# 9 - Speaking test in the Dominican Republic – March 2016

- What is your full name?

My name is (name)_(surname).

- Can I see your ID?

Yes sure!

- Where are you from?

I'm from Ahmedabad. It is the biggest city of the state of Gujarat.

- Do you work or study?

I'm studying (course name) from (college name) in (location/city).

- Describe your family.

I have a small family of four members including me. We basically belong to a Gujarati business community. My grandfather has been living in Ahmedabad from generations and we have a lot of friends and relatives here.

- Do you live in an apartment or a house?

We live in an apartment in a 10-storeyed building in a very affluent area of my city.

- Describe your home.

Sure. We have 3 bedrooms in my home, and a dining room, a living room and a kitchen. Out of the 3, two are the master bedrooms, and remaining one we use as a TV room. We have marble flooring in my house and a trendy combination of wooden and glass furniture. Also, my mother is fond of plants so we have many pots of indoor plants in every room.

- What is your favourite room or place there?

My favourite room is the living room. I like how that room is painted. It is cream and pastel green. The furniture in this room is of a lounging type so it feels very comfortable sitting there to read a book or listen to music. On one wall we have lotus motifs in brown colour which gives a very aesthetic feel to the room. It is also in a direction where the sun rays do not cross it, so it remains cool all year round.

Cue Card

Talk about a special gift that you received, please say

- What was it?

- Who gave it to you and when?

- Why do you feel it is special?

I want to talk about a gift I received on my 21^st birthday. It was a golden tiara. This was the most precious and the most beautiful gift I have received till now. I had actually been pestering my friends to make my 21^st birthday unique for me, and they all came up with this idea to surprise me. At 12 ‘o’ clock on my birthday, everyone came home to wish me and placed the tiara on my head. I wore it for the entire day the next day, and I was very very happy with this gift they had given me. Let me tell you a little more about it…The tiara was a bright golden one with a very lovely design in the front. There were diamonds studded on it which made it even more glamourous. They gave it to me wrapped in a velvety purple cloth in a glass box. The whole way my friends presented it to me was really amazing! It made this birthday of mine the most special one till now.

Discussion

- Why do you think that person gave you such a present?

They gave me this because even I do the same for their birthdays. We are group of 7 friends and we always try to make each other’s’ birthdays special in some or the other way. Plus I was leaving my teens so it seemed like a nice idea to welcome the 20s.

- Describe some traditions in your culture.

Some of the most common traditions of my culture are to bow down in respect and greet elders whenever you meet them. Another is to not eat or drink anything before praying to god in the morning. We also have a tradition to dine before sunset. As a matter of fact we have many such customs regarding various aspects of life that we follow.

- Are there uniforms in your country?

Yes there are. There are uniforms for the people of the armed forces, for the policemen, doctors and lawyers. There is a dress code for politicians as well.

- What are the advantages and disadvantages of wearing a uniform?

The advantage is that it distinguishes you and your role in the society. I personally would feel very proud in a uniform as it represents equality and discipline and people who move around in uniforms are usually intimidating.

- Where and when should we wear a uniform?

When and where required….for example, in schools, in offices, in public events of such nature where a uniform is required…

- What kind of uniforms do people wear in your country?

Not all people in my country wear uniforms. As I said, we have uniforms for people from the armed forces, and other civil services that are there in the country. They wear uniforms that are pre-defined for the particular sector. For example army men wear green and brown coloured uniforms, the air-force pilots wear all-whites, politicians wear crisp formals, Indian or western.