Wednesday, February 18, 2015


    Describe a person you know who is good at cooking
-       Who the person is
-       What is your relationship with this person
-       What kind of food he or she cooks
-       Explain why you think this person is so good at cooking
Sample Answer:
I believe that my mother is a good cook and she is very good at this skill. Ever since I can remember my mother has fed me with delicious food items. She can cook a variety of food stuffs. But she is really good at cooking Punjabi food. Since I live in Punjab and we Punjabis eat a variety of dishes which are prepared using vegetables, pulses, cereals, meats and so many other snacks and sweet dishes. My mother has a mastery at cooking all the dishes we eat during all the seasons. When I was a child; I did not like the food adults ate which was hot and spicy for me. So, my mother would cook food specially for me. This allowed me to realise the efforts she makes to ensure everyone sleeps with a full tummy. As I grew older, she changed her cooking style and ingredients as per my growth requirements. During summers, she cooks the seasonal vegetables like squash, pumpkin, varieties of gourds and in winters, she cooks the fresh vegetables like carrots, peas, cabbage and cauliflower to ensure we relish the nutrition rich fresh food. It is in this season that we eat the famous sarson da saag. It is basically a green curry prepared by mustard and spinach leaves. It is tempered with garlic and ginger and then served with a dollop of butter and maize flat-bread. I especially love the sweet dishes she prepares because I have a sweet tooth. She makes rice pudding, vermicelli cooked in milk and a special pudding made of wheat-flour or semolina, sugar and milk fats. It is a treat in itself. I think my mother is good at cooking and I think no one can cook food as delicious as my mother does. She makes sure that the food she cooks suits everyone's taste. She goes an extra mile to select the hygienic, healthy and delicious ingredients for every dish. I have also learned some dishes to cook with the help of my mother. Although they are not comparable with what she cooks but still I try. I hope that I will also become as good cook as her some day.
Follow ups
1. How often do Indian people cook at home?
- Indian people often cook at home. We prefer to eat almost all three meals at home. It is healthier and also economical for us. 

2. There are more restaurants nowadays. Do you think people eat out more?

- Yes there are more restaurants these days but I guess when people need to take a break from the food they eat daily and they want to celebrate special events such as weddings, engagements, anniversaries, birthdays etc, they like to eat at the restaurants. 

3. Do schools have cooking classes in your country?

- I think some schools have cooking classes as part of their curriculum. But it is only in some schools. Most of the schools do not have cooking classes because the schools have so much burden of other subjects and extra-curricular activities. 

4. Do you think we should teach children how to cook?

- I think yes, we should teach the children how to cook food. This will be very helpful in the long run. For example; if children are going to go to hostels for their senior secondary or tertiary education or if they are alone or if they have no one to cook at home; in such a situation, they can cook the food or sometimes help the main person cooking the food. So, it comes handy when children know how to cook. But at the same time, they should be given proper precautions regarding how they can handle the kitchen equipments especially gas stoves and knives. 

Friday, February 6, 2015

Describe an exciting sport you know.
-       What the sport is
-       How you know about it
-       Is it difficult
-       Explain why you think it is exciting

This is a question which is giving quite a hard time to the IELTS aspirants. 
To be precise there is no single game which can be deemed exciting. A game can be exciting for one individual but boring for another. So, any sport can fit in this category. It can be Cricket, Football/Soccer, Tennis, Car-Racing, Bungee Jumping or even Kabaddi. 

We will look at a sample answer about an exciting sport which is Cricket. 

Cricket is an exciting game according to me. It is a game played between two teams of 11 players. They use a Bat and Ball to play this game. An umpire tosses the coin to help decide which team will Bat or Bowl first. Each team one by one takes its turn to bat and attempts to score runs During this time, the other team. The bowler throws a ball to the batsman who hits the ball away with his bat and runs to the other end of the pitch and make scores for his team. Each batsman continues batting until he is bowled out by the bowler. The batting team bats until ten batsmen are out, or 20 or 50 overs are bowled. After that the teams switch roles and the fielding team comes to bat and batting teams goes bowling. 
We know about this game because it is a religion in our country. Every person has played cricket at one or the other time in his life. People never miss a cricket match on TV. Cricket players are considered gods in our country. For us, this game is not difficult, it is in our blood. People can easily find coaches who are willing to train the youngsters aspiring to become cricketers in future.
It is exciting to watch this game because the whole atmosphere at the stadium where the game is played is electrifying. People are shouting and screaming while supporting their favorite players or teams. It is something worth experiencing. Especially in the last ten or five overs, it is exciting to watch the batting team and fielding team fight it out. the batsmen are trying to make the maximum score possible and the fielding team tries to take the maximum wickets off the ground. So, in my opinion, in India cricket is the most exciting game. 
Follow ups: 
1. What do you think of extreme sports?
- Extreme sports are those which involve a lot of risk.They are dangerous and at the same time they are very exciting and adventure.e.g. offshore racing, wakeboarding, waterskiing, air racing, surfing, windsurfing, kiteboarding, skiing, snowboarding, parachuting, wingsuit, sailing, skateboarding, mountainbiking, free-style biking
2. Should government ban dangerous sports for young people?
- Maybe they should ban these sports because they are very risky and put lives of people in danger. But at the same time, there are so many equipments and safety gear available for the players which can help them keep safe. So, the government should focus on making these sports safe instead of putting a complete ban on these sports.
3. Would you encourage young people to do these sports?
- Yes, as i have already said, they can be played with some precautions and by using proper safety gear. This reduces the risk involved in these sports.
4. What kind of ball games do Indian people like to do?
- The examples of ball games include basketball, handball, football, volleyball, bowling etc. These games are very popular in my country.
5. What kind of sports can people in your country watch on TV?
-People in my country can watch various types of sports such as football, kabaddi matches, cricket, hockey, car racing, tennis etc.
6. Are there many TV programs about sports in your country?
- In my country people mostly like to watch programs related to cricket. There are so many sports channels which show so many programs related to  football, kabaddi matches, cricket, hockey, car racing, tennis etc. They chose their favorite sport and can watch their favorite sports easily.
7. Do you think these programs can help people play sports more often?
- Yes definitely, these programs are very helpful to people to motivate them about playing the games. For example; children watch cricket in their life from a very early time and then they want to play this game themselves. In the same way, adults get interested in playing football, squash and tennis. Some people also like to try snowboarding, bungee jumping etc.
8. Why do people play extreme sports?
- People play extreme sports for the sheer thrill and adventure they experience when they play these games. They want to enjoy something they cannot experience in their daily life. They believe it is fun.
9. Why cannot the government stop people from playing dangerous sports?
- As already said that the people are attracted towards these games because of the thrill they experience. Sometimes even if the game or sport is not permitted or banned even then the people try to play these games. So the government cannot stop people from playing these games. Instead some regulations are introduced or safety rules are to be followed while playing the dangerous games.
10. What is the difference between professional athletes and amateur athletes?
- The professional athletes are those which are properly trained and compete in the sports tournaments at the professional level. But the amateur athletes who are not properly trained and they play the games out of interest or passion not as a profession.






Monday, February 2, 2015

Synonyms-Happy

Happy is a word that has thousands of meanings depending upon what makes one feel happy.
So, in this post we will first take a look at the many words which can be used in place of 'Happy' in different setups.

Synonyms:
  • content
  • cheerful
  • cheery
  • merry
  • joyful
  • jovial
  • jolly
  • jocular
  • gleeful
  • carefree
  • untroubled
  • delighted
  • smiling
  • beaming
  • grinning
  • glowing
  • satisfied
  • gratified
  • buoyant
  • radiant
  • sunny
  • blithe
  • joyous
  • beatific
  • blessed
  • glad
  • fortunate
  • auspicious
Hope these many words can help you find replacements for HAPPY when you are speaking or writing or thinking about something that makes you GLAD.

This reminds me of a question that is asked at many interviews. The question is:

What is 'Happiness'? or How do you define 'Happiness'? 

Well; I would define Happiness as a feeling that comes from our soul. This feeling is independent of the outer circumstances. We are happy when we are satisfied with what we have in life. We may not have everything but still we are thankful for what we have and that gives us HAPPINESS. 

I hope these definitions and synonyms will be helpful to you.....happy reading :)