TOPIC 154

TOPIC 154: Plants can provide food, shelter, clothing, or medicine. What is one kind of plant that is important to you or the people in your country? Use specific reasons and details to explain your choice.

Essay 1

Plants can be considered the support of the life on Earth, due to their main feature: they are continuously providing oxygen because of photosynthesis process. Moreover, most plants are useful to people in many other different ways.

In my country, Romania (located in South-Eastern Europe), we consider wheat the most important plant.

During centuries, our ancestors had to fight numerous invaders in order to protect our most precious wealth: wheat. Until World War II, Romania had been considered the most important wheat producer of the entire continent. Unfortunately, after the war, my country was invaded by Soviet troops, having a sole purpose: stealing. They stole everything they found: money, jewelry, cars, industrial equipment and, last but not least, food. During that period, wheat flour was considered the most precious asset a person could own.

After the 60's, the situation returned to normal. Regrettably, however, wheat paddocks were considered a source for obtaining merchandise to be sold abroad, in return for foreign currency meant to fulfill Ceausescu's insane plans for "the new communist era". Dozens of trains full of wheat berries crossed our borders, while Romanian people were starving, fighting for a loaf of wheat bread.

After the collapse of communism, everybody believed that things would return to normal.
However, another problem occurred. Irresponsible people stole most irrigation equipments (pumps, pipes), so wheat production has been continuously decreasing.

At present, wheat is still considered a precious gift of nature given to our people. Thousands of people working in agriculture are treating this plant as the most important thing in their lives.

I hope that, sometime, all my nationals will give wheat the importance it deserves.

(Essay ID: 329 . Sample essay provided by Erin Billy of www.TestMagic.com)

Essay 2

Chiquita, the name brand that most people see here in North America when they go get some bananas at the supermarket, is the mark for all the bananas produced at the Chiriqui Land Co. What not so many people know is that those bananas are from my country, Panama, where the plantation of this fruit means a very important income into our economy.

The production of bananas in Panama is one of the most important in the country. Since the beginning of the last century, native Indians from Panama have worked in the plantation of bananas. Thus, it means this has been a way to bring some income to all these homes and to the national economy, too.

The plantation of bananas means millions and millions of dollars to our economy every year. The bananas are not only for the local consumers, but also to be exported. The exportation of bananas not only to The United States but to many other countries is a source of money to our internal economy. Therefore, it means more school, hospitals and other benefits for the local population.

The quality of the banana plants and their product are excellent. Quality control is very
demanding and meets the excellence of ISO 900. The banana plant is protected with a special plastic that covers the whole plant from all kind of insects and other animals. The bananas are washed and packed in boxes, where they keep the fresh and delicious smell and taste to be exported later on.

For the quality, excellence and delicious sweet flavor that only the bananas have, is what makes it the most important plant in my country and which means millions of dollars every year into our economy. (Essay ID: 321. This is a 5 point essay)

Essay 3

Hundreds of thousands of plans grow in my country because of its good climate and geographic position. And it is not surprising that my county is well known all over the Europe with its delicious and natural raised fruits and vegetables, such as peaches, apples, and potatoes.

Moreover, people of my country enjoy having many herbs and spices which help them in cooking. However, in my opinion, the most important plan in my country is the wheat. In is not only because the grain production is the most famous and developed agriculture branch but also because the wheat is the connected with our eating habits, our culture and our distinction as a nation.

First of all, the wheat is the staple for most of the people of my country. There are a lot of places on territory of my country with good climate and soil where wheat and other grain products can grow abundantly, so people choose wheat as their staple food. People eat bread and other bakery products on every meal they have. Indeed, almost each person gets for breakfast sandwich, pancakes or the famous baked rolls called "baniza". Moreover, nobody can imagine to have his lunch without slice of bread or small polled breads. And for dinner he got bread or other bakery products again on side to his home made meal.

Second, the wheat bread is the traditional meal of my county. In fact, wheat bread or wheat beans are always on celebrations and big events. There is no wedding without a big round bread for the bride and groom, christening without bread with fortune pieces inside, or funeral without cooked wheaten beans. Moreover, even in history books is written that when the R army liberated our country at the nineteen centuries, people meet soldiers with wheat bread and salt. Even now, on some big meetings when many relatives get together, there is bread in front of the door of the host, and everybody has to chop a piece of the read and eat it to show respect to the gathering and people of the family tree.

In conclusion, wheat is symbol of our nation. It is important for people of my country not only because it is their staple food but also because it is in their culture. Wheat is always and will always be a part of our nationality.

(Essay ID: 326 . Sample essay provided by Erin Billy of www.TestMagic.com)

Essay 4

The coconut tree is a very important plant in my country. Coconut tree plantations are important sources of revenue, food and shelter.

Our country earns a lot of money from the export of coconut tree products like copra, coconuts, coconut oil, and coconut milk. This has been the main source of our foreign exchange for over a century. In fact, many of the coconut plantations were planted by various colonial powers and now, since independence, are run by our own citizens.

We not only export the food products of the coconut tree, we eat them ourselves too. The coco is the basis of much of our national cuisine-. We are famous for our curries made rich by coconut milk. We also use the oil to fry our foods as well as to add shine to our skin and hair.

The fronds of the coconut tree are also used to cover the walls and roofs of temporary shelters.

The breezes pass through the fronds and cool the interior, but the heavy rains, which fall daily, do not enter. The coconut tree is a very versatile and useful plant. It is a tree that has served our country well.

(Essay ID: 32 )

Essay 5

Plants are vital to the survival of all life on Earth--plants transform the light of the sun into energy that is usable to other life on Earth. Without plants, animals would not be able to use the energy of the Sun that reaches the Earth. The removal of one plant from the ecosystem can cause many unforeseen changes, sometimes irreversibly damaging an ecosystem. However, some plants are more important than others, either for biological or cultural reasons. In my country, Korea, I would say that the grass that produces rice has come to be the most important plant, not just because rice is a staple food, but also for other cultural reasons.

Virtually every Korean eats rice at least twice a day. I, for example, had rice at breakfast, lunch, and dinner yesterday. For most Koreans, rice is an integral part of a meal, as expected in a meal as ink is to a pen or wheels are to a car--a meal without rice is not a meal. In fact, if I have dinner with my American friends and do not eat rice, I actually feel hungry even if I have filled myself with potatoes or other food while eating with them. Many of my friends have made similar comments to me. So, I believe that rice is as much a part of our daily lives as work or talking on the telephone is.

However, rice is much more than just a staple food to most Koreans--it represents the very sustenance of much of our culture. Our history teachers tell us that the development of rice as an agricultural product was largely responsible for the advancement of Korean culture--since rice was portable and had a long storage time, people had more freedom to move and were less susceptible to changes in the weather. In many ways, rice has come to be considered the perfect food, so ingrained is it in the minds of many Koreans, and many Asians for that matter, as food that we often say "have you had your rice" instead of saying " have you had your meal. " In fact, I have made this translation error many times while I have been in the United States. I have wanted to ask my American friends whether they have eaten, and I ask, "Have you eaten your rice?"
Naturally, they often respond "no, " leading to much miscommunication. For me, then, rice is more than just food--it is the very sustenance of most Koreans.

In short, rice is by far the most important plant in Korea. Were it removed from Korean society, Korea would change drastically, perhaps even have a famine much like the Irish Potato Famine of the 1800's. Rice is the very lifeblood of Korea.

(Essay ID: 31 . Sample essay provided by Erin Billy of www.TestMagic.com)