I update questions and answers about OPIc. This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and locations portrayed and the names herein are fictitious and any similarity to or identification with the location, name, character or history of any person, product or entity is entirely coincidental and unintentional.

OPIc Q&A 26~50

Describe an important time in your life. Talk about why this time was important and how it has affected you. Use details and examples in your response.

An important time in my life was when I had to decide my direction after graduating from high school. I planned to enter a university in Japan when I was a high school student. But, the result was which I could not pass the admission exam in Japan. So, I had enough time to decide my direction, for example, whether entering a university in Japan or in a foreign country or else. After considering, I decided to enter Sun-Moon university. The decision was important because I could have friends who came from various countries and became able to speak Korean, English, got a dream, and so on. If I did not choose to enter sun moon university, I would not be able to experience the life of Korea. So, I think an important time in my life was the period when I had to decide my future direction after graduating from high school.

Talk about an instructor who has made an impact on your life and why. Use details and examples to support your response.

The instructor who has made the most impact on my life was a high school teacher. He was a staff advisor of football in high school and was so passionate about football and for students. I mean, he was nice to students as a teacher. 

When I first met this instructor, I thought he was crazy because he trained us so strictly. But, in the process of practicing football, he taught me many things that were really important to me.

For example, I have to pay respect for opponents. He taught us our team could play football thanks to opponents. If no football team plays football with us, we could not even have a practice match. Besides, he taught us we have to appreciate the environment and our parents to play football because we cannot enjoy football without support. The education let grew my mind and matured my personality.

Because of two things, teaching to respect and be grateful for people, a high school teacher was an instructor who has made the most impact on my life.

Talk about a place you like to visit and why this place is special to you. Include details in your response.

A special place I like to visit is a park called forest park and restaurants in the park.

One reason I like to visit there is that I can relax when visiting the place owing to the full of nature. I face at the computer and work something such as doing assignments, learning something every single day. I can forget the life temporarily when taking a walk in the park rich in nature.

Besides, some restaurants are in the park, and I always stop by stores because they provide tasty foods and drinks which I cannot make at my home. I spend time in the store and read a book while listening to music. I like the time. So, I like to visit the forest park and the restaurants in the park. 

Talk about a person you admire and something important that this person has taught you, and explain why it is important to you. Use details and examples in your response.

I admire Christiano Ronald. He is a soccer player and a hard worker and has extraordinary(outstanding) professionalism. I mean, I suppose he is the most professional among professionals as a football player. He trained so hard even it was a holiday, such as doing push-ups, sit-ups, and back extensions 1000 times.

He also pays attention to what he eats. For example, he does not drink coke but water because coke contains a lot of sugar that can be body fat. What he taught to me is that making an effort for a long time for a specific purpose makes a person professional. It is really impressive because he proved it with his life. I received motivation from him, and he helped me a lot. Thus, I admire Christiano Ronald.

Talk about an interesting class you have taken in school and why it stands out in your mind. Include details and examples to support your decision.

I recently took a class on the education of English. Many things in this class I learned about English education. But what was interesting thing was that the professor taught us a lot of subjects to support the professor’s opinion, for example, brain science, psychology, science technology, and so on.

I started to get interested in artificial intelligence and got motivated to get the job of a data scientist. I got the exam, named data scientist exam in. I guess I could pass the exam. Above all, the professor taught us various subjects, gave me the motivation to be a data scientist. I think the education of English was an interesting class I took.

COFFEE SHOPS – Is going to coffee shops popular in your country? What kind of coffee shops are there?

I rarely visit coffee shops because it is tastier buying the coffee beans and tasting them at my house than in a coffee shop. But, I know several coffee shops in Japan, such as Starbucks, turkeys, Hoshino Coffee, Doutor, etc. This is my guess from statistical data that the coffee shop is spreading so rapidly.

I guess this is because the Japanese like coffee shops, and they seem to be workaholics because I feel Japanese have a kind of personality like they are diligent and faithful for companies. Anyway, coffee shops in Japan are increasing so rapidly and have become famous and popular.

HOBBIES – Tell me about your hobbies. What kind of hobbies do you have? When and where do you do your hobbies?

My hobbies are learning academic things at home, such as psychology, brain science, mathematics, etc. Recently, I have been into artificial intelligence because it is something that I am interested in to be a data scientist.

A data scientist is a kind of professional data analyst who processes information from big data and makes artificial intelligence based on the processed data. I am a fourth-year student in the university and am preparing to enter a company as a data scientist. So, I suppose it is natural to have an interest in artificial intelligence.

TV PROGRAMS – Tell me about the TV shows or movies you like to watch. What do you like about them?

Recently, I found a good movie, Matrix. Matrix is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis, and it’s a movie starring Keanu Reeves.

The reason why I like Matrix is the view of the world. When you see Matrix, you might have a negative impression of settings that machines dominate and control human-being as a battery to activate devices. But, the whole abstract of the notion of Matrix, such as our world is composed of a matrix, and we live in virtual space without recognizing the fact, is interesting for me who likes academic things relating to artificial intelligence and mathematics.

The scenario was so good. I thought first it was just a typical SF story, like the end of the world, fighting with liens. But the story was realistic, and the setting was plausible for the future. There are romantic factors in the movie. I do not like the kind of factors because it kills the mood of the movie but, it was not. So, above the reason, I like Matrix.

GADGETS – Tell me about the electronic devices that you own. A cell phone, a PDA, an MP3 player. Describe the gadget in as much detail as you can.

I have many different kinds of gadgets such as, iPhone, iPad, iPod. MacBook, and electro dictionary. As exemplifying some gadgets, I have products relating to Apple. This is because I’m dedicated to using Apple products (I’m a Apple/Mac-User, Mac aficionados, Apple devotees). All products made by Apple are so sophisticated and high quality compared to products made by other companies.

I am a computer geek. So, I feel an interest in many types of computers. I like Macbook because it is the high spec to be able to process data so quickly and like the design, which is so simple, but it gives an impression which is refined. The price is relatively high, but it fulfills the conditions.

I am so satisfied with Macbook and have been using six years. The other feature Macbook has is the battery. The previous Macbook has a battery problem that drains so quickly, but the new model of Macbook lasts so long compared to past Macbooks. There are a few defects in Macbook. But, I am so satisfied because the flaws got better. Above all, I like Macbook.

EXERCISE – Tell me about any exercise you do. Do you jog? Do you work out with weights? Or do you go for a walk from time to time? Also tell how often you exercise and for how long.

I do not jog or exercise because I do not like moving my body. So, I walk every single day instead. I usually walk for 30 minutes to one hour at midnight. But, I do not just walk. I walk while practicing to speak English.

I prepared to make some lists, for example the questions like OPIC, what do I like to do in my free time, what a kind person do you like, etc. Then, I practice answering the questions by remembering a pre-made answer while walking. The time is fun for me because I can practice speaking English without people. Actually, because of this habit, I feel I improved my English speaking skill gradually. Moreover, I do not have to care about others because I walk and practice English at midnight.

SCHOOL –  Describe one of your professors to me. What kind of person is he or she? What do you like or dislike about him or her?

There is a professor who I respect for. He is a professor of the English department. The usual professor educates students with knowledge relating to English. But, my favorite professor teaches us the study of English by combining a wide variety of academic contents such as psychology, brain science, artificial intelligence, etc.

The reason why this professor is my favorite is which he keeps concentrating on the subjects themselves by providing different kinds of information. And it made me attractive and enjoyable because I have a knowledge-oriented desire. He is strict but kind about teaching something. So, my favorite professor is a professor of the English department.

You indicated in the survey that you go to school. What kind of courses are you taking or have you taken in the past? Please describe the classes you are taking or have taken in as much detail as possible

I am a university student in Korea and am specializing in psychology and English. So, I have taken classes relating to psychology and English. For example, I took classes in psychology, such as personality psychology, behavioral psychology, abnormal psychology, counseling psychology, cognitive psychology, family psychology, occupation psychology, etc.

In contrast, I took classes in English, such as English practice, English discussion, English presentation, the history of English, communication English, phonetics, etc. All classes I have taken were good for me because they helped me a lot.

Psychology taught me to understand the human mind and its mechanism. English gave me ways to communicate with people in English and expanded my view of the world. Especially, learning English was so good for me because I also have been able to get information from sites that are in English. There are a lot of informational materials on the internet, and I can get the information from English sites. So, taking classes in psychology and English helped me a lot.

Please tell me about an unexpected or interesting event that you’ve had in your life. What happened?

An interesting event happened when I was a junior school. The event was I picked up with the lottery and won three days in a row. I never buy a lottery, but my father buys sometimes. But he is not a good picker. Knowing the fact, he asked me to pick up a lottery. Then, I won 500 dollars on the day.

The next day, he got the feeling that I could win the lottery. So, he asked me again to pick up the lottery on the way home. Then, I won 1000 dollars.

Then, the next day, he got an absolute feeling that I could win the lottery. Then, maybe you can guess this, I picked up and won 500 dollars.

But, the next day, I was able to go to the lottery shop because of the hurricane. Three days after, he took me to the lottery shop and let me pick up the lottery, but I could not win. He said that hurricane took your luck, maybe.

So, three-time lottery winning in a row was interesting and memorable for me.

What was the happiest moment of your life? The saddest?

The happiest moment of my life was when I was able to get a scholarship from Sun-Moon University.

I was straggling with entering a university or working after graduating from high school because of an economic (financial) reason. But, my advisor from the church gave me information about the scholarship. I applied to the foundation and thought I could not take a scholarship because there are no achievements and careers for church.

But, luckily, I could get a scholarship. The moment I got the notice of mail that I passed the judging made me really happy. I am really thankful for the church because I could learn a lot of things in school life. So, the happiest moment of my life was when I was able to get a scholarship from Sun-Moon University.

The saddest moment of my life was when my parakeets died. I had parakeets and loved them truly. I bought them at the animal and raise from a chick. They learn how to say words because I taught them to speak, and they were attached to me more than anyone.

However, they died suddenly. But, they were really old, and it is natural to die for the age. When they died, I could not accept the fact and was really sad, and it took time to regain my footing. So, The saddest moment of my life was when my parakeets died.

Talk about a place you would like to visit.

Russia is the place I would like to visit.
The reason why I would like to visit Russia is that my mother has been to Russia. I did forget the reason why she visited Russia but said it was nice. Nature was rich, and the land was vast and endless. She also said when visiting Russia, you should go with more than ten people because local security is not as good as in Japan and there are some alcoholics in the city. But someday, I would like to visit.

I would like to know what your school looks like. Please describe your school for me in as much detail as possible.

I am a student of Sun-moon university. The university is in Korea, and has 40 years of history since the school started.

What I can describe the university first is a vast space. First, when I entered the university, I got lost. It took two weeks to be accustomed to finding buildings in the university.

The second point is that there are a lot of international students. Actually, Sun-Moon University has the most international students in Korea. I am also one of the international students at the university. Because of this reason, I could be familiar with other international students and exchange opinions relating to international problems and a wide variety of cultures and views(priorities).

The third point is that Sun-Moon University provides many rewards if a student does something. For example, if I got a great grade, then tuition for the next term would be free. There are a lot of plans that can be available for every student and are rewarding.

Have you ever been in a situation in which you wanted to take a class but faced some difficulties? Tell me what happened. How did you resolve the problem?

I face difficulties when I take a class, family counseling. Family counseling focuses on a family rather than on an individual and tries to cure the whole structure. I face two difficulties.

First, theories of family counseling are difficult for me because I should know the history of family counseling to understand these theories deeply. I had to spend much time memorizing the history and did not have a good memory. So, it was challenging for me.

Second, the class was a capture design class. The capture design class is to make a specific plan in the class. I was taking family counseling. So, I had to form a cure plan for a family based on a theory. In my case, I selected social constructivism, which was interesting for me. Making a plan takes a lot of time, and I paid attention a lot because the plan had to be consistent and refined.

Third, the class involves group activity. I like doing something alone because I believe in my ability than others and do not want to bother the group. But, I had to take part in a group and did. I am a communicator so, it is not difficult for me to interact with others. But, I have to use my energy to talk, resulting in tiredness.

Above the reasons I faced difficulties.

You indicated in the survey that you are a college student. I would assume that you have classes you like and classes you don’t like. Compare one class you have liked a lot to a class you have not liked. Describe what you liked about the one and what you did not like about the other.

In the classes, I like the class of psychology and do not like the class of social welfare. I specialize in counseling psychology and social welfare. So, I have to take two classes to graduate from a university. I like psychology, but do not like social welfare.

The reason why I like psychology is that I can learn psychological theories. I prefer to learn theories because I can learn the human mind from a wide variety of aspects, such as psychoanalysis, behaviorism, cognitivism, etc.

The reason why I do not like social welfare is that I have to learn the law or rules concerning (as for, relating to in terms of, in(with) regard to) social welfare. I am not interested in social welfare actually, and it is really boring to memorize the law and rules regarding social welfare. I know memorizing these laws might help me someday, but I do not need to get the knowledge now. Compulsory(mandatory, obligatory, requisite) learning is not effective in memorizing something.

So, what I can know by describing classes I like, and I do not like is that emotion is a pivotal factor in learning something. I have a positive emotion for psychology. So, I can learn and memorize theories compared to social welfare that I have a negative emotion. So, It is really essential to have a positive emotion for learning, I suppose.

Tell me about a school project that you recently worked on. What were the steps you took in order to begin working on it and finish the project?

A school project I recently worked on was a presentation on family counseling. The project is about selecting a family movie and analyzing the case by social constructivism, and making a presentation based on the analysis.

I was charged with analyzing the movie with social constructivism and made a report. Actually, I do not care what kind of works because I can do almost all of the works in group work, such as giving a presentation, searching for information that is needed to get, analyzing the data diligently, making a report, etc. I actually like analyzing because of my personality. So, I was satisfied with my role. Plus, there were no difficulties because the team was communicative. The group of people conveys opinions aggressively. So, there were no problems. And we finish the school project because of cooperative work.

What animal would you like to have as a pet? Choose a pet and explain why you would like to own this animal

An animal I would like to have is a crow(raven). There are three reasons why I would like to have a crow.

First, I like the appearance. The black body is nice and cool. The body also shapes, and the size is the right size. They’re not too big or too small.

Second, they are smart. You might know a crow is really smart, and it has high intelligence comparable to a seven-year-old. I want to teach tricks to the crown, such as bringing something, making it a watch crow, etc.

Lastly, they are not expensive. The price is reasonable if I buy a hatching chick [a baby bird]. So, it is accessible for me because of the price.

For these reasons, I would like to have a crow(raven) as a pet.

Talk about your country’s national anthem or flag. Where is it used, and where can it be found today? Include details and examples to support your response.

I have been living in Japan until now and also have Japanese nationality. So, I am going to talk about the Japanese anthem and the Japanese flag subsequently.

I am going to talk about the Japanese anthem. “Kimigayo” (His Imperial Majesty’s Reign”) is the national anthem of Japan. The lyrics of “Kimigayo” are probably the oldest among the world’s national anthems, and with a length of 32 characters, they are also the world’s shortest. It is used in situations, and we can see the Japanese anthem, for example, international competition, entrance and graduation ceremony in Japan.

I am going to talk about the Japanese flag. The flag features a crimson circle at the center of a white background. It is designed to embody the nation’s nickname, Land of the Rising Sun. The Japanese flag is also referred to as Hinomaru by some Japanese people, which means the circle of the sun. It is used in situations, and we can see the Japanese flag, for example, international competition, entrance and graduation ceremony in Japan.

Talk about a situation which enabled you to realize you had a certain strength or weakness that you didn’t know about before and how you dealt with this new finding.

First, I am going to talk about my strength that I did not know about before. After that, I am going to tell my weakness.

I realized when I was said by a friend that I like learning something. I did not know myself because almost every human does not acknowledge themselves in daily life. So, my friend was thinking I seemed to like studying. So, the friend said that you seem to like learning because you were not aware of my voice. For this reason, I realized that I like learning something.

The next is weakness. I did not think I did not pay attention to the details that much. But I was the one, actually. When I was a junior high school student, I was pretty good at studying, and took better grades compared to other students in the school. One day, I got a midterm exam and received a score after finishing the exam. I rarely take a row score, and my classroom teacher said the score I took could be an accident. So, you can make good points when taking exams next time. So, do not pay attention to the score. I know it is senseless and a waste of time to worry about the past. But, I noticed I had the personality that pays attention so much when my mother said, you looked to think about the score you took. So, I realized my weakness is that I pay attention to the detail that is too much, especially in the past.

You have just returned home after a long journey. Talk about the person you have missed the most and why you have missed them. Include details and examples to support your response.

I have missed my girlfriend when returning home after the journey. There are some reasons why I choose my girlfriend.

First, I love my girlfriend more than anyone. I never met my girlfriend during a long journey. So, it is natural to have a desire to meet my girlfriend because I love my girlfriend.

Second, I do not have any persons whom I missed except my girlfriend. This is an optional way. But, I do not have the kind of person. So, it is essential to choose my girlfriend as the person whom I miss the most.

Third, my girlfriend is the only person I can share my story of the long journey. I mean, I can share my story in person. Of course, I can share my story with everyone If I update the information on the internet. But, from personal and emotional preference, I can share my story with my girlfriend.

So, these are the reasons why I have missed my girlfriend when returning home after the journey.

Talk about a special present you received and why that present was important to you. Include details to support your response.

A special present I received was a letter from my girlfriend. There are some reasons why I say this.

First, everyone who receives a present from a loved one feels better more than other people. I mean, you also feel a euphoric feeling if you receive a present from your precious persons, do not you? Receiving a present from a familiar or loved person makes me feel positive.

Second, this letter encouraged me to do when I am in the doldrums. I do something positively, basically. But, whenever I got depressed and hardly did something, a letter from a girlfriend cheered me up and gave me the power to do assignments.

Third, the letter of the content itself was memorable for me. The content is ordinary (mundane) like I like you, I love you, you are the very person I loved, someday we will be together and live happily, etc. These contents have a meaning for me because the person is one who is really important for me.

So, these are the reasons why a special present I received was a letter from my girlfriend.

What does the expression “good things come to those who wait mean to you, and how have you seen this in your own life?” Use examples and details to illustrate your response.

Well, this means if you do something seriously(desperately), the feedback will come back someday.

For example, suppose that you have an exam tomorrow. If you do not have been learning the subjects concerning tomorrow’s exam, you might get a bad score. In contrast(On the other hand, wheres, while), If you have been learning the subjects regarding tomorrow’s test, you will get a better score compared to other people. I mean, you will be rewarded, in proportion to that the amount of time you spend time to learn the subjects.

That is the meaning of “good things come to those who wait mean to you.”

OPIc

I update questions and answers for OPIc. Ninety percent of the contents are imaginary. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of my imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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2021.10.29