How to practice: This set collects only the Read, Then Speak question type from the real DET (Duolingo English Test), covering DET Speaking questions. No grading and no timer, so solve it yourself, then tap each question to reveal the answer or model response.
Q1
Explain how former colonial relationships still influence modern global politics or foreign policy today.
- What is one example of this influence?
- How does history affect this relationship?
- Why is this topic significant today?
- What might change in the future?
20s to prepare · 1:30 to speak · 1 take only
Useful Expressions
One clear example of this influence is... · Historically, this relationship developed because... · This topic remains significant today because... · Looking ahead, I think... · In summary...
Show Model Response
One clear example of lingering colonial influence is how former colonial powers in Europe often maintain disproportionate economic and political leverage over their former colonies in Africa, Asia, and elsewhere, whether through trade agreements, currency arrangements, or ongoing military and diplomatic partnerships that were originally established during the colonial period.
Historically, this relationship developed because colonial powers deliberately structured the economies of their colonies around extracting raw materials and resources for the benefit of the colonizing country, rather than building diversified, self-sufficient local economies, a structural imbalance that many former colonies are still working to overcome many decades after formal independence.
This topic remains genuinely significant today because these historical power imbalances continue to shape global trade relationships, international aid dynamics, and even diplomatic influence within institutions like the United Nations, where former colonial powers often still hold disproportionate sway compared to the nations they once controlled.
Additionally, cultural and linguistic legacies from colonialism, such as official languages, legal systems, and educational structures, continue to influence how former colonies interact with global institutions and with each other, sometimes creating unexpected alliances or tensions rooted in shared or divergent colonial histories.
Looking ahead, I think we'll likely see continued efforts by formerly colonized nations to renegotiate these relationships more equitably, whether through regional economic partnerships, demands for reparations or restitution, or simply asserting greater independence in trade and foreign policy decisions as their own economies and institutions continue to develop and mature over time.
In summary, colonial history isn't just a matter of the past; it's actively embedded in the structural foundations of today's global political and economic order.
Historically, this relationship developed because colonial powers deliberately structured the economies of their colonies around extracting raw materials and resources for the benefit of the colonizing country, rather than building diversified, self-sufficient local economies, a structural imbalance that many former colonies are still working to overcome many decades after formal independence.
This topic remains genuinely significant today because these historical power imbalances continue to shape global trade relationships, international aid dynamics, and even diplomatic influence within institutions like the United Nations, where former colonial powers often still hold disproportionate sway compared to the nations they once controlled.
Additionally, cultural and linguistic legacies from colonialism, such as official languages, legal systems, and educational structures, continue to influence how former colonies interact with global institutions and with each other, sometimes creating unexpected alliances or tensions rooted in shared or divergent colonial histories.
Looking ahead, I think we'll likely see continued efforts by formerly colonized nations to renegotiate these relationships more equitably, whether through regional economic partnerships, demands for reparations or restitution, or simply asserting greater independence in trade and foreign policy decisions as their own economies and institutions continue to develop and mature over time.
In summary, colonial history isn't just a matter of the past; it's actively embedded in the structural foundations of today's global political and economic order.