Books and reading can be one topic in the Duolingo Speaking Test. Here are some general rules of how to answer questions or speak about books and reading.
How to answer Questions about Books & Reading
Use Present tense
If you are narrating a story that you read in a book, use present tense, For example look at how the present tense has been used. ” The book Alice in the wonderland is about a girl who is lost in a wonderland.She struggles with the instability of her personal identity. She learns to cope with the crazy Wonderland rules, and finally gets better in managing her situation.”
Use your imagination
If you come across a question about books in a Speaking Test, that you are not familiar with, use your imagination. For example if you are asked, “What book you have read recently?”, and you have not read a book, What then? …. You can do this:
- Name a book you read in the past.
- Talk about a book you have some information about.
- Talk about a well known classic, you have some knowledge about
Note: It is always a good idea to keep some information about books, movies, games, sports, and hobbies handy.
Duolingo Speaking Sample Questions & Answers about Books & Reading
Q1. What book would you recommend for young people to read? Give reasons.
[Tips to answer: You can suggest any book you think is good or you have read yourself in the past. Just introduce the main topic in the beginning of your answer and talk a little bit about what kind of books young people usually like. Then suggest the book you would recommend and talk about what the book is about. Give details to support your recommendation.Give a conclusion by summing up the details]
Let’s look at the answer below:
Answer
“Well, there are many books that cater to the taste of young readers. Most young readers might like to read fiction, comedy or adventure, which I believe are realistic choices of a certain age group and must be read for entertainment.
But If I have to recommend a book to the young people, that would be “The Secret”. Many people might already have heard about this book or read it. So the book is mainly a collection of interviews of people who advocate that your brain is responsible for the happenings that surrounds you. Now what will you find in this book? Firstly, you will come across the phrase “ law of attraction” multiple times.
The writer Rhonda Byrne explains that this law is a universal law and it states that positive energy or thinking attracts positive experiences in your life, while negative thinking only attracts bad experiences. In a nutshell, the writer says that the power of positive thinking can make you achieve anything you wish for. She tried to prove this notion by including examples of many successful people. Interestingly, the book also highlights the power of gratitude in bringing about positive experiences in your life.
I think this book is a must-read for everyone specially for youth, since at their age they are forming new beliefs. And what I have observed that some of them also fall victim to theories of fatalism and predestination, which can be misleading.
It is, therefore, important for them to learn that the power to gain success and healthy life experiences lies within themselves.”
What is the importance of reading story books for kids? Give details.
[Tips to answer: You can start your answer by agreeing to the statement that reading story books has great value for kids at the mental, emotional and educational levels. Then you can give specific details on how it is important for kids’ imagination, mental and emotional health etc, and how it has educational value. Talk about your own experience of reading stories. After you have given all reasons, you can conclude by saying that for the above reasons I believe that story books are highly important for kids to read]
Now let’s look at the answer:
Answer
“I believe reading stories has a great importance for kids. It has many benefits on different levels. First of all reading stories expands their imagination beyond the material world. According to scientific research, it promotes brain development and health and also develops their emotions when they read different situations in the stories.
I hope you all would agree that reading story books is fun and getting story books from the library is the most exciting part of a kid’s life.
Besides being a source of fun, story reading also contributes towards language development. I remember how reading stories in English language improved my own English as a kid. Not just language, I also learned what is the culture and traditions of other countries through stories. On another level, story reading improve the focus and concentration of the kids which means that they might not find other books as interesting as stories. Therefore, it is obvious that their concentration will be better with stories.
Again, it is scientifically proven that reading stories improves memory. That is why, educationists make students learn many different things through story telling, since stories immediately capture interest.
So, these are some reasons I think that make stories important for kids to read.”
