IELTS Cue Card 77: A time when you did not tell the truth to someone

Directly go to Follow Up Questions (Part 3 Discussions)

• When was it
• To whom you did not tell the truth
• Why did you not tell the truth
• What was the truth

Short version:

We should always stand with truth. But sometimes, we choose not to tell the truth due to some reasons. Same thing happened with me few months back.

Actually few months back, the government raised the tariffs of electricity and also added extra tax. It inflated the electricity bills by almost 30%. It increased the financial burden on a common man.

It caused panic among people but people did not have the courage to stand against the decision of government. But there were some student-unions who called for a protest. They wanted that government should roll back increased tariffs. My bother wanted to join this protest because he was feeling that it was his duty as a citizen of the country. So he asked for my father’s permission but my father did not allow him.

But my brother had already decided to go, so he left the home and joined the protesters in Chandigarh city. During daytime, when my father asked about my brother, I did not tell him the truth, instead I told him that my brother had gone to his friends on his birthday party house and would return in late night.

I was feeling bad because I did not tell the truth to my father but it was necessary because otherwise my father would be very disappointed with my brother. So by not telling the truth to my father, I saved confrontation between my father and brother.

So this was the time when I did not tell the truth.

Long Version:

I have learnt the moral value that we should always speak truth. We should always stand with truth. It is a common saying that truth is sometimes bitter. But truth tells the reality whereas a lie is only a delusion.

But sometimes, we choose not to tell the truth due to some reasons. Same thing happened with me few months back.

Actually few months back, the government raised the tariffs of electricity and also added extra tax. It inflated the electricity bills by almost 30%. It was 2^nd increase in tariffs in last 3 years. This decision of government would affect every house-hold in the state. Government had their own reasons behind this decision but common man was already facing financial burdens because of ever increasing prices of goods. On one side, incomes are not increasing; on the other hand, governments are levying more taxes and increasing tariffs of water and electricity.

It caused panic among people but many did not have the courage to stand against the decision of government. But there were some students unions who called for a protest. They wanted that government should roll back increased tariffs. My bother wanted to join this protest because he was feeling that it was his responsibility as a citizen of the country to question the government. So he asked for my father’s permission but my father did not allow him. He thought if government could beat the protesters.

But my brother had already decided to go, so he left the home and joined the protesters in Chandigarh city. During daytime, when my father asked about my brother, I did not tell him the truth, instead I told him that my brother had gone to his friends on his birthday party house and would return in late night.

I was feeling bad because I did not tell the truth to my father but it was necessary because otherwise my father would be very disappointed with my brother. So by not telling the truth to my father, I saved confrontation between my father and brother.

So this was the time when I did not tell the truth.

Part 3 – Follow up Questions

1. Do you think telling White lies is acceptable sometimes?
   Yes, it is. White lies are good lies. They are told so as not to hurt the sentiments of the other person. They have a good cause and so it is alright to tell white lies. For example, a mother may hide from his child that he is suffering from a fatal disease and may not live long.
2. Do you think honesty is the only important quality that should be in a person?
   No, I don’t think so. Honesty is important, but intelligence, helpful nature, a good sense of humour and many other things are equally important.
3. Do you think children should be taught honesty in young age?
   Yes, they should be taught honesty at a young age. Honesty is something parents can teach without any extra effort. All they have to do is to lead by example. Children imbibe everything from their parents. They generally act and behave as their parents do. As such honesty has no lessons. Children are natural apes. So, if parents are honest, so are the children.
4. Do you think being completely honest all times can be not good?
   Yes, sometimes being too honest means being too blunt and may sound rude or even hurt the other person’s self esteem. For example, if a four year old makes a drawing which you think is not at all good, you can still tell the child that she has done a good job. That will encourage the child to draw again and become better. Similarly, at times a doctor may have to tell a cancer patient that he will get well, even if the chances of recovery are next to nil.
5. Why do people lie sometimes?
   Sometimes people lie for hiding certain things. They may not want to reveal that information and so have to lie. Some may tell white lies because the truth may hurt others.
6. How would you define white lies?
   White lies are good lies, which are told to encourage someone or to protect the sentiments of the other person from being hurt.
7. Some people say liars are those who have a good memory, what do you think?
   Liars need good memory and there is no doubt about that, but whether they have good memory or not is questionable. Those who do not have good memory may be caught very soon because they will forget what lie they told and in what context.
8. What are the other ways to teach children about honesty except having parents or teachers teach them?
   Media can teach honesty to children by showing animated stories with morals. Children can also learn honesty from their peers and by reading books.

Part 3 – Follow up Questions

1. How can people check whether a piece of information is correct or not?

People can check the authenticity of information in many ways. They can confirm it from other people. They can check from the Internet. They can also ask somebody whom they think is an expert on that subject.

2. What is the difference between giving information by phone and email?

Information given by phone is not as authentic as that given by email. An email is written proof, whereas the information given by phone does not have any proof later on.

3. What kind of professions are related to giving information to others?

All professions are related to giving information to others. A doctor has to give information to his patient about his condition, a businessman has to give information about his product or services to his customers or clients, a salesman has to give information to the customer about the product and so on.

4. Do people trust the information shared online?

No, people do not blindly trust the information shared online. They confirm it from other sites if they are not sure about the authenticity of the site they are getting the information from.

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