Narrative Essay: Race

“Not so fast Lewis!” My immature ten-year-old voice yelled out at the fast

disappearing figure before me. I knew the additional two wheels of my glittering

silver-tinted bicycle had given me a disadvantage rather the advantage I thought

I would have. I pedaled with all the force my undeveloped leg muscles could

generate, but it only proved to be futile. I could not win this race.

I had never beaten my brother, Lewis, in any bicycle race after that. He

always seemed to be one step ahead of me, no matter how hard I tried. Lewis

was a caring and understanding brother, but equally so was he competitive and

determined. He was my role model and the person I respected most, but he was

also my main rival. Our parents too supported our healthy competition. Races

with Lewis were never short of passion and excitement, and soon I found myself

getting more into cycling, determined to beat Lewis at our favourite sport.

The years had gradually passed, and the both of us had found a new love,

motorcycle racing. We had worked hard to make our mark in the sport, and both

of us had succeeded thus far, winning respective races in different parts of the

world. Yet, he had won many more titles than me. I could never surpass him, it

seemed. Our rivalry was a race.

Now, it was time for us to compete once more. Both of us had entered the

widely-acclaimed “MotoGP” competition, and a showdown would be inevitable.

We had not raced together for many years, leaving this race down to the

tremendous amounts of hard work we had put in. The press had written

countless articles about our coming race, and it was finally time for the big clash.

I turned my head towards him, and I could see his eyes through the visors

of our helmets. Eyes filled with a colourful mixture of nostalgia, happiness and

determination. Then, the horn blared. We raced, neck to neck from the start. It

stayed that way for the next seventeen laps, before the final lap. He sped in front

of me, stretching his engine to the limit. It would be extremely difficult to attempt

to rival his pace, and I tried my very best to reduce the gap as much as I could.

As I saw him riding in front of me, I was gripped by a sense of déjà vu.

“Not so fast Lewis!” I mouthed, for the sake of reliving our very first race.

Only this time, I would not let history repeat itself. I flicked my wrist back,

accelerating my vehicle. I concentrated on the figure in front of me. I could feel

the effect of pushing my engine to its limits. My gloved hands were feeling the

heat from the overheating engine.

We approached the last hundred metres. I was only half a motorcycle‟s

length behind him. With a final flick, we crossed the finish line.

We looked up at the giant screen. A camera replay was being shown. It

was too close to call a winner.

“And the winner is Will!” the commentator boomed through the sound

system.

I felt immense relief and a massive sense of achievement. I had finally

done it. I had won the cup. I had won a race against my brother. I had won the

race to surpass my brother.

Question 2:

Since achieving independence in 1957, Malaysia has been known for

its peaceful and multiracial society. What can be done to further enhance

national unity and solidarity among the various races? Elaborate and give

relevant examples in more than 350 words.

Nowadays, Malaysia is considered a leading tourist destination because

we are famour for our multiracial society living together in peace and harmony. In

my opinion, I strongly agree that national unity can be enhanced to strengthen

solidarity among all the various race in this country. In this essay, I will discuss

three solid strategies for enhancing national unity which include every individual's

role in being more patriotic, be respectful of each different culture and mould a

racially tolerant future generation.

First and foremost, every individual can play a part in enhancing national

by being more patriotic. This is because when we are patrotic we will appreciate

being a Malaysian citizen who has the right to live a peaceful and war-free life.

Moreover, having high patriotism will ensure that we really love our country and

we will not do anything to harm the peach and harmony. For example, every one

of us can respect the 'Negaraku' song and 'Rukunegara', fly our national flag

during idependence Day and so on. Therefore, if everyone plays their part and

becomes more patriotic, this will easily enhance the spirit of national unity.

Secondly, as a loyal Malaysian, we should always be respectful of each

and every culture found in this country. This means that respecting the main

races like Malays, Chinese and Indians as well as the indigenous races will

ensure that we will continue to live side by side in harmony. Furthermore, every

race tat makes up the Malaysian society is unique and should be cherished for its

special traditions. For instance, we should visit one another during the 'Open

House' or wedding celebrations, religious festivals and many more. Thus by

respecting the uniqueness of every culture, this helps us promote racial solidarity

and enhance national unity.

Last but not least, it is every individual's responsibility to mould the future

generation to be more patriotic. This is due to the fact that by educating our own

children to be good and toelrant citizens, this will help us maintain our peaceful

situation long into the future. In addition, children who are taught to be respectful

of other cultures will learn to be more grateful for the peace and harmony our

country enjoys compared to places like Gaza where they are now suffering the

effects of war. Take for example, we can send our children to 'Sekolah Wawasan'

or 'Vision Schools' where they can mix with all races, join multiracial community

activities and others. Hence, by educating the young on patriotism, we are

ensuring that national unity will continue to exist in the future.

In a nutshell, the three strategies I have suggested are to be more patriotic

and respectful of each unique culture as well as to teach our children about

patriotism. In my opinion, I still strongly agree that national unity can be

enhanced if we all play an active role. I hope that our government can highlight

this issue in the media by organising more patriotic campaigns so that we can

produce a united society that can contribute productively to the achievement of

Vision 2020.

SAMPLE 1) YEAR END 2008: MUET WRITING 800/4 QUESTION 2

“People are becoming more materialistic. They are concerned with making

more money and what money can buy.” What is your opinion on being

materialistic? You should write at least 350 words. [60 marks]

They say that money makes the world go round. And indeed it does as

without money, life would be very difficult as in today‟s society, nothing is free.

The side effect however is that people are becoming more materialistic; more

concerned with making money and what money can buy. But how much money

is enough? Is it ever enough? To some, it will never be enough. In my opinion, I

truly believe that this statement is true and that people are becoming more

materialistic in nature. In this essay, I will discuss how materialism has affected

modern society‟s way of life on an individual level, the country‟s economy as well

as our spiritual and moral beliefs.

First and foremost, each individual is affected by materialism to some

extent in this day and age because hedonism is becoming an uprising trend. This

is because today's generation are geared towards making more and more money

so that they can enjoy the carefree lifestyle that is so popular these days.

Moreover, people now are striving to earn more income in order to afford things

that are more expensive and branded. For example, people spend their hard

earned money on material objects like genuine LV and Coach handbags,

expensive gadgets like Iphones and Tablet pcs and so on which in my opinion is

a waste of money when regular goods may prove to be good enough. Therefore,

while individuals become more focussed on their pursuit of material wealth and

improving their standard of living, they may forget that what matters most in life is

quality time spent with family and friends and not the quantity of their material

goods.

Secondly, when society starts spending in a materialistic manner it will

surely have a domino effect on the country‟s economy. This means that the

spending power of society will help boost the economy and create more business

opportunities for the booming trade. However, when a society overspends, using

plastic money or credit cards, or when they take loans they cannot afford to

repay, then the country‟s debt margin will be higher. For instance, USA today is

facing an economic crisis because banks have approved home loans to people

who aspire to own bigger houses than they can actually afford and this is causing

the collapse of the country‟s economy there. Thus, while a society‟s spending

habits helps our economy to grow, overspending due to materialism will have an

adverse effect to the country‟s financial stability.

Last but not least, materialism affects our spiritual and moral beliefs. This

is due to the fact people who are materialistic may become „amoral‟ whereby

they disregard their spiritual and moral upbringing and instead turn to crime to

satisfy their materialistic needs. In fact, the crime rate is increasing because

criminals these days have developed many ways to gain more money from

society. Take for example, there are more reports of snatch thefts, burglaries,

kidnapping for ransom, credit card fraud, internet banking hacking and others

that are driven by materialistic criminals. Hence, when people lose sight of their

spiritual and moral beliefs and believe instead in the greed of materialism,

therefore the crime rate is bound to increase.

In a nutshell, materialism is a common agenda in the 21st century as more

people are working hard to afford things beyond their reach. While this may spur

individuals to work harder to improve their standard of living, overspending due to

materialism may cause the downfall of a country‟s economy and their morality. In

my opinion, I still firmly believe that materialism has a strong hold on today‟s

society; both positive and negative effects. Our government can encourage

society to be less frivolous and wasteful in spending by running campaigns such

as „Consumer Awareness‟ and „Buy Malaysian Made Products‟ in order to

educate our younger generation for the prosperity of our nation.

The world today is turning more to electronic communications such as the

e-mail, Facebook and Short Message System (SMS). What is your opinion

of this growing trend? Discuss. You should write at least 350 words.

[60 marks]

Everywhere we turn today, the world is crowded with people busy typing

SMSes on their Nokias or iPhones or someone is staring unblinkingly at a

Facebook or Yahoo page on the computer screen. Whether you like it or not, the

age of Information Technology is upon us, and we can either learn new skills and

adapt to this new technology, or be forever lost and stuck in the older generation.

In my opinion, I am fully convinced that this growing trend is the way of the future,

and it brings countless benefits to mankind. In this essay, I will discuss three

positive effects of electronic communication, namely its efficiency, enhances

communication and creates a borderless world community.

First and foremost, more and more people are relying on e-mail, Facebook,

Short Message System (SMS) and other types of electronic communication tools

because of its high efficiency. This is because in today's age of globalisation, we

need information at the tip of our fingers. Moreover, with the use of these tools,

we can increase the speed of getting the necessary and relevant information

within seconds and this will increase our productivity. For example, gone are the

days of using 'snail mail' or regular letters using stamps and envelopes and many

more examples of 'old' technology because it is simply too slow and inefficient.

Therefore, these e-communication tools increases the access to important

information which is why the new generation is fully accepting this growing trend.

Secondly, this form of technology enhances communication among people

today. This means that when we use SMS, e-mails and websites like Facebook,

we are able to communicate clearly and directly to our target audience.

Furthermore, people today find that the message is more important than the form

it comes in as an e-mail in short but clear sentences is just as good or even

better than a long and formal letter. For instance, an SMS can give clear

instructions in just a few words and this communicates what needs to be done

quickly and directly. Thus, when the intended message can be spread clearly

using short and clear information like in SMSes and emails, communication can

be enhanced and there will be less problems of miscommunication.

Last but not least, e-communication creates a borderless community in the

world we live in today. This is due to the fact that the boundaries that separate

each country becomes less relevant when information is transferred without

limitations. In addition, the world would be a better place because there is a

sense of 1-World commitment, respect and tolerance for the global community

through efficient and clear e-communication. Take for example, we are able to

connect with people on an international basis using Facebook, Friendster,

Tagged, Hotmail, Yahoo and others. Hence, these tools will enhance global unity

and create a more peaceful world.

In a nutshell, this growing trend has many positive effects not just to

individuals but the global society in terms of efficiency, enhancing communicative

skills and shaping a borderless community. In my opinion, I still firmly believe that

this latest trend is the best way forward and if we do not catch up, we will be left

behind by the tide of development. Our government can encourage the proper

usage of electronic communications by increasing communication amenities and

free broadband accessibility especially in rural areas so that they can enjoy the

same facilities as city-folks therefore balancing the development of our country

towards achieving Vision 2020.

The most valuable thing in life is friendship. Do you agree? Discuss. You

should write at least 350 words. [60 marks]

It is true that no „man is an island‟ meaning that no one in this world can

live alone without friendship. That person would be very socially challenged as

he or she would miss the camaraderie and life experiences that come with

friendship. However, I completely disagree with the statement that the most

valuable thing in life is friendship as there are certainly more important and

priceless things in life besides this. In this essay, I will outline how life itself is

more valuable than friendship, and elaborate on why family and the individual‟s

principles in life are ranked higher.

First and foremost, before one can enjoy the beauty of friendship, one

must surely value life itself or in other words, we should value our health. This is

because, the quality of our life is the single most important criteria in life if we are

to live a meaningful and wholesome life. Moreover, without good health, we will

be hard pressed to do even the simplest of tasks like feed ourselves or relieve

ourselves without the help of doctors, nurses and caregivers. For example, if we

are paralysed, lost our sight, hearing or ability to speak or even a simple case of

a fever or allergic reactions, then the quality of our life is greatly reduced and no

amount of friendship can make us healthy again. Therefore, while friends can

stand by us in our time of need, pristine health is still the most valuable asset in

our lives.

Secondly, we are no one without our family as indeed blood is thicker than

water. This means that however you analyse it, friendships will almost always

play second fiddle because family always comes first. Furthermore, if we do not

value our family above others, then there must be a problem among the family

members that has caused their relationship to be strained. For instance, people

tend to turn away from family if the family member(s) themselves are the ones to

cause them to react negatively such as divorced parents, abusive parents or

siblings and so on. Thus, when people consider friendship to be the most

valuable thing in life, more often than not they may come from a troubled

household.

Last but not least, a person‟s principles in life is by far more valuable than

friendship alone. This is due to the fact that each person needs to have a code of

ethics, quite often prescribed by their individual religions. In addition, this code

will guide each person to live their lives according to the good and right principles.

Take for example, if an individual has set his principles to do good, then no

amount of friendship especially negative influence from friends, can shake his

hold on his principles and cause him to commit undesirable deeds like smoking,

stealing, raping, murdering and others. Hence, if a person values friendship so

much to the point where he is willing to break his principles, then he has done a

serious misdeed against himself and will most likely regret his actions later in life.

In short, friendship is the rainbow of life as it colours our horizons with

invaluable experiences but without good health, a supportive family and strong

principles, life becomes empty and meaningless. In my opinion, it is beyond a

shadow of a doubt that I still firmly believe that friendship is not the most valuable

thing in life. Our government can encourage people to prioritise health, family

and principles in life by organising awareness campaigns especially in primary

schools where the younger generation should learn about priorities in life

because they are the leaders of tomorrow.

The rising fuel price has pushed up the price of other consumer products.

How will this affect the society? Give your opinion. You should write at

least 350 words. [60 marks]

Money is always an issue in today's era of materialism. Most people need

it for basic survival while the lucky few indulge in luxuries without worrying about

money. In my opinion, I strongly agree that the rising fuel price has pushed up

the price of other consumer products and this will definitely affect the society. In

this essay, I would like to touch on the effects this price increase has on society

today, namely increasing vice activities, widening the gap between the rich and

the poor and affecting the population trend in the long term.

First and foremost, society will immediately be affected by the rise in fuel

prices because consumer products will be more costly and this leads to an

increase of vice activities. This is because basic necessities such as rice, flour,

sugar and so on will be in great demand and some warehouses will store or

hoard the items to further increase the price of the product. Moreover, in the

newspapers today, reports of smuggling of these items prove that this vice

activity is on the rise. For example, the recent sugar price hike caused a furor

among the Malaysian society as it costs more fuel to travel to and from the

supermarket and when arriving, most places had run out of stock even though

the government had allocated 2kg of sugar to one person. Therefore, the fuel

price increase had definitely caused more hardships to society today.

Secondly, it is undeniable that the rise in fuel prices leads to the widening

of the gap between the rich and the poor. This is due to the fact that people are

greatly affected by the price of basic necessities such as food and fuel in

particular. Furthermore, the rich people will still be able to afford such things but

the poor will face greater challenges as the popular saying goes: "The rich get

richer, and the poor get poorer." For instance, when money is used to purchase

consumer products that are necessary for survival, then less money will be spent

on health and dental check-up, educational purposes and others. Thus, it is clear

that the fuel price hike will further stress on the differences between the rich and

the poor which is such a tragedy.

Last but not least, in the long term the population trend or demographics

of the society will be greatly affected. This means that new families will

consciously decide not to have too many children in order to increase their

quality of life. In addition, society is now more aware of birth control and family

planning so this will greatly reduce the population as most families will have 1 to

5 children instead of more. Take for example, new families with less children will

surely spend less on basic necessities like food, clothes, transport and many

more. Hence, the demographics of the whole country will be affected and this in

turn will reduce our workforce which will affect our country's productivity and

prosperity.

In short, there are many short term to long term effects of a fuel price

increase which includes more crimes like hoarding and smuggling will occur and

this leads to the widening of the gap between the rich and the poor as well as a

change in the society's demographics. I still strongly believe that the rising fuel

price has pushed up the price of other consumer products and this will surely

cause a negative impact to society. The government must find a way to stabilise

the fuel price at a reasonable rate so that it does not affect the productivity of this

country towards achieving the aspirations of the nation for Vision 2020.

A university education is better than a college educaton.Give your opinion.

After the SPM examination,many students have to decide their future on

which education to pursue.Some of my friends chose to enrol in college.I decided

to study in matriculation college as a Pre-U qualification to enter university.My

reason is university education is better than college education.

This is because university has a better education system,more dedicated

lecturers and better facilities.

First,university education provides a better education system than college

does.A SPM certificate is enough for you to enrol in a college but to enter a

university you need a Pre-U qualification such as STPM or A-level.This simply

shows that it is harder to study in university as you need some qualifications in

which the college does not demand.Besides,the grading system in university is

stricter than that of college.So,students have to work harder to get a good

result.On the other hand,most college change their grading system,according to

the overall result of their students.Moreover,the the syllabus in university is well

designed.Besides giving knowledge,it helps to develop the social skills of

students.For example,Students have to do survey on public about topics related

to their study.This ensures that the graduates can have critical thinking skill and

communication skill.

Universities usually hire more experienced lecturers with better

knowledge.According to a research, these lectures possess a Master or PhD

degree and some even graduated overseas.Thus,they have higher level of of

knowledge which benefits the students.Besides,Most of them have years of

teaching experience and so they know how to guide their students,developing

their skills and exploring their potential.For instance,a Physics lecturer does not

only talk on theories.Instead,he teaches the students to analyse a problem

logically.They are also more caring and responsible to their students.These

qualities are hard to seen in college lecturers,who are mostly bachelor degree

holder and work just for money. (very serious generalisation here!)

Last but not least,university usually has better facilities,for example,the

state-of-art computers.Unlike those college such as Inti College which are run by

private companies,university has a better management.Thus every single thing in

the university,including the infrastructure is planned and developed well.This is

beneficial to students.For instance,university with advanced laboratories is

beneficial to students as they can learn science better by being explored to the

real situation while conducting experiments.Besides,university with better sports

facilities can help the students to relax their mind.In other words,better facilities

means a more conducive environment for university students.

In a nutshell,university education is better than college education for its

better education system,lecturers and facilities.Despite the growing number of

college in our country,I advice fellow friends to choose university education so

that when you graduate,you are competitive enough to survive in this ever

developing world.

Consumers' choice of venues for grocery shopping in 1985 and 2010

The stimuli present a bar graph on 'Places Where Consumers Buy Their

Groceries' and a table on 'Characteristics of Shopping Venues in 2010'.

Generally, majority of consumers prefer to shop in supermarkets that have

customer-friendly characteristics compared to quarter of a century ago where

people favoured wet markets.

The grocery shopping trend has evolved over the last 25 years based on

the data in Figure 1. There is a significant increase of 55% of consumers visiting

supermarkets in 2010 (60%) compared to 5% in 1985. This is attributed to the

positive characteristics of supermarkets which are more comfortable, convenient

and offering big discounts and variety. Also showing a rising trend is a 3%

increase in consumers visiting 24-hour stores because of its convenience.

Meanwhile, night markets seem to show a consistent trend stabilising at 11%

both in 1985 and 2010. The most substantial decline can be seen in the

deteriorating percentage of consumers visiting wet markets from 45% to 14%

(difference of 31%) followed by 27% difference for grocery stores. The table

indicates that while negotiable price and personalised service are key

characteristics of grocery stores and wet markets, these venues seem to lose

customers to venues that offer more appealing characteristics.

In conclusion, venues like supermarkets with better characteristics in

terms of discounts, variety and services are more likely to win over customers.

Past year actual MUET Writing questions

Year End 2008

"People are becoming more materialistic. They are concerned with making more

money and what money can buy." What is your opinion on being materialistic?

You should write at least 350 words.

Mid 2009

Information and communications technology (ICT) is the cause of today's many

social ills. What is your opinion? Support your answers with examples. You

should write at least 350 words.

Year End 2009

People commit crime for selfish reasons. Discuss. You should write at least 350

words.

Mid 2010

The world today is turning more to electronic communications such as the e-mail,

Facebook and short Message System (SMS). What is your opinion of this

growing trend? Discuss. You should write at least 350 words.

http://muetmyway.blogspot.com/2010/04/heres-sample-model-answer-for-

lastest.html

Year End 2010

In an arranged marriage, the choice of a husband or wife is made by parents or

elders. What do you think of this practice in today's society? Discuss. You should

write at least 350 words.

Mid 2011

The most valuable thing in life is friendship. Do you agree? Discuss. You should

write at least 350 words.

Nowadays education means putting people‟s knowledge and intellect

potentials to the maximum use. A person is not in the proper sense until he is

educated; he acquires knowledge and information from the external world,

acquaints with history and receives all necessary facts and data regarding the

present through education.

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90 is the highest score you can get for your MUET essay. You will have 90

minutes to complete your MUET essay. We should warn you that even those

students who get the highest scores for the test and who are qualified as “Very

good users” have problems with completing MUET essays.

Definitely, we do not mean to scare you and make nervous about the

MUET essay you will have to write. We simply want to explain that you need to

work hard and constantly improve your writing skills. Perfect writing is something

that even some native English speakers cannot boast about.

Below, we have listed several strategies that will help you prepare a good

MUET essay. Before that, let us remind you that the MUET writing test consists

of two parts.

Part 1 – a piece of writing, not less than 150 words, where you have to present

your interpretation of certain information.

Part 2 – an essay on a given topic, not less than 300 words.

Now, check winning strategies for writing perfect MUET essays.

Strategy 1: improve your grammar

A good MUET essay is a grammatically correct essay. If you do not feel confident

enough about your grammar skills, take time to study and repeat necessary rules.

Strategy 2: improve your vocabulary

Poor vocabulary is one of the signs that your knowledge of a foreign language is

not perfect. You certainly do not want to show this in your MUET essay. Using

thesaurus is a good way out for those who can only operate with general words.

Strategy 3: read in English

Read English newspapers and magazines to “feel” the language, writing styles,

to enrich your vocabulary.