TOEFL iBT, Independent Writing, It is always good to have as much information as possible.

Writing Topic

Consider the following statement. It is always good to have as much information as possible. Do you agree with this idea? Support your response by including specific reasons and examples.

☆Let’s Think

Probably almost all people would agree if somebody said that it is always bad to have as little information as possible. Lack of information causes a lot of trouble. Prejudice is an example. You might have heard somebody say, “I had thought such and such people were stupid and mean, but after I made friends with Mary, who was intelligent and very kind, my image of those people changed.” The problem is that until gaining new information, a new friend who belongs to what the person calls such and such people, the person missed good communication and relationships with other members of the people. Stereotype is the child of lack of information, and stereotype is bad. Its big brothers are discrimination, bullying, conflicts and wars.

Intuitively, this writing topic seems to be easy to deal with because you can think of abundant examples of improvements made by the increase of the available information such as the group work, the Internet, or information disclosure. However, the statement this question requires us to deal with has the word “always”. Since there are not so many things that have no exceptions, it seems better to give it a thought whether there is an exception or not.

I remember a teacher saying that we would be confused if we had extra eyes on the back side of our heads. There would be too much information to process, making us at a loss of which way we should take, and we would end up being unable to move at all. Birds have a wide view, as we say a bird’s-eye-view, but even birds have a blind spot, a narrow area in their back. This spot, from the existence of which a bird knows which side is its back, could be a necessary anatomy, not just a weak point.

                                                                                            

☆Hints for Points

Agree:

1.    The more information there is, the better perception of the world you can have.

e.g.

1) Two heads are better than one: This saying shows partly the benefit of sharing information. School often uses group activities for projects to take advantage of this benefit.

2) Although there are many problems, it cannot be denied that the Internet contributes to the information sharing and benefit more people than before.

3) Information disclosure helps society progress. Patent information disclosure helps other inventors improve the invention. The government information disclosure enables citizens learn about facts about the past and present activities of the government.

2.    Having as many information sources as possible is desirable to make a good decision. It is sometimes seemingly difficult to make a decision when there is more information than can be processed, but the problem is not in the situation with abundant information but in the process such as lack of prioritization or determination. It is said that you have to think well before you decide, and to think well you need to have a lot of information.

Disagree:

1.    As the saying goes, “Too many cooks spoil the broth.” Sometimes, it becomes difficult to make a decision when there is a large amount of information. A class teacher decides the amount of information provided to the students in class according to the levels and interests of the students. An organization usually has a leader or the management, to whom all the information is directed. For better or worse, the entity works best when a head commands the information.

2.    It is also said that ignorance is bliss and that curiosity killed a cat. It is often better to leave something unrevealed. A little child may be happy left believing that Santa Claus exists. Trying to know more than you are supposed to could put you in trouble.

3.    It is fundamentally good to have as much information as you can except for some cases in which there is something that should be protected from the exposure to the information.

e.g.

1)    There seems to be some stage of life at which information should be limited. A child may be confused if there are many kinds of information that are incompatible with each other. Without ability to process everything they are exposed to, they could have trouble assimilating all the information. For example, it is said that the number of languages a child can learn at the same time to be a real multilingual is limited, around 5 or 6.

2)    Many people defend the act of Wikileaks which disclosed hundreds of thousands of confidential documents and other records of the US government, insisting that it revealed a lot of information that the public should know such as war crimes or corruptions. However, they also think, like all the other people with common sense, to conceal some sensitive information related to diplomacy is necessary.

☆Essay Structure

♦Sample essay structure in the case that you have two or three reasons to support your argument

【Introduction = Outline】　主張と理由の概略 

【Point 1】理由1の詳細 

【Point 2】理由2の詳細  

【Point 3 / Counterargument-treatment】理由3の詳細または反論の処理

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】結論 

♦Your Sample Essay Structure

【Introduction = Outline】

【Point 1】

【Point 2】

【Point 3 / Counterargument-treatment】

               

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】

☆Paragraph development

A paragraph of the body of an essay often develops its main idea as follows:

【Main Idea】 (主張)

【Explanation】 (主張の説明)

【Detail / Example in general】 (一般的な例)

【More Specific Detail / Example】 (より具体的な例)

【Follow-up / Counterargument-treatment】 (補足または反論の処理)

【Conclusion】 (結論)

♦Sample Paragraph Development

【Main Idea】 (主張)

Having as many information sources as possible is desirable to make a good decision.

【Explanation】 (主張の説明)

The more information you have, the more wrong decisions you can avoid.

【Detail / Example in general】 (一般的な例)

For example, a decision on the school of your choice is one which involves a few important factors.

【More Specific Detail / Example】 (より具体的な例)

When you decide which university you should go to, you might consult the Internet or specialists for information so that you can find a school where you can learn exactly what you want to learn with the best faculty and facilities for the smallest expenses.

【Follow-up / Counterargument-treatment】 (補足または反論の処理)

If you choose a college that you happened to know without a deep thought, chances are high that you will get disappointed and lose interest. Even if it takes time to decide because of the large numbers of choices to compare, as long as you know what you want, you can find an answer and it will save time in the end because a lot of inquires help eliminate bad choices beforehand.

【Conclusion】 (結論)

You need to inquire as much as possible so as not to be sorry later. Excessive amount of information is just a luxury which is inherently a boon not a problem as long as dealt with wisely.

♦Your Sample Paragraph Development

【Main Idea】 (主張)

【Explanation】 (主張の説明)

【Detail / Example in general】 (一般的な例) 

【More Specific Detail / Example】 (より具体的な例)

【Follow-up / Counterargument-treatment】 (補足または反論の処理)

【Conclusion】 (結論)