Topic lists
The expression “Never, never give up” means to keep trying and never stop working
for your goals. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Use specific reasons
and examples to support your answer.
Why do you think some people are attracted to dangerous sports or other dangerous
activities? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
What are the important qualities of a good son or daughter? Have these quali-ties
changed or remained the same over time in your culture? Use specific reasons and
examples to support your answer.
People work because they need money to live. What are some other reasons that
people work? Discuss one or more of these reasons. Use specific exam-ples and
details to support your answer.
Some people like to do only what they already do well. Other people prefer to try new
things and take risks. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to
support your choice.
If you could study a subject that you have never had the opportunity to study, what
would you choose? Explain your choice, using specific reasons and details.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Grades (marks) encourage
students to learn. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
Some people say that computers have made life easier and more convenient. Other
people say that computers have made life more complex and stress-ful. What is your
opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Your city has decided to build a statue or monument to honor a famous person in
your country. Whom would you choose? Use reasons and specific examples to
support your choice.
Describe a custom from your country that you would like people from other countries
to adopt. Explain your choice, using specific reasons and examples.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Technology has made the
world a better place to live. Use specific reasons and examples to support your
opinion.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The content of adver-
tisements in a particular country can tell you a lot about that country. Use specific
reasons and examples to support your answer.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Modern technology is
creating a single world culture. Use specific reasons and examples to support your
opinion.
A foreign visitor has only one day to spend in your country. Where should this visitor
go on that day? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.
If you could go back to some time and place in the past, when and where would you
go? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.
What discovery in the last 100 years has been most beneficial for people in your
country? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Dancing plays an important
role in a culture. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
If you could meet a famous entertainer or athlete, who would that be, and why? Use
specific reasons and examples to support your choice.
If you could ask a famous person one question, what would you ask? Why? Use
specific reasons and details to support your choice.
Your teacher has given you a large assignment that must be completed in one month.
You can complete the assignment gradually by working on it a little bit each day, or
you can complete the work quickly by working on it intensively for three or four
days. Which method do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support
your choice.
You have a choice of movies to see. What influences you the most in choosing which
movie to see? Whether your favorite actors are in it
What kind of movie it is (action, romance, comedy, etc.)
What other people are saying about it
Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.
Many people believe that greed, or the desire to have more wealth than other people
have, is a bad characteristic; people who are greedy are often con-sidered selfish or
unkind. However, some people argue that greed is actually a good characteristic for a
person to have because greedy people will work harder than others to become
successful. Do you believe that greed can be a good characteristic? Why or why not?
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Which is more important for a leader: the ability to win an argument about an issue or
the ability to help others come to an agreement about an issue? Use specific reasons
and examples to support your answer.
Your city or province has received a large donation of money to improve the
education of children. It must choose between spending the money on improvement of
early childhood education (for children ages 4 to 7) and spending the money on the
improvement of education for older children (ages 11 to 14). Which do you think is
the better option? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? For students who are planning
to work in business, learning about psychology is more important than learning about
technology. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Practice and hard work are
more important to an athlete’s success than natural ability and tal-ent. Use specific
reasons and examples to support your answer.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Today’s media (TV and
online news sites, for example) offer a lot of information on many topics, but people
do not use this information to really learn something thoroughly and in depth. Use
specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People who have had
difficulty learning a skill go on to become better teachers of that skill than people who
learned it easily. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children today would be
happier if they had fewer possessions. Use specific reasons and examples to support
your answer.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Traditional ways of
celebrating holidays are much less important today than they were in the past. Use
specific reasons and examples to support your answer
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Improving transpor-tation is
the best way for governments to promote economic growth. Use spe-cific reasons and
examples to support your answer.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? As long as they meet
deadlines and attend meetings, company employees should be allowed to work any
hours they choose. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Although technology has
made communication easier, there are still as many misunderstandings among people
as there were in the past. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People today are much better
informed about international news than they were in the past. Use specific reasons
and examples to support your answer.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? For students, the abil-ity to
listen well is just as important as the ability to read well. Use specific reasons and
examples to support your answer.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? For most jobs or areas of
work, understanding the limits of your knowledge is more important than the
knowledge you have. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Television does not give
people an accurate view of human nature. Use specific reasons and examples to
support your answer.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is more interesting to read a
good book or see a good movie the second time than the first. Use specific reasons
and examples to support your answer.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? All jobs should pro-vide
some opportunity for physical exercise. Use specific reasons and exam-ples to
support your answer.