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Some people believe that air travel should be restricted because it causes serious pollution and uses up the world's fuel resources. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

-[Harpreet Singh Dhillon]

A gap year may be a year after highschool when a student takes time to explore his or her interests, which usually entails some sort of travelling or working. After the gap year is over, the scholar begins his or her career. It has both pros and cons, which I shall discuss during this essay. l, personally believe that the benefits of 'gap year' outstrip the drawbacks.

There are many benefits of taking a year off. Firstly, the scholar can explore his interests before choosing a serious . Just passing out of lyceum , a student does know what his real interests are. A gap year gives him time to introspect and he can also find something he has never considered studying before.

Secondly, he can economize to finance his education and ease some burden off his parents' shoulders. Higher education is extremely expensive and a few parents cannot afford the complete cost of students' university fees.

Furthermore, during this year, the scholar meets different people and experiences different cultures. As a result his personality develops and he involves realize the surface world. Finally, a well-planned gap year is attractive to some admissions tutors and to future employers. For example, a student can add his activities of the gap year in his resume when he applies to the university, or for a few job after completion of his education. This is taken during a positive light by the admissions committee and a few job providers.

As every garden has weeds, similarly a niche year also features a downside. A student may find it difficult to urge back to review . A year may be a while and once that tempo of attending classes and doing home-work etc. is lost, a student might not desire studying again. Secondly, if he starts earning enough, education could seem unimportant. Finally, if a student doesn't plan it properly, it's going to find yourself as a wasted year.

To sum up, a niche year features a lot of benefits provided it's planned well

It is irrefutable that aviation causes pollution and uses tons of fuel, but I disagree that aviation should be restricted. I believe that restricting aviation would solve some problems but would cause many other problems.

At a time when people everywhere the planet worry about the decreasing level of fossil fuels and heating , it's right to require action to save lots of the earth Earth. However, to easily discourage flights isn't the solution . International tourism has become the backbone of the many economies of the planet . Many countries are earning from tourism. Many people are employed in this industry. Many businesses like hotels and leisure centers are hooked in to tourists. So, if we discourage international tourism, it might create new and even worse problems. Many businesses would go broke and lots of people would be without jobs.

Air flight also enables intercultural exchanges between countries. The advent of cheap air fare makes it possible for people the planet over to travel regularly, no matter the aim of the trip. Therefore, people have the opportunities to find out from different cultures and have a far better understanding of nations they wont to be unacquainted . This, in turn, enhances cultural communications between countries.

It is true that aviation consumes oil, but other modes of transportation also are causing pollution and using fuel. Discouraging private cars and inspiring people to use conveyance could help save the environmental resources during a big way. Therefore it might be a really unpractical decision to limit aviation at the value of people's mobility, or worse, at the value of the event of the economy. Technology could even be wont to produce more environmentally friendly and fuel efficient engines.

Summing up, rather than restricting aviation , we should always develop more efficient engine that produces more energy output with less fuel and fewer major air pollutants. We should also specialise in limiting private vehicles and inspiring conveyance .

Some people think that the news media nowadays have influenced people's lives in negative ways. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

-[Harpreet Singh Dhillon]

I disagree with the given statement that media has a negative influence on our lives. I believe that the media is doing a great service to us and whatever negative effect it has is negligible if we compare it to the benefits of the media.

There are many positive effects of media. To begin with, the usefulness of the media in almost instantly providing information about events around the world is undeniable. lt is because of the media that today we don't belong to a big planet Earth; we belong to a small global village. Furthermore, media also shapes our opinions. lt is a link between the government and the people. Our conceptions of our elected officials spring from television images and newspaper stories. Most of us will never meet prime ministers or presidents, but anyone who is regularly exposed to the media will know about them. When it is time to cast our vote, we will make our decision based on the media coverage of candidates.

The media are also influential in the way they facilitate the spread of culture and lifestyle. Today, the popularity of lndian culture is an example of the media's enormous impact. lt is the media, which highlights the good points of our own culture through programmes such as 'lndia's got Talent'. What is more, the reality shows of today have given exposure and fame to the common man with talent today. lndeed, with technological advancements such as the lnternet bringing even more forms of electronic media to our homes and workplaces, it is likely the media's influence will grow even stronger. Finally, the media also helps in providing justice to the common man. Who has not heard of the Jessica murder case and the case of Nithari killings? Were it not for the media, Jessica's parents would have never got justice.

On the other hand, the media too has its downside. The paparazzi can invade the privacy of famous people. Sometimes violence and vulgarity is shown and at times it can shape our opinion in negative ways. For that my counter argument is that once the person becomes famous then his private life becomes public and he has no right to crib about the paparazzi. People can choose what they want to see and technology has provided them the tools to block those channels, which they don't want their children to see. Finally, God has given us brains to judge what is right or wrong. The media is just doing its job by providing us with the latest information.

ln conclusion, I would like to reiterate by saying that the influence of media on our lives is largely positive.

The economic growth in developing and developed countries is making people richer. However the research indicates that people in the developing countries is happier than people in developed countries. What is your opinion on this?

-[Harpreet Singh Dhillon]

There is no denying the fact that economic growth has improved the standard of living all over the world. However, growth in global economy may mean different things to different people. To the developing world, recent growth may be coupled with a rise in standards of living, and thus seen as positive. To the already developed countries, this growth brings with it increased global competitiveness, and is thus seen as negative. Both sides will be analyzed in this essay. The lesson we get from this different perception towards development of global economy shall also be discussed.

For people in the developing world it means better opportunities for personal and professional growth. More and more people in developing countries such as India and China now earn more than enough to lead comfortable lives. Now they have high disposable incomes that make it possible for them to lead luxurious lives. They can now buy the latest gadgets, travel to the most exotic places on earth and own luxury apartments and cars. Their children now get world class education and healthcare. None of these would have been possible if the economy wasn't growing. Needless to say, for people in the developing world growth in the economy is a positive development.

Now let us see what global economic growth means to people in the developed world. Majority of people in the developed world already lead comfortable lives. They already possess disposable income and the recent growth in the global economy hasn't really done anything to further improve their standard of living. on the other hand, they now face stiff competition from their counterparts in the developing countries. Their market share has started eroding. They are no longer the most sought after candidates for jobs even in their own countries. Worse still, more and more jobs now get outsourced to the developing world, where the cost of labour is low compared to that in the West. As a result of this people in the developed world are now losing their jobs. Needless to say, they aren't all that happy with this sudden spurt in global economy.

The lesson we learn is that the growth of economy in developing world should not hamper the economy of the people of the developed countries. The focus should be on raising the bottom without pulling down the top. Jobs and opportunities for the people of the developing countries should be generated within their countries and not in the developed countries. Governments of developed countries should not lay-off their people to give low paid jobs to others.

The facts given above should explain why researchers feel that people in the developing countries are happier with the growth in global economy than the people in the developed world. These viewpoints are not expected to change much into the foreseeable future unless some steps are taken.

Many people use distance-learning programs to study at home, but some people think that it cannot bring the benefit as much as attending college or university. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

-[Harpreet Singh Dhillon]

It is undeniable that the distance learning mode is very useful, especially for those living in remote areas, for those who are physically challenged and for those who want to do a job while studying. However, there are many advantages in actually attending a university, which would not accrue to a person who prefers to learn through the mode of distance education. Let us see how going to a university scores over the distance-mode.

ln the very first place, going to a university provides the opportunity of face-to-face interaction with the teachers. Classroom lectures are more educative and enlightening than mere reading of written course ware due to the direct interaction between the students and the teachers. The student not only masters the contents of the prescribed lessons, but also gains a deeper insight into the subject as the teacher elucidates from his own experiences. lf there are any doubts in the mind of the student, the teacher can readily offer the necessary clarifications. lf he has not been able to fully comprehend any particular aspect of the lesson, he can request that it be explained to him again. Students can also help each other through the exchange of ideas and information, after the class hours.

Secondly, one learns in a more disciplined atmosphere. One has to attend the classes regularly and in time. This results in a more focused and systematic study. This leads to better preparation for the examinations and consequently better results. Also, one can easily access reference books and other valuable reading material from the University Library.

Apart from the academic curriculum, the student also gains by useful participation in other extra-curricular activities like sports, competitions, contests and the like. All this helps in the sharpening of his communication skills and the overall development of his personality. He develops better team spirit and learns the art of working with others in a group. Another great advantage is that of campus placement opportunities. Many reputed companies approach the good universities with offers of campus placements for their students. They are thus saved from the uncertainty and hassles of a later job hunt.

To conclude, a university education is certainly packed with several privileges.

lnterviews form the basic selecting criteria for most large companies. However, some people think that interview is not a reliable method of choosing whom to employ and there are other better methods. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

-[Harpreet Singh Dhillon]

Recruiting new employees can be a long and painful process. The success of any business or organisation depends on the quality of its staff. Some employers conduct interviews to select new workers. I agree with the given statement which says that there are various other approaches. This essay intends to analyze methods of hiring new employees.

Undoubtedly, an interview is an important method of recruitment. lf selection has to be done merely on an interview, then the interview has to be well executed. lt requires a detailed understanding of the organizational needs as well as a careful grasp of the prospective employees' responses. lt is not an easy task. lf the recruitment is small scale and only a few employees are needed, it can prove fruitful otherwise alternative methods to hire have to be taken into account.

There are many other methods, which can be employed to hire new personnel. These hiring methods are a combination of several step-by-step tests. lnitially, job vacancies are advertised, after which the recruiters select resumes, which meet the basic requirements for that particular job position. Then the written test is conducted to judge the skills and knowledge of the person. This is followed by group discussions and some other skill tests. Then the shortlisted candidates are interviewed. After this, background checks and reference checks are done of those shortlisted after the interview. lt is important to check the credit record and criminal record. The reference checks are done to ascertain the authenticity of what is written in the resume. Finally, the selected candidates are sent for a health check to rule out any communicable diseases.

Analyzing the above mentioned methods it can be seen that no single method is perfect. Each job has its own requirements. Some jobs require qualification and some require experience. Big companies have a department devoted to human resources, which takes care of the hiring issues, but for small businesses finding the right employees at the right times can be an especially time-consuming and frustrating struggle. External recruitment agencies can be assigned the task of searching suitable candidates for jobs, but it may be very expensive. However, I believe that spending on the recruitment of new employees can prove to be a good investment, as good employees can breathe new life into your business.

To sum up, it can be reiterated that finding suitable employees is an arduous task and has to be a combination of written tests, group discussions, interviews and reference checks.

Some people believe that reading stories from a book is better than watching TV or playing computer games for children. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

-[Harpreet Singh Dhillon]

Reading stories in books is a basic way for children to obtain knowledge and open their minds. Although watching TV and playing computer games are also popular educational methods among children, I believe that reading books is better and offers more advantages than watching TV and playing computer games.

Learning by reading is more effective compared to TV and games because it is an active activity. Like any other skill, reading takes practice. To fully understand the content, children have to give all their attention to the text. Also, more than just understanding a certain topic, children tend to develop imagination, as they imagine the characters from the description they read, which helps them to learn more efficiently and deeply in the future.

Furthermore, reading stories also helps children master language development, as by reading stories,
children learn pronunciation and vocabulary. lt also increases a child's attention span, and develops the ability to concentrate. lt develops children's ability to express themselves more confidently, easily, and clearly In spoken and written terms. lt develops and fosters a child's natural curiosity.

On the other hand, the knowledge disseminated by vivid pictures on screen is easier for children to imbibe, but too many moving objects and colorful images can distract children, especially some young kids, from other important tasks. Playing computer games also can be very addicting, as a result of which children fail to do their homework. Additionally, spending too much time before a computer screen or watching TV can lead to health problems such as shortsightedness. Therefore, reading is better for both efficiency and health purpose.

ln conclusion, it can be reiterated that reading stories in book is better than watching W and playing on computers, as it is a more effective way to learn and is better for health.