TOEFL iBT Independent Writing Means of transportation to go to a place 100 miles from my home - revised -

Writing Topic

Suppose that you wish to travel from your home to a place 100 miles (160 kilometers) from your home. Discuss the different types of transportation you might use, and compare the merits of the various forms of transport. Which manner of travel would you choose, and why?

 

☆Let’s Think

1.       Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the following means of transportation.

・By train

・By bullet train

・By bus

・By car

・By motorcycle

・By plane

・By bicycle

・By walk

・Others

2.       Tell the members of your group about your choice.

3.       This writing topic sets a specific condition and directs you to discuss a variety of choices under the condition before writing about your choice. You could use your thought process of narrowing down the choices to answer this type of question.

I.         Let’s discuss the condition.

e.g. I live in the center of Tokyo, so a place 100 miles from my place is farther than my school, which I usually visit by bicycle, but not so far as my grandparents’ place, which I usually visit by airplane.

 

I live in                     , so the place 100 miles from my place is farther than

                               , which I usually visit by                         , but not so far as                                            , which I usually visit by                         .

 

II.      Let’s narrow down the choices according to the condition

e.g. For a 100-mile trip, taking a helicopter would not be a good idea because it is too expensive and rather bothersome. The ferry would also not be an ideal choice because it is faster to take a train than to take a ferry.

【Key Words: expensive, time-consuming, troublesome, tiresome, slow, inconvenient, etc.】

 

For a 100-mile trip/using/taking/riding               would not be a good idea because

                would also not be an ideal choice because                                               ,

 

III.   Let’s discuss the merits of the choices left.

e.g  I could take a train because it allows me to work or sleep. It is also punctual and safe. Riding a bus would also be good because it has a good view.

【Key words: fast, safe, inexpensive, punctual, spacious, relaxing, flexible, free, exciting, environmentally-friendly, without traffic jam, can carry a lot of baggage, etc.】

 

I could ride/take                 because                                                        .

Taking/Riding             would also be good because                                               .

 

IV.    Let’s make a conclusion.

e.g  I would go by roller-skates because I like moving my body. Also, it is easy to switch to other means of transportation if I want to.

NOTES: ・The question does not require that you reach an objective conclusion. It is about your choice, in other words, about your preference. Therefore, you could choose a car because, for example, you like driving!

・「交通」transportation （不可算）、「交通手段」means of transportation

 

I would go by roller-skates because                                                                .

Also,                                                                                         .

 

 

 

☆Speech Time

Make a one-minute speech on this topic.

 

 

☆Sample Paragraph Development

【Main Idea 】 Taking a train is a good idea because it is punctual and relaxing.

【Supporting Detail (general)】Unlike the car, which often gets caught in a traffic jam, the train reaches the destination on time while you have a comfortable ride.

【Supporting Detail (specific)】A trip on the train reminds you of a school excursion. You get a ticket, wait for it to come into the station, and get on it. After you find a seat and settle in it, you can do anything you like till it reaches your stop. You could just enjoy the view, chat with your company, play a game, read, work, eat, or sleep.

【Follow-up / Counterargument-treatment】It will probably take an hour or so to get to your stop, but to you, it feels like a flash of time.

【Conclusion】 If you do not care about having to be in time for the departure, taking a train is a good way of going to a place 100 miles away from home.

【主張】 時間に正確でゆったりしているので電車に乗るのは良い考えだ。

【詳細（一般的）】よく交通渋滞に巻き込まれる車とは違い、電車は心地よく乗っている間に目的地に時間通りに着く。

【詳細（具体的）】電車の旅は学校の遠足を思い出させる。切符を買って、電車が駅に入ってくるのを待ち、そして乗り込む。座席を見つけて落ち着いた後は下車駅に着くまで何でも好きなことができる。景色を楽しんだり仲間とおしゃべりしたりゲームをしたり読書したり仕事をしたり食べたり寝たりできる。

【補足/反論処理】駅に着くのに恐らく約1時間かそこらかかるが自分にとっては一瞬に思える。

【結論】出発に間に合わなくてはならないのを構わなければ電車に乗るのは家から100マイル離れたところに行く良い方法だ。

 

Your Sample Paragraph Development

【Main Idea】

【Supporting Detail (general)】

 

【Supporting Detail (specific)】

 

 

【Follow-up / Counterargument-treatment】

 

【Conclusion】

 

 

 

☆Appendix: Sample Body Structure for a Writing Topic Similar to the Writing Topic Above

付録： 上記ライティングトピックと似たライティングトピック用の本論構成例

Writing Topic: A foreign visitor has only one day to spend in your country. Discuss the different possible destinations. Where do you think this visitor should go? Why?

ライティングトピック：外国人の来訪者があなたの国で一日しか過ごせません。可能な来訪先をいろいろ述べてください。どこに行くべきだと思いますが？なぜですか？

 

Sample answer following the sample thought process used above

1.     Discussing the conditions, and narrowing down the choices according to the conditions

条件に付いて述べ、条件に従い選択肢を狭める

A foreign visitor might want to experience something that represents the country. Also, the person might want to see as many aspects of the country as possible. However, there is only one day to spend, so the person might not want to waste time for transit unless the transit itself serves as an experience like riding the bullet train. For example, seeing modern Japan in Tokyo and then traditional Japan in a mountain village in Shikoku in a day is, while attractive, impossible because it takes half a day to move from one to the other.

外国からの来訪者はその国を代表する何かを経験したいかもしれない。また、できるだけ多くの面を観たいかもしれない。しかし、一日しか過ごせないので、新幹線に乗るような移動自体が経験になる場合でない限り移動のために時間を無駄にしたくないだろう。例えば東京で近現代的な日本を見て、それから四国の山村の伝統的な日本を一日で見ることは魅力的ではあるが、一方から他方に移動するのに半日かかるので不可能だ。

 

2.     Discussing the choices that have been left

残された選択肢について述べる

There are many attractive sightseeing spots in Japan. Hokkaido would be a good place to visit for those who want to enjoy nature and good food. It is also famous for its annual snow festival with huge snow sculptures. Okinawa, the area of southern islands, has a distinct culture and great hospitality. Kyoto, the old capital, would be the place to visit to experience the essence of Japanese traditional culture. Regulations keep it almost intact from development. All of these places are most popular tourist destinations in Japan but each individually cannot represent today’s Japan as a whole.

日本には多くの魅力的な観光地がある。北海道は自然とおいしい食べ物を楽しむ人が訪れると良い場所だ。巨大な雪の彫刻のある毎年の雪まつりでも有名だ。南部の島々の地域である沖縄は独自の文化と素晴らしいもてなしがある。古都京都は日本の伝統文化の神髄を経験するために訪れるべき場所だろう。規制により開発からほとんど無傷に保たれている。これら全ての場所が日本で最も人気のある観光地だが各自が現代日本を全体として代表することはできない。

 

3.     Making a conclusion giving reasons

理由をつけて結論を出す

I think a foreign tourist with only one day to spend in my country should visit Tsukishima, Tokyo. Although not famous, he or she can see both the high-technology and the traditional life of Japan existing side by side with a great contrast. Juxtaposed to state-of-the-art buildings are good old residences, small factories, and eateries serving the local specialty, monja. Businessmen quickly pass an old lady pushing a cart slowly on the sidewalk. This is an old business district near the Tokyo Bay that has been experiencing a rapid development over the past ten years. After strolling here for a couple of hours and feeling a fragment of real Japan, the visitor could take a short train-ride to the Sky Tree Tower and Sensoji Temple nearby, the latest and the oldest sightseeing spots respectively, for snapshots and souvenirs.  (This passage was written in 2012.)

私の国で一日しか過ごせない外国人観光客は東京の月島に行くべきだと思う。有名ではないが、大きな対比をなし隣り合って存在する日本のハイテクと伝統的な性格の両方を見ることができる。最先端のビルと並置されて古びた家や町工場や地元の名物料理のもんじゃ焼きを出す食堂がある。歩道で手押し車をゆっくり押してゆくおばあさんをビジネスマンが素早く通り過ぎてゆく。ここは過去十年間急速な開発を経験してきている東京湾近くの古いビジネス街だ。ここで2時間歩き回って本当の日本のかけらを感じた後、訪れた人は電車に少し乗り、それぞれが最新と最古の観光地である近くのスカイツリーと浅草寺に記念写真とお土産のために行くことができる。（この文章は2012年に書かれた）