PTE Academic sample essay studying past history

Some people think past history has nothing or little to tell us, but others think that studying the past history can help us better understand the present. Please discuss the two views and give your own opinion.

History refers to all the things that happened in the past, especially the political, social, or economic development of a nation. Literally, everything, including a nation, a city, a town, a subject, a business, and even a product, has its unique history. Some individuals are of the opinion that studying past history is useless today but others believe it is very essential to know history to better understand the present. I intend to discuss both sides of the argument in this essay.

Undoubtedly, the present is the continuation of the past. Therefore, studying the past history can enable us to better understand what is going on around us. For example, if we are equipped with relevant knowledge of history, it will be easier for us to understand the evolution of mankind. It would also tell us how we progressed and reached where we are today. We would also know how technology developed step by step. History can serve us as a guide because of which we do not repeat the mistakes of yesteryears. We also get inspiration from the great men of the past through history.

Those opposed to the study of history argue that the past was very different from the present and we cannot apply that knowledge to the present. For example, they say that the French Revolution and the freedom struggle of India have no need to be learnt because those situations will never arise again. What they forget is that this knowledge makes us realize the importance of liberty and self governance.

Opponents of the study of history also claim that history has nothing to do with professionals such as architects and accountants. I believe they would be better in their professions if they know something about the history of architecture or that of accountancy. As a matter of fact, you are supposed to demonstrate some evidence of historical ability if you want to pursue almost any career.

To sum up, studying the past history can not only deepen and widen our knowledge but also help us develop the power of analysis. Thus, we are able to look at what is happening at present from a historical perspective and better understanding. It has been rightly said by Cicero:

2 thoughts on “PTE Academic sample essay studying past history”

Yasodha Poudel H says:

August 15, 2016 at 5:03 am

History, in common parlance, is the record of the past events. In many circles, history is considered as an important tool by which people can comprehend people, while others say that history does not matter. Although there are good arguments against the importance of history, I personally believe that history plays a crucial role apprehending the present situation.

On the one hand, it can be argued that history has a faint function or no use at all in the present context. The proponents of this argument contend that the present situation, most often, is different from the past events. The experiences that history share us have very little worth or relevance in the present context. Moreover, in many cases, histories are recorded with different motivations and personal biasness influenced it largely. Consequently, history might misleads people. Therefore, studying history is nothing but wasting of time and money.

On the other hand, there are people who believe that history is the key to understand the current situation and the world in which he or she lives. I subscribe the view for several reasons. History is the account of past events, and present is constituted by the past events. So, if one wants to comprehend present situation accurately, he or she have to delve into the history. For example, people can understand the spirit of modern democratic state only when they study the history of French Revolution as it unified French and inaugurated the epoch of modern state. Besides, our society is crammed with complex cultures, heritages, or traditions have not been emerged on the spur of the moment. It has been formed with the practice of generations. So, if one is keen to understand the present condition of society or human beings, he or she has to visit history.

In pithy, I want to say that each individual is born with a personal distinction of an inherited genetic template, known as the genome, which has developed during the entire life span of human species. And history acts as a conduit between past and present that allows people to understand the facts of past events, which in turn helps comprehend the present better. There is no doubt that when we have a lucid comprehension of past and present, we can build a bright future on it. So, history is not just useful for present, but for future as well.

Harman says:

December 13, 2016 at 6:19 pm

It is true that some people have a perception that the time gone past has a very little effect on our life. I believe that for some cases in life, history plays a negligible role in life, whereas for the opposite, history guides a person a right way for living and is an indispensable part of life.

To initiate with, from the early days of civilization, it is the history from which people has learned to live better and for an ideal living for the future. History is considered as the experience of the life which a person should consider vital and learn from. Moreover, history is in each sector ,whether it is geographic, economics or science field. the world has become better only by learning from the past. For instance, in modern time people admire and visit the great monuments built in
the past and take them a benchmark for modern buildings.

On the other hand, it is been often said that the past time makes a modern man more conscious, the life in the present is very fast as compared to the ancient time. Furthermore, modern world is fully involved with science and technology, so mixing it with past time make no sense. Lastly, history is considered as a never ending phenomena, so a person should give little significance to it.

In the conclusion, history forms the tradition and culture of a society it must not be neglected as it is those roots from which we have evolved.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Some people think past history has nothing or little to tell us, but others think that studying the past history can help us better understand the present. Please discuss the two views and give your own opinion.