Cue Card #51: Describe a time when you were cheated/ when someone lied to you / someone did not tell you the complete truth

Describe a time when you were cheated/ when someone lied to you / someone did not tell you the complete truth

You should say:

• What was the occasion/ What the situation was?
• When this happened?
• Who was the person?
• What did he hide about?
• Why do you think the person did not tell the whole truth?
• Or they could ask talk about a time when you lied to someone

Model Answer:

• There have been many times in my life when I felt cheated.
• Sometimes the person lied to me and sometimes some truth was hidden, which is also as bad as being lied to.
• Here, I would like to talk about an occasion when my mother lied to me.
• Actually, it was my 16th birthday, and my mother had planned a surprise party for me.
• When I got up in the morning, I observed that everybody was behaving strangely and nobody in the home wished me properly.
• When I asked them what the matter was, they just shrugged their shoulders and said that it was a routine day and they refused to admit that their behaviour was any different.
• I was very upset, but I got ready and went to to school.
• My friends were also behaving very strangely on that day and were discussing things with each other, but when I went near them, they would stop talking or change the topic.
• Actually, my mother had invited all of them and were making plans to come to my home that evening.
• My mother had obviously told them to keep it a secret from me.
• I could smell something fishy in their behaviour, but could not make out what it was.
• I felt very low and sad.
• After school when I reached home, I found that my mother had decorated the drawing room with balloons and buntings and had baked a special chocolate cake for me.
• All my sadness disappeared and I hugged my mother tight.
• She had hidden the whole plan from me because she wanted to surprise me.
• She just wanted to see my happy face.Her joy is in making me happy
• When my friends arrived, we all had a hearty laugh and then we enjoyed the snacks prepared by my mother. We also danced a lot late into the evening.
• It was a day to remember.

Part 3 – Follow up Questions

1. Do you think telling White lies is acceptable sometimes?
   Yes, it is. White lies are good lies. They are told so as not to hurt the sentiments of the other person. They have a good cause and so it is alright to tell white lies. For example, a mother may hide from his child that he is suffering from a fatal disease and may not live long.
2. Do you think honesty is the only important quality that should be in a person?
   No, I don’t think so. Honesty is important, but intelligence, helpful nature, a good sense of humour and many other things are equally important.
3. Do you think children should be taught honesty in young age?
   Yes, they should be taught honesty at a young age. Honesty is something parents can teach without any extra effort. All they have to do is to lead by example. Children imbibe everything from their parents. They generally act and behave as their parents do. As such honesty has no lessons. Children are natural apes. So, if parents are honest, so are the children.
4. Do you think being completely honest all times can be not good?
   Yes, sometimes being too honest means being too blunt and may sound rude or even hurt the other person’s self esteem. For example, if a four year old makes a drawing which you think is not at all good, you can still tell the child that she has done a good job. That will encourage the child to draw again and become better. Similarly, at times a doctor may have to tell a cancer patient that he will get well, even if the chances of recovery are next to nil.
5. Why do people lie sometimes?
   Sometimes people lie for hiding certain things. They may not want to reveal that information and so have to lie. Some may tell white lies because the truth may hurt others.
6. How would you define white lies?
   White lies are good lies, which are told to encourage someone or to protect the sentiments of the other person from being hurt.
7. Some people say liars are those who have a good memory, what do you think?
   Liars need good memory and there is no doubt about that, but whether they have good memory or not is questionable. Those who do not have good memory may be caught very soon because they will forget what lie they told and in what context.
8. What are the other ways to teach children about honesty except having parents or teachers teach them?
   Media can teach honesty to children by showing animated stories with morals. Children ca also learn honesty from their peers and by reading books.