WAT/GD
WAT & GD – the approach Session I Call: 9035001996 Previous Year’s Essay Topics Allowing people to vote on policy initiatives is the only way to weed out corruption. IIMs should make one year of social service compulsory for all students. Essential services like water and electricity should not be privatized. An MBA can showcase his managerial skills better in a family managed business rather than in professionally run organizations. History is always the story of the victor and not of the vanquished. 65% of the Indian population is working. What is the impact, social and economic, of such a large working population? In about 150 words describe what according to you is the most important quality that any citizen of India must possess and how should this quality be inculcated in the children and youth of our country? www.testcracker.in 2 Attempt it now! 250 words, 20 minutes Corruption is the root cause of economic slowdown in India. Call: 9035001996 What is an ‘essay’? Dictionary Meaning “A short literary composition on a single subject, usually presenting the personal view of the author.” Call: 9035001996 The 7 categories of Topics I. Indian Society & Culture in transformation e.g. “As India grows, Indian Value System shrinks.” II. Indian Economy – critical analysis e.g. “The worst may be over for Indian Economy.” III. Governance e.g. “Poverty is a consequence of failure of government policies.” IV. Globalization & its problems e.g. “Globalization is a zero-sum game.” V. Philosophy of life e.g. “The harder you try, the luckier you become”. VI. Women Empowerment e.g. “Gender imbalance will lead to Third world war” VII. Environmental Concerns e.g. “Economic growth without environmental damage – a mirage or a reality?” Call: 9035001996 Two elements Good Essay/GD Interest Knowledge To do justice to a topic, you have to be interested and you have to be knowledgeable. Call: 9035001996 Getting the ‘points’ for WAT/GD TestCracker recommends two methods for quickly generating points to be used in your essay or GD – 1 Stakeholder Approach 2 Key Words Approach Stakeholders can be people, organizations, governments or even concepts. Be creative here! Both methods should be used to come up with the points. There is no ideal number of points Not all the points have to be used! 9035001996 Call: 9035001996 An example Corruption is the root cause of economic slowdown in India. ? Stakeholders Government o o ? Key Words o o o o o State government Central government Industry (Public/Pvt) Bureaucracy Ordinary Citizens Agencies involved Supreme Court Natural Resources Foreign Investment Development Brand India Constitution/Laws Black Money Lokpal Other ‘causes’ Corruption Small or big? Recent or cumulative? Definition? Material or moral? Demand/suppy Root cause o Not any cause, but the ‘root cause’. Economic o So, don’t discuss other aspects please Slowdown o Really? How much? o Indicators? India o All of India or parts of it? Call: 9035001996 How to structure your essay? I P R E P Introduction Position Reason Examples Position Call: 9035001996 Call: 9035001996 A method to the madness Quickly identify all the stakeholders Pay attention to each key word in the topic Follow the IPREP framework 9035001996 Call: 9035001996 Introduction is Important! The introduction will be the first thing the evaluator sees. If an introduction is poorly written or constructed, if it is boring, if it does not tell him what he needs to know, if it does not help him to orient himself to your essay — then you have lost his goodwill right from the beginning, and can be sure of losing marks, no matter how well the rest of the essay is constructed! A useful rule of thumb: an introduction should be no shorter than one-twelfth and no longer than one-tenth of the entire essay. Call: 9035001996 An Introduction should… Capture a reader’s interest Act as a navigation guide to its readers. Provide a context for the main issue Show how you are interpreting & approaching the question State why the topic is important ‘Indicate’ your conclusion and point of view Call: 9035001996 Three parts of Intro Setting the context General statements that lead the reader into the topic showing how the specific topic relates to bigger issues Relating the context to the topic Relate the above statements to the exact topic you are analysing. Wherever possible, mention the exact same topic! If definitions are needed, go ahead and define. Outline of the argument Statements that make the reader understand the flow of your essay. The number of statements depends on the topic. Call: 9035001996 Open Powerfully “India grows at night.” • The introduction should start with a sentence that captures the interest of your reader. – But don’t be under pressure to create a remarkable first sentence. Avoid force-fitting. • The first sentence should lead into two or three sentences that finally lead to the topic. • If you can recall a quotation very relevant to the topic, you should begin with it. Again…don’t force-fit any quotation. Call: 9035001996 Setting the context • Brief & relevant background information – Don’t give too much context— give just enough (2-4 sentences) to place the key issue in its context. • These sentences briefly put the focus of the topic within its historical context (usually), and show the reader why the topic exists. Call: 9035001996 Relating the context to the topic • Find a way to connect how you started your essay to what your essay is about. – If, for example, the essay is about technology but you started off talking about a historical person, you will have to transition from talking about the historical person to perhaps some of his ideas, and then connect those ideas to the topic! • In this part you have to use the words from the topic. – For ‘Corruption is the root cause of economic slowdown in India’, when you come to this part, you should use the words ‘corruption, root cause’. Call: 9035001996 Outline of the Argument Use the keywords & stakeholder approaches to think about the topic from all angles. Identify few subtopics & stakeholders on which you will focus in your essay It always helps to write chronologically. Call: 9035001996 This Year’s (expected) Essay Topics The common man’s government – is it feasible? Why is Indian Economy losing steam? We worship goddesses, but insult our women. Does India have a Demographic Dividend or Demographic Disaster? India is no longer a ‘soft power’. Creation of more states is good for India. www.testcracker.in 18 Write all the pointers on the following topic - “Cricket has crippled all other sports in India.” Assignment Assignment Call: 9035001996 Thank You! www.facebook.com/testcracker +91 90350 01996 [email protected] www.testcracker.in
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