Speaking Compare and Contrast Activity

Describe the photos below and talk about what you think the people might be doing and why.

In the top picture, I can see an old Indian man who is sitting on the ground behind lots of bottles.  He is holding his left hand up, like he is asking for money, while holding a metal cup in his right hand.

In the bottom right hand corner of the picture, there is a large silver bucket. and in the centre of the picture, there are lots of bottles, which have been filled with a dark brown liquid.

The old man looks happy and relaxed.  He could be selling drinks to passersby, as he is sitting outside, possibly by the side of a road.

In the middle picture, there are many people who are walking long a dirt road.  In the background, I can see single-storey wooden buildings, which look like shops.  In the centre of the picture, there is a woman, who is balancing too baskets on a long thin stick.  

She must be feeling tired, because the back basket is full of vegetables, and the front basket also looks full of food.  She may be feeling relieved, because she might be on her way home.  Equally, she might be feeling fed up, because she may be on her way to the market to sell her produce.

In the bottom photo, I can see two woman working in a large grey room.  The women are holding a huge sifting tray.  In the bottom right corner of the photo, I can see a pile of material, which could be dried herbs.  The women are tipping a tray full of the material onto the pile on the floor.  

The woman must be feeling tired, as the tray looks really heavy, and there is already a large pile of whatever they are sorting through in front of them.  They must also be feeling extremely hot and sweaty, as this kind of manual work is very hard.  It takes a lot of strength and energy to this kind sort of work.

Whose job do you think is the hardest?  Give reasons for your choice.

In my opinion, the two women in the bottom photo have the hardest job, because they have to lift, sift and tip all day long inside a hot room, whereas the woman in the middle photo can get out and about in the fresh air and sunshine.  That said, carrying two baskets filled with fresh produce must also be really hard work.  

Overall, I have to say that I still believe that the women in the bottom photo work the hardest, because they have to stand up all day long, whereas the old man in the top photo gets to sit down all day long waiting for people passing by his stall.

Photos original property of James Peter Evans (do not reproduce)