Describe something that was broken in your home and then repaired.
Modal Answer
You Should Say:
- What is it?
- How was it broken?
- How you got it repaired?
- And how you felt about it.
What is it and how was it broken?
The leg of the side table in the living room came off during last Diwali. We generally keep showpieces on it and it has some beautiful carvings on it. This table was handed down to us by my grandmother and lent an old world charm to the living room. However, during last Diwali, some children who were running about toppled it over and that’s when the leg came off.
How did you repair it ?
For many days it was kept in the store-room as nobody had the time to repair it. At first we thought we should hire a carpenter to repair it but none were willing to come for just a small repair. On a weekend I decided to repair it. I first smoothened the surface with sandpaper and then bought some superglue from the hardware store. I applied the glue and adjusted the leg. I also hammered in some nails to fix it permanently.
And how you felt about it
Later, to apply pressure, I kept a few other heavy items to fix the leg. I also polished it and once done, it looked as good as new. I felt really good, as not only did I manage to repair the table without spending much, but the piece now looked better than before due to the new coat of wood varnish.
Describe something that was broken in your home and then repaired.
Modal Answer
You Should Say:
- What is it?
- How was it broken?
- How you got it repaired?
- And how you felt about it.
What is it?
I had a blue cycle with disc brakes from a brand called Hero. The cycle was a sports cycle heavy in weight to gain momentum during racing. I regularly used to ride and play with kids around my age during my school time.
How was it broken?
The cycle was quite robust and heavy in every way but its disc brake was fragile as many times discs would dislocate or get damaged while breaking or pads wore off regularly which made the cycle a bit unreliable and was mostly in the workshop.
How you got it repaired?
I regularly complained to my parents about the same but each time the shopkeeper put a new brake pad in the cycle and said it was ready. I then wrote a letter to hero cycle which they replied after a month and contacted my father and a person came to the house to inspect the cycle and declared the cycle as a defective product and provided me a new one.
And how you felt about it?
I felt good as before. I was thinking that it was my mistake that my cycle was always in the shop for brake related problems and the shopkeeper always took 200 rupees to replace brakes.
Describe something that was broken in your home and then repaired.
Modal Answer
You Should Say:
- What is it?
- How was it broken?
- How you got it repaired?
- And how you felt about it.
What is it and how was it broken?
I actually take a lot of pride in the fact that I always try to repair things at my home by myself, without any help from anyone. It’s not because I hesitate in asking for help, but it’s more rooted in the idea of self-sufficiency. One time, I remember vividly, the cupboards in our kitchen were coming off their hinges. I kept tightening them with screwdrivers almost every week, but unsuccessfully. Ultimately, around 6 cupboard doors dropped on the floor on the same day. Screwdrivers were not of use anymore for them.
How you got it repaired and how you felt about it?
I was reluctant to give up but I told myself to be practical and decided to just get it fixed by the people who can fix it permanently. I phoned our local carpenter to get it fixed. He came over the following weekend and informed me that the hinges kept falling out because the wood of the cupboard doors is degraded in quality. Hence, new doors had to be made and fixed for the cupboards. And that’s what eventually worked. Now, all’s well in the kitchen and I’m glad, but at that moment I did wish to magically acquire some carpentry skills to do it myself.
Describe a time you used your Cellphone/Smartphone to do something important
Modal Answer
You should say:
- What happened
- When it happened
- How important the cellphone/smartphone was
- And explain how you felt about the experience
What happened and when it happened?
Nowadays almost everyone is glued to their smartphones, making it seem like an extension of our bodies. I used to detest this about everyone around me and even considered becoming old-school and switching back to a smaller cell phone with just the calling feature. However, in March 2024, I got a reality check and realized how important a smartphone can be. I was out with my friends when a client from work called me up for an extremely urgent work. Even after multiple attempts to explain to them how I couldn’t possibly do it as I was out of my house, they were insistent due to the emergency they were facing.
How important the cellphone/smartphone was
It was my smartphone that ultimately saved their day and mine surely. I quickly downloaded an application on my phone after searching for the best video editor. I edited a video for my client and then quickly sent it across. That day my smartphone helped me gain some internal appreciation as well from my work team.
And explain how you felt about the experience
This all led me to realize that if I had shifted to a cell phone, my boss would have thought that I wasn’t capable of handling emergencies and my client would have also lost out on presenting well for their company executives. Since then, I’ve become a bit more grateful for this technology.
