TOEFL TPO -1 Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Dr. Gupta: Keeping and caring for pet animals (for example, cats, dogs, and birds) is a human behavior we see in most cultures. Often it is children who ask to keep and care for a pet of their own, or who share the responsibility of caring for a pet with other family members. In your opinion, do children gain important benefits from caring for a pet animal? Why or why not? Kelly: I can think of one clear benefit. When you read interviews with famous scientists, especially biologists, you learn that their interest in science was often awakened because they had a pet animal or animals as children. Playing with the animals and observing them led those people to develop an interest in natural science. Andrew: I think there often isn't any real benefit. What typically happens, unfortunately, is that parents get a pet animal for their child because the child likes animals in books or films. But when they have to take care of a real animal, those children lose interest, and it's the parents who end up taking care of it. • LingoLeap