PTE Speaking - Check Pronunciation of words

The increasing number of pageviews has motivated me to write more on PTE academic test :-)

I have noticed that in 'Read Aloud' section, there are some repetitive words for which pronunciation is different for different people. Please check at the cambridge dictionary how to pronounce these words correctly.

 eg: of -  /əv/  /ɒv/  

       off - /ɒf/  /ɑːf/

Vary
Very

Analyse

Government 

Technology 

Technological

World

Depth

Situation

Determine

Explosive

Global

Competitive

Important

Thesis

Ace

Persuasiveness

Arguments

Predilection

Devastation

International

Significant

Centuries

Years

Evolved

Eventually

Colony

Recognized

Ingredients

Coasters

Power

Versatility

Durability

Mosaic

Magnificient

Acerbic

Curators

Philanthropists

Financial

Economy

Economical

Finance

Development

Environment

Contemplation

Journey

Disguise

Elites

Myths

Consumerism

Organization

Thresholds

Disaster

Analysis
clothes
escape
February
hierarchy
prescription
yolk
accessory
way
arctic
asterisk

athlete

cache

cavalry

chaos

jewelry
niche
picture
wintry
year
innovative
busy
guilty
build
business
paper
rich
reach
hill
heal
anxiety
infinite
theory
theoretically
wander
wonder
monarchy
laboratory
heart
eyes
ice
biology
biological
psychology
geography
loose
lose
accept
except

I keep updating this list..

Essay - Education a biggest barrier in learning

Education is the biggest barrier in my learning - Einstein. What do you mean by this? And do you think Einstein was correct in saying that.

            Education is an effort of the senior people to transfer their knowledge to the younger members of society. In traditional education system, the educational system was too small and the content of education was related to religion, philosophy, metaphysics and scriptural subjects. This is the reason why Einstein considered education to be the biggest barrier in his learning. This essay will analyze both sides of the argument.
            According to Einstein, students learn through a formally designed education pattern restricting their thought process. Also, there are some rigid rules like age of admission, content and duration of course, procedures of examination, selection of elective subject, etc. which are designed by government or designated agency such as school. The students are taught and given the answers to the questions and these questions come in the examination to test their retention power. Thus, students are not encouraged to think out of the box and search for solution themselves. They all are expected to provide the same answer which is in books. This example shows why Einstein believed that formal education hinders the process of learning.
             However, in my opinion, education in schools is important for children as it provides disciplined environment, proper guidance from teacher, extracurricular activities to develop basic skills like reading and writing. In addition, modern day education is aided with a variety of technology, computers, projectors, internet, and many more. There is much to learn and more to assimilate. For instance, internet provides vast knowledge and students should be allowed to search the answers to their problems themselves. This will help them in coming up with different solutions and succeeding in life. Thus, we can say that education plays a vital role in the initial learning phase of educands.
             Looking at both sides of the argument, we conclude that the current education system is the building block of learning through proper teacher’s guidance and using new technology such as internet.

Essay - Value added by travel in Education

Value added by travel in Education. Is travel a necessary component of education or not ? Will scholar sitting at home have more knowledge.

                                                                  OR

Travel to study is over rated, we have brilliant scholars who studied locally. Is travel really required for higher studies?

                The development of society is going towards a globalised world where education is an essential foundation for personal, social and economic success. International studies are becoming a new trend for young people as a way to expand their education beyond their traditional education style. It is agreed that adding a foreign qualification has become an integral part of higher studies. This argument is proven by looking at how it widens people’s perspective and helps them with better career opportunities.

               Studying abroad helps people increase their awareness about different cultures of the world. This will contribute in creating individuals with a broader understanding of issues concerning today’s society rather than limiting them in a scope of home education system. For example, universities have a large community of students both from the local area and all around the globe. The diverse academic community enhances the quality of learning by providing wider spectrum of opinions and expertise. This example clearly shows that international education enhances outlook and sharpens self-awareness. Therefore, we can say that traveling is an important element of education.
               Moreover, acquiring a globally recognized qualification or degree opens the doors for international job market. The students gain more knowledge and expertise when abroad and apply them to situations requiring international interactions. Also, employers look for the graduates with international experience either by studying or working abroad. Thus, we can say that international studies add value to a student’s education.
                In summary, it can be said that travelling to foreign countries for higher studies is a key to succeed in this globalised planet.

Essay - English will remain a global Language

I won't be writing the full essay here but giving the supporting points. Though I will write the essay later, please form the structure of essay yourself in the meantime.

Do you think English will remain to be a global language despite globalisation?

There are so many benefits of learning English and they can be found in many sides such as in international business community, technology field, education, and in the social life.

• In international business environment, English holds an important role to make the business goes well. English is very useful when company build cooperation with another international company from different country. To become the winner of the hard competition in business world, businessman must be able to understand and use English well. Besides that, a company prefers to hire an employee who has a good skill in language, especially English. However, by understanding English will improve the prospect for employment in business environment and help the businessman able to handle the business problem efficiently 
• English takes a large part in the growth of technology. Almost every electronic devices use English especially computing and internet. That is because most of scientists write in English although some of them use English as their second language. English is not only use in the hardware but it is used in the software also. Every command in the computer is in English and to operate it people should understand English first. In the internet, there is a lot of information written in English such as e-mail, blog, and social network. It shows that learning English gives many benefits to the advance of technology. 
• In education, the international student should have capability to speak, read, and write in English. A student can access any information in the books, internet, and magazine with the help of English. Successful academic career depend on how deep the understanding of student in English because in international standard education English is the primary language which used in learning process. Besides that, if the students know English well, they also will be able to read and understand the great work in literature that related with their study which written in English. In this case, English can be assuming as the root of the international education. 
• As a social creature, people will continuously interact with the other in various social lives. In this case English become unifier of the difference in language. People will be easier to express their idea about something or exchange information in English to the other people from different country. English is the tool for digging information deeper and deeper again to know what actually happen in the world. If people have a good capability to speak in English, it will be widening their knowledge because they will be able to understand more information than those who are not good in English

Essay - Law changes human behaviour

Some people believe laws change human behaviour. Do you agree with it?

Everyone knows that laws are the rules laid by the government on the citizens of their respective country.  It helps in smooth functioning of the nation by governing the behaviour of people. It is disagreed that laws can change behaviour of a person. It can only assist in creating a disciplined environment for the society and controlling the crime to some extend but not eliminating it.

                Firstly, imposing laws has created a sense of fear among people of getting punished. For instance, damaging the historical monuments, books, paintings, sculptures or other form of art is considered a crime and is punishable under vandalism law. This example shows that a person with moral responsibility will take care of other’s assets but a person who is not worried about the consequences will deface them. Thus, we can say that human’s action can be regulated by laws but cannot be changed completely.

In addition, in our day to day life, we follow rules without even realizing them. Traffic law is an example of this. Today, most of us follow the traffic signals out of habit. We stop at a red light, start an indicator before a turn and wear seat belt when we are on road. Thus, we can say that laws embed some changes in human behaviour to some extent. However, we are still facing road-accidents which clearly show that rules and regulations have controlled the behaviour of mankind without altering them completely.

In conclusion, we can say that rules and regulations can help in controlling the behaviour that is dangerous.  Laws not only help in checking the reckless nature of people but are necessary for the development of society.

Essay - War of Ideas

In a war of ideas, it is people who get killed”. Does a common man suffer from a group’s ideology? Express your opinion, and support the same with reasons and examples.

                Throughout history, the thinking of a group of people is impacting the lives of thousands of civilians. Whether it is considered on a political or social level, a set of decisions of a group explains how a society should work.  It is completely agreed that in the conflict of interest between different countries or different groups within same country, it is the innocent people who sacrifice their lives. It can be seen from the incidents of World War II and September 11 attacks in United States of America.

                 First of all, during World War II, a group of countries namely US, UK and China united and attacked Japan with explosive atomic bombs destroying the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing more than one lakh civilians. This is a clear example of the decision laid by a few countries against Japan to surrender to its Allies. Though, these countries achieved victory in their mission but Japanese people are still suffering from the radioactive radiation effect which resulted in blindness and mental disorders. Thus, we can say that political ideologies of a group can drastically harm society.

                In addition, September 11 attacks on US by a group of 19 militants, associated with Islamic extremist group, hijacked four airplanes and killed around 3,000 people by colliding airplanes into symbolic US landmark. This example clearly shows how the decision and planning of these terrorist activists took lives of thousands of innocent people.

                Looking at the above examples, we can say that it is common man who is suffering from the social, economical and political interests of a few people.  It is hoped that in future, the major decisions concerning every citizen or the civilians of another country, would be taken considering its consequences.

Essay - Extreme sports

Pros and Cons of extreme/adventure sports.
                                               OR

Dangerous activities like extreme skiing, bungee jumping etc. and whether u support them or not.

               The popularity of extreme sports has continued to grow over the last decade. These activities are undertaken at high speed, high altitude, and high degree of physical exertion. It is agreed that no amount of words are adequate to convey the thrill of skiing, deep sea diving, bungee jumping, water rafting or any other adventure sport. This argument can be proven by looking at how these kinds of sports teach self-reliance, teamwork and let everyone leave their comfort zone.

                Firstly, the risk-taking sports help in development of self confidence and independence. For instance, by successfully facing up the challenge of adventurous sports like rock-climbing, young people overcome their fears and apprehensions along the way and develop a feeling of unusual accomplishment (achievement). This makes it clear that climbing mountain, instead of an indoor game, helps in developing the balance, using more muscle groups, and taking on a journey in an uncontrolled environment that stimulates brain with countless variables. Thus, achieving your goals in an unpredictable weather, recognizing the thrill of beating storm and making it back home safely result in enhancement of overall personality of an adventurous person.

                Moreover, many people are reluctant to try new things like mountain biking, scuba diving, white river rafting, para-gliding etc., thinking that they do not possess the skills or have an ability to enjoy it. Encouraging people to try new activities results in building up team spirit, promoting positive attitude and making them come out of their comfort zone. Thus, we can say that by trying out dangerous sports, one can get rid-off the negative feeling and develop a feeling of working as a team.

                Looking at the above, we can say that adventure sports have many impressive benefits including problem solving, improved communication skills, self-confidence and team work. However, it is recommended that these sports should be tried under proper guidance and supervision of a guard.

Against

               While every sport has a danger, extreme sports athletes are at a high risk of serious injuries. For example, back-country snowboarders are known for riding on an unpredictable terrain where avalanches are common. Since these off-piste riders do not ride on a groomed slope, hazards such as large boulders and fallen trees can be easily hidden under large deposits of newly fallen snow. As can be seen from this example, even a smallest misstep can plummet big wave surfers more than 30 feet below the breaking ocean waves. Thus, we can say that adventurous people are prepared to gamble their safety in search of adrenaline rush.  

Essay - The best invention of last 100 years

 What is the best invention of last 100 years, computer, antibiotics, airplane, and explain why.

                                                                OR

In the past 100 years, there are many inventions such as antibiotics, airplanes and computers. What do you think is the most important invent for the past 100 years? Why?

                 It is evident that science and modern inventions have revolutionized the world and is a blessing to mankind. With the advent of  computers, antibiotics and airplane, humans have progressed in all spheres of life.  In my opinion, computers seem to be the greatest inventions of all times. This could be clearly seen by looking at its multitasking capabilities, ability to store information and utility in almost all fields.

                First of all, computers can do numerous mathematical calculations with incredible speed and pin point accuracy. For example, a person can simultaneously execute more than one task, thereby increasing the productivity and reducing the human errors. This makes it clear how the human involvement is minimized by just supplying data to the computer for evaluations and getting results in fraction of seconds. Thus, I can say that computer is one of the most outstanding innovations of the last century.

                Secondly, computers can store large amounts of information and a user can retrieve it later for further processing. For instance, trend analysis and forecasting in a company are done by referring to historical data. These examples illustrate the usefulness of computers for measuring the success of a company.  It is obvious from this that the computers  have contributed significantly to the world’s economy.

                Finally, there are many uses of computer in different fields of work. Engineers, architects, jewels, and film-makers all use computers to design things. Teachers, writers, and most office workers use computers for research, word processing and emailing. Small businesses can use computers as a point of sale and for general record keeping.

                In conclusion, we can say that computers are the top innovations of all times considering high speed processing at a time, high storage facility and presence in almost every field. It is hoped that new software’s and hardware’s will keep on making the computer better as life without computer seems to be like a rose without petal.