MUET Sample Essay Answer

The world today is turning more to electronic communications such as the

e-mail, Facebook and Short message System (SMS). What is your opinion
of this growing trend? Discuss. You should write at least 350 words.

Everywhere we turn today, the world is crowded with people busy typing SMSes on
their Nokias or iPhones or someone is staring unblinkingly at a Facebook or Yahoo
page on the computer screen. Whether you like it or not, the age of Information
Technology is upon us, and we can either learn new skills and adapt to this new
technology, or be forever lost and stuck in the older generation. In my opinion, I am
fully convinced that this growing trend is the way of the future, and it brings
countless benefits to mankind. In this essay, I will discuss three positive effects of
electronic communication, namely its efficiency, enhances communication and
creates a borderless world community.

First and foremost, more and more people are relying on e-mail, Facebook, Short
Message System (SMS) and other types of electronic communication tools because
of its high efficiency. This is because in today's age of globalisation, we need
information at the tip of our fingers. Moreover, with the use of these tools, we can
increase the speed of getting the necessary and relevant information within
seconds and this will increase our productivity. For example, gone are the days of
using 'snail mail' or regular letters using stamps and envelopes and many more
examples of 'old' technology because it is simply too slow and inefficient. Therefore,
these e-communication tools increases the access to important information which is
why the new generation is fully accepting this growing trend.

Secondly, this form of technology enhances communication among people today.

This means that when we use SMS, e-mails and websites like Facebook, we are able
to communicate clearly and directly to our target audience. Furthermore, people
today find that the message is more important than the form it comes in as an email in short but clear sentences is just as good or even better than a long and
formal letter. For instance, an SMS can give clear instructions in just a few words
and this communicates what needs to be done quickly and directly. Thus, when the
intended message can be spread clearly using short and clear information like in
SMSes and emails, communication can be enhanced and there will be less problems
of miscommunication.

Last but not least, e-communication creates a borderless community in the world
we live in today. This is due to the fact that the boundaries that separate each
country becomes less relevant when information is transferred without limitations.
In addition, the world would be a better place because there is a sense of 1-World
commitment, respect and tolerance for the global community through efficient and
clear e-communication. Take for example, we are able to connect with people on an
international basis using Facebook, Friendster, Tagged, Hotmail, Yahoo and others.
Hence, these tools will enhance global unity and create a more peaceful world.

In a nutshell, this growing trend has many positive effects not just to individuals but
the global society in terms of efficiency, enhancing communicative skills and
shaping a borderless community. In my opinion, I still firmly believe that this latest
trend is the best way forward and if we do not catch up, we will be left behind by
the tide of development. Our government can encourage the proper usage of
electronic communications by increasing communication amenities and broadband
accessibility especially in rural areas so that they can enjoy the same facilities as
city-folks therefore balancing the development of our country towards achieving
Vision 2020.

Man's careless attitude is the main cause for the destruction of the
environment. Discuss. You should write at least 350 words. (60 marks)

In this modern civilization, man struggles to survive the high cost of living expenses,
which significantly increases with each passing year. This causes them to use any
method available that generates income and they start to sideline the importance
of preserving nature. This is due to mankind realizing the potential of economy that
can come from nature. So, I strongly believe the destruction of nature is mostly
caused by man's careless attitude whereby they prioritise their greed for money
and the development of civilization. Let us analyze this phenomenon in terms of the
country's development, illegal activities of exploiting nature and the job
opportunities.

First of all, many nations try to achieve the title of the most leading nation in
economy or infrastructure. So in order to compete with other countries, most
nations try to explore any available land in their country for development such as
industries, tourist spots and many other purposes that are related to money.
Whenever they see the potential of a certain piece of land, they tend to develop it
despite some of these places might still be uninhabited or the home for many
wildlife. Sometimes, they would also plod through jungles or level the mountains for
road development which severely changes the landscape of nature. As a result, this
selfish and careless act will cause the deforestation and global warming. For
example, Indonesia has become quite careless with their handling of these
problems. In Kalimantan, Indonesia, the forest is being severely deforested by their
people for land development. And to make matters worse, they even choose the
fastest and cos-saving method of deforestation which is by burning down the trees,
the mass release of carbon dioxide from the mass burn down of trees lead to ozone
thinning and greenhouse effect. Also, the haze problem is another negative side
product. As for the real victims of these acts, they are the neighbouring nations
such as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Philippines especially as haze causes
many health issues such as lung cancer and breathing problems. Therefore, these
careless acts and greed not only cause the destruction of nature but also endanger
many lives, both man and animals.

Secondly, some people's greed for great fortune and easy life make them become
selfish and careless by over-exploiting nature. They willingly do illegal activities
such as cutting down trees or animal hunting, seeing the high demand for these
materials. It will slowly cause the depopulation of different kinds of flora and fauna.
In China, these activities of eating inner organs of animals such as tiger or bear and
they even use these animals' body parts for economic purposes such as tiger skin,
crocodile skin and elephant teeth and tusks by exporting it to those who pay a high
price for it. This has a serious effect on the ecosystem which is the extinction of
animals. In Indonesia, trees are being cut down for making expensive house
furniture made of material such as teak wood. In fact, these trees require a long
period of 10 to 20 years to mature. Thus, the continuous cutting down of trees will
eventually lead to its extinction. This activity is illegal by law and still occurs widely
despite many countermeasures that have been taken by the authorized
organizations such as World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Somehow, these criminals are
able to slip through the organizations enforcement laws of protecting the wildlife
and nature. Plus, most society are careless to even take notice of these problems
because they have yet to come to awareness of the dangers that would happen
from these illegal acts. If only they had given more attention and cooperation to the
authorized organizations, these problems might have been able to be prevented.

Lastly, to survive in this modern world, every person needs to be able to make a
living for themselves of their family, but many people with low education level
cannot get high salary jobs, even university scholars are yet to be certain of getting
a proper job after their graduation despite their high level of education. The
competition is just like the survival of the fittest among these graduates and people
with low qualifications. Therefore with the growing demand for more natural
materials such as petroleum gas and minerals from the earth as well as a high
demand of smuggled goods, people are willing to pay high prices to have
employees do their job of exploiting nature because these jobs are high risk. So
people that are desperately in need of jobs are usually tempted with the pay and
they would take up the call. This situation had opened up a lot of job opportunities,
but they are careless to not realize that these jobs are the main cause of nature's
destruction because they are being pinned down by the pressure of high living cost
in this modern world that they have forgotten the importance of preserving nature.

In a nutshell, I still strongly believe in my opinion that nature's destruction is mainly

caused by man's careless attitude. They strive to make a living in the world so
desperately that some eventually deny the truth that it is their own fault for
nature's destruction. If no serious and proper actions are being taken immediately
by many wildlife and nature preserving organizations or authorized organizations
such as WWF, UNESCO and ASEAN to prepare an effective strategy or blueprint to

prevent this problem, there probably won't be any jungles or wildlife left in the
future and our young generation will have to live in a polluted world.