Table of Contents
Argumentative writing prompts
TECHNOLOGY
Technology
- Does Technology Make Us More Alone?
- Are You Distracted by Technology?
- Do Apps Help You or Just Waste Your Time?
- Do You Spend Too Much Time on Smartphones Playing ‘Stupid Games’?
- Will Wearable Technology Ever Really Catch On?
- Are Digital Photographs Too Plentiful to Be Meaningful?
- Do You Worry We Are Filming Too Much?
- Would You Want a Pair of Google’s Computer Glasses?
- What Role Will Robots Play in Our Future?
- How Many Text Messages Are Too Many?
Internet and Social Media
- Has Facebook Lost Its Edge?
- Does Facebook Ever Make You Feel Bad?
- Would You Consider Deleting Your Facebook Account?
- Should What You Say on Facebook Be Grounds for Getting Fired?
- Should People Be Allowed to Obscure Their Identities Online?
- How Much Do You Trust Online Reviews?
Technology in Schools
- Are the Web Filters at Your School Too Restrictive?
- Do Your Teachers Use Technology Well?
- Should Tablet Computers Become the Primary Way Students Learn in Class?
- Can Cellphones Be Educational Tools?
- Should Computer Games Be Used for Classroom Instruction?
- Is Online Learning as Good as Face-to-Face Learning?
- How Would You Feel About a Computer Grading Your Essays?
ART, FILM, BOOKS, VIDEO GAMES AND OTHER MEDIA
Movies, TV and Theater
- Why Do We Like to Watch Rich People on TV and in the Movies?
- What Makes a Good TV Show Finale?
- What Makes a Good Commercial?
- Why Did a Cheerios Ad Attract So Many Angry Comments Online?
- What Were the Best Movies You Saw in the Past Year?
- Does Live Theater Offer Something You Just Can’t Get Watching Movies or TV?
Music
- What Can You Predict About the Future of the Music Industry?
- What Current Musicians Do You Think Will Stand the Test of Time?
- What Artists or Bands of Today Are Destined for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
- What Artists Do You Consider ‘Sellouts’?
- What Musician, Actor or Author Should Be a Superstar, but Hasn’t Quite Made It Yet?
- Who Does Hip-Hop Belong To?
- Will Musical Training Make You More Successful?
Video Games
- Should Video Games Be Considered a Sport?
- Should Stores Sell Violent Video Games to Minors?
- Do Violent Video Games Make People More Violent in Real Life?
- When Should You Feel Guilty for Killing Zombies?
- Can a Video Game Be a Work of Art?
- What Game Would You Like to Redesign?
- How Sexist Is the Gaming World?
Literature
- Would You Trade Your Paper Books for Digital Versions?
- Does Reading a Book Count More Than Listening to One?
- To What Writer Would You Award a Prize?
- Who Are the Characters That Authors Should Be Writing About?
- Do You Prefer Your Children’s Book Characters Obedient or Contrary?
- Is TV Stronger Than Ever, or Becoming Obsolete?
- Do TV Shows Like ‘16 and Pregnant’ Promote or Discourage Teenage Pregnancy?
- Does Reality TV Promote Dangerous Stereotypes?
- Does TV Capture the Diversity of America Yet?
- Is TV Too White?
Art
- Can Graffiti Ever Be Considered Art?
- Do We Need Art in Our Lives?
- Does Pop Culture Deserve Serious Study?
- Where Is the Line Between Truth and Fiction?
- Should Society Support Artists and Others Pursuing Creative Works?
GENDER AND RELATIONSHIPS
Gender Issues
- Do Parents Have Different Hopes and Standards for Their Sons Than for Their Daughters?
- Is School Designed More for Girls Than Boys?
- Is There Too Much Pressure on Girls to Have ‘Perfect’ Bodies?
- How Much Pressure Do Boys Face to Have the Perfect Body?
- Do Photoshopped Images Make You Feel Bad About Your Own Looks?
- Doctored Photos: O.K. or Not?
- Is It O.K. for Men and Boys to Comment on Women and Girls on the Street?
- Do We Need New Ways to Identify Gender and Sexuality?
- What Should We Do to Fight Sexual Violence Against Young Women?
- How Do You Feel About Rihanna and Chris Brown Getting Back Together?
- Why Aren’t There More Girls in Leadership Roles?
- Why Aren’t More Girls Choosing to Pursue Careers in Math and Science?
- Should Women Be Allowed to Fight on the Front Lines Alongside Men?
- Do You Believe in Equal Rights for Women and Men?
- Are Women Better at Compromising and Collaborating?
- Do Boys Have Less Intense Friendships Than Girls?
- Can a Boy Wear a Skirt to School?
- Is It O.K. to Refuse to Serve Same-Sex Couples Based on Religious Beliefs?
Dating and Sex
- Should Birth Control Pills Be Available to Teenage Girls Without a Prescription?
- Should the Morning-After Pill Be Sold Over the Counter to People Under 17?
- How Should Children Be Taught About Puberty and Sex?
- Is Dating a Thing of the Past?
- Is Hookup Culture Leaving Your Generation Unhappy and Unprepared for Love?
- Should Couples Live Together Before Marriage?
- Could Following These Directions Make You Fall in Love With a Stranger?
- How Should Educators and Legislators Deal With Minors Who ‘Sext’?
- How Should Parents Address Internet Pornography?
SPORTS AND ATHLETICS
Football
- If Football Is So Dangerous to Players, Should We Be Watching It?
- Should Parents Let Their Children Play Football?
- Should College Football Players Get Paid?
- Is It Offensive for Sports Teams to Use Native American Names and Mascots?
Sportsmanship
- Are Some Youth Sports Too Intense?
- Should There Be Stricter Rules About How Coaches Treat Their Players?
- Do Sports Teams Have a Responsibility to Hold Players to a Standard for Their Personal Conduct?
- Should Athletes Who Dope Have to Forfeit Their Titles and Medals?
- Do Fans Put Too Much Pressure on Their Favorite Professional Athletes?
- Does a Championship Game Always Need to Have a Winner (and a Loser)?
- Should Sports Betting Be Legal Everywhere?
- Should Colleges Fund Wellness Programs Instead of Sports?
- Where Should Colleges and Sports Teams Draw the Line in Selling Naming Rights?
Other Sports
- Has Baseball Lost Its Cool?
- Is Cheerleading a Sport?
- How Big a Deal Is It That an N.B.A. Player Came Out as Gay?
- Would You Want a Bike Share Program for Your Community?
- How Young Is Too Young to Climb Mount Everest?
POLITICS AND POLICY
Government
- Do You Trust Your Government?
- If You Were Governor of Your State, How Would You Spend a Budget Surplus?
- What Local Problems Do You Think Your Mayor Should Try to Solve?
- Should Rich People Have to Pay More Taxes?
- What Is More Important: Our Privacy or National Security?
Leadership and Politics
- Do Leaders Have Moral Obligations?
- Do Great Leaders Have to Be Outgoing?
- Is It Principled, or Irresponsible, for Politicians to Threaten a Shutdown?
International Relations
- Should the U.S. Be Spying on Its Friends?
- When Is the Use of Military Force Justified?
- Should Countries Pay Ransoms to Free Hostages Held by Terrorists?
Police, Prisons and Justice System
- Should the United States Stop Using the Death Penalty?
- When Should Juvenile Offenders Receive Life Sentences?
- What Do You Think of the Police Tactic of Stop- and-Frisk?
- Do Rich People Get Off Easier When They Break the Law?
- Should All Police Officers Wear Body Cameras?
- Will What Happened in Ferguson Change Anything?
- Should Felons Be Allowed to Vote After They Have Served Their Time?
Gun Policy
- How Should We Prevent Future Mass Shootings?
- Would You Feel Safer With Armed Guards Patrolling Your School?
- What Is Your Relationship With Guns?
- Where Do You Stand on Unconcealed Handguns?
- Should Guns Be Permitted on College Campuses?
- Did a Newspaper Act Irresponsibly by Publishing the Addresses of Gun Owners?
Immigration
- Should Millions of Undocumented Immigrants Be Allowed to Live in the U.S. Without Fear of Getting Deported?
- Are Children of Illegal Immigrants Entitled to a Public Education?
PARENTS AND FAMILIES
Parenting and Childhood
- How Much Freedom Should Parents Give Their Children?
- How Should Parents Discipline Their Kids?
- When Does Discipline Become Child Abuse?
- Do ‘Shame and Blame’ Work to Change Teenage Behavior?
- Do We Give Children Too Many Trophies?
- Are Adults Hurting Young Children by Pushing Them to Achieve?
- Is Modern Culture Ruining Childhood?
- How, and by Whom, Should Children Be Taught Appropriate Behavior?
- Are ‘Dark’ Movies O.K. for Kids?
- Should Halloween Costumes Portray Only ‘Positive Images’?
- Are Parents Violating Their Children’s Privacy When They Share Photos and Videos of Them Online?
- Should Children Be Allowed to Compete on TV?
- How Young Is Too Young for an iPhone?
- Should Parents Limit How Much Time Children Spend on Tech Devices?
Parents and School
- How Should Parents Handle a Bad Report Card?
- How Important Are Parent-Teacher Conferences?
- Who Should Be Able to See Students’ Records?
- Would You Want to Be Home-Schooled?
- Should All Children Be Able to Go to Preschool?
House and Home
- How Important Is Keeping a Clean House?
- Does Keeping a Messy Desk Make People More Creative?
Millennial Generation
- What Can Older People Learn From Your Generation?
- Does Your Generation Have Too Much Self- Esteem?
- Is Your Generation Really ‘Postracial’?
Becoming an Adult
- When Do You Become an Adult?
- When Should You Be Able to Buy Cigarettes, Drink Alcohol, Vote, Drive and Fight in Wars?
- When You Are Old Enough to Vote, Will You?
CHARACTER AND MORALITY
Personal Character
- Can Money Buy You Happiness?
- Does Buying and Accumulating More and More Stuff Make Us Happier?
- Are We Losing the Art of Listening?
- Do People Complain Too Much?
- Which Is More Important: Talent or Hard Work?
- How Important Is Keeping Your Cool?
- When Should You Compromise?
- Is Your Generation More Self-Centered Than Earlier Generations?
Religion and Spirituality
- Do You Believe That Everything Happens for a Reason?
- How Much Control Do You Think You Have Over Your Fate?
- Can You Be Good Without God?
- How Important Do You Think It Is to Marry Someone With the Same Religion?
Morality and Personal Responsibility
- Does Suffering Make Us Stronger and Lead to Success?
- Do Bystanders Have a Responsibility to Intervene When There is Trouble?
- When Is Looting Morally K.?
- Can Kindness Become Cool?
Language and Standards
- Have Curse Words Become So Common They Have Lost Their Shock Value?
- What Words or Phrases Do You Think Are Overused?
- What Words or Phrases Should Be Retired?
- Do Laws That Ban Offensive Words Make the World a Better Place?
- Should Newspapers Reprint Cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad That Some Deem Offensive?
- Is It Wrong for a Newspaper to Publish a Front- Page Photo of a Man About to Die?
EDUCATION
Teaching and Learning
- Do Teachers Assign Too Much Homework?
- Does Your Homework Help You Learn?
- What Are You Really Learning at School?
- Does Class Size Matter?
- Do We Need a New Way to Teach Math?
- Does Gym Help Students Perform Better in All Their Classes?
- Should Reading and Math Be Taught in Gym Class Too?
- What Are the Best Ways to Learn About History?
- What Is the Right Amount of Group Work in School?
- What Do You Think of Grouping Students by Ability in Schools?
- How Important Is Arts Education?
- Do Schools Provide Students With Enough Opportunities to Be Creative?
- Does the Way Your Classroom Is Decorated Affect Your Learning?
Discipline and School Rules
- What Are the Best Teaching Methods for Getting Students to Behave Well in Class?
- How Does Your School Deal With Students Who Misbehave?
- Should Schools Be Allowed to Use Corporal Punishment?
- Is Cheating Getting Worse?
- Should Schools Put Tracking Devices in Students’ ID Cards?
- Should Middle School Students Be Drug Tested?
- Should Students Be Barred From Taking Cellphones to School?
Bullying
- How Big a Problem Is Bullying or Cyberbullying in Your School or Community?
- How Should Schools Address Bullying?
- How Should Schools Address Cyberbullying?
- What Should the Punishment Be for Acts of Cyberbullying?
- When Do Pranks Cross the Line to Become Bullying?
- How Should Schools Respond to Hazing Incidents?
Time in School
- Should the School Day Start Later?
- Is Your School Day Too Short?
- Do You Think a Longer School Calendar Is a Good Idea?
- Should the Dropout Age Be Raised?
- Should We Rethink How Long Students Spend in High School?
- Should Students Be Allowed to Skip Senior Year of High School?
- Should Kids Head to College Early?
- Class Time + Substitute = Waste?
- Do Kids Need Recess?
Grading
- Should Students Be Able to Grade Their Teachers?
- Does Your School Hand Out Too Many A’s?
- Do Girls Get Better Grades Than Boys in Your School?
- Does Separating Boys and Girls Help Students Perform Better in School?
- Why Do Boys Lag Behind Girls in Reading?
- Should Discomfort Excuse Students From Having to Complete an Assignment?
Standardized Tests
- How Well Do You Think Standardized Tests Measure Your Abilities?
- How Seriously Should We Take Standardized Tests?
- Do You Spend Too Much Time Preparing for Standardized Tests?
- Should Schools Offer Cash Bonuses for Good Test Scores?
School Life
- Would You Rather Attend a Public or a Private High School?
- How Much Does It Matter to You Which High School You Attend?
- Are Small Schools More Effective Than Large Schools?
- Should Home-Schoolers Be Allowed to Play Public School Sports?
- Should All Students Get Equal Space in a Yearbook?
- Should School Newspapers Be Subject to Prior Review?
- Is Prom Worth It?
- Is Prom Just an Excuse to Drink?
COLLEGE AND CAREER
College
- How Necessary Is a College Education?
- Is College Overrated?
- Should a College Education be Free?
- What Is the Perfect Number of College Applications to Send?
- Should Colleges Find a Better Way to Admit Students?
- Should Colleges Use Admissions Criteria Other Than SAT Scores and Grades?
- Do You Support Affirmative Action in College Admissions?
- Does It Matter Where You Go to College?
- Do College Rankings Matter?
- What Criteria Should Be Used in Awarding Scholarships for College?
- Should Engineers Pay Less for College Than English Majors?
- Do Fraternities Promote Misogyny?
- Should Colleges Ban Fraternities?
Jobs and Careers
- Would You Quit if Your Values Did Not Match Your Employer’s?
- Should Employers Be Able to Review Job Applicants’ SAT Scores?
- Do You Worry Colleges or Employers Might Read Your Social Media Posts Someday?
- Would You Rather Work From Home or in an Office?
- Is ‘Doing Nothing’ a Good Use of Your Time?
HEALTH AND NUTRITION
Drugs, Cigarettes and Alcohol
- Is Smoking Still a Problem Among Teenagers?
- Are Antismoking Ads Effective?
- Is Drinking and Driving Still a Problem for Teenagers?
- Should Marijuana Be Legal?
- Should Students Be Required to Take Drug Tests?
- Why Is Binge Drinking So Common Among Young People in the United States?
Nutrition and Food
- Do You Think a Healthier School Lunch Program Is a Lost Cause?
- Should French Fries and Pizza Sauce Count as Vegetables?
- How Concerned Are You About Where Your Food Comes From?
- Is It Ethical to Eat Meat?
- Is Breakfast Really the Most Important Meal of the Day?
- Do You Prefer Your Tacos ‘Authentic’ or ‘Appropriated’?
- Should Sugary Drinks Be Taxed?
- Should the Government Limit the Size of Sugary Drinks?
Health Issues
- How Should Schools Handle Unvaccinated Students?
- Should Physician-Assisted Suicide Be Legal in Every State?
- Should Texting While Driving Be Illegal in Every State?
- Should Terminally Ill Patients Be Allowed to Die on Their Own Terms?
Appearance and Fashion
- Should Children Be Allowed to Wear Whatever They Want?
- What Are Your Opinions on Cosmetic Surgery?
- Do ‘Saggy Pants’ Mean Disrespect?
- Should You Care About the Health and Safety of Those Making Your Clothing?
SCIENCE TOPICS
Science and the Environment
- How Concerned Are You About Climate Change?
- How Should Nations and Individuals Address Climate Change?
- Should Developers Be Allowed to Build in and Near the Grand Canyon?
- Should Scientists Try to Help People Beat Old Age So We Can Live Longer Lives?
- Given Unlimited Resources, What Scientific or Medical Problem Would You Investigate?
- When Is It O.K. to Replace Human Limbs With Technology?
- Should Fertilized Eggs Be Given Legal ‘Personhood’?
Outer Space
- Do You Think Life Exists — or Has Ever Existed — Somewhere Besides Earth?
- Do You Believe in Intelligent Alien Life?
- Will Humans Live on Mars Someday?
- Would You Want to Be a Space Tourist?
Animals
- Should Certain Animals Have Some of the Same Legal Rights As People?
- Is It Unethical for a Zoo to Kill a Healthy Giraffe?
- Should You Go to Jail for Kicking a Cat?
- Should You Feel Guilty About Killing Spiders, Ants or Other Bugs?
- How Do You Think Dinosaurs Went Extinct?
MISCELLANEOUS
Rich and Famous
- Should the Private Lives of Famous People Be Off Limits?
- Do You Think Child Stars Have It Rough?
American Dream
- Should the United States Care That It’s Not No. 1?
- Is It Possible to Start Out Poor in This Country, Work Hard and Become Well-Off?
- Do Poor People ‘Have It Easy’?
- How Much Does Your Neighborhood Define Who You Are?
Charity and Philanthropy
- Should Charities Focus More on America?
- What Causes Should Philanthropic Groups Finance?
- Is Teenage ‘Voluntourism’ Wrong?
Shopping
- Do You Shop at Locally Owned Businesses?
- Is Amazon Becoming Too Powerful?
- Should Companies Collect Information About You?
- What Time Should Black Friday Sales Start?
- How Long Is It O.K. to Linger in a Cafe or Restaurant?
