TOEFL iBT Which do you prefer, trying new things regularly or a stable lifestyle？ (Revised)

Do you prefer to try new things regularly, or do you prefer a stable lifestyle? (psychology)

 

 

 

☆ Let’s Think

1.       Do you often try foods you have never eaten, or do you always eat the same thing? Why/Why not?

2.       Do you enjoy meeting new people or stick to very few close friends? Why/Why not?

 

 

☆Hints for points

	Adventurous Lifestyle	Safety-oriented Lifestyle
Advantages	various experiences, networks of friends and acquaintances, making discoveries, exciting, interesting, tolerant, flexible	stable, safe, peaceful deep understanding of one thing
Disadvantages	misunderstood by others full of danger and loss suffer from precarious life	skeptical and afraid of changes miss opportunities, fail to adapt old-fashioned, boring, ignorant

 

Decisive reasons for your preference

・I am offensive/defensive and active/passive.

・My role model is a person whose lifestyle is adventurous/conventional.

・It is instinctive for humans to try to explore and expand, and I think I’m just following the rule.

・It is natural to appreciate the present and try to stick to the status quo.

・ideas and preferences, flexible, progressive

・“Fortune favors the bold.” (Proverb)

・“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” (Neale Donald Walsch)

 

☆ Sample Response

【Thesis】While I think Samantha is right in that the predictability of routine leads to peace of mind and indeed it is a factor of happiness, I prefer to keep trying something new because I tend to feel that nothing stays the same forever.

【Supporting Details】There is always an end or a point of completion of a phase in anything, beyond which development barely occurs and repetition follows. Therefore, whenever I feel I have experienced something well enough or when a project gets on track and the work is almost done, my mind becomes less activated. I find it hard to keep the same degree of passion in the present as before, and naturally, I start seeking for a novelty for growth.

【Counterargument-treatment】This does not mean that completion and sophistication are less important than adventure, but it is natural for a mind to look for a new experience. It is also true that continuation of monotonous daily life and steady practice of routines can be the matrix of evolution, and thus I don’t take light of conventional lifestyle. Scientific breakthroughs won’t happen without repetition of routines supported by a stable environment. Successful athletes and businessmen always attribute their accomplishment to the unwavering support from their family and friends. However, my preference for changes won’t change perhaps due to my personal history of moving house 10 times before I turned 25 years old. Changing is the unchanging part of my life, in other words.

【Conclusion】Therefore, I prefer an adventurous lifestyle. (247 words)

 

Write your draft. Then read each other’s draft, asking questions and making counterarguments.

 

                                                   DRAFT