You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
In some countries, more and more people are becoming interested in finding out about the history of the house or building they live in. What are the reasons for this? How can people research this?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer 1:
Many citizens, nowadays, are inquisitive to learn about the home they live in as extensively as possible primarily because they want to learn about the background and style of their house, assess the safety, and find out if it is haunted. I believe nearby elderly citizens and the internet could be two invaluable sources for such curious people to find the best possible information about their buildings.
The knowledge of the background of a house gives people a sense of self-satisfaction. This is why people, especially those who live in a house that was built many years ago, are often interested to find out more about the adobe. The background often includes how the house was painstakingly built in an era when technology was not so advanced. Thus, exploring the background reveals some unique and fascinating facts. For instance, it was a common misconception for many dwellers in the old part of our city that their houses were built during the English colonial era. In fact, researchers recently found that those houses were built mimicking the English styles but by the local masons. It was fascinating to finally learn about it. Moreover, the construction and the built-quality of a house convey much information about the safety and durability of the houses. Knowing such details could prevent people from facing any disaster like falling victim to a collapsed house. Finally, some people superstitiously think a house might be haunted if it has some bad history. Learning about its history often comes from their personal belief and their motivation to either cleanse the house or move off.
To get proper information about the houses, people can talk to local senior citizens who had been living there for quite a while. They can offer first-hand information about the building and much more details that are not available elsewhere. On top of that, the internet could be another effective source to get details of a house. For instance, many websites store data about the houses in the UK, and anyone can find them online with just a few mouse clicks.
In conclusion, people’s motivations to learn about their houses could range from safety reasons to simple curiosity, from superstition to practical reasons. To get the best information they can contact elderly locals and browse the internet.
Sample Answer 2:
The history of a house or a building can be fascinating, sometimes daunting or even mesmerising at times if we try to delve into it. For some people, learning about the history of the houses, in which they live, is utterly important for various reasons. This essay attempts to outline some of those possible reasons for this and a couple of methods to research this.
The first possible reason for many to become inquisitive about the past of their houses could be that they actually want to find a connection, if any, between themselves and the buildings. Such connections, or lack thereof, could actually provide an insight to them as to whether those buildings contained anything “unique” at some stages of their existence that would make them- the people that is – feel “special” among the others, or “different” from the rest of the crowds in their neighbourhoods. After all, I think that it feels really good to remain at the centre of attention every now and then.
Some people would be interested to learn about the history of their buildings, especially how they were built, or what kinds of materials were used to construct them because they want to make sure that the buildings are safe enough for living. After all, nobody would want to put their lives at risk by choosing to live in a “weak” building that was built with some “unreliable” materials about a century ago!
But, for whatever reasons that they want to learn about the history of their buildings, it is always better that they ask the locals first to get their information about the former residents of their houses. They could also contact the local municipality or the concerned local authority who could apprise them about how the buildings were made. Finally, people could also visit a local library or the authority that keeps the information about old buildings, to learn about the history of buildings in their respective areas.
To conclude, people are becoming more and more interested in the history of their houses primarily to find a unique feature of it to feel special or to learn about the architectural style and safety features of the house. They can contact local residents, municipality offices and the library to do the research work required to find the history of their houses.