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Essay topic: Do you think that the United Nations Organization perform a
useful function in promoting peace and happiness in the world?
A successor to the former League of Nations, the United Nation Organization has
played a unique role in international relations, since its inception at the end of the
Second World War.
The failure of the League of Nations to live up to the ideals of peace and harmony
among nations revealed many weaknesses and deficiencies in that organization,
which could not prevent bellicosity or belligerency. But leaders of the world were
determined to continue their efforts for the prevention of further wars, and it was this
aspiration for peace that led to the creation, without another world was, and the
tremendous expansion of its international activities, indicates that the United Nations
Organization has not only acquired viability but also achieved a considerable measure
of success in the pursuit of peace. Today, the activities of this organization extend to
all fields of human endeavor.
It is true, however, that wars have been fought in various parts of the world such as
the Korean and Congo Wars, despite the existence of this large organization, whose
members include almost all the important countries of the world, including
Communist China, who had at one time earned the odium of many countries as the
instigator of wars. Wars have also been fought between its own members, in defiance
of one of its main principles forbidding wars among its members. Even today there is
a war in Bosnia and perhaps there will be more wars in the future; but the armed
intervention of the United Nations Organization in all the major conflicts has at least
restricted the wars to certain areas and removed the threat of another world war. In
many cases the United Nations has also been able to persuade the belligerent parties
to cease fighting and agree to settle their political differences by negotiations. This
fact itself proves the usefulness of this organization, though doubts have been
expressed in certain quarters about its effectiveness.
The United Nations Organization has also made a great contribution to the
advancement of the people of the world. Through its subsidiary organs, such as the
World Health Organization (W.H.O.) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (U.N.E.S.C.O.) it has extended its activities to the remotest


regions of the earth. It has at its disposal the services of a large number of specialists
of all nationalities, who are sent round the world to contribute their talent, experience
and knowledge to the welfare of the human race. These specialists have worked with
a missionary zeal in the countries to which they were sent, and as a result of their
work and advice, many countries have made tremendous progress in all spheres of
national life. Doctors, scientists and educationalists from the United Nations, as well
as the financial aid that this organization has given to several countries have played
their part in promoting the happiness and welfare of the people of the world.
It is therefore hard to deny that the United Nations does perform a useful function in
the promotion of peace and happiness in the world.
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Essay topic: What would be to your mind an ideal education system?
A country is weak or powerful, which depends on its education system. Realizing the
important role of education in life, Ho Chi Minh, in one of his speeches on education,
said: “For the sake of ten years’ benefits, plant trees; for the sake of one hundred
years’ benefits, educate people.”
An ideal education system must try to carry out the following aims.
First, training human personality both mentally and physically is important. It is said
that a sound mind is in a healthy body. The morality and the quality of a man must be
the main concern of the Department of Education.
Second, schools must be connected closely with families and society. Schools must
always encourage pupils’ families to cooperate in educating their children.
Third, the practical side of education must be emphasized. An ideal education system
must not be entirely theoretical; on the contrary, theory must be linked up with
practice. Besides the cultivation of knowledge for young generations, ideal education
must train them to have great capacity and skills so that they are ready to make steady
progress in life.
Fourth, society is more and more developed; therefore, textbooks and curriculums
must be often supplemented in accordance with present and future needs.
Fifth, training and tempering a passionate love for one’s country in every citizen’s

heart, ready to serve their country in peacetime and to fight courageously to protect
their fatherland in wartime. The examples of sacrifice of our heroes in the past as
well as in the present must be introduced through textbooks in elementary schools.
Sixth, training and forming educators, teachers and professors of good conduct and
high quality, teaching and educating students and pupils to hold their teachers in the
greatest veneration and respect. Furthering the traditions to respect teachers and
esteem morality highly in every class of people.
To sum up, an ideal education is the nucleus of an ideal society.
Essay topic: The reason why the young people prefer to live in town
Young people are always active and keen on learning; so most of them prefer to live
in town.
First of all, living in town, they have many chances to widen their knowledge.
Nowadays many language schools and centers open in town. They can go to any
evening classes to improve their foreign languages such as French, English, Russian,
German, Japanese and Chinese. Experienced teachers and professors are ready to
provide them with what they want to know. Besides that, they can go to public
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libraries or English speaking clubs to broaden their knowledge and improve their
English speaking skills.
Second, living in town, they can keep abreast of current affairs all over the world by
reading newspapers, magazines or by watching television or listening to the radio. In
the morning, they saw Kuwait occupied by Irag troops but in the evening, they saw
them driven out of this oil-producing country by powerful allied forces.
Third, our country is open to all foreign investments and town is the cradle of
industrial development. Therefore, upon graduating from university, they can have
favorable opportunities to make full use of their ability.
Finally, there are many comfortable means of communication and entertainment in
town. They can go anywhere they like and after a hard day’s work they can enjoy
minutes of recreation by watching interesting films on a large screen in a modern and
air-conditioned cinema in town.

For the above-mentioned reasons, an urban life has always been a fascinating appeal
to all young men in the world.
Topic: Life in the city
Life in the city is full of activity. Early in the morning hundreds of people rush out of
their homes in the manner ants do when their nest is broken. Soon the streets are full
of traffic. Shops and offices open, students flock to their schools and the day's work
begins. The city now throb with activity, and it is full of noise. Hundreds of sight-
seers tourists and others visit many place of interest in the city while businessmen
from various parts of the world arrive to transact business.
The towards evening, the offices and day schools begin to close. Many of the shops
too close. There is now a rush for buses and other means of transport. Everyone
seems to be in a hurry to reach home. As a result of this rush, many accidents occur.
One who has not been to the city before finds it hard to move about at this time.
Soon, however, there is almost no activity in several parts of the city. These parts are
usually the business centers.
With the coming of night, another kind of activity begins. The streets are now full of
colorful lights. The air is cooler and life becomes more leisurely. People now seek
entertainment. Many visit the cinemas, parks, and clubs, while others remain indoors
to watch television or listen to the radio. Some visit friends and relatives and some
spend their time reading books and magazines. Those who are interested in politics
discuss the latest political developments. At the same time, hundreds of crimes are
committed. Thieves and robbers who wait for the coming of night become active, and
misfortune descends upon many. For the greed of a few, many are killed, and some
live in constant fear. To bring criminals to justice, the officers of the law are always
on the move.
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Workers and others who seek advancement in their careers attend educational
institutions which are open till late in the night. Hundreds of them sit for various
examinations every year. The facilities and opportunities that the people in the city
have to further their studies and increase their knowledge of human affairs are indeed

many. As a result, the people of the city are usually better informed than those of the
village, where even a newspaper is sometimes difficult to get.
The city could, therefore, be described as a place of ceaseless activity. Here, the
drama of life is enacted every day.
Essay topic: Discuss the role of the police force in society
The police force plays a vital role in the maintenance of law and order in society. It is
a source of moral strength, confidence and happiness to all individuals who seek to
live a good life in society.
The ideal of a police force has been conceived centuries ago, when lawless acts were
committed everywhere; but it was only in the nineteenth century that effectual steps
were taken to build up a strong police force in almost every country. Life, before the
introduction of the police force, was indeed insecure. Violent acts such as murder,
were committed with impunity by cruel and reckless men. Even those who were
weak and feared revenge by stronger men nevertheless found it safe sometimes to
commit lesser crimes such as theft and robbery. Without the restraining influence of a
powerful organization such as the police force, the passions of men were aroused
easily, and lawlessness prevailed everywhere. Individuals grouped themselves
together and terrorized whole villages and towns, and there were wars between rival
groups. This state of affairs caused great sorrow and acute anxiety to whole
communities and everyone lived in constant fear, uncertain even about his immediate
future.
The establishment of the police force, however, has changed the state of affairs in
society. The police force has enabled the law courts, which have existed since ancient
times, in certain countries even before the introduction of the police force, to function
more efficiently. Criminals are apprehended and punished, with the help of the police
force, to deter others from committing acts injurious to innocent citizens. Most
people therefore have learned to control their criminal tendencies. The alertness of
the police force in the detection of crimes has not only discouraged most people from
breaking the laws of society but also compelled them to exercise restrain and self-
discipline. Consequently, society as a whole is more peaceful than what it was before

the establishment of the police force.
As the aim of the police force is to promote the welfare of society, it is constantly
engaged in creating the conditions in which people can live and pursue their own
affairs without interference from thoughtless individuals. The rights of every member
in society are protected by the courts through the agency of the police force, which is
therefore a source of inspiration and hope to all law-abiding citizens. Any
interference with the rights of one citizen by another is frowned upon by the police
force.
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In their efforts to promote the welfare of society the police force extends its activities
even to the remotest regions of the country. If a man is lost in a dense forest or at sea
by his own fault or otherwise, members of the force do their utmost to find and bring
him back to his family, however unpleasant the effort may prove. Seldom do they
give up their search if they are certain that the man still survives. Dedicated to the
service of society, they are prepared to work under any conditions to protect a person,
sometimes even at the risk of losing their own lives.
The knowledge of the activities in which the police force is engaged has increased the
confidence and moral strength of people in society. Even the cripple and invalid are
given every protection. Thus, people today can live in greater security and happiness
than they could before. Society therefore owes a great debt of gratitude to the police
force.
Essay topic: The difficulties in learning English and how to overcome them
Beginners of foreign language always meet difficulties from the outset. For me, I had
to overcome these problems when I started learning English.
English pronunciation is my first obstacle. The pronunciation in English puzzles me a
lot because the same letter has different sounds. For example the letter “a” in “bath”
is not pronounced in the same way of that in “bathe”. The “ou” in “South” is also
different from “ou” in “Southern”. Generally verbs and nouns are pronounced
differently although they are written the same. Record is a good example to illustrate
it.

In order to solve this puzzling question I carefully study The A.P.A (The
International Phonetic Alphabets) which helps me pronounce English words
correctly.
In order to have an accent just like the native speakers, I often listen to tapes and
repeat after them, trying to imitate them. Moreover, my everyday conversation with
the foreigners I meet in the street will enable me to acquire a proper accent.
Compared with French, English grammar is much easier. However, this does not
mean that learners meet no difficulties in learning it. It took me a long time to learn
how to master the tenses in English grammar, to endeavor to do as many grammar
exercises as possible and read various grammar books.
In writing English, English language has its own style. In order to drill writing skills,
I have tried to read famous novels of distinguished America and English writers. I
enjoy the humorous style of writing in Mark Twain’s masterpieces, the elaborate and
polished style of George Eliot and the sentimental and lyrical style of John Keats.
After long and hard years of English study, how pleased I feel when I am able to read
English and American authors without any obstacles and difficulties at all.
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Posted by Edwin Nguyen at 3:01 PM
Essay topic: Your most embarrassing experience
Our family live in the suburb of HCM city, not far from the central city. It is about 30
kilometers to the South.
Last week my parents, my brothers and my sisters paid a visit to my grandparents in
the country and I therefore stayed at home alone. I used to get up very early in the
morning. As usual, after going to the market to buy some necessary things, I came
back home to start doing the housework such as cleaning the floor, making the bed,
making coffee and preparing lunch. The house now was so clean and tidy that it
seemed bigger and larger. I had worked from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. I was so tired
that I had to stop working for a rest. After 15 minutes of relaxation, I started working
again.
Right after I had taken the teapot from the cupboard, I suddenly felt something

burning downstairs. I got so embarrassed and frightened that I dropped the teapot
while I was hurrying downstairs. To my horror and surprise, the kettle on the electric
stove was on fire. I was in such a confusing state that I was quite at a loss. Then I
came up an idea: I rushed to the switchboard to cut off the electric power. The house
suddenly became as dark as pitch. In the pitch-dark kitchen, the kettle turned so
dazzling red that it looked just like a hot burning sun on a stifling summer afternoon.
Talk about the importance of agriculture
Since the time men learnt to grow crops, agriculture has been the main source of
food. Today, most of the people in all parts of the world, especially in developing
countries, are engaged in agricultural activities.
Human is mainly a grain-eating animal. In Asia, most of the people eat rice. In
Europe, North America and Australia, wheat is the main food crop. If rice and wheat
cannot be grown, millet and other cereals are grown as food crops. Though men also
eat meat, they enjoy eating meat only when they take it together with rice or bread
which is made from wheat. It is therefore clear that grains are the main source of
man’s food, and grains are agricultural products.
Men, however, cannot live on grains alone. They need other foods too to make his
meals more palatable. Therefore, they learnt to grow vegetables, potatoes and fruits.
Like grains, these things come from the soil. They have to be planted and grown with
great care. As a result, men have made many experiments on soil for several centuries
to increase their production of crops. Men have also learnt to consume dried leaves to
refresh themselves. Tea and tobacco, the dried leaves of certain plants, have become
very popular as sources of refreshment. Even coffee and cocoa are products of plants.
Cotton, jute and other fiber are used to make cloth and several other things for our
daily needs. All these plants have become very important in agriculture.
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In some countries, agriculture is a main source of wealth. The rubber tree and the oil-
palm in Malaysia bring millions of dollars every year. In Bangladesh, the jute plant is
the main source of wealth. Similarly, in almost every country there is at least one
plant which makes a great contribution to the economy of the country. We arrive at

the conclusion that agriculture play an important role in men’s world.
Topic: Today there is some changes in the educational system. In your opinion,
how should we change to raise the quality teaching?
Education is to draw the best in children and to develop their faculties. Education is a
complicated affair as it is supposed to equip children for life. Since life styles are
always changing, the contents of education must also be changed accordingly. The
school is supposed to provide necessary experiences to the child. When a child leaves
the school, he may lead a useful life.
But in the traditional school, the child was supposed to learn mainly the 3 R’s. So the
chalk bard and the text books were the main stay of the teacher who was to shape the
character of the child. Rote memory was insisted upon and examinations were based
on this learning technique. There was not much of a difference from year to year on
the way children were tested. The examinations conducted did not test all the
faculties of the child. So, it was necessary for those who got through examinations to
be trained afterwards. In short, children were very rarely taught to learn for
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themselves. This had continued for so long and the practice had to be abolished.
Once this was realized, many new methods of teaching were tired and many new aids
had been used for a better education of children. Today the school is a very
complicated organization; the teacher is no longer the sole arbiter. The children,
instead of being passive listeners, have been made active participants. They are
handling, feeling, planning, creating and learning with newer tools and aids. The
subjectivity has give place to healthy objectivity.
In order to make education relevant and meaningful, children are exposed to almost
life like situations. They must know how to live as good citizens and honest members
of society. They must know how to live as good citizens and honest members of
society. The way the school creates situations with these ends in views is important.
On the intellectual side, the library and the laboratory must play a vital role. They
complement and supplement more and more, and the use of library and the laboratory
must be encouraged through proper assignments. The playing field, various camps,

many organizations like the Junior Red Cross, etc. have to be fully utilized to shape
the character of the child. Beside the text books, there are other aids for learning.
They much be judiciously used. In fact, there are hundreds of ways in which the
audio-visual aids can be used with advantage.
Examinations must not be used to show weakness but must be a yardstick for proving
the all-round education of the student. The questions must be objective and reliable.
The examinations must be welcomed by the students. In order to satisfy the diverse
population, there must be diversity in programs, approaches, resources and aims and
room for experiment. Examinations should be a challenge for students.
The world is shrinking and nobody can feel parochial. So education must equip
students for world understanding and world citizenery. Science and technology must
find their places in any scheme of education. Any system of education must help turn
out a fully developed and all-rounded personality.
Essay topic: Describe a village you know well
I was born and have grown up in the country in a small village beside a beautiful
river. My village is surrounded in a hedge of green bamboos. Most of the houses in
the village are built of brick and have red tiled roofs.
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In the middle of the village there is an old pagoda with high trees around it. On the
first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, the villagers often go to the pagoda to give
offerings to The God of Agriculture.
On the right of the village flows quietly a clear and blue river. When I was young, I
used to swim in the river with my friends. How can I forget the wonderful time on
this river fishing or rowing a boat with my boyhood friends!
On the left of the village lies the village green where village meetings are often held
by village officials. On this ground covered with soft grass we used to fly kites on
windy autumnal evenings.
The majority of villages live on agriculture. They get rich thanks to their fertile rice-
fields and their diligence. Harvest time is certainly the busiest and the merriest time
of the year. During the harvest, the villagers often get up very early in the morning.

They cheerfully go to their rice-fields to harvest the bumper crop – the fruit of many
months of hard work.
My villagers are very friendly and helpful. They are willing to offer mutual help in
any case and always get on with one another harmoniously.
My village is rather small indeed but I like it very much because I was born and have
grown up there and spent my happiest childhood among the simple and hard-working
villagers who always feel attached to their native land.
Essay topic: Do you think that homework should be abolished? Discuss its value.
Homework is a bitter pill for many students. Teachers always give homework. They
are given to help students to revise what has been done in the class and also the finish
task set in school which the pupil could not finish on time.
Education and mastery of knowledge, is a matter of skill so the more practice one has
the better skill. There are skill subjects and knowledge subjects. Both these categories
require drill and repetition. The teacher, to some extend, drill the student in the class
but each individual student cannot be expected to do the same amount as skills of
students vary from each other.
Homework need not necessarily be repeating what has been done in the class, it may
be more study. The student goes through references and acquires more and better
knowledge. The world of knowledge is so wide that the class alone cannot bring
everything into the grasp of the student. So the student must take up some initiative
of his own. This is one of the purposes of homework.
The school also must see that the students are overburdened homework. The teachers
must see to it that the homework is distributed evenly throughout the week. Still there
are subjects like mathematics or transcription in the lower classes which require daily
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attention. There are other aspects of school work which can be attended to during the
weekend, for example, map making and drawing diagrams.
Simply because some boys find homework too much to cope up with, it cannot be
abolished. The school should provide some facilities, so that the boys can
conveniently attend to their home work and the teachers can come willingly forward

to help such boys.
Essay topic: Should teachers give pupils too much homework? Discuss.
Many people now think that teachers give pupils too much homework. They say that
it is unnecessary for children to work at home in their free time. Moreover, they argue
that most teachers do not properly plan the homework tasks they give to pupils. The
result is that pupils have to repeat tasks which they have already done at school.
Recently many parents complained about the difficult homework which teachers gave
to their children. The parents said that most of the homework was a waste of time,
and they wanted to stop it. Spain and Turkey are two countries which stopped
homework recently. In Denmark, West Germany and several other countries in
Europe, teachers cannot set homework at weekends. In Holland, teachers allow pupils
to stay at school to do their homework. The children are free to help one another.
Similar arrangements also exist in some British schools.
Most people agree that homework is unfair. A pupil who can do his homework in a
quiet and comfortable room is in a much better position than a pupil who does his
homework in a small, noisy room with the television on. Some parents help their
children with their homework. Other parents take no interest at all in their children’s
homework.
It is important, however, that teachers talk to parents about homework. A teacher
suggests suitable tasks for parents to do with their children. Parents are often better at
teaching their own children.
Essay topic: The importance of examinations
Life today has become so complex that examinations have come to play an important
part in one’s educational career. Examinations are considered so important that most
students are afraid of them.
The ability to pass an examination is indeed a valuable quality. It shows that the
student is able to express his thought and ideas to a manner others can understand. It
also shows that the student has acquired a certain amount of knowledge in some
branches of study. Besides, the mind of a student, even if he is dull, receives good
exercise when he prepares for an examination. A student’s success in an examination,

therefore, helps employers and others to assess his mental or general ability.
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Some people, however, argue that examinations test only a certain kind of skill. They
say that many people have a good memory and a special ability to pass examinations
and achieve brilliant results, though they have no capacity for original thought or
imagination. But it should be realized that today the syllabuses are so extensive that a
student cannot expect to pass an examination by relying entirely on his memory. The
student of today must not only have a fair knowledge of the subject matter but also be
able to show his intelligence and power of reasoning, especially if he is sitting for a
higher examination. Therefore, a student’s ability to pass an examination must
indicate some of his mental powers as well as his grasp of the subjects that he has
studied.
If there were no examinations, most scholars would have been less informed than
they are today. Examinations compel students to read as mush as they can, and as
they do so, they absorb knowledge unconsciously. Further, because of examinations;
teachers have to confine themselves to the syllabuses which are aimed at imparting
knowledge in a systematic manner, and thus develop mental discipline.
Examinations are therefore an important part of academic studies.
What do you think of the important role of the teaching of crafts in the school?
The curriculum comprises of what the pupil is supposed to learn and study at the
school. As knowledge expands, the curriculum also grows. The aim of education is to
prepare the pupil for life such that he or she can settle in life as usual citizens, to
themselves and to society at large. In order to be useful one should be trained to use
his faculties or talents in the best way possible. The faculties are physical, mental and
intellectual. There should be a sort of co-ordination between these faculties and they
should be integrated in the courses of education.
The ancient days and even quite recently, education meant only training in the three
subjects – reading, writing and arithmetic. But those days are gone. Many other
abilities have been built in the child so that he may leave the school prepared to face
the challenges of life.

Such abilities include the use of hands as well. Man is not all brain. The curriculum
must provide opportunities for motor activities. They can be conveniently called
doing activities. These doing activities involve muscular co-ordination.
Man is an aesthetic animal, he can appreciate and admire good and beautiful things.
Given the chance and training man imitates nature and creates beautiful things. Man
is the only creative animal. What we are today and all that our culture stands for, we
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owe man’s spirit of creation. Man has created a lot of beautiful artifacts. From the
ordinary pin to the much sophisticated supersonic planes and computers, man has
shown his ability to create and even to surpass nature. The spirit of creativity involves
what is called craft in the school curriculum. Whenever the pupil uses his hands and
fingers in doing and creating beautiful pictures or things, it is called art and craft. Art
and craft can be learnt for its own sake, or it can be also applied to science and
technology.
Craft works pleases the person who practices it. From the child who makes castle in
the sand to the designer of complicated machinery, there is the pleasure in creation.
Not only from the utility point of view but also from the point of view of pleasure,
crafts must find a place in the school curriculum.
Another psychological factor involves the importance of teaching crafts. A normal
child is active and wants to use his hand and feet. This is evidenced by many a child
activity. This instinct to act is being channeled in useful ways in the teaching of
crafts. So crafts can bring about a psychological transformation in the child. In fact, it
is the expensive medium for a not too intellectual.
There are many crafts like drawing, painting, carpentry, weaving and bookbinding.
Some of these crafts have a profession I value as well as recreational value. Realizing
their educational value, Gandhiji introduces his famous craft centered education
which he called “Basis Education”. Some of the crafts can be taught in the curriculum
of special schools. Crafts have some value later in life for the student. He can practice
crafts peculiar to a locality. For grown-up boys crafts with utility value like watch
repairing, electric wiring and radio repairing should be taught. This may mean extra

work for the staff and additional expense to the society, but it is worth the effect.
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