Describe a time when you heard about a riot/commotion in another country.
You should say:
- what you heard about it
- when you heard about it
- how you learned about it
and explain how you felt after hearing about the riot/commotion.
[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you’re going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
Model Answer 1:
I like to remain updated with the latest news and views of the world around me, and for that, I use different kinds of news outlets like newspapers, TV and radio. But, of course, when we learn about any kind of news on these media outlets, the last thing, we want to know, are some news about violence or riots, just as I learned about it about a long time ago in the year of 2002.
The communal riot, I am talking about, took place in the state of Gujrat in India. But, since I was really young at that time, I couldn’t really get to the core of the news as much conflicting information was coming out from different kinds of news media. But, whatever was the news, I could very well understand that many innocent people were being killed in a devastating communal riot between ‘the majority Hindu citizens’ and ‘the minority Indian Muslim’ population.
Little later, it became abundantly clear that it was a terrible event that should have never happened in the first place. By the way, different news media attributed this terrible and tragic incident to some unfortunate misunderstanding between the Hindu people and the Muslim people, after the burning of a train that took place in the city of Godhra on 27th of February of 2002, killing many people.
However, the riot had continued for about 3 months, and people with a conscience from both sides tried to end the violence through constructive dialogues. But, such noble efforts couldn’t really affect the outcome of this terrible incident, leaving 1044 people dead.
Anyway, my heart really felt very heavy after hearing the tragic news. I wanted to do something to stop the riot and violence, but who would care what I had to say? After hearing the news, I also kept asking myself as to what could have possibly turned some humans, the greatest creation of God, so violent!? But, I knew that I couldn’t do anything to stop the riot, so I just kept praying to God to stop it as quickly as possible.
Sample Answer 2:
I went to Nepal for some business purposes and came to know about a riot between two groups of Hindus in India. It was a communal riot and sparked for some minor reasons. I heard that a couple of members of both the communities were killed while a lot of them were injured to a severe extent. Police controlled the situation but it was too late when the police arrived on the spot. This is a nice candidate task card and I am happy to get it in my share. I will describe the entire event in brief now.
I went to Nepal a couple of years ago to deal with a local company of the country who wanted to import some goods that my company manufactured. During the meeting, someone entered and told that a serious communal riot has been going on in the neighbouring country and the number of injuries is increasing. The man entered in the middle of the meeting only to share the news as the father of that company owner lived in India.
Later I heard the news on television and am international television channel was broadcasting the event live. The television report attracted attention from all of us and we were thundered seeing the attacking scenes. They were severely attacking each other and even the television reporter also had to take shelter from the violence of the people. The meeting was cancelled and the company owner immediately tried to contact his father in India.
It was a pathetic event and a notable number of people were affected in various degrees. I was sad hearing about the people who lost their lives. The issue became highlighted in both the local and international media. I returned home with a heart filled with sadness.
More Ideas to help you prepare your own answer:
Cue Card Topic: Describe a time when you heard about riots in another country.
1. I heard about a conflict between white and coloured people in a state in the USA. I heard about it while watching TV at my home here in Singapore. The riot took place on some petty issues in Ohio. It was a sad event that in this 21st century, people still have to quarrel about getting their rights. But it was not supposed to happen. So, I felt sad.
2. I never prefer to listen to any news or information about violence. But recently I heard the news about Myanmar. There were some riots between religious groups over supremacy. The riots were destroying and properties and lives. I came to know about the matter while reading a local newspaper here in Moscow. The issue was covered in almost all the leading newspapers in the world. I felt sorry for the victims of the riot.
3. Last month, I came to know about an uproar among a group of students in New Delhi. The matter was too serious that it got huge media attention. I heard the news before going to bed. I actually watch the news and came to know about the situation that took place that evening. It was pathetic. The students got involved in public violence and destroyed some public properties. Many of them were injured and taken to the hospital. It was really depressing.
4. The disorder between two groups of workers in Sri Lanka was a concerning issue. I came to know about the issue immediately it took place in the manufacturing plant I work in. Suddenly, I heard some louder noise from the ground floor of the manufacturing plant. I was concerned about the matter. Some of the workers were injured in the clash and I had to inform the local police station about the issue. The situation was normalized after roughly four hours.
5. A riot took place between two groups of tourists at a spot here in Greece. This was a completely unwanted event. I witnessed the event on the evening of the last Monday. The trouble began with a minor issue. A tourist wanted to get the ticket and broke the queue. It sparked the matter and some other people protested it. The violence began. The supporters of the violators got involved in a scuffle and it was a sad event and one of them was seriously injured.