GD TOPICS ON GENERAL ISSUES WITH ANSWERS
In this blog, we have covered General Topics for GD. Prepare for your upcoming group discussion round with these detailed answers.
- English must remain the official language of India.
- Beef ban is logical.
- Love marriage is better than an arranged marriage.
- Joint family is better than a nuclear family.
- Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are killing creativity.
- A borderless world is practically impossible. Yes or no?
- Corruption is a necessary evil.
- The dark side of junk food is still unknown.
- UN plays an important role in global peacekeeping.
- China is lagging behind India in software.
- The quota system should be completely removed.
- There is a serious lack of work-life balance these days.
English must remain the official language of India.
For: Yes. Over 500M people in the world, spread out across 101 countries speak English today. It is a widespread language in India and also the official language in 35 countries (including India).
Against: No. Whether a country has English as its official language or not, speaks very little about how its citizens really communicate with one another. Sadly, just 3% of the world’s population accounts for 96% of all languages spoken today. If this continues, our regional languages and mother tongues will vanish from the face of Earth in no time. Our youngsters have to unnecessarily spend time to master English, instead of which they can brush up their logical, reasoning and other analytical abilities.
Beef ban is logical.
For: Yes. Hindu sentiments are hurt when cow slaughter is conducted. We drink our mother’s milk, but we do not ‘eat’ her! Similarly, we should not eat beef. It’s as simple as that. Squeeze the supply and the beef will go off plates everywhere. If you still wish to satiate your taste buds, you are free to shift to buffalo meat instead.
Against: No. Rather, this argument is illogical. From a nutritionary perspective, beef is an excellent source of protein. And banning it is a clear example of non-discrimination on the grounds of religion, as eating lamb meat, seafood and chicken still remain legal.
Love marriage is better than an arranged marriage.
For: Yes. In a love marriage, a boy/girl finds a partner of their own choice. They are matured enough to judge people and effectively select a partner, unlike an arranged marriage. Besides, there is a strong bond of love in the couple.
Against: No. Divorce rate is too high in love marriages. On the other hand, an arranged marriage is a sweet confluence of two families. Due to the involvement of more people in this union, marital *conflicts get effectively resolved. *
Neutral: Success rate of any marriage does not depend on whether it was arranged or not. Rather it depends on how these two people complement and understand one another.
Joint family is better than a nuclear family.
For: Yes. The responsibility of a nuclear family rests on the couple, which is tiresome. Besides having a strong support system, joint families share a greater bond of unity and affection. Prosperity and adversities are equally shared too.
Against: No. Nuclear families are better as young couples have more freedom. They can plan their own budgeting and finances as dependencies are less and savings are more. Besides, there is no scope for property related disputes which are prevalant in joint families.
Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are killing creativity.
For: Yes. We keep scrolling our social media feed for hours, jumping from one app to another, instead of doing useful things like reading, exercising or for that matter, even socializing. These internet rabbit holes also make us less productive! We consume more than we create which is a pain.
Against: No. Social media is not 100% online distraction or procrastination! Rather, it is a great medium to stay informed, voice our opinion. In Jan’10, Haiti had an earthquake and over 100k people died while millions were left scampering for food and shelter. Soon afterwards, the Red Cross started an appeal for aid on social media. Within a few days, millions of dollars were raised for the earthquake victims! That is the undisputed power of social media.
A borderless world is practically impossible. Yes or no?
For: Yes. If we seek for a peaceful future, without government intruision. If we seek for complete financial equality, a borderless world is the solution. It is a very practical concept.
Against: No. It is more of a myth than a reality. Having a borderless world is completely on us and depends on how we want our future to be like. The needs of nations, freedom of communities and religious groupism will never let this happen.
Corruption is a necessary evil.
For: Yes. Corruption has been prevailing within the systems in India since 1947! Without money laundering and bribery, no job gets done here. All the reports and news about the recent scams underline this harsh truth further more. Clearly, corruption rules with a strong hold in every aspect of India and also in our lives, as the citizens of India. We have to learn to live with it because there is no other workaround.
Against: No. Core reason behind corruption is laziness. According to a White Paper published in May 2012, Swiss National Bank estimates that by the end of 2010, total amount of deposits in all Swiss banks, by citizens of India was INR 92.95 billion! Now that you know this figure, would you still agree with the topic?
The dark side of junk food is still unknown.
For: Yes! Every year, new lifestyle diseases are cropping up. What is the reason behind them? Junk food ofcourse. We are yet to uncover the complete list of potential health risks of unhealthy eating habits.
Against: Not at all. Fast food and processed food cause increased childhood obesity, heart diseases, diabetes and other chronic life threatening diseases. We already know what the threats of junk food are, still we eat it and keep blaming the ‘unknown’ for the same.
UN plays an important role in global peacekeeping.
For: Yes. United Nations carries out several activities that are intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace the world over. These activities are tough for countries to conduct successfully, on a standalone model.
Against: No. United Nations has time and again failed to prevent disputes, many of which have escalated into large-sized wars right in front of us.
China is lagging behind India in software.
For: Yes. India’s low cost model is tough to break. Our IT services sector also offers many other cost benefits such as cheap land and affordable manpower like Argentina and Brazil. Hence, India’s software industry will always stay ahead as a way more lucrative proposition.
Against: No. Chinese universities have set up special training modules for students. The instructions are being carried out in English language for the first time in Chinese history! This is a huge move for China’s IT sector. Sooner or later, they will surpass India.
The quota system should be completely removed.
For: Yes. Reservation is wrong and unjustified. It has to be scrapped off completely as soon as possible.
Against: No. It can be modified, not removed completely. Instead of the present system, the government can give poor students free education and resources till high school Only then it can become a level playing field for everyone.
There is a serious lack of work-life balance these days.
For: Yes. Who is to be blamed for this? It is the employee himself! These days every one is a lone ranger and they are desperately striving to achieve tough goals work, at home, in their communities, and also within themselves. On top of it, organizational cultures and the 40-45 hour long weeks are depriving people of their personal time and space. The advent of gadgets and internet have made companies and bosses all the more demanding, as they refuse to accomodate a smooth work-life balance for their employees.
Against: No. Flexible working arrangements have surfaced lately. These days, human resource departmants in companies accomodate ‘work from home’ policies, they offer a flexible work schedule with no fixed timings and some employers also offer a mandatory paid time off or PTO. Besides these, organizations are growing sensitive to the fact that in a digitally connected world, employees can’t showcase an extraordinary level of energy and long overtime hours all the time.
