ENGLISH INDIVIDUAL ORAL QUESTIONS (IB)

 

 

What ideas and images do we associate with a healthy lifestyle?

In my opinion the main point is balancing our lives. Most of the people think that a healthy lifestyle includes only eating vegetables and fruits, doing tons of cardio and not even tasting the meals that include carbohydrates. This idea is wrong. Because a lifestyle should be able to last forever. We should also include some awards like chocolate or pasta in our diet.

What constitutes an identity?

The society plays the biggest role while creating our identities. Because our values and culture affect our way of thinking and our lifestyle as well. Our family and our friends may change our point of view. For instance, when we visit our family members who live abroad may develop our personality. While talking with them we might use another language. And the language we use improves our vision. When we start talking another language, we might think in a different way than usual. The vocabulary and the grammar that we use changes, and this leads to change our point of view. On the other hand, our friends and family might also limit our perspective. If we live in a city for several years without going anywhere else, we might limit ourselves, as we won’t be able to encounter new ideas. Therefore, the society, our values, our culture and our family members constitute our identity.

Furthermore, our goals, interests, dreams and career also play a huge role while forming our identity. For example, I love reading and writing a lot. These interests of mine create my personality and identity. As I have these interests, I will be a lawyer in the future. Therefore, my career will also affect my identity.

How do we express our identity?

We can express our identity in several ways actually. First of all, language is a way of expressing our feelings, emotions and our identity. Our word choice gives a hint about our personality. We can also express our identity with our choice of clothing. The brands we use or the style we got create our identity. Moreover, our food choice gives a message about our identity. When we eat in a restaurant, we may choose something healthy, something expensive, or something basic. Technically, our lifestyle is the way that we express our identity.

How do language and culture contribute to form our identity?

The words we choose forms our identity. Therefore, in the novel 1984 there is a language called “Newspeak”. People are banned to use some words which will create a chaos in the society. Because language shapes our mindset and point of view. Our attitude is formed by our language as well. As language forms our identity, our identity will shape our attitude towards a situation.

Culture is a thing that can both limit our perspective and broaden our vision. If we only learn about one society’s culture, and if don’t know anything else about other cultures, we will not be able to improve ourselves. So, this will lead to limit our identity and personality. However, if we learn about different cultures, and go abroad in order to develop our view we will get the chance to broaden our vision. Therefore, our identity will be shaped in a more different way.

How does travel broaden our horizons?

When we visit other countries, we can see what people are doing in other countries. We can observe their lifestyles and routines. Their language, customs, way of thinking, dressing and eating will broaden our vision. Tasting their food or visiting that countries popular places will improve our vision. By only watching series from different countries, we can learn lots of new things about other people on the World. Therefore, when we visit another country a try to communicate with them, we will develop other perspectives which will affect our identity and lifestyle in the future.

How does our past shape our present and our future?

Our past consists of our family, friends, traditions, experiences and our culture. Each second we learn new things about life, about ourselves and about our choices that we are going to do. Actually, our past shapes our identity and personality which will affect our choices in the future. Events in our childhood forms the way we think, act and choose. If we experience something harsh in the past, we will be able to stand strong. For instance, if we lose our beloved ones or deal with some problems in the past, we can change our mindset and attitude towards similar events in the future.

How would living in another culture affect our worldview?

I have lived in the Netherlands for five years. Now I have been living in Turkey for thirteen years. Both of the countries have affected my worldview with their customs and traditions. First of all, the people living in those countries are really different. Their lifestyle and perspectives differ. For instance, in the Netherlands, people think simpler and find easier solutions when they encounter problems. They are definitely more open-minded. In Turkey, people are more hospitable and friendly. As you can see, the people have different personalities in different cultures. Encountering different customs affect our worldview. Now I have the ability to think in several ways as I have seen different point of views. For instance, when there is a global problem, I can think from both sides, which is a positive thing, I guess. Different languages and different mindsets shape our identity and worldview.

However, both of these cultures have the same problem: Racism. This kind of social problems also affect our worldview. I really can’t understand why people do not accept different nations. Each culture has different benefits for both their society and the World. If we live as a group, without discriminating each other, we can live happily ever after.

How do developments in science and technology influence our lives?

Developments in science and technology influence our lives in several ways, which can be both positive and negative. For instance, the lifetime of people has increased due to the developments in technology and medicine. We can produce more food due to genetic engineering. As hunger is a global problem nowadays, the development in science has a prominent place in our lives. Additionally, the invention of mobile phones, the internet or the vehicles are also really important. These technological developments facilitates our lives.

However, we also encounter some problems such as cancer because of the genetically modified food. Or while producing meat, we release greenhouse gases a lot which leads to global warming and acid rain/deposition. In our lessons we have watched several videos about producing greenhouse gas emissions. Our carbon footprint enlarges day by day due to our thoughtless acts. We should consume less meat, use public transportation in order to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Therefore, the developments in science and technology has a huge influence on our lives.

How do the arts help us understand the world?

Arts definitely broaden our vision. For instance, during the pandemic I have read more than a hundred and fifty books. Literature has changed my mindset and I learned about other lives in other countries and other eras. Some of them might be completely fiction, but all fiction novels are made up from the things and ideas from real life. After having a passion about reading, I started to write my own essays, and fiction short stories in several languages. In order to write about something, you have to analyse things around yourself and learn about life and the world. I have also been playing the piano for eleven years. Each time I play a new piece, I feel the emotions of the composer and even live in that era with other pianists. The passion helps us understand the world, in order words, arts improve our vision.

What can we learn about a culture through its artistic expression?

Arts give information about the culture and the customs of that country. For instance, each country has its own folkloric dances or own traditional songs. The artist of that country has the culture, beliefs, and point of view of the society. As society shapes the identity of the artist with their values, customs and culture, the artist forms his/her masterpiece with his/her own identity and experience. For instance, the “Turkish March” from Mozart, gives the idea of Turkey, especially Istanbul. I have always thought that the rapid flow of that piece describes the crowded city: Istanbul. Or the painting “Guernica” from Picasso describes the War, misery and poverty of the society of that era. All in all, we can learn a lot about the history of a culture through its artistic expression.

How do the media change the way we relate to each other?

The media has changed the way we relate to each other a lot. First of all, we can communicate with people from all over the world really fast. We can reach any information from the internet in just a few seconds. We can reach the news, get in touch with our friends who are living in different countries and gather information by checking scientific research or articles. As the communication is faster, technological developments has also increased. And as technology improves day by day, the media changes and gets better. It’s just like a cycle.

On the other hand, social media platforms lead to both misinformation and disinformation. Especially teenagers, children and uneducated people get affected by this kind of information really badly. For instance, during the pandemic, most of the teenagers have seen some posts on Instagram about dieting. As those posts misinformed the teens, most of them have suffered some diseases like anorexia nervosa and eating disorder. Therefore, media has changed the way we relate to each other in both positive and negative ways.

What is the individual’s role in the community?

Individual’s should show respect to each other and cooperate when there is a problem to solve. Having professions is the main idea of the society. When we need a doctor, we can go to a hospital easily. Or when we need a lawyer, they can help us. Therefore, individual’s should be honest, respectful and try to be the best in their jobs in order to be beneficial in the community.

What role do rules and regulations play in the formation of a society?

Rules and regulations help people to live happily and peacefully together. I want to be a lawyer in order to create equality among people, races and genders. Justice and peace are the key point of the rules and regulations. However, as we see in the novel 1984, some regulations can lead to totalitarianism and a despotic system. Therefore, the regulations should be in a great balance and should be beneficial for the whole society.

What role does language play in a society?

Language is the way we communicate with each other. We can express our feelings, thoughts, ideas, beliefs and dreams through language. Language can be considered as a code or a password among the society. For instance, music is a language which can only be understood by musicians, singers and composers. Furthermore, mathematics can only be understood by the people who know mathematics. Therefore, language does help us to communicate within a society and also keeps secrets from the people who doesn’t know that language or in other words, the code.

What ethical issues arise from living in the modern world, and how do we resolve them?

Racism is the most popular problem nowadays. Actually, it has been the most serious problem for centuries. When people go to another country, even if the intention is to visit and spend a holiday in another country, the citizens of the other country treats other unrespectful most of the time. The topic racism is mostly spoken in United States as the black people are treated badly. However, this issue is a global issue and is seen everywhere. People classify each other according to their physical appearance or skin colour. Each nation thinks that their nation is the best. If people behave respectfully to each other, no problem will arise. Why cannot everyone be a global citizen? Why cannot people delete the word “racism” from their minds?

Additionally, gender inequality is also another issue arise from living in the modern world. Women are not paid the same even if they work in the same job with men for equal time. People do not show respect to women. Most of the people think that men are better in their jobs. Furthermore, most of the people think that women should only babysit and should not go to work at all! Due to this ridiculous ideas, most of the women cannot get the carrier they want or they have to fight against people in really harsh conditions.

We have to educate people in order to change their mindsets. If they can see different perspectives as well, then they will not behave silly. We can start campaigns in order to stop these ethical issues. And if governments take action and create new legislations or regulations, people will be able to fight against these problems much easier.

What challenges and benefits does globalization bring?

In order to understand globalization, we need to learn different languages beside our native language. The communication problem can be considered as a challenge for each nation or country. Because even if we speak the same language, we don’t know about other countries’ cultures and lifestyles. For instance, in Turkey we are dealing with the university entrance exam. However, other countries will not understand what kind of problems that teens are encountering as they haven’t experienced this life. And also, the teens in Turkey will not be able to imagine how other teens are living.

However, I believe that globalization is beneficial for the humanity. Being able to learn the news from all over the world in a few seconds is an amazing thing. Especially, during the pandemic no one could see each other. Therefore, internet was a great opportunity to communicate with people.

What challenges and benefits result from changes in urban and rural environments?

I have always lived in urban area, therefore, I strongly believe that urban areas are much comfortable than rural areas. For instance, technological developments helps us in many ways: we can do research really fast, we can produce more food, we can go from one place to another in a shorter time, we can communicate with the whole world in just a few seconds.

However, in rural areas, people have to deal with their problems on their own, without using technology, or using a little amount of technology. Most of the time if they do not have technology, they have to harvest with human power, which costs a lot of money, work and time. On the other hand, rural environments don’t deal with greenhouse gases that much and they have natural food. In urban areas, people suffer from genetically modified food which leads to cancer and other health issues. We can say that both urban and rural environments have their own benefits and challenges.

What opportunities and challenges does the 21^st century workplace bring?

As the technology is developing really fast, new jobs are created. Therefore, people can get education about those new areas such as mechatronics or genetic engineering and find jobs easily. When new areas of knowledges occur, more people have the chance to get a job and get paid. On the other hand, people who work in the most popular jobs have a huge competition among each other. For instance, lawyers and doctors should be the best in their area in order to get the clients or patients.

As the competition has increased people are educating themselves much more than before. Now being bilingual is not enough, therefore, everyone learns at least three languages. Furthermore, most of the people attend double major. My dream is to study law, economics and business management all at the same time in order to be the best lawyer in the world. The competition is enormous, so I should be different from other people in that workplace. In my opinion the 21^st century workplace bring more challenges than opportunities when we look at the whole picture.

What environmental and social issues present challenges to the world, and how can these challenges be overcome?

Racism, gender inequality and global warming are the present issues that challenge the world. In order to reduce racism we can start campaigns and speak out loud when someone is being racist. Even in our country Turkey, people suffer from racism a lot. Very different nations and races have lived in Anatolia and they are still living in our country. However, people somehow do not show other nations respect and most of the time bully or discriminate them. Racist people should be penalized in order to overcome this challenge.

Gender inequality is another serious problem. In order to raise awareness, people should help women. In the future I would like to create a law company which is a peaceful place for women to work. They should not be paid less than men or they should not be bullied. Women can be great at their jobs and they do not have to do all the house chores themselves.

Global warming is another topic. If we use more public transportation, use more renewable energy and plant more trees we will survive this problem easily. The main point is to work together in order to overcome these problems.

How and why do different cultures mark important moments in life?

Customs and traditions can differ from culture to culture. Each culture has different moments that they consider as important. For instance Halloween, Thanksgiving and Easter is important for Christians while feast of sacrifice is important for Muslims. Also nations have some important days like Republic Day or 4^th of July. The reason why different cultures mark important moments is to create a national consciousness.

On the other hand, funerals or baby shower are some similar traditions that all nations got. These moments should not be forgotten by people. These marks are in order to celebrate or cooperate with each other. When somebody has a funeral, than that person or family is having a hard time. Therefore, people are there in order to show respect for both the family and the person died. When a baby is born, or when somebody has a birthday, that is an important mark for that person or family, therefore, people celebrate and have fun together. All in all, there are many different customs and important mark in different cultures. And they all have different purposes.