Essay 61 – Choose friends who always have the same opinions

GT Writing Task 2 / Essay Sample # 61

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Some people think it’s better to choose friends who always have the same opinions as them. Other people believe that it’s good to have friends who sometimes disagree with them.

Discuss both these views and give own your opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Model Answer:

Friendship is nothing but a confluence of souls with like-minded demeanour. Opinions differ as to whether people should prefer friends who perpetually agree with them or ought to select friends who sometimes have different opinions. I believe that a true friend is a person who both appreciates and criticises a friend when needed.

Many people believe that friends always adhere to their friends’ view. They argue that friends should have like-minded attitude relating to worldview, fashion, the paradigm of thought, to mention but a few, otherwise the friendship may be at stake. In simple words, if two friends explain a phenomenon from a different point of view, it may cause a hostile situation, which in turn harms the friendship. For example, Eddie and Sam, two of my college friends, who were good friends but drifted away due to they were very judgmental to each other. So, a true friend encourages his friend, supports his friend unconditionally, and tolerates his friend’s limitations regardless of the situation.

However, some people steadfastly opine that friends sometimes differ with their friends. They go on arguing that friends should critically support their friend. To put it another way, a genuine friend ought to help his friend by identifying the merits and demerits of a decision his friend about to make.

In my humble opinion, a genuine friend does not always support his friend. We all have some faults. So, a real friend should address his friend’s flaws so that he can overcome his limitations. A very good example is my friend, named Arnold. He always identifies my mistakes in a mindful fashion. On the other hand, a toxic friend always supports his friend due to his ulterior motive.

In conclusion, it seems reasonable to assume that a genuine friend is someone who points at flaws as well as praises for good works. So, we should choose a friend who encourages us and objectively criticise us when necessary.