around the world. He was the best Cricket player of his time. He had broken numerous records while playing the game for India.

 

I was very fortunate to meet him accidently in Mussoorie. Mussoorie is a quiet hill station situated in the northern part of our country in Uttaranchal Pradesh. I went there with my family and was staying there for a week.

 

On the second day of our trip we were roaming in the market early in the morning. There was no rush as it was an early morning of a winter day and there was a lot of snow everywhere. Suddenly I saw someone coming from the front side. That man was wearing a blue woollen cap and as he came closer, I recognised him and loudly took his name.

 

At first, he ignored it, but I chased him and told him that I had recognised him. He was kind to me and stopped and acknowledged my greetings. I told him that I was one of his biggest fans and always dreamt of meeting him one day.

 

I shook his hand tightly and hugged him lightly. I asked for a selfie and he smiled to my request. I requested him to stay with me for a minute as my parents were also coming from behind. The next moment my parents were there, and they were very shocked to see Sachin Tendulkar.

 

They couldn’t control their emotions and we again clicked a few pictures with him. After that we bade goodbye and I can never forget his smile and his humbleness while meeting his fans.

 

That day he inspired me that despite of all the success and despite of having everything in life, he was so humble and down to earth.

 

Describe a time you were sleepy but had to stay awake

 

Why were you feeling sleepy?

 

Why you had to stay awake

 

How did you manage to stay awake?

 

There have been times in my life when I had to stay awake till early in the morning or till late night. But those occasions were optional. I was with my friends and enjoying or I was in a party and came late. But I remember one situation when I felt the need to sleep but had to wake up the whole night.

 

This happened last year in summer days. There was a power cut in our area in the morning. The electricity didn’t show up till afternoon and we waited till evening for that. The electricity was not yet available. The invertor batteries went down and we all were feeling very hot as the temperatures can go up to 45 degrees in peak summers.

 

At night there was no electricity. Forget air conditioners, fans and lights were also not working due to the drainage of batteries. I was feeling so helpless and frustrated. I called on the electricity department phone and they replied that there was a major fault in the electricity grid of our colony, and it would take another 10 or 12 hours to get the things repaired.

 

As the night fell, I was feeling so sleepy as my day was very hectic. I tried sleeping but couldn’t as I was choking with heat and drenched in sweat. I decided to sit outdoors and sleep on the chair. But after some time that didn’t work as well.

 

I was feeling so sleepy, but I couldn’t sleep as the heat was too much for me. I started getting scratches on my neck and back due to excessive sweating. Finally, I decided to go for a car drive with my brother.

 

We sat in the car and went on a long drive with its Air conditioner on full. We drove for three hours and came back early in the morning. To our surprise the electricity was still not on. Eventually I decided to get some rest, but I was still not able to sleep.

 

Luckily at 6 in the morning, the electricity was supplied, and everyone clapped with joy. But it was already time to get ready and go to work. So that was the day when I felt sleepy but couldn’t sleep.

 

Talk about a handmade product made only in your country

 

What is that product

 

Why that product is only made in your country

 

Have you ever used that product?

 

There are some renowned products like Pashmina Shawls that are handmade in Kashmir. Or Ayurvedic medicines that are made by hands in some parts of India. But today I would like to speak about Jute Bags.

 

These are traditional handmade bags that are also known as Gunny sacks or tow sacks in some areas of our country. These bags are made from Indian jute and are very inexpensive and durable to use. These bags are also exported to many parts of the world as well.

 

These bags are biodegradable and good for the environment as they are not made from polypropylene. Instead they are made from the natural fibres of jute. These types of bags were invented in ancient India and are only made with Indian jute.

 

There are still traditional workers that weave the jute fibres and make ropes and sacks out of it. The sack made from jute is very strong and can bear a great amount of pressure and weight. These bags or sacks are tan or light brown in colour due to the colour of the jute.

 

These bags come in different shapes and sizes. The most common is the one that has two carry handles and can support a weight of up to 10 kilos. People mostly use these kinds of bag to put daily items or for groceries.

 

The other famous shape is the rectangle one that can support more than 50 kilos in it. This type of bag or sack is generally used to store rice and wheat in it. These sacks can be seen in the supermarkets where bulk material is packed.

 

These bags are very useful, and the biggest advantage is that these bags can be recycled. Even if the bag is not recycled, it is not dangerous for the environment. Moreover, it is very cheap to produce and buy.

 

Traditional weavers make the bags in villages and small industries in some towns. Traders buy directly from them in bulk and sell the bags in the market.

 

Talk about a person in news whom you would like to meet

 

Who’s that person

 

Why do you want to meet him/her?

 

What will you do when you will meet that person?

 

There are many famous personalities these days in news who are worth meeting. However, if I intend to choose one person then it would be prime minister Narendra Modi.

 

He is the current prime minister of our country and is one of the boldest and dynamic leaders of our times. He is always in news as he is the prime servant of our country. He is known for his extra ordinary speeches and work since he took the office in 2014 as the Prime Minister.

 

I have read about him and his early day struggles. If I am given a chance to meet one person in news, then it would be Narendra Modi. He has inspired millions of people in our country and around the world as well. I want to personally meet him and learn a great deal of things from him.

 

I will ask him a lot of questions when I will meet him. I will learn myriad of things from him. He’s an experienced leader and can teach me a lot of things that are required to lead a great life. He is a fantastic leader and after meeting him I can seek some advice on leadership.

 

Mr Narendra Modi rose from a very humble beginning and reached the pinnacle of the politics. He used to sell tea at a tea stall with his father and later with his brother at railway station. Despite being short of resources he fought his way up the ladders of politics.

 

I want to learn everything from him about life and how to acquire certain traits that he has. He is such person who is almost every day in news due to important decisions that he makes for our country.

 

So, if I am given a chance to meet someone who’s in the news then it would be our prime minister Mr. Narendra Modi.

 

Talk about a meeting you attended at your school or workplace

 

What was that meeting about?

 

What was your contribution in the meeting?

 

Do you like attending meetings

 

I have not attended many meetings during my school time. But there was one instance when I was involved in a meeting. At that time, I was the monitor of the class and the monitors across different sections were invited in that meeting.

 

The meeting was about preparing for the sports event. All the monitors from 10^th class were selected as the event managers. We were five monitors in total and were given certain responsibilities. We were supported by our respective class teachers and we were also allocated some capital for the same.

 

The meeting was called upon by the principal of our school. Our principal Ms. Shalini is an inspiration for many. She is very dynamic and full of life. She placed trust in us and gave us all the responsibility to manage and organise the annual sports day.

 

I was given the responsibility of arranging the trophies and medals for the participants and the winners. In total there were twenty events. The total number of participants were 300. In meeting, the principal gave us different responsibilities and asked us about any suggestions that we can give.

 

I was told about the participants and the events. I had to buy medals and trophies for all. I gave suggestion to the principal about the trophies. I told her to buy only medals instead of trophies as the medals would cost less. She was impressed with my idea and gave me a go ahead.

 

Yes, I like attending meetings because it gives a person many ideas for a certain thing or event. People in meetings share ideas with one another and I feel that participating in meetings enhances the maturity level of a person.

 

A time when you had to hide truth from your friend

 

Why you had to hide the truth

 

What was the truth

 

Did your friend find out the truth?

I am not the kind of a person who hides truth from others. But there can be situations when hiding truth is the best thing. There are some situations when you tell lie but it’s for the good for everyone.

 

I remember one situation when I had to hide truth from my best friend. This happened a few weeks back. I was at my friend’s house and he was on his way from his tuition. My friends name is Amit. I was waiting for him in his room. Suddenly I heard a loud sound from the adjacent room.

 

I rushed towards that room and saw that my friend’s father had slipped and was lying on the floor. My friends’ brother and mother rushed towards the scene and we all picked up his father. He was in a lot of pain. He said that his lower back is extremely sore and was not able to walk properly.

 

They decided to take him to the hospital. My friends mother told me that I shouldn’t tell my friend about this incident as he was having an exam the next day. So, I stayed at Amit’s home and waited for him to come.

 

When he arrived, he asked me about his parents and brother as he couldn’t find anybody in the house except me. I tried my best to hide the truth and told him a made-up story. I told him that his parents and brother had gone to his relatives to meet them.

 

I felt guilty of not telling him the truth. I was feeling very bothered about his father as well. But I felt that it was better to hide the truth than to tell him everything in that situation.

 

Talk about a time when you used a foreign language to communicate

Why you had to use a foreign language to communicate

Did you communicate well

Do you often use foreign language to communicate?

I generally speak decent English but when one communicate with a native speaker then it can be a bit of a challenge. I want to tell you about an instance when I had to communicate with a foreigner in English for some time.

Yes, I often use English in school and in daily life while studying. Although I have studied all my life in English medium schools but when it comes to communicating with a foreigner in a foreign language, it can get a bit difficult as their accents can be a lot different from us.

One day some months ago I was roaming in the most famous commercial area of my hometown with my friend. I saw some foreigners confused and finding a certain location. They hesitantly approached me and asked me about one of the café’s in that area.

They were looking for the Indian coffee house. It is one of the oldest and famous cafes’ in our city. They asked me about the directions for the café. They also inquired about the local transportation in the city. I was happy and eager to help them.

I gave them much needed information regarding the local transport system and how to bargain for the fares. I was roaming there in my free time, so I told them to follow me to the café. After ten minutes we reached at the café. They were very happy with my help.

They were four of them and invited me and my friend to join them. We agreed and I ordered some of the local delicacies. They enjoyed the food and I did all the conversation with them in English. They came from England for a holiday. We had a great time together and conversed with them well.

This was the first situation in my life when I had to talk with someone entirely in a foreign language.

 

Describe a wrong decision you once made

What was the decision?

Why that decision went wrong

Did you correct it after that?

There have been many decisions in my life that didn’t go well. However, there have been some choices that proved fruitful. One decision that I regret very much is deciding the dates of my holidays.

I was in my 11^th class and me and my family decided to go on holidays in winter breaks. We planned to go to Dubai and thought of celebrating Christmas and New Year there. At first, I thought it was a great decision by me, but we were not aware about the consequences of it.

Our flight was scheduled on 23^rd of December in the evening. After reaching at the hotel it took us so long to check in to the hotel room. The reason was that it is the peak season and millions of travelers had flocked to Dubai for Christmas and New Year.

Next day we were greeted in the morning by the tour company and the guide took us to the main malls and attractions on that day. Wherever we went, it took us long time to buy tickets and we had to wait in long lines to see the attractions.

We faced huge rush in every mall. People were all over the place. I felt that my decision to visit Dubai in the month of December was not good. For the simple reason that I don’t like huge crowd. I like quiet places and places that have less people.

Due to the over tourism in that period everything was expensive. It was hard to find a taxi. Even if we found one, it was expensive than normal days. All the prices of souvenirs went up due to the high season.

I will always remember from the next time that I will never plan a holiday in December. Although we enjoyed our trip, but it could have been better if we would have planned it some other time of the year rather than December. So, I feel that this was the decision that went wrong for me.

Describe a method that helps you to save money

What is that method

Does that method work every time

How much savings do you do every month and how do you spend it?

I am the kind of a person who likes to save money. I use different methods in my life that can be helpful for me to save money. I don’t eat outside food and I also don’t buy expensive clothes. I save that money and keep it for my future.

The method that I use to save money is cycling. This activity saves me a lot of money. I commute by cycle to my school and work. Cycling saves me from burning a hole in my pocket as there is not a great transportation system in my hometown.

People rely mostly on their private vehicles to travel from one place to the other. So, the private scooters and autos for mass transportation are expensive in my hometown. To save money, I use cycle and I prefer to walk for short distances.

Cycling not only saves me a lot of money but it is also time saving. I can beat the traffic at peak hours. This way of transport is also environment friendly. Moreover, it keeps me healthy. I prefer using cycle for going anywhere in my hometown.

It is safe to ride a bicycle in my hometown as there are dedicated cycle tracks all over the city where I live. I maintain my cycle myself. I have a small kit that includes all kinds of stuff needed to maintain the bicycle.

Till date I have saved a lot of money by riding this bicycle and I hope to do the same in the future as well. So, this is the best method that helps me save money.

Describe something that helps you in concentration yoga/meditation

What is that thing

How does it help you to make concentration?

What breaks your concentration

I know a few methods that helps me improving my concentration. One sure shot method is doing Yoga or meditation early in the morning. This is the best activity that helps me building concentration from a lot of years.  

Not only this, yoga and meditation also help me in maintaining good health and temperament. I usually do yoga in the early hours of the day. I have learnt certain postures of Yoga from my mother as well from television.

I see videos of Yoga from specialists and have tried to learn the positions and exercises to improve concentration. Distorted concentration is the most common problem that people face today especially the youngsters.

Even I was facing this issue in the past. But since I started the Yoga, I started improving my concentration. I do Yoga and meditation early in the morning. I usually get up at 5 and then I do certain postures and take deep breaths. There is one exercise that I do the most. In that exercise I sit on the floor with my legs folded. Then I keep my index finger on my forehead and rest of the fingers over my closed eyes. I use my thumb to close the ears.

Then I need to inhale and exhale for at least four to five minutes continuously without interruption. This exercise really helps me in improving my concentration and it also reduces my stress levels.

There are certain things that breaks my concentration. While studying I need pin drop silence. Previously I was disturbed by even the slightest of disturbances. But now I have changed. Due to the Yoga and meditation I can bear disturbances without breaking my concentration.

I recommend everyone to do Yoga and meditation to get rid of concentration problems.

What makes you angry

Do you often get angry?

What are the things that makes you angry?

How do you get rid of your anger?

No, I often don’t get angry. But there are few things that disturbs me and can also make me angry. I don’t like people telling lie and I get angry of someone who is behaving in an amateur way other than kids.

The one thing that makes me angry is the wastage of valuable resources. I can’t simply see the natural resources getting wasted. When I see someone misusing water, electricity and wood, I get very angry.

I can never see the wastage of water. I see many people washing their cars with flowing water. That makes me very angry. I have had many altercations with people who do such activities. There was one guy in our colony who used to wash his car daily and wasted hundreds of liters of water on one wash.

I explained him the importance of water, but he refused to listen. I always keep all the fans and lights switch off if not required. I get angry when any of my family members keeps the lights on when not in room.

This kind of attitude irritates me to a great extent. Sometimes I explain myself that it is not a thing to be angry. But I can’t resist myself from getting angry if anyone is wasting natural resources.

I feel that these resources are very expensive to produce and if these resources are exhausted, we will not be able to get them again. Resources such as water and fuel are limited hence, we should be responsible in using them and them for the future generations.

Talk about a high paying job in your country

What are the high paying jobs in your country?

Why do you think that this job is highly paid?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this job?

There are many jobs in my country that are well paid. Top engineers, scientists and sports people earn a great deal of money from their profession. In my opinion, doctors and surgeons get the most handsome salary in my country.

There are other fields such as IT that are also very well paid. However, most of the doctors and surgeons earn way better than most of the other professions in my country. Doctors can open clinics anywhere in our country with easy permissions from the government.

They can also earn good salary by working in hospitals. Although to become a doctor is not an easy thing but they can earn good amount of money. Doctors earn a great respect in our society. They are given the designation of God in our country. I think this is the reason they are paid well.

A famous doctor or a surgeon earns much more money than a scientist or a businessman. No doubt that the job of doctors is not that easy. It is one of the most stressful and hardworking jobs. This job should always be highly paid, and I think that doctors should be compensated for these efforts and struggles they make during their life.

There are many advantages of being a doctor. Doctors know the anatomy of the body well and can give advice to the sick people and benefit them. It is a very satisfying job. It has another big advantage that people give a lot of respect to the doctors.

On the other hand, being a doctor is very tiring and responsible. Doctor always have a huge responsibility on them. They medicate their patients and take care of their surgeries. They have very little family time and time for themselves. They have high risk of getting infected as they are always exposed to sick people. Being a doctor is a very thankless job as well.

In the end, I would like to sum up by saying that being a doctor in my country is highly respected and a good earning profession.

Talk about a person with whom you like to spend your leisure time

Who’s that person

Why do you like to spend time with him/her?

Do you often spend time with him/her?

There are many people in my life with whom I can spend my leisure time. I can spend my leisure time with any of my family members or my good friends. The one person that I am fond of very much is my elder sister.

I like to spend time with her, and I usually spend a lot of my leisure time with her at my home and while outside. She is three years elder than me and we have a lot of things in common. I call her DIDI, usually a name used in India to call an elder sister with respect.

She is studying Law and is a very knowledgeable person. Whenever I spend time with her, I get to learn a great deal of things. She has similar hobbies as I have. She likes to read books, watch sports and play several computer games.

She is my senior, so I have learnt a great deal of things from her. Whenever I felt issues with any subject, I always look up to her. She has taught me many things related to study and life. If I am given a chance to spend my leisure time with anyone then it would be my sister.

We are generally busy in our day to day routine, but we never miss a chance to spend time together. We read together in the evening and watch TV also. We spend more time on weekends and play a lot of games together. So, my sister is the person with whom I like to spend time.

Common dress that female in your country wear

What is the common dress for people of your country?

Is that dress comfortable

Do you feel that a person is judged on attire he/she wears?

It is very difficult to say that exactly what is the common dress code in our country. Ours is a big country and all the different states have variations in dress code for both male and female. If I talk about the general attire of female of my country, then I would say that nowadays young women like to wear jeans with top.

Some also wear formal dresses and long dresses, but jeans and top are one of the most frequent attire of women of today’s society. Previously women were more inclined to wear Salwar Suits and Sarees.

If you see in today’s scenario then women mostly prefer Jeans and top. There are many reasons behind choosing this type of dress. The first one is that you don’t need to iron this type of clothing. Moreover, you can wear it on most of the occasions.

Apart from this, one doesn’t need to wash jeans after every wear as it doesn’t get dirty easily. Jeans is durable and can be worn easily. There are many designs and styles of jeans available these days. Jeans look good on any body type.

As far as the tops are concerned, they are light, easy to wear and comfortable. In our country where most of the months are hot, it is a good type of dress to wear. Tops come in different colours and styles. Tops and jeans are not that expensive as well. Most women are more relaxed in wearing this type of dress.

I feel that in today’s era a person is judged from his/her dress. I don’t think it is the right attitude though, but it is a bitter truth.

A female leader you would like to meet

Do you follow politics

Why would you like to meet that leader?

What will you do when you meet her?

There are quite a few female leaders that I would like to meet in my life. I like Michell Obama and Angela Markel from outside India. But if I am given a chance to meet a female leader in my life then I would love to meet Mamata Banerjee. She is the 8^th Chief minister of West Bengal.

She is one of the most powerful female leaders in our country. She is currently serving as the Chief Minister of the state of West Bengal from the year 2011. She has been the most successful leader in West Bengal till now. She was the first women chief minister of West Bengal. She is popularly known as DIDI, an elder sister.

Previously she also served as the Minister of railways for two terms. She was the first women railway minister. She held several ministries and positions previously in the central government. She started her political career with congress and soon rose up the ranks and became the head of youth congress and women congress in west Bengal.

After some controversies with the congress party she left the group and formed her own party in Bengal by the name of All India Trinamool Congress in 1997. After that she defeated her rival in 2011 and became the Chief minister of West Bengal for the first time. She continued her success and won the second term elections in 2016 and is still the chief minister in 2020.

She adorns a simple and light coloured Saree and lives a simple lifestyle. She has achieved many landmarks in life. She has reached the pinnacle of politics as a woman in our country. She is also considered as one of the most powerful women in Indian politics.

If I meet her then I would first greet her and will ask about the secret of her success. I will ask her the things from which I can learn. I admire her as a leader and will like to meet her if given a chance.

A piece of clothing you received as a gift

Do you often receive gifts?

What type of attire was gifted to you?

Did you like the gift?

Yes, I often receive gifts from my loved ones. I generally receive gifts on my birthday but a piece of clothing I got as a gift was not on my birthday. I got a dress gifted by my aunt who returned from Canada.

She lives in Canada from the past many years. She is my beloved aunt and I have a cordial relation with her. She is my mother’s sister. Whenever she comes to meet us, she brings a lot of gifts from Canada.

Last time she came to India in December. She brought a beautiful jacket for me. As soon as she handed me over the gift, I quickly opened it and thanked her for that. That was a blue coloured leather jacket of xxxx brand.

She has a great choice in selecting clothes for everyone. I instantly liked the jacket and tried it. It fit me properly and I was looking good. I stood in front of the mirror and checked my looks. I was looking more sophisticated in that.

That brand is famous worldwide and is expensive. There were many pockets in and out on the jacket. All the pockets were lined by a steel zip. The colour of the jacket was bright and the leather had a crumbly texture.

The texture gave it a great look. It was a full sleeves jacket with an option of removing the sleeves and converting it into a sleeveless jacket. I had never seen that before in any jacket. There was a zip on the shoulder that could be opened in order to remove the sleeves. The zip on the shoulder was nicely tucked by an overlapping seal. There was a removable hood at the back of the collar as well.

I was so impressed with that jacket that I used to wear it on every second day in the winters. I flaunted that jacket to all my friends in the neighbourhood. They also liked it very much.