TOEFL iBT Independent Writing 1) If you could ask a famous person one question, what would you ask? 2) Some universities require students to take classes in many subjects. Other universities require students to specialize in one subject. Which is better? - revised -

　　　　　　　

Writing Topic A

If you could ask a famous person one question, what would you ask? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

 

 

☆Let’s think

1.       The same types of questions as this writing topic are as follows.

- If you could meet a famous entertainer or athlete, who would that be, and why?

- If you could travel back in time to meet a famous person from history, what person would you like to meet?

- If you could go back to some time and place in the past, when and where would you go?

 

What do you think are the things that you have to keep in mind when you write an essay on these kinds of topics?

Note: 1) Whoever or wherever you might choose, it is safe to choose what you have many things to write about. 2) If you write about a person the rater of your essay might not know even though the person is famous among a number of people, it is important to explain why he or she is famous.

 

2.       Give a short lecture about the person about whom you are going to write. Then, with your group members, come up with several questions that you might want to ask the person.

 

 

☆Sample short response:

If I could ask a famous person one question, I would ask Chelsea Manning if she would do the same thing that she has done if she were to live her life again because I think what she has done is worth more than respect, and I do not know if I would have done the same if I had been in her place.

 

Chelsea Manning is known as a whistleblower. She leaked confidential documents and video related to the Iraqi-Afghan war to WikiLeaks, a political site where people who know something criminal or corrupt that governments hide from people can safely make it open to the public. She copied it in the American military, where she worded as a solder. As a result, she was convicted and was in the military prison for a long time.

 

The government called her a traitor. However, the American public and the people in Iraq and Afghanistan were helped by her. Because of her courageous act, it became open that there are more civilian casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq than were officially reported and that there is at least one war crime committed by American military men in Iraq. The government accused her of exposing some agents to danger, but there is no such report happening after her leak.

 

If I asked the question, she would say she would do the same, because she is a person of a high moral. She had been sympathetic to the oppressed under dictatorships years before she found the documents that contain facts that those people should know. She knew perfectly well that, if found, she would be accused of treason, but she also knew that she was serving the American people and that she should provide information that people should know, what is done in other countries in the name of the US using their tax money.

 

She might also say that she would do the same but would do it more carefully. She was arrested because she hinted what she had done to a person who she thought was her friend. If there is one thing she might regret, it would be that she tried to believe that a friend would never tell on her. When she did her dead, she was in her twenties. Now having gone through excruciating torture of solitary confinement and having worked for the people since she won freedom, she is even more candid about the American diplomacy and keeps earning people’s respect.

 

 

Your short response:

If I could ask a famous person one question, I would ask                                              

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                   

because                                                                                             

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                   

He / She is /was famous for /as                                                                     

                                                                         

 

                           

                                                                                                   

If I asked the question, he / she might say                                                          

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                   

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                   

He might also say                                                                                   

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                   

                                                                    

                                

                                                                                                   

 

Comments, suggestions, questions, etc.

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                   

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                   

 

 

 

 

Writing Topic B

Some universities require students to take classes in many subjects. Other universities require students to specialize in one subject. Which is better? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

 

☆Let’s think

1.       Should you mention both types of universities in this question when you answer this question?

Note: When choosing one out of two, you compare them. To decide which to buy out of two items, say, melons or tablet computers, you will compare the two, examining each closely, point by point. In essay writing, in order to say something is the better of the two, you cannot avoid discussing both. In other words, you have to explain why you think one is better than the other. Therefore, even though the topic does not say “Compare and contrast,” it is natural that you discuss both cases.

 

2.       What are the advantages and disadvantages of either type of the universities in the question?

 

3.       Which do you think is better? Why?

 

 

☆Ideas and Expressions

About taking classes in many subjects

1.     Liberal arts are required in many universities because people who can see things in many perspectives are necessary to lead people in the fight against the climate change and widening wealth gap.

 

2.     University students are still growing mentally, so they might find other subjects more interesting than their major during their undergraduate years. Universities should accommodate students’ intellectual development by providing many fields of discipline.

 

3.     Studies are becoming more interdisciplinary. Students who major in biology also have to study chemistry, and those who major in psychology also have to study neurology.

 

4.     In the globalized economy, it is advantageous to have many skills. An engineer who can speak a foreign language will be able to find a job more easily than one who does not if other qualifications are the same.

 

5.     Even seemingly unrelated subjects can be useful for students’ development. For example, a doctor who has studied the humanities can be more sensitive to patients’ feelings than a doctor who tends to look at only the physical aspect of a human being.

 

6.     Counterargument: Taking many different subjects would be a burden and there would be many students who would drop many subjects. ⇔ Time-management would be the key.

 

About specializing in one subject

1.     Universities are where people pursue subjects of their interests. They are supposed to have acquired general knowledge concerning main subjects by the time they graduate from high school, and at university they are expected to delve into specific areas they have chosen. Therefore, it makes sense for students to focus on one subject.

 

2.     It is more efficient for students to concentrate on one subject. It is too much for students to study other than the subjects of their interest. For Asian students who aspire to be an engineer, for instance, studying a foreign language would be a burden.

 

3.     Counterargument: Focusing on one subject would make students narrow-minded. ⇔ Today’s world requires everyone to make efforts to expand their view point, and media for self-study are abundant. On the other hand, one can obtain special knowledge and technical skills only at university. Thus, students spend their college years focusing on what they can only learn at university.

 

Your Sample Essay Structure

【Introduction = Outline】

 

【Point 1】

 

 

【Point 2】

 

 

【Point 3 / Counterargument-treatment】

 

 

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】

 

 

 

 

Paragraph Development

Paragraph development is a key to giving sufficient background information. If a paragraph has only one sentence or two, it lacks some essential sentences such as specific examples (background information). A sample of a paragraph development is as follows:

 

【Topic Sentence】A sentence which represents the paragraph briefly

【Supporting Detail - in general】 A sentence which introduces the following example(s)

【Supporting Detail - specific】A sentence which provides a specific example or examples

【Follow up / Counterargument-treatment】A sentence making up for some lacking information.

【Conclusion of the Paragraph】 A sentence which wraps up the paragraph

             

Sample paragraph development:

【Thesis Sentence】Today’s academic situation requires students to have wider knowledge.

【Supporting Detail - in general】 Research and development activities are getting interrelated.

【Supporting Detail - specific】For example, nanotechnology requires the knowledge of biology and chemistry as well as physics. Another example is molecular anthropology, a new field of anthropology. It was created by a molecular biologist who was interested in Ancient Egypt. Knowledge and skills of molecular biology are applied to solve questions in anthropology in this subject, so the students of this subject need the knowledge of both science and humanities.

【Follow up】Even though those who will become specialists are few, knowledge of related areas will help students keep up with the development of their field.

【Conclusion of the Paragraph】Studying many subjects provides and supports the environment for creation.

 

☆Your test paragraph development:

【Topic Sentence】

 

 

【Supporting Detail - in general

 

 

【Supporting Detail - specific】

 

 

 

【Follow up / Counterargument-treatment】

 

 

 

 

【Conclusion of the Paragraph】