2. While at school, you may also experience the problem of being caught between making decisions, which is to follow school rules and regulations or to be free to discover the world like you should. Perhaps, in the past, you were given the option for things compatible with your age so that you could manage your future independently, but now you have to follow your parents’ decision which is to prepare you to compete in the social system where society is scrambling to become victorious in the ‘rat race’, to say the least. Parents tend to measure their success or failure in child-rearing based on academic achievement. Subconsciously, society has also been responsible for embedding in our minds that success in exams is a must.

According to the writer, the idea of ‘rat race’ is an influence from

3. Congratulations, you are now ready to embark onto college life. A new set of problems will beset you. You may be hounded by questions like, ‘have you chosen your option yet? If so, are you sure that you have found the right major?’ Your problem starts when you realise that is a course beyond your aptitude, so you end up changing from one major to another! Well, to solve your indecision, you may seek the help of the Education counsellor, but don’t you get the impression that he is going to steer you in the right direction because that is not always the case. He may have no linking of your limitations and should you sign up for a course that is deadlock from the word ‘go’, woe betide, your chances of coming out with decent grades is low and you will certainly have to struggle through.

The option of study in college is usually decided by

4. Then you have to contend with your roommate. Sharing can be tricky. You may have nothing but continuous problems with them. Pathetic, as it may sound you may have a roommate who would wake up at 3.00 a.m. and put on all the lights even when you are still snug in beg, or worse still, play blaring music and obviously not view it as a problem or an undesirable social condition. You may even have roommates who insist that you turn off your desktop even when it is not facing them while you are doing your assignment as quietly as possible.

The life in college is

5. On the other end of the line, you have decided not to go to college, after all. You are planning to work ! An end to your problem? No way. To begin with, you may be living in a country that is going through an economic recession leading to an increasing number of unemployed and retrenchments. Where do you stand in the job market then? What are your chances of survival if you have no savings, neither can you claim unemployment benefits. Your family may fall into a crisis, should they earn only low salaries. So, stay home and exploit any opportunities including high-risk ones to survive.Life may be tumultuous for you unless the country recovers economically, and that is one chance in a million.

The writer summarised that the decision if one should start working after the secondary school was NOT dependent on

B1. You may be confronted with problems and complications.

B2, At this point in life, it might be beyond you to solve these problems. That is why every newspaper is filled with stories about undesirable activities involving school-going teens. (*Two answers)

B3. Perhaps, in the past, you were given the option for things compatible with your age so that you could manage your future independently, but now you have to follow your parents’ decision which is to prepare you to compete in the school system where society is scrambling to become victorious in the ‘rat race’, to say the least. ?

B4. Subconsciously, society has also been responsible for embedding in the minds of us that success in exams is a must.

B5. Sometimes when stress is not curbed, students even resort to violence and perhaps attempt suicide.

B6. As you shift from a life of comparative dependence on others to one that needs you to release your dependency and start your own responsibilities, problems of a different perspective may take its course.

B7. He may have no inkling of your limitations and should you sign up for a course that is a deadlock from the word ‘go’, woe betide, your chances of coming out with decent grades is low and you will certainly have to struggle through.

B8. Sharing can be tricky.

B9. Then you have to contend with your roommate.

B10. In conclusion, to alleviate your headaches before they are blown out of proportion, equip yourself while you can and seek every fighting chance to adapt to reality.