Solidarity

Write a story with the title: “Solidarity”

1. Describe how the students of Secondary 2C lacked the motivation to excel in anything.
2. Describe how their form teacher told them a story to inspire them to work together as a class.
3. Describe in detail how the class then worked together by forming various committees and working responsibly.
4. Describe the result of solidarity in the class.

Three classes were judged to be the top classes of the form. However, Secondary 2C was not on the list. Some of the students felt downcast. They felt that they would never be able to excel.

Mrs. Chen, their form teacher, however, had great faith in her students and felt that they only lacked motivation.

Just before beginning her lessons that day, Mrs. Chen told all her students how a single stick could be broken easily but when a number of them were bound together, it would be impossible to break the bundle of sticks. The students realized that the moral of the story was a guideline for them to put into practice.

As soon as class was over, the class chairman, Thomas, called for a class meeting. He divided the class of thirty-five students into seven equal groups and delegated each group with a special task. There were to be four academic committees, one discipline committee, one social affairs committee and last but not least, one counseling committee.

The academic committees were put in charge of one or two subjects each, and it was the members’ responsibility to collect relevant notes, question papers and model answers. The discipline committee’s duty was to enforce the policies agreed upon by the class as a whole. The members of the social affairs and counseling committees were to organize social activities, and to help those who were facing any personal or family problems, respectively. This plan for solidarity turned out to be a roaring success. The class felt great fervor and excitement in performing the tasks assigned to them. In the process, they interacted more with one another and got to know one another better.

By the time the final examinations were near, the class had a large collection of notes, ideas and model answers to rely upon. Most importantly, there was a strong bond of friendship which was charged with sincere interest for one another’s welfare. After the examinations, none of the Secondary 2C students was even interested in the results of the class evaluation. They knew, in their hearts, that they were winners.

A courageous deed

Write a story with the title: “A courageous deed”

1. Describe how Ron, the disc jockey, felt troubled by the poverty in his country.
2. Describe how Ron made use of his time on the air, to let the public know more about the suffering of the poor.
3. Describe how he bravely went ahead with his plan despite attempts to stop him.
4. Describe how Ron’s courageous deed helped the poor and how he himself was rewarded.

“… And here are the headlines again. The survey carried out by the Welfare Ministry says that at least three children die every day due to acute starvation…” Ron gave a run-down on the main point. Then, he shut down the sound system at the newsroom and went on air to play some sentimental music.

Ron could not understand how there could be so many poor people in this wealthy country. He felt that the chief problem was caused by the general apathy of the public.

Ron wondered if he, as a disc jockey, could do anything. Just then, a brainwave hit him. Dare he do it? “Yes, I must!” he told himself as the idea began to take shape in his mind. The next day, Ron went on air as usual.

“Hi, everybody! Today, I have very special program for you. I was down at our numerous slum areas in the afternoon and have made a recording of the voices of pain and suffering that I heard there”.

With that, Ron played nothing for two hours but the voices of crying and dying children. He interspersed the program with interviews he had carried out with the inhabitants of the slums. It revealed shocking truths about their living conditions. The Management of the Broadcasting Co-operation was alerted about Ron’s conduct and demanded that he stop at once. Ron, however, locked himself in the Control Room.

After two hours, Ron came out of the Control Room, exhausted but happy. He was immediately apprehended by the police. His courageous deed had, however, drawn much public attention to the plight of the poor. Charity shows were held to raise money for them. Moreover, the government began to put in an extra effort to upgrade the standard of living in the slums. Many people demanded that the police release Ron. Hence, instead of being punished, Ron was praised for his courageous deed. Now, Ron is the main host of charity shows and the most popular disc jockey in the country.

Revenge!

Write a story with the title: “Revenge!”

1. Describe how Jinsheng and you planned to take revenge on your principal because he had punished you in public.
2. Describe what plan both of you decided on and how you executed it.
3. Describe how you waited behind a tree to watch the planned accident.
4. Describe how Jinsheng and you were hurt instead.
5. Describe how you felt after the incident.

“We must take revenge on that fat old man!”, Jinsheng snarled.

“Yes, we must!” I agreed enthusiastically. “I will never forgive him for publicly humiliating us.”

Mr. Singaram, our principal, had hit us with a cane on stage, for vandalizing school property. Both of us thought that it was too harsh a punishment. We had only broken the fire alarm glass, hoping that the disturbance would disrupt lessons. Unfortunately, we were caught by our teacher before we could flee from the scene.

“I know, we’ll cut the wires of the brakes of his car,” I said.

“Oh, yes!” Jinsheng said, “If he dies, he’ll never be able to punish us. And if he runs over someone else, he’ll be thrown into prison.”

We executed our plan the next day during our free period. Jinsheng had some knowledge about cars, for his father was a mechanic. He slipped agilely under the car, snipped the brake wire, taped it up, and was on his feet again, in only three minutes. I had stood watch, to ensure nobody saw us.

That evening, after the flag lowering ceremony, we took a short cut to the main road junction. We hid behind a tree and waited for the red Honda. Soon, we saw Mr. Singaram driving towards the function. The traffic lights changed to red and from afar, we could see him struggling to brake. A women and a child were crossing the road. The car swerved abruptly and sped towards the tree behind which were hiding! I heard a loud crash.

I regained consciousness in hospital and later learnt that Mr. Singaram’s car had hit the tree. It was uprooted by the impact and fill on Jinsheng and me. Both of us were seriously injured and we had to wear a cast on our arms for almost two months.

The police never found out who had tampered with the brake wires of Mr. Singaram’s car. Mr. Singaram was using his seat belt and therefore sustained only slight injures. The woman and the child escaped unharmed.

Jinsheng and I never told anyone about or part in the accident. However, we knew that the accident was not a coincidence, but a fitting punishment for our heinous intention.

Richness is not everything

Write a story with the title: “Richness is not everything”

1. Describe how your new attitude to wealth surprised your father.
2. Describe your former expensive habits and attitude to wealth.
3. Describe how you used to enjoy showing off your wealth to your friends.
4. Describe how you arranged for a grand party and how you were let down.
5. Describe why your friends did not go for the party and how you realized that richness is not everything.

Today, I declined to be driven to school. My father, a prosperous businessman, seemed rather puzzled at this change in me. Instead of my usual expensive gear, I wore an ordinary pair of school shoes and carried a simple haversack. Little did he know hat it took a painful incident for me to realize that richness is not everything.

I used to enjoy being driven to school in my father’s limousine. I enjoyed showing off my collection of Gucci and Charles Jordan watches and bag to my friends. I thought that I could buy friendship with my wealth.

I decided to host a fabulous party for my birthday. I invited all my classmates. My parents decided to go out on that day so that we youngsters could enjoy ourselves to the fullest. I arranged with the chef to prepare the most exquisite dishes for the banquet. The roof garden, where the party was to be held, was transformed into a fantasy land, with a myriad of colored lights. Three waiters were stationed at intervals, from the main gate to the front door where I would greet my friends in my best tuxedo.

My birthday, however, turned out to be a terrible flop. Not a single friend whom I had invited, turned up! I felt greatly humiliated and infuriated. I could not for the world of me, imagine why they would not want to come to such a fabulous party.

Yesterday, I stormed into class, and demanded why they had all failed to attend my party. One of my friends, Jainwei, explained on behalf of the whole class. He said that they would have loved to celebrate my birthday with me. However, they were intimidated by my wealth. They could not afford to bring me expensive gifts. Besides, they did not like having to be on their best behavior all the time. I was shocked. Never had I realized that my wealth was driving away my friends.
I spent the whole day yesterday thinking. Finally, it dawned on me that I myself, and not my wealth, should attract friends. Today, as I head for school, I feel like a changed person-simple, ordinary and unaffected. Richness is not everything.

Undercover spies

Write a story with the title: “Undercover spies”

1. Describe how you felt about the violent crimes committed by some youths in the neighborhood.
2. Describe in detail your friends and you joined the gang to spy on their activities.
3. Describe how the police managed to arrest the gangsters with your help.


“Gosh! How dreadful”, I exclaimed when I read in the newspapers about the spate of violent crimes carried out by youths in some neighborhoods.

What I felt was even more alarming was that the number of such crimes, which went unchecked, was increasing by the day. The problem was that many people were reluctant to identify these youths for fear of being assaulted further.

“I’m glad I’m doing something to help stop the crimes”, I thought. Then, I went downstairs to meet my friends, Robert and Terry. A few days earlier, we had agreed to work with the police. Acting as uncover spies, we were to look for a chance to infiltrate the gang, and then inform the police of the gang’s members and activities.

I met Robert and Terry, both looking very excited. “Our chance has come”, Robert said. Then, they told me that two young thugs were bullying an old lady at the playground.

We immediately ran to the playground and grabbed the old lady’s handbag as she tussled with the two bullies. The thugs immediately ran after us. I readily ran after us. I readily gave up the handbag saying that my friends and I indulged in unruly activities for the thrill of it and had not need for the money. This pleased them immensely and they invited us to join their gang. A few days later, we joined their gang officially. We spent a month getting to know everyone, especially the ring leader. Altogether, there were eighteen of them. We went to their favorite haunts and found that they engaged in picking pockets and petty thefts. At the same time, we won the confidence of the members in the gang. This enabled us to get the particulars of all the members.

In the meantime, we kept the police updated about all the gang’s moves. We were cautioned to be careful by the police. After a month, the police arrested all the youths who were tried and sentenced in a juvenile court. The papers covered the story in detail. It had been exciting working as an undercover spy. However, my parents forbade me to do it again as it was too dangerous.

Inconsidration

Write a story with a theme: Inconsideration

Outline:
1. Describe how Fadley was inconsiderate at home by making a lot of noise with his friends.
2. Describe how he refused to stop making a din even though his sister had to study for her examinations.
3. Describe how his sister had to return home late to avoid the disturbance.
4. Describe how his sister was almost harmed.
5. Describe how Fadley felt and how he changed his inconsiderate ways.



“I am Michael Jackson!” Fadley told his friends as he impersonated the famous singer. His small group of friends clapped to the beat of the music as Fadley pranced around in his bedroom.

It was a routine now with these boys to gather in Fadley’s room after school to sing or dance to deafening pop music. Fadley’s mother and eleven-year-old sister, Siti, often found the din unbearable. Whenever his mother reprimanded him for the noise, Fadley would say that she had no taste for modern music. However, when the Primary School Leaving Examination was around the corner, Siti found the situation intolerable. The piercing sounds that lasted for hours, made revision impossible. She asked her brother to be more considerate, but he only told her to stuff her ears with cotton wool. Finally, Siti decided to study in the study room at the community center.

Consequently, Siti returned home late every night. Her mother satisfaction fretting at the doorway each night, waiting for her. She felt that Siti was too young to be walking home unaccompanied at night. Fadley, however, was indifferent to his mother’s worries or his sister’s inconvenience.

One night, Siti was unusually late and this even bothered Fadley. He was about to go in search of her, when Siti ame back, crying. With her was their neighbor, Mrs Li.

Mrs. Li told them that she saw a stranger threatening to harm Siti if she did not give him her valuables. Mrs. Li had run to Siti’s help and chased the robber away after hitting him with her big umbrella.

Mrs. Li had then taken Siti to the police post to notify the police of the attempted robbery.

Fadley felt thoroughly ashamed of himself. As an elder brother, he should have been more considerate and responsible. He promised his mother that he would amend his ways. From that night onwards, peace and quiet reigned in their household.

A misunderstanding

Write a story with the title: "A misunderstanding"

Outline:
1. Describe where the incident occurred
2. Describe how a pretty Caucasian girl was practicing pronouncing Mandarin words using a tape.
3. Describe how she mispronounced the word “ask” and made it sound like “kiss”
4. Describe how the young man sitting next to her misunderstood her and tried to kiss her.
5. Describe how you cleared the misunderstanding.

I was traveling on a bus one day when an amusing incident happened.

Sitting in front of me was a pretty Caucasian girl who was listening to her walkman. She was murmuring to herself. As she became more engrossed in listening to her walkman, she raised her voice. I heard some Mandarin words pronounced with a funny accent. It was then that I realized that she was trying to learn Mandarin.

At the time, a young man boarded the bus and took the seat next to the pretty Caucasian girl. The bus had stopped and the girl’s voice sounded extraordinarily loud. She was, obviously to me, repeating after the voice in the tape, “You can ask me” in Mandarin.

At the time, a young man boarded the bus and took the seat next to the pretty Caucasian girl. The bus had stopped and the girl’s voice sounded extraordinarily loud. She was, obviously to me, repeating after the voice in the tape, “You can ask me” in Mandarin. However, her tonal patterns in the pronunciation of the words made it sound like: “You can kiss me”

The young man next to her did not know that she was trying to learn Mandarin. He stared at the girl, astounded. The girl saw him staring at her and decided to try her newly acquired language skill on him. She obviously did not know how to say, “What’s the matter?” in Mandarin, so she looked into his eyes and repeated expressively, “You can ask me”. Unfortunately, the word “ask” sounded more like “kiss” than ever.

The man thought that there could be no mistake this time. The girl had actually looked at him and addressed him. Thinking that kissing the pretty girl would be an honor, he actually put his face close to hers and tried to kiss her. Startled, the girl pushed him away.

Before the misunderstanding became more serious, I tapped them on their shoulders and explained what I knew. Both of them looked embarrassed but we had a good laugh over it later.

A story about how an admirable character

Write a story about how an admirable character.

Outline:
1. Describe how Steven confessed to cheating in the examinations.
2. Describe Steven’s family background.
3. Explain why he had no time to study before the examinations.
4. Describe how the school dealt with Steven’s cheating.



“Mr. Xu, I have something to tell you… I cheated in this examination”, Steven informed the chief invigilator.

Mr. Xu almost dropped the pile of papers he was carrying. Steven withdrew a skillfully rolled paper from between the panels of this pencil-case as evidence. Though he was a compassionate person, Mr. Xu felt duty-bound to report the matter to the principal.

Steven’s heart beat wildly as he waited outside principal’s office. Tears of despair rolled down his cheeks as he reflected on his situation.

Always the top student in his class, Steven was almost every teacher’s favorite. Nobody, however, knew the dark secrets of his background.
His father was a drunkard and a gambler. He did not work, so Steven and his mother sold food at Chinatown where they had a small stall. Daily business brought in a small steady income. However, his drunken father always demanded money. This left them with a pittance to run the household and to settle the huge debts his father had incurred.

That particular week before the examinations was a most difficult one. Loan sharks had come demanding payment. They gave Steven’s mother one week to pay up. This meant that Steven had to forego his revision and work extra shifts. Between school and work, he hardly had enough time to sleep. Study time was of course, out of the question. Therefore, out of desperation, he resolved to cheat in his History examination. However, after had handed up his paper, his conscience bothered him for he was actually an honest boy. Therefore, he felt compelled to confess his misdeed to Mr. Xu.

Before the Committee of Heads of Departments decided what to do with Steven, Mr. Xu visited Steven’s family. There, he learnt the whole truth from Steven’s mother.

It was unanimously agreed by the committee that this was an exceptional case. Steven needed help, not punishment. With proper arrangement, Steven won a scholarship for his studies. His father was sent to a rehabilitation center. The family was also offered financial assistance by a welfare organization.

Describe an incident when you helped someone

Describe an incident when you helped someone

Outline:
1. Describe why the person needed your help
2. Describe how you spent time with the person to understand his problem and to advise him.
3. Describe how you helped that person
4. Describe how you feel about the incident.

Being the eldest in the family, I have always felt responsible for my younger siblings. My youngest brother, Tuan, has always been my favorite. Unfortunately, he was the one who was always getting into all sorts of trouble.

Countless were the times when my parents were asked to see his principal concerning his misbehavior. Tuan got into numerous fights with the other boys in school and had been caught a number of time vandalizing school property. He persistently failed to do his homework and he interrupted classes with his many pranks.

Exasperated, my parents gave up on him. Their method of disciplining him only made him more rebellious. Being the closest to Tuan, I spent evenings talking to him. I also talked to his classmates. It was after many such patient talks and careful analysis that I found the root of the problem.

Tuan, being extremely intelligent, was bored with his school work. Therefore, while his classmates were struggling with their schoolwork, Tuan would rather think of new and interesting pranks. When I spoke to Tuan about his problem, he agreed with me. He wished that his lessons were more interesting and challenging.

I approached Tuan’s principal and told him what I thought of Tuan’s misbehavior. He has skeptical at first, but after examining Tuan’s grades, he said that the idea was worth trying. He then arranged for Tuan to sit for the entrance tests to a special school for highly intelligent children. To everyone’s surprise, Tuan not only passed these tests, but did so with flying colors.

The special school readily admitted Tuan into their academic quarters. Since then he has excelled. At the rate he is going, he may even complete secondary school before I do! Tuan’s conduct reports have also been encouraging. Our parents have only been called up once to see his principal and that was concerning an extra subject that the principal wanted Tuan to take. I am really proud of my brother and I am glad that my help has been instrumental in bringing about his present academic excellence.

Describe a busy shopping center during the Christmas season

Describe a busy shopping center during the Christmas season

Outline
1. Describe the crowd in the shopping center
2. Describe what you see and hear in the busy shopping center.
3. Describe an interesting occurrence.

Right below my apartment is a leading shopping center in Singapore. Being a frequent visitor, I know the place inside out. It is busiest and most interesting during the Christmas season.

On pre-Christmas shopping days, the place would be teeming with shoppers ceaselessly thronging the passages between the shops. The scene is fascinating. People in colorful attire, bright lights from the stores, gay balloon hanging from the ceiling and shiny tinsel all add to the Christmas atmosphere.

The din created by the Christmas carols, the stereo music blaring from the music stores and the non-stop chatter of crowds is deafening. Escalators tirelessly carry their extra load to all levels. The business-minded shopkeepers cash in on the added crowds by having pre-Christmas sales. The zealous customers have no qualms about pushing and shoving to get the goods they want. With the pushing crowd, many children get separate from their parents. Once, it was reported in the papers that a mother managed to abandon her infant child in the midst of the crowd. Till today, the mother has not been traced and the child has been adopted.

During this period too, pick-pockets and shop-lifters are up to their tricks. Warnings about keeping an eye on one’s belongings boom out now and then over the public address system. Ahmad, a security guard, is extremely vigilant too, but there are times when light-fingered crooks are too deft for him.

The shopping center may be crowded and noisy during the Christmas season, but I still enjoy shopping there.

Describe your sister

Describe my sister

Outline:
1. Describe your sister’s physical appearance.
2. Describe her interests.
3. Describe her personality.

My sister, Hoa, was born one year after I was, in the afternoon of the second of February, 1978. Since then, we have been dressed alike, fed the same food and have been the closest of playmates. In spite of all this, no two people can be more different than we are.

Hoa is one of those girls who makes head turn wherever she goes. Her soft, curly hair is dark brown, and is usually tied in a pony tail to keep it from falling onto her face. She has an hour-glass figure and looks sensational in brightly colored clothes. Blue, pink and purple are her favorite colors. Although she looks good in formal clothes, she is most often seen in T-shirts and shorts.

By nature, Hoa is an extrovert and enjoys outdoor activities. She is the captain of the school basketball team and is also the best player in the team. She camps and cycles at every possible opportunity.

In school, my sister is very popular. The younger girls in the school admire her because of all the medals she has won. Her basketball team-mates adore her and are willing to do anything she says.

However, Hoa’s enthusiasm for sport does not extend to her academic work. Fortunately, she does manage to pass her examinations by studying frantically at the eleventh hour. My sister aspires to be a teacher of physical education. She hopes one day to improve the status of sports in Ho Chi Minh City. Hoa has an optimistic out look towards life. Once, when she fractured her arm and had to miss an important basketball match, she took it all in stride and said, “Well, I’ll just have to be patient and wait for the next match.” It is fun to have such an interesting person for a sister. Sometimes, I wish that I share some of her interests and her entiring zest for life.