Latihan Writing Sample TOEFL IBT: Portrait of an Elderly Woman in a White Bonnet

Audio recording and upload >>

The reading and the lecture are about “Portrait of an Elderly Woman in a White Bonnet,” a painting which may or may not be a work by Rembrandt.  The author of the reading believes that the painting was not done by the Dutch master.  The lecturer casts doubts on the claims made in the article.  She thinks that it was, in fact, painted by Rembrandt.

First of all, the author claims that the woman’s outfit is inconsistent, as it pairs a servant’s cap with a luxurious coat and fur collar.  She believes that Rembrandt would not have made such a mistake, as he paid very careful attention to detail.  This point is challenged by the lecturer.  She says that the woman’s fur collar was added to the painting by another artist at a later date.  She points out that this was likely done to increase the value of the painting.

Secondly, the author states that the depiction of light and shadow in the portrait is poorly done.  He argues that Rembrandt would not have made the mistakes which are seen in this particular painting.  This argument is rebutted in the lecture.  The lecturer observes that when the aforementioned fur collar is removed, no mistakes with light and shadow remain.  She notes that the original version of the painting is up to Rembrandt’s usual standards.

Finally, the author mentions that the portrait was painted on a series of panels which were glued together.  He notes that while Rembrandt often painted on wood panels, there is no evidence that he ever used panels that were glued together in such a fashion.  The lecturer casts doubt on this by arguing that the wood panel was expanded many years after the painting was originally done.  She puts forth the idea that  this is evidence that the painting was originally completed on just a single panel like other works by Rembrandt.

Professors on Television

Online recording software >>

 SAMPLE:

The reading and the lecture are both about the value of television appearances by university professors.  The author of the reading argues that it is very worthwhile for academics to make such appearances.  The lecturer casts doubt on the claims made in the article.  He believes that these appearances are not particularly useful.

First of all, the author claims that by appearing on television, university professors can broaden their audience and will be viewed as experts in their subjects by more people than ever before.  He believes that this can increase their importance as academic professionals.  This point is challenged by the lecturer.  He says that professors who go on television are viewed by their peers as entertainers rather than as true academics. The lecturer claims that because of this problem, being a celebrity could even affect their ability to get funding for their research.

Secondly, the author states that television appearances can be beneficial for the universities themselves.  He argues that the prestige of the university is increased when one of their faculty makes a high profile media appearance.  The lecturer rebuts this argument.  He suggests that universities can suffer because celebrity professors do not have much time for their research and students.  He argues that rather than carrying out their duties, they spend a lot of time rehearsing, traveling and getting made-up for their appearances.

Finally, the author mentions that there is a net benefit to the public when a professor appears in media.  He suggests that television is usually quite shallow and that professors can provide a very useful remedy to this problem.  The lecturer, on the other hand, feels that television networks do not want to present meaningful content.  He says that the abbreviated presentations that professors give on television are no more useful than what a regular reporter could deliver.

If you could change one important thing about your hometown, what would you change?

If you could change one important thing about your hometown, what would you change? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.

If I could have a power or whatsoever that could changes my hometown, such as a major or a governor, I would definitely using my authority to promote smart city apps in order to improve my hometown quality and viability. I take this idea for 2 reasons as follows:

In the first place, the world has been changing into a new era of the digital revolution. Those changes, however, also give a big impact to how government should be run. Using smart city app could harness this challenges and makes its turn in to opportunities that help government managing their citizens. For example, in Jakarta, the government use Qlue - a smart city app made by local developer - to poll the local problem reported by citizen.Thus, this mechanism has improved the productivity of Jakarta Government in order to quickly tackle local issued, which would improve the citizens' satisfaction.  By looking at this good example, I obviously using the same strategy.

Secondly, we live now in local movement oriented to change something. There are many tools to support this method today. For example, we could use change.org or even facebook.com to campaign a cause for the goodness of people. This way, indeed, could be implemented into a government's program to their citizen. I would optimize the use of those tools to deliver a sound policy for my people.

In general, there are many things that we could do for our hometown. For me, as children of the new era of digital information, I use the digital approach to change my hometown.  


------------

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Modern life is easier than life in the past.

 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? 

Modern life is easier than life in the past. 

Sample Essay

I definitely agree that modern life is easier than life in the past. The increased use of technology, rising standards of living, and improved healthcare have combined to make our lifestyles, at least in the first world, luxurious compared to lifestyles of the past. By examining three specific examples—personal computers, The Lion in Winter, and vaccines—this essay will demonstrate that this improvement has, indeed, taken place.

In the first place, technological advances have created new ways to take care of mundane tasks quickly and easily. For example, the majority of Americans now have their own personal computers. This is an amazing advance: with computers, we can complete tasks, from banking to ordering groceries, that would have taken hours even a few decades ago. Word processing is common, making the spread of information much easier to achieve, and education is available to all for free through online courses and information that would have been all but unattainable for many up until the end of the twentieth century. The sheer amount of access that we have to services and knowledge through these machines has made life extraordinarily easier.

Secondly, our standard of life has changed through advances in engineering, architecture, travel, and even textiles. Looking at a film like The Lion in Winter, while by no means historically perfect, does show how even everyday things were more difficult almost a thousand years ago. Set in the 1100s, the film shows King Henry II having to break ice from his water bowl to get water to wash his face—something that hot and cold running taps have long since saved us from. The queen has to travel to see her husband by a long boat journey, which would be almost unthinkable today. Finally, the entire royal family, even though they are royal, is wrapped in encumbering furs. Looking at what was once the highest standard of living, compared to the average first world standard of living today, we can see how much easier progress has made our lives.

Finally, we no longer live in fear of many common diseases that once crippled or maimed large populations, making their lives much harder. For example, polio used to strike many people, in some cases making it difficult for them to walk, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, who used a wheelchair. The invention of that vaccine in the 1950s, as well as numerous other vaccines, has created a situation in which we no longer have to suffer unnecessarily. This is most certainly an improvement over the past.

In conclusion, life today is definitely easier than life in the past. Though it is easy to read stories of nobles and kings of history and romanticize them, their lives were almost certainly more uncomfortable than our lives are. Nevertheless, there are many places in the world where laptops, modern conveniences, and vaccines are rarely found; I hope that current generations will work together to make life easier for everyone, now that it is possible to do so

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this new influence on your community. Do you support or oppose the factory?

A company has announced that it wishes to build a large factory near your community. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this new influence on your community. Do you support or oppose the factory? Explain your position.

Sample 1:

Weather it is beneficial to build a large factory near our community is a prevalent topic undergoing serious debate. Two different opinions obviously exist to support and to oppose. After pondering the opinions from several aspects, personally, I agree with the idea that it is beneficial to build a large factory near our community.

By comparing the advantage and disadvantage they will get, people judge which role they should hold. In my opinion, the advantage in this case is superior than the disadvantage. we can see it below. 

The main reason for my propensity for the choice is that the factory will supply lots of employment opportunities for society, especially the people of the community nearby. The unemployment will decrease and the people’s standard of living will increase in some degree. so, no doubt, people will accept the factory willingly and rapidly.

  

Another reason why I prefer to the statement lies in the fact that with the developing of the factory, many other establishments will be founded around it. These establishments will make the lives of the people of the community more convenient. For example, drugstores, restaurants, even hospital, new bus stop will be built up. People here will enjoy the convenience the factory brings. It is undeniable that the factory will bring some problems, such as the noise, air pollution. Whatever, these disadvantage will be limited into a low level so that they can not contaminate the environment of the community. From what has been discussed above, we can safely draw the conclusion that it is beneficial to build a large factory near our community.

From what has been discussed above, we can safely draw the conclusion that it is beneficial to build a large factory near our community.  

Not everything that is learned is contained in books. Compare and contrast

It has been said, "Not everything that is learned is contained in books." Compare and contrast knowledge gained from experience with knowledge gained from books. In your opinion, which source is more important? Why?

Example 1:

Many people have said that not everything that is learned is contained in books, while many people also say that we get most of our knowledge from books. In my point of view, the latter one is as important as, if not more important than the former one, Although not everything is contained in books, we have to learn most of the things in books. Among countless reasons, which influence the former one, I explore the most conspicuous aspects as follows:

The main reason I agree with the argument is that knowledge contained in books is systematic. As we know, almost all the books are the children of the marriage of the author’s thought with the real world. In order to express themselves, they surely use a very systematic structure to form a book, which have a specific note of their thought and experiences. With the systematic structure, we can learn things gradually, by our own pace and we need not to worry that if we had miss some of the important details because systematic structure never drop the essential points. What we only need to do is follow the instructions directed by the author and grasp the content by ourselves’ consideration.

There is another reason that deserve some words here, however, is that learning by reading books is an efficient way of accumulating knowledge. In ancient world, no books existed, and people should realize the world by exploring everything by themselves. This method apparently takes too much time and energy. But  with the ready-made knowledge provided by the books put in front of us, why not take on it directly? It will  save us a lot of time to take advantages of others’ thought and experiences than we explore them by ourselves.

It would not be too kindly disposed to the idea that not learning knowledge in books is not important. Of course, gaining knowledge from experience is not without advantages. Because experiencing the life by oneself would be more impressive and could effect you for a lifetime. Such examples are not rate in our personal life.

In a word, to choose way of gaining knowledge is something of a dilemma to public because they sometimes are confused by the seemingly good qualities of learning by experiences, but neglect the most genuinely good aspect of learning by reading. For the reasons presented above, I strongly commit to the notion to by reading, not by experiences.

Example 2:

It has been said, ”Not everything that is learned from books”. This is true, since we cannot know everything from a book. or the other books. In my point of view, knowledge gained from books is more important than knowledge gained from experience for two main reasons as follows:  

First of all, the reason of the importance is that the resource of knowledge from books is more wide and various than those of knowledge from experience. It can make us fit the necessary of the variety of life and work. Those knowledge can be acquired from books written by our other persons who may be mostly our predecessors. In the fact, it is impossible for us to obtain all knowledge through our practices. When we are still students of school, we must study and read our textbooks or other books to get knowledge in our major orrelative fields although we have to do some experiences in the lab sometimes.  

The Second reason for the importance in gaining knowledge from books is that we can obtain it more quickly and more accurately than from our experience. We can spend very short time and less energy to obtain many knowledge which is from books written by other people who maybe had probably spend much time even their lifetime to make experiences and write books. As a student, one of us can study and know many knowledge which is concerned with many fields in one semester or one year.  

Finally, the importance for obtaining knowledge from books lies on the obvious fact that it can save much money for us If we get all knowledge only from our practices, how much money must be taken can not be known. For example, in order to get knowledge about one place though our practice , we have to spent money to go there by bus or other ways and spent money to live and stay there if it is necessary. On the other hand, we can only spend less money to obtain knowledge about there by buying and reading one book about there. Of course, knowledge gained from experience is also important for the reliability of knowledge must be tested and verified by experience. All of knowledge, which we study from books, is actually from other persons’ experience indirectly or directly. We have no reason to refuse accumulating knowledge though our experience and writing down as books and articles for our offspring or other persons to study and obtain them later.  

But it is no doubt that we have infinitely chance and time to get all knowledge from our own practice. What we can do is get our necessary knowledge from books in our limited money and time and energy. Reading books is the more important way to obtain knowledge than making experience.  

Example 3:

Upon the question that which source is more important? Knowledge gained from experience or from books? People may have different opinions. Admittedly, both of them have advantages and disadvantages, and they are both important. The undeniable fact is that "Not everything that is learned is contained in books." If someone who wants to know how to swim or drive just reads through books but never experiences himself, he can learn nothing in the end. This example can tell us how important it is to gain knowledge from experience. But as for me, a college student, I would say, gaining knowledge from books are more important. There are three reasons support my point of view.

The main reason for my propensity for gaining knowledge from books is that, some knowledge can never be learned from experience. As we all know, some knowledge is recorded by scientists or people from ancient times to present, from home and abroad. They are the symbol of wisdom. We can say, books are not only excellent source for us to know about the past, but also excellent source for us to know what is happening in the world today, and what is probably going on in the future. Without books, how can we gain the precious knowledge from our forefathers ? Without books, how can we know one thing or two about the outer space? Obviously, it is impossible to know that from experience.

A more personal reason why I think knowledge from books is a more important source is that it is not only a broader source, but also, it is an efficient way to learn. Gaining knowledge from books can save us a lot of time and energy. As a college student, it is not necessary to test every theory in one's own experience; and it is not necessary to get involved in explaining every phenomenon you meet by your own experience. Just look into your books! The knowledge from books can help you understand them more quickly and even better! The last but not the least reason, knowledge gained from experience is relatively limited when compared with knowledge gained from books. Our life is limited. Time waits for no man. So, if we want to learn more, reading books is a better way! Through reading books, we will better develop our personality and our moral integrity, above all, enrich our own knowledge!

As I stated above, if you want to explore the mysteries in the treasure house of knowledge, pick up your books, and you will find the way!

Food has become easier to prepare. Has this change improved the way people live?

Nowadays, food has become easier to prepare. Has this change improved the way people live? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Answer:


One of major problem that should be faced by human for century is providing food. It was often made people have to war each other because the lack of food supply. According to new development of human civilization interaction in last century, I agree that the change of how food are prepared in a way shape a more peacefully world than make the quality of life better.

By real number of statistic, even we often see many wars happen in some part of this planet today, the number of war causality is dramatically decrease for this century. For many centuries, human always encounter one big war per hundred years. Many experts say that one of the reason of the big war originally driven by economic motivation that is the lack of resources of one countries such as the availability of food. Because of globalization, the supply of food is more available for people regardless of their nationality. This mechanism, somehow, prevents a big war among the nations.

Furthermore, we also see that number of human life expectancy is increase. According to World Bank Report in 2016, this happen because human have already get enough food to keep their healthy and make longer their age. Food become more easier to prepare and distribute. Now, poor people is easier to get the food than many years ago. For them, this is very crucial for keeping their life and doing something more productive to increase their income.

Finally, the easier food prepare the more productive people doing their job in life. The new technology and technique in food preparation process give more time for us to do other things. It means that we have option to increase our productivity. Food, which is still healthy enough of our body, now could be reach in shorter time. 

Generally, our life is getting better when more food are available for us. Although, it could be more unhealthy to our body, I believe that the effect is not significant. Food is human basic need, thus making this need more easier to get, in part, also make easier for humanity as whole.   


Any comment? Fuuh...