You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Some people believe that government spends too much money on space research while there are still a lot of problems on the earth. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer 1:
I am in total agreement with the statement. Apropos of the statement, very expensive space research programs are straining the government budget, jeopardising essential and more pertinent issues like education and healthcare which impact majority of the population especially in developing countries.
Many developing nations, as well as third world countries, still have extremely poor literacy rates & very high percentage of people lack access to even primary education. Very few people who can get basic skills like reading and writing are unemployable due to lack of proper vocational training. The government resources should be spent on something as basic and important as employable education.
Basic health care is also one of the most important issues. Exponentially increasing medical costs are making access to primary health care out of reach for many. Maximum countries still lack the basic medical infrastructure. Governments should prioritise medical research making health care accessible & far-reaching.
Crime control, law and justice departments need more attention and budget and mass people are being directly affected with the lacking of basic needs. When many people starve every day and lots of people are not getting proper treatment, space research seems a luxury we can’t afford. We need to focus on the very basic needs first and then when we have the capability to conduct the space research, only then we should continue this.
To conclude, though some think that space programs are essential for the advancement of science and technologies, a multitude of basic problems like education & medical & health care should be given a paramount importance.
(by – Nilesh Raut)
Sample Answer 2:
In today’s scientific world, a myriad of wealth is allocated on scientific inventions and researches. Space exploration is a key area where governments in many countries are spending billions of dollars each year. Although I support space research, I opine that governments have to pay attention to the existing problems on the earth with higher priority than the space exploration. The basis for my view is economical and personal.
Firstly, from an economical point of view, universe exploration employs more than half of the total money allocated for overall scientific research in all fields combined. As per the report published by the Week magazine on 20th September 2015, at least 30 billion dollars have been spent on the Apollo moon missions by the United States. In case, this lump sum could be used for infrastructure, education and food in poor countries, definitely the quality of life would increase with lower crime rates. Thus, it is crystal clear that existing problems in the world need better focus.
Secondly, from a personal point of view, there is nothing we have gained so far from the space programmes. For instance, even after landing on the Moon as well as sending different missions to other planets, we are not successful in finding the existence of life anywhere outside the Earth. However, some of the missions abroad are successful in testing soil samples and sending pictures, which is not really useful for the layman. Moreover, a lot of scientists have risked their lives during the travel to outer space. Thus, higher priority needs to be given to existing issues in the world.
In conclusion, by analysing how expensive the space research is with limited success to the citizens, there is no doubt that government need to prioritise to solve the existing problems. It is predicted that space exploration continues, but with a lower budget.
(by – Zuhr)