Category: PTE

1. Describe a time when you were cheated/when someone lied to you/someone did not tell you the complete truth

• What the occasion/situation was
• When this happened
• Who the person was
• What he hid about
• Why you think the person did not tell you the whole truth

      Or they could ask to talk about a time when you lied to someone

• About cheating or lying, I guess everyone faces this immorality (=dishonesty) on many occasions
• It’s sad that it’s a part of our life, but we cannot help it
• I would like to recount (=tell, narrate) one of the incidents that I’d gone through recently
• I wanted to buy a belt, so I visited one of the premium shops in town
• The sales officer, named Jenny, attended my purchase order
• She showed me many belts from the display and went on pitching striking points/qualities of each belt. I settled with one of my choices and placed the order
• I am an animal lover, and therefore, I abstain from using genuine leather products. I don’t want to be a part of animal killing or brutality
• I shared this resolution with her and asked her to show me only those belts which were made of the artificial material that looked like genuine leather
• She very well understood my point, but she went on withholding (=conceal, hide) information with respect to the belt material and presented false information
• She confirmed proudly that the belt was made of artificial material only
• Two days later, my father happened to see that belt, and he liked it. He wanted to try it on, and while doing so, he told me that it was made of genuine leather. He knows how much I love animals. He was surprised at my decision to buy the belt made of genuine leather
• Jenny sold the product with lies and deception (=betrayal, disinformation). Therefore, I returned it after three days
• It’s undesirable and unacceptable. I was upset with her lies and felt cheated
• I don’t know why she had to lie to customers. Maybe she would get incentive on each order, and because of making extra bucks, she might have done it. But whatever it is, she shouldn’t have done this, especially when someone like me who is an animal lover would be much annoyed at such deception

Follow-up questions:

• Do you think telling white lies is acceptable sometimes?

Surely (=admittedly), it must not be ever. I believe there must be a severe penalty for lying. Anybody who lies on any matter cannot be trusted ever. Whether it is once or frequently, I think we should take a serious note of all forms of lying. Unfortunately, in some cultures or countries, lying is not seen as a big (=significant) offense as other crimes, and people take it casually. I am afraid of this behavior and treatment for people who lie and deceive. This could lead to colossal (=enormous, huge) fraud or crimes at some stage. Therefore, I would say that we should nip the evil in the bud (=kill the evil at the start).

• Do you think honesty is the only important (=outstanding) quality that should be in person?

It’s not the only quality that people should possess, but it’s, undoubtedly, essential to the core. Just imagine if a person is dishonest, he may set a false narrative in the relationship. In some cases, people are devious and take advantage of innocent people by peddling lies and dishonesty. They may rob of peace of someone with their harmful agenda. Hence, I give a lot of significance to honesty, but there are other qualities, too, which cannot be ignored at all.

• Do you think children should be taught honesty at a young age?

It goes without saying. The foundation plays a vital role in good qualities, such as honesty, etiquette, discipline, compassion, and others. Once the child grows and becomes a teenager, it’s hard for parents and schools to mold him for these basic (=necessary) qualities. Because he becomes adamant and stubborn on a certain (=particular, specific) issue or might have built the foundation of non-cooperation. Initially, children may get mad at us for being the enforcer of consequences. But if we don’t do that now, they will be a huge (=massive) liability for everyone.

• Do you think that being completely honest at all times can be not good?

It’s true that sometimes your steadfast honesty turns on to you. Regardless of its consequences, we must not bend our ethics. However, we must make one exception on this topic. We’ve seen many intellectuals are dishonest, and they engage themselves with depravity (=wickedness, degradation). You cannot defeat them straight, so you have to change your rules to beat them. For example, in Mahabharat, Duryodhana fought the war with Pandavas and justified it, but his justification was wrong in spirit.

• Why do people lie sometimes?

Well, I’ve no idea why they do so. Maybe they get benefitted from a pack of lies, or perhaps they get the sadistic (=ruthless, brutal) pleasure of putting someone down. I guess there’s a remote possibility that some people are born for lying and manipulating. That comes from their lineage (=clan, origin, pedigree), or they learn from their parents.

• How would you define white lies?

It is straight. Some people refuse to accept reality, no matter what happens. If you tell them that the earth is round, they will fight you with lies and make you feel that the earth is flat. Such manipulators or better I call them as intellectually dishonest people present ingeniously (=skillfully, aptly, deftly) pack of lies.

• Some people say liars are those who have a good memory; what do you think?

I’m not sure about this thing. But I know of one thing sure that liars have to memorize a lot because they need to present the same lie over and over again.

• What are the other ways to teach children about honesty, except having parents or teachers teach them?

I believe the school foundation plays a vital role in establishing certain habits and hacks (=strategy, technique) of life. Children should be rewarded for every small act of their honesty. At least once in a week, there must be a class that gives importance to ethics, morality, discipline, and other essential qualities in our life. Inspiring stories that centralize honesty as a virtue should be included in the school curriculum.

2. Describe your idea of a perfect home or dream house

• Where this place would be (is)
• What it would look like/what it looks like
• When you would like to live there/when you want to live there
• Explain why it is ideal for you

• Currently, I live in a three-bedroom apartment in the city
• It’s the location which offers comfortable access to all places of the city and well connected with public transportation
• If I were to have my dream house, it would be a penthouse surrounded by trees and located in the suburbs for some reason
• I think the house beautifully decorated from flooring to a state-of-the-art kitchen boasting a 14-feet ceiling makes sense
• I would love to have an airy living room leading to the spacious terrace with the white oak flooring. Such a decorating setup makes the home lively and refreshing
• Along with these, I would love to see French windows all around my home because it allows more natural light, and they look elegant
• My home must include integrated lighting, irrigation, and audio. The open terrace will be like a garden with a private space created by using green climbers where you can sit and enjoy some private moments
• Flowering plants of all size to give color and simple wooden benches with artistic chairs for sitting will be the part of my living
• I guess to build my dream house is very expensive, and I don’t think that it will be done sooner; might take another ten years to accumulate that much of fund, so I guess it will be when I’m in my thirties (or you can say after ten years or so).
• Such a house will give everything that I want
• First of all, I’m a nature guy who loves trees, serenity, chirping of birds, and fresh air. When I’m home, the rich (=luxurious) wooden furniture will always give me a sense of living in a beautifully-designed home. And, when I go out to my terrace, flowering plants and green climbers will give (=provide me with) me a glimpse of the garden, and I can watch a bright blue sky with birds flying
• This whole package makes my home perfect; in fact, more than perfect
• I have been dreaming of such a place to live whenever I get an opportunity for long. Unfortunately, I can’t do that right now because, for this dream house, I need to make a lot of money, and I guess it will take some years to fulfill my dream
• I see home is more than four walls because you live there, enjoy every moment of life, and there are emotions attached to it. There’s no place like your home in the world; no matter how busy you are or how far you travel for various activities, but the real pleasure we get only when we return to our home

Follow-up questions:

• Do most Indians live in an apartment or a house?

My country is blasting with the population, and you see people everywhere. Unlike other countries, land per person is not enough because of a high density. And, that’s the reason prices of the land always go north every year. Most Indians don’t have the luxury of owning a house but live in an apartment.

• Do young people in your country like to live with their parents or by themselves?

Well, the answer is Yes and No both. It all depends upon the disposition (=frame of mind, personality) of the person. Some young people believe in living in a joint family, whereas others see it as an infringement (=invasion, violation) in privacy. On the whole, our society is structured culturally in a manner wherein people enjoy living with parents, and they don’t like to separate them.

• Do Indians like to rent a place to live?

Again, it rests on personal choice. But broadly, I believe that Indians love to own the place as they believe that taking a home loan and pay an EMI because you become a property owner (=landlord) after some years. But this logic doesn’t apply to those people who have a transferable job. I’ve personally met those people in my life, and they get really disappointed at losing on to an opportunity to buy a house or make a decision.

• Would you live abroad in the future?

Maybe Yes, and that’s why I am taking this English test. I’m planning to study abroad for a few years, and then I may settle there as long as all the immigration rules go in my favor.

• How is modern home design in your country different from that of the past?

There has been a lot of transition and transformation in home designing in my country over the years. I guess in the past, I mean I’m talking about some 50 years ago before my birth, people in India loved home design inspired by the living of our kings and rich history. But with time and an increasing population, people moved to small apartments as the land cost became expensive. Therefore, they couldn’t fit those heritage designs in modern apartments. These days, we’ve a neat and clean design, mainly in a straight-line pattern. The modern home design looks slick and attractive and doesn’t waste any space. For example, homes are getting smaller these days, so every inch in your home counts. I personally believe that both sorts of home designs look amazing, depending upon the size of your property. But I must admit that the modern design involves lesser efforts to design and leaves more space for use.

• In your country, what types of homes do most people live?

India is a vast country with 1.35 billion people. We’ve people from all classes, rich and poor, settled both in rural and urban areas. Plus, the weather remains different depending upon the place from North to South and East to West. For example, if you go to hilly areas of Kashmir or Himachal Pradesh, you will see homes having the shape of hut and made of pure wood because they control the chilly weather during winter. But if we see homes in other regions, they’re made of cement and bricks. Rural India, at times, is opposite to big cities. You’ll see some homes right in the middle of the farm or nearby. Depending upon the spending budget, city, and region, people live in apartments, palaces, bungalows, penthouse, affordable flats, rowhouses, and also slum areas.

• Do people prefer to live in modern homes or older-styled homes?

I reckon people love to live in modern homes owing to modern facilities that are available in modern homes. Older-styled homes look grandeur (=magnificence, opulence, majesty, greatness) and an epitome (=exemplar, embodiment, type) of royalty, but our lives have changed dramatically over the centuries, and we need homes that offer the best functionality. I guess modern homes address all the solutions to comfort our day-to-day life. Additionally, maintenance time and cost play a significant role in choosing the home. And those go in favor of modern houses.

• How are modern homes different from older homes?

As I said to you, there is a massive difference in both styles. Older homes offer decent heights, natural light, and grandeur furniture to make you feel like a Maharaja. But modern homes have all the answers to our day-to-day life. People may not have time and money to maintain homes, and what they want is functional features such as spick and span (= neat, clean, and well looked after) premises, well-lit area, use of every corner of the home in this expensive world, the right type of electrification that supports several gadgets and white appliances (=goods) and others.

3. Talk about someone who encourages you to achieve goals or someone who encouraged you to achieve a goal

• Who the person is
• How he/she is related to you
• How he/she encourages you
• What this person encourage you to do
• Something about that person which you like the most
• Why this encouragement helped you to achieve this goal

• It’s a golden question
• In many battles of life, either we win or fail. But when we fail, we more often get emotionally negative for various reasons. And it’s hard to get unstuck on many occasions
• Such events impact adversely on you, and at times, you do something unimaginable and hard on you further
• So, the bottom line is we need to remain focused on our goal. However, it’s easier said than done. Therefore, you need someone who could lift your spirit and turn your negative thoughts into positive actions
• In my life, I look up to my mommy as the best person who always takes me out of the swamp (=marshland, mud) when needed
• If I’m out of sorts, or feeling overwhelmed with emotions owing to desperations of being left out to reach my goal, my mommy comes to rescue me to bring back normalcy
• She always tells me, “Your chimp is the reason that puts you down, so control it.” You know we have a chimp inside us, not the real one, but the one who keeps talking to you always and steer your life.
• She tells me that it’s me who has to guide my chimp to become either a monster or a victor. And, yes, she is right in that. Ever since I’ve tried to control my chimp (myself) from inside, things changed dramatically, and it turns a negative perspective to a positive one
• The best thing I like about her is the way she tackles my frustration and guides me to get rid of it rapidly. She’s untiringly calm when it comes to addressing my issues. She is as cool as a cucumber, whereas I’m, at times, impatient. Therefore, this chemistry works wondrously in my case
• Her wisdom helps me steer out of danger and brings me back to the point. In this extraordinarily competitive world, we want to be a winner professionally. Plus, as I said to you about the Chimp who thinks 100 times faster than you – whether it’s positive or negative. Hence, there’s a big deal of maintaining calm. For example, when you’re close to your target, you become overboard (=crazed, enthusiastic, zealous), and there we’ve got to control. At the same time, when things don’t go as you think, it takes you down, so we’ve to see that we’re not mired into a swamp

Follow-up questions:

1. Why is it important for teenagers to set their goals?

If children aren’t (ain’t) inspired to make their careers at the right age, they probably are not able to become responsible citizens ever in life. They become a burden on parents and the state also. For example, I see many people who are in their twenties or thirties in my country, but they are not at all worried about their life and life of people around them. It pains many, and they not only ruin their lives but also of others. Therefore, it is ‘US’, I mean parents, society, teachers, and the surrounding, who have to ensure them of the right guidance and check (=stop) them from indulging into any sort of nuisance at large.

• What will encourage children to learn more?

Well, there could be many things that encourage children to learn more. I guess the first thing is their own natural motivation. I mean, some people are born to learn new things, and they need no push at all. In some cases, parental guidance and stature of parents constantly influence them to push their limits. Some children grow hearing chitchat between parents about ambitions, challenges, innovative ideas, and other things that inspire them further. Lastly, I believe successful stories of winners motivate children. Humankind has an inclination to share and tell stories of those people who have made a difference in our life. Some children start idolizing those people and try to be them or better than them as well. This is how we’ve a positive environment, which works well for children.

• Do parents and teachers punish children these days?

Yes, I think so, but maybe not in a harsh way the way it used to be in the past. In the past, children were controlled harshly in some cases, but gone those days now. It’s the need to discipline children before they go astray. Because when we’re very young, we’re restless and think as if we own the world. But the reality is quite the opposite of this fact. Therefore, teachers and parents need to check on them time after time for their good. The absence of supervision from these both parties could be detrimental to their careers.

• Who do you think has a greater influence on the goal-setting of children? Teachers or parents?

I think both play a critical role in inspiring children to do something extraordinary. We cannot place the sole responsibility on parents or on teachers. If we do the math, children broadly spend their one-third of time at school and the same amount of time at home and the rest in sleep. So, what they learn at school must be supplemented and supported by parents equally, or the whole exercise gets defeated.

4. Describe a time when you first met someone

• Who the person was
• Where you met
• When it was
• How was your experience?

• We meet several people in our life on many occasions
• Some of them stay with us forever, and others just disappear with time
• Those who leave a long-lasting positive impression on our minds either become friends or someone to deserve a special honor for their benevolent (=benign, caring, generous) acts
• I’m the guy who generally doesn’t make friends quickly as I’m introverted by disposition (=tendency, personality)
• But I do get gravitated to those people with who(m) my ideology gets aligned
• I recount (=tell, narrate) one of the incidents which gave me a good friend, and I’m thankful to God for rendering (=give) such an opportunity
• A few years back, I remember passing by Queen’s Street on Prince Edward Island and happened to see an injured cat paining and meowing
• She hurt her leg and was in excruciating pain. The moment I saw her sorry plight, it tugged at my heartstrings (=to cause strong feelings of love or sympathy), and I rushed to rescue her
• I had my limitation as I was not a vet (=veterinarian), so I wanted to help her get rid of pain and nurse her wound but helpless
• Luckily, a girl named Georgina was passing by, and she saw us and immediately pulled over her car to check on us
• She is as much animal lover as I am. Fortunately, she is a vet. Plus, she enjoys helping stray animals and dedicates her some time to go around the city and reach out to such patients
• She and I took the injured cat to her dispensary, where this cat was carefully attended. She took me to a tour of a shelter house on her property that she had built for this cause. I was taken aback (=surprise) to see her efforts, dedication, and sympathy. She is a good Samaritan (=someone who gives help to people and others who need it)
• From that incident, we became good friends because there was one thing in common in both of us was the animal love
• We shared various stories of how we tried to assist stray animals in our ways and found a good reason to be friends forever
• So, this injured cat who we named ‘Gucci’ connected us to become good friends, and both of us are thankful to ‘Gucci’. Gucci is doing good now and delivered three kittens in the following year before she was spayed (=remove the ovaries of a female animal)

 Follow-up questions:

1. Do you think it is strange to make friends online?

Well, I believe it’s not advisable as we’ve no idea about the stranger’s background. Another thing is why to make friends online? We may have 1000 friends on Facebook, but with how many we hang out? That doesn’t make any sense. Traditionally, we make friends by going out and about. We travel, walk the dog, volunteer some specific causes, frequent cafes, or clubs, or attend evening classes. These have been ways to discover new people over the decades. Maybe, people in thirties or forties yet prefer these ways to make friends. Things may change with the youngster. They have entirely (=quite) new ways to come across others. These days, we’ve seen many mobile apps where you discover new friends, or sometimes you sit behind a computer and start blogging on the ‘WordPress’ platform, which enables you to find friends across the world easily. Online gaming is another tool wherein youth happens to meet new friends as well. But, overall, I believe meeting new people in person and knowing them rather than being all over virtually and never happen to see each other. Strangers, at times, put you in trouble as well, and we’ve heard many such negative stories, too.  

• Why do some people have few friends?

Having many friends or not all depends upon our personality type. Some people are extroverted and vocal, whereas others are introverted, or they love being with few friends only. I guess some people want limited numbers of friends and believe in maintaining a healthy relationship throughout their life. There is no point in having hundreds of friends, because sometimes when you need them, they are nowhere in sight.

• What is more important – a new friendship or an old one?

I reckon both types of friendships are equally important in our life. Yes, there is some difference, especially when you are connected to someone over the years. There’s a kind of exceptional bonding because relationship matures with time. Having said that, it also works against it as, in some cases, we carry forward a little animosity (=opposition, strong dislike, anger) if any that occurred years back to our present life as well. A new friendship is all about unlocking a new experience. For example, we get married, and our partner could also become a new friend, and s/he must be needed more than anyone else in the world. Additionally, our dynamics change, like moving from one school to another, one job to another, and one place to another. These all-new settings also impact our relationship. Distance and availability, to some extent, sweeten our relationship with friends.

• How do companies welcome their employees?

Large corporations send an electronic greeting to new recruits and sometimes with the greeting card and welcoming ceremony within the department. I’ve no idea about small corporations because it’s managed by the boss or manager wholly. Therefore, it all depends on the disposition (=personality, tendency) of them. Some bosses are extraordinarily congenial (=harmonious, friendly), and they treat each employee as a family member, whereas other bosses distance themselves from day one, citing specific reasons for it.

5. Talk about a newly built public facility (such as parks, cinemas, etc.) that improves/influences local life quality in your city

• Which the facility is
• Where it is
• How it improves life quality
• How you feel about it

• I would like to talk about a park which was built, I guess, one year ago in the vicinity near my home
• The municipality has named it ‘Maharaja Ranjitsingh Park’
• I guess it is in the remembrance of Maharaja Ranjitsingh who was one of the bravest kings that my country had produced centuries back
• It’s located around one kilometer from my home, so I think it is well placed for me because whenever I desire to visit this park, I can walk to it, which offers me some warm-up before I arrive at the garden
• Recreational clubs, playgrounds, and parks are essential parts of our life to refresh, especially in my country, which has a population of over 1.35 billion people. It’s the most densely country on this earth when we see the land area per head (person)
• Parks offer us ‘me time’, and you could rewind yourself by sitting in a serene (=cool, comfortable) environment, on the lush green grass surrounded by various types of beautiful trees. On top of it, chirping of birds animate your inner feelings, and you have nothing but to fall in love with nature
• I’ve seen people from all walks visit and enjoy life in this park. This park is something special compared to others as it houses a lake in the center. Sometimes, you happen to see flamingoes and tortoises (NB=check pronunciation) and small fishes, too
• Personally, I like this park enormously for many reasons. It’s a huge garden and has everything for all aged people. I like its walking track the most because it is covered by tall trees on both ends. So, when you walk, it makes you feel that you are being welcomed by nature and protects you from the sunlight. Therefore, I’m able to conserve some more energy and stamina, which invariably helps me stretch my jogging rounds
• Plus, as I said that there is a lake in the center. I believe that’s a well-thought plan by the urban designer. My city has no seashore, so, at times, we miss an opportunity to experience water frolic and a glimpse of it. This suffices

Follow-up questions:

1. What measures should be taken to deal with damage to public facilities?

Public property damage is a nuisance everywhere in the world. People act recklessly and don’t feel ownership of anything until they pay from their wallets. Hence, whatever public properties are around us are taken for granted. Two things we can think of implementing to stop this menace (=nuisance). One, we need to educate people at the elementary level about civic sense and morality. Children grasp and apply whatever they learn at the school rapidly. Once they are grown up, it’s hard to discipline them because there are chances that they become rebellious. These children, when grow, become responsible citizens and value for everything – be it personal or public property. Second, all public places must be put under surveillance. Through CCTV cameras, we can catch anarchists and damagers.

• What is the difference between the old facilities and new facilities?

It’s a slightly difficult question to answer. Anyway (X= not anyways), old facilities were built according to time and need, and today things and tastes of people have changed dramatically. So, maybe they are not much wanted. Additionally, most of them are worn out and lack of finesse and attractions. On the contrary, new facilities address all those issues. They are with time and taste both. What was something popular may not be the same in the current scenario. For example, when I go to my club to play tennis these days, the club administration has placed a device that dispenses sanitizer for members. This was not in need previously, but, after the coronavirus pandemic, such small facilities address the needs of today.

• What facilities do young people and old people like in your country?

Well, I can’t typecast (=establish, estimate) the choice of the young and old people since it rests on personal inclination. But, broadly, I would say that old people love socializing people of their time, and they more often prefer parks, temples, and also recreational clubs where they sit and enjoy times. About the youth, they always love recreational clubs, playgrounds, or eateries, where they could hang out with friends.

• What is the difference between facilities in the countryside and the ones in the cities?

I think the overall setup remains unchanged, whether it’s a rural or urban area in developed countries. But that may not be true in a country like mine because there is a massive difference between what’s offered in cities and the countryside. What I said just now would be available in cities, but in the countryside, you may not see such facilities. Having said that, it doesn’t mean that people in the countryside don’t enjoy their life. They have natural scenic places and lakes where they hang out with friends. They’ve plenty of land on which they build a deck and play actual drama to entertain people.