Dinner Plans

You may have grown up with a family that either cooks everything from scratch, buys all their meals prepared or a combination of the two. Either way, throughout your life you have been exposed to cooking.

As you look back on your many meals with your family, how have your dinner habits affected what you ate for dinner?

If you could cook any meal for your family, what would you cook? Why would you choose this meal and how would you prepare it? How do you think your family would react to the meal you prepare?

Being Sick

Everyone gets sick sometime. Some people may be very good at fighting the flu but may have a terrible time with another sickness such as colds or allergies.

Do you usually get sick often or just once in a while?  What warning signs or indications do you experience that help you to notice that you are getting sick or will become sick soon?

 

Tell about a time that you got sick, even if it was a bad headache. What happened? How long did it last? How did you eventually get better/recover?

The Loudest Voice

When people say “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” this means that individuals who complain are often heard and get taken care of first and more often than those who do not.

-Do you believe that the person who is the loudest or complains most should be first priority? Defend your answer with examples and reasoning.

 

To support your position take into consideration and answer the following questions:

-What kind of people should have their needs taken care of first?

-What is the correct way to react to people who complain, are loud, or are plain obnoxious?

Enemy Tolerance

Tell about an instance in which you had to spend time with a person who you did not like. You do not need to divulge the person’s name.

Was it easy or difficult to spend time with the person? What did you learn about that person by spending time with him or her? What did you learn that can help you, the next time you have to interact with a person you dislike?

Grossed Out

Though some people are not disgusted by anything, most people are grossed out by things like toilet scrubbers, octopi, worms, slugs, flies, cockroaches, or dead animals.

What things are you (or someone you know) grossed out by? Why do people get grossed out? What kind of reactions do people usually exhibit when exposed to something gross?

Misspoken

Even if you are often correct in the things that you say, each person comes to a realization that he occasionally makes a mistake.

Tell about a time you were wrong in something you said to another person. Did another person notice your mistake? Did you admit your mistake to anyone? How did the mistake change your behavior?

Movie Criteria

Suppose you are in the mood to watch a movie that you have never seen before and you are not looking for a specific title. What kinds of things do you look for in a movie? Do you pick a movie depending on your mood (or how you feel)? Do you pick movies based on your values? Does the movie rating matter to you?

 

What themes (or genres) interest you? Some examples of genres are westerns, documentaries, nature films, mysteries, spy movies, fantasy or science fiction, family friendly, futuristic, thrillers (scary) or adventure movies that are filled with action.

Give at least 3 factors you employ to determine what movie to pick. Then tell where you prefer to watch movies most (e.g. at your house, at a friends, at a park or in a theatre) and who you would prefer watching a movie with. Lastly, describe the food you prefer to munch on while viewing a good flick (movie).

Genetically Modified Foods

Genetically Modified (GM) crops are plants which have had genes inserted into their seeds to enable a farmer to increase crop yield while saving money. Often a crop is changed genetically to make it more resistant to disease, to make their own insecticide, to be resistant to high doses of pesticide, or grow larger so that the plant produces more food. However, GM crops could also contain pesticides because a plant could make its own pesticide or because a greater amount of pesticide can be applied to a pesticide-resistant crop. Additionally, many people argue that “playing with genes” by doing things such as inserting the antifreeze gene from fish into tomato or strawberry plants will have negative health affects to people that eat the plants.

 

Do you believe that genetically modified foods are good or bad? Support your position with at least 3 reasons or examples that illustrate why GM foods should or should not be created.

Favorite Food Recipe

Make a list of your favorite foods. Do these foods share anything in common or are they all generally different? Now, make a recipe using all of these favorite foods. Would you eat it or would your recipe turn out to be something disgusting?

If I could learn a Skill...

Each person has specific skills and abilities that they are born with or have developed over time. Some pelple are greate artists, great leaders, are skilled in working with wood, stone, or even programming computers.

What skill do you wish you had? What would you do if you had this skill? What things could you do in your life to develop this skill?

Relaxing or Wasting Time?

What is the difference between relaxing and wasting time? How can you tell, when you look a person, if he is relaxing or just wasting time?

My Fair

Imagine you were in charge of the county or state fair. What kinds of things would you include in your fair? How would it be different from other fairs? What kinds of exhibits would you have on display? What kinds of rides would you offer? What kind of foods would you sell? What people would you have perform tricks or sing to those at the fair?

Universal Employment Skills

As jobs in the United States have become more sophisticated and complex, many of the jobs have shifted from being very general (such as shoveling dirt and sorting parts in a factory) to being more specific (repairing a computer network or programming a factory’s robotic arm).

No matter what job you are hired for or environment you work in, what job skills do you believe will continue to be essential for any job in the future?

Examples of skills could include: working with others, ability to learn, working well with technology, ability to present ideas and problem solving.

Internet Startup

In the past it was commonly said that the three most important things for a business are location, location, location. Now, in the time of internet commerce, nearly everyone has access to the same location (or platform) to start a business.

So, without a specific location to present a product, what do you feel are the three most important factors to successfully starting up an internet business? Explain why each factor will enable an internet business to become a success.

The Response

Often, more can be learned from a person you disagree with (and your response to that person) then from a person you do agree with.

How do you act when you disagree with a person? Are you defensive or do you just ignore them? Tell about a time you had a disagreement with someone. What did you learn from the encounter?

Hearing vs. Listening

Recently, it seems as if there are more ways to access music and sound than ever before. However, at the same time, though the amount of noise and music has increased there is no evidence that the amount of thoughtful listening people exhibit has increased as well.

What do you believe is the difference between hearing and listening? Can a person hear without listening? Does a person who cannot hear have the ability to listen? Support your answers with examples and/or reasoning

Away from Home

There are many stories about individuals who have taken a journal to a far away land to eventually return with increased experience and wisdom. Although you may have never taken such a life- altering journey, most people have spent some period away from their home.

 

What is the longest time that you have been gone from home? Tell about your journey. Why did you go and how did the trip affect your life?

Unrewarded Efforts

There is a saying, more often used by parents and bosses than by children or employees, which is “hard work is its own reward”. Do you believe this saying to be true or false? Why?

Tell about a time when your “hard work” was not rewarded in the way you had hoped. Did this lead you to want to work more or less? What do you believe is the true reward that work brings?

Movie Impact

What movie or television series has exhibited the greatest affect on your life?

Give name of the movie or series, provide a detailed description and tell how it changed your life in some way.

Weaknesses

The fact that no one is perfect is most frequently validated when we look introspectively and examine our own weaknesses. Though admitting weakness can be difficult for some, doing so can help an individual to examine why his weakness is such a concern.

Describe three things in your life, about you personally, that you feel are weaknesses. Why do you feel they are weaknesses and what have you done (or could you do) to remediate each deficiency? For example: a person who recognizes his negative attitude may choose to think of more positive things or associate with people who are positive.

Simplifying Life

Life’s challenges, activities and the competing interest for our time and attention can make it difficult to focus on what is most important. Often times, individuals are forced to change something in their life to make it less complex.

Describe three times in which you chose to simplify your life. What was going on beforehand to make your life complicated and what did you do to simplify things?

Waste of Money

Even those who have plenty of money will sometimes cringe when they have to spend money on things they would rather not have to purchase. Are there things in your life that you wouldn’t buy if you did not have to? Is there anything you feel that you either waste money or time buying that you would rather not even deal with?

Tell about 3 things that you would rather not buy and tell why you feel that you are wasting your time and/or money by purchasing each item.

Homeschooling

Over the years, there has been a steady increase in the number of children who are homeschooled in the United States. A parent may choose to homeschool their child for a number of reasons including more control over how the curriculum is taught as well as the time of day in which the child receives instruction.

Generate a list of the pros and the cons that you can imagine that think of associated with homeschooling versus not homeschooling. Based on your list, do you wish that you were ever homeschooled during your education? Why or why not? Looking into the future, do you believe that you would ever homeschool your own children? Why or why not?

For a related article, see: http://school.familyeducation.com/home-schooling/parenting/29861.html

The Effect of our Choices

One person may seem vain when they say that the choices they make effect everyone else around them while others may sound selfish when they state that their choices affect no one.

So, what is the truth about how much your choices affect others? Do your choices affect others a great deal or not very much? Use several examples from your life to illustrate your point and to support your position.

Brand Loyalty

Though many people don’t care too much where many of the things in their house come from, we occasionally develop a desire to buy only one brand of something, such as toilet paper, shampoo, or cereal.

Name any item in your home that you must have a particular brand of. Did your preference towards this brand develop out of habit (my mom always buys that brand) or did you develop your preference based on some other reason?

Intentional Change

Though there are some people who enjoy changes in life, many people do not make changes unless they have to. Whether it is in moving to a new house, changing schools, or changing old habits, change can be difficult.

Tell about a time when you intentionally changed something in your life (and not just your clothes). Why did you make this change? Was it difficult? What provided you with the strength to carry out your decision to make the change? Did you have anyone around to support you?

The Value of The View

Often times, the worth of land has been measured in how much of a valuable commodity it can produce. For example, if land is along a major street it is often valued for its commercial value, while if the surface of a property is located over a deposit of oil, its value is often measured by how much oil can be extracted from the deposit.

 

Imagine that the federal government is contemplating the creation of a mine over a large metal deposit that was recently discovered below the middle of a beautiful national park. If you were given the opportunity to present to the government an analysis of the value of the land for its recreational and aesthetic use, what factors would you consider? In your analysis, consider how each factor relates to a specific economic value rather than just the enjoyment a visitor receives by coming to the park.

Ladder of Opportunity

Long ago, the opportunities that a person has in his or her life were related more with his race and family then with how much money he had or was able to make each year. Now, after having an African American president, many have argued that the opportunities to progress in life have more to do with how much money one has or makes then with race.

What do you believe is now the most important factor for an individual’s progression in America? Is it race, money, or something else? Support your position with arguments or reasoning.

Buying Happiness

One day, when coming back from the store my 8-year-old daughter said, “I’m happy that I got to buy so many neat things.” I reminded her that you cannot buy happiness. “I know” she said to me. “Happiness has to be earned.”

Do you believe my daughter's statement to be right or wrong? In what ways can happiness be earned? In what ways is happiness not something that can be earned?

Progress and Pollution

Some people just accept pollution as part of life while others avoid and despise it. Many in America believe that pollution is actually necessary for progress and economic growth.

What do you believe about pollution and progress? Is pollution a necessary evil or can we live without it?

Of Fear

Although fear is a common human emotion our response to it varies. Write about a time in which you were most scared or responded the most to fear. What happened? What did you do about it?

What do you think causes fear? What have you done to overcome fear in your life?

Events to Look Forward to

Much of the events that occur in our lives can be termed as “commonplace” or “boring”. However, occasionally something happens that grabs our attention and renews us with energy for life. One example of this is when someone orders something they have been saving up for, and it comes in the mail or going to an event with friends.

Tell about an event in your life that happens occasionally, that gets you excited and re-energized. What is the event? How do you prepare for it? How does this event effect you? Give as much detail as possible in your response.

Sugar and Hyperactivity

For years, American parents have blamed much of their children’s hyperactive behavior on the child’s intake on sugar. However, a 1995 study by the Center for Science in the Public interest linked a child’s hyperactivity during sugar consumption with a parent’s expectations or to the activities that are associated with sugar, such as birthday parties and Halloween – rather than to the sugar itself. Many North American sugar industry representatives have cited this study as clear evidence that sugar does not cause hyperactivity. (See http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/busting-sugar-hyperactivity-myth)

What do you believe? Do you believe that sugar causes hyperactivity in children? If so, state what evidence you have that can prove your argument. If you do not believe that sugar causes hyperactivity, you must also prove your opinion with evidence or reasoning.

Show your Support

If you could wear a shirt that has any company or organization’s logo on it, which company or organization would you have on it? Why?

What factors drive us to support a company or organization enough to be a walking advertisement by wearing a logo? What kind of statement would you make by wearing the logo you chose?

Delayed Gratification

Many people have to wait a long time to be able to get something that they really want for many reasons. These reasons could include lack of skills, money, or time. Tell about a time that you have experienced, seen another experience, or are currently experiencing in which you had to delay gratification by waiting for something you really wanted.

Conflict

Even if an individual is not prone to anger, it is likely that others in his life may occasionally do or say something that ruffles his feathers. Tell about a time when someone made you, or a friend of yours, upset.

What actions occurred, what words were spoken, and how were those words or actions interpreted? Describe how the conflict was resolved and what you learned from this encounter to help you overcome future conflict.

Taking Responsibility

Benjamin Franklin once said that, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Do you believe that this is true? Why or why not?

 

What things in life do you sometimes find yourself making excuses for? Describe the situation completely.

 

Which person has more control over their life – a person who takes responsibility for their actions or a person who makes excuses? Defend your position with examples or reasoning.

Once in a Lifetime

The term “once in a lifetime” refers to an event that is so rare that you probably will never see it happen again, at least not in your lifetime. Have you ever had a rare event happen to you that was a “once in a lifetime” opportunity? If so, describe it in detail and tell why you believe it will never occur again.

 

If you have never had a “once in a lifetime” experience, what you feel are the three most important events in your life (other than your birth). Why are each of these events so important to you in your life?

Healthcare Rights

Some people believe that, in order to care for its citizens, the United States should establish a universal health care system to decrease the cost of healthcare for everyone. Others feel that the right to healthcare is an individual’s right, and that a citizen must pay for healthcare if he or she decides to use it. Because hospitals often cannot deny individuals the right for emergency room services, hospitals often treat emergency health care as a right, and then bill the patient for services afterwards.

What do you believe? Do you believe that healthcare is a right or do you believe that people should receive services based only on their ability to pay for them?

Wired for Losing

Some may wonder why the number of people playing the lottery has steadily increased over the years despite the fact that the vast majority of those who play end up losing money. Some think of the playing the lottery as a source of entertainment while others disdainfully refer to the lottery as a “tax on the stupid”.

Why do you believe people keep playing the lottery – even when they lose money?

Do you believe that the Lottery is taking advantage of people? Explain why or why not.

Gratitude

An unknown author once wrote, “Sometimes people don’t notice the things others do for them until they stop doing them.” Think about all the things that people around you do to help you, either because they genuinely care about you or because they just happen to be in a situation to support you.

 

Name five of these things that people do for you and explain why you appreciate these specific services people provide for you. For each of these things that people do for you, describe a situation in which you would be comfortable thanking them for their support.

Superfoods

There are many foods that people have claimed can produce some kind of miraculous side effects, such as improved health, energy, and increased immunity to environmental toxins. A few example of these foods touted to be “superfoods” include fish, dark green leafy vegetables, and berries such as raspberries, blueberries and goji berries.
 

Name 3 foods you consider to be a “superfood”. What positive effects do you believe each of superfood provides to those who consume it?

Subjective Grading

Many teachers, especially English and Art teachers, are criticized because parents feel that they profile specific students or types of students based on their biases. Because Jose had a smart sister means that Jose will be smart or because Julie has nice handwriting than her essay was a good one. Some art teachers even prefer a specific art piece because it concerns a topic they are interested in instead of because it is skillful artwork.

What do you think teachers and administrators need to do in order to remove biases from classes such as Art and English? Elaborate on your ideas using specific examples or reasoning.

Choice vs. Security

Young children are usually pretty happy, but are not able to make choices about their lives. Would you rather guaranteed relative happiness for the rest of your life and not be able to choose much about what you can do or would you rather struggle a lot but be able to make your own choices? Give multiple reasons for your position.

Will to Live

Many people who are put in difficult situations, including those who were in concentration camps, report that they were able to survive because of an inner force – a desire to live that was stronger than the problems they faced.

If you were put in a very difficult life-threatening situation what experiences or people in your life would inspire in you the will to live? Explain why drawing upon memories of these specific experiences or people would imbibe you with great strength.

Ultimate Experiment

Scientists spend years working on small experiments in an attempt to better understand the world around them. They are often limited by time, money and other concerns.

If you had no limits on your financial or other abilities to run an experiment, what experiment would you perform? What materials would you need for the experiment? What would your experimental and control groups be? What do you project (or hypothesize) would be the outcome of your experiment?

Not your Day

Tell about a time when you had something happen that ruined your day or made it difficult for you to function for a day or more afterwards. What happened? How did you feel about it? How did you overcome that incident or problem to be able to move on with life?

Favorite Relative

Even though many of us say that we like all of our relatives the same – and try to pretend like we do – we often play favorites with one relative or another. It may be that your uncle always gives you candy or your aunt always spends time with you.

Of all your relatives, which do you think is your favorite? Explain why this relative stands out above the rest and what he or she does that makes you want to be around them.

Just Animals

At times when people are killed or injured by a wild animal such as a cougar or a bear, communities often rally to find and kill the animal that caused the injury. Is it just or unjust for a wild animal to be killed when people were in its territory? What should be done to a wild animal that kills a person when the encounter is out in the wild?

Why Math?

The Greeks and Romans studied math and developed very helpful ways of understanding math that we still use today. You can read books to learn how math was invented, but can you explain why math was invented? Give 3 examples to support your reasoning as to why math was invented.

Long Sentence

Write a 50 word sentence (preferably 100 words).

Though writing such a long sentence can at first seem like an incredibly daunting task, if you take the time to brainstorm multiple ideas about the topic you plan to convey your message about, then write your ideas in a very clear comprehensible manner, making sure to begin with an engaging introduction, as well as a strong ending idea, before you realize it you will have written more than the essential fifty plus words (that you are required to include) to effectively convey the meaning of what you are trying to communicate while completing the assignment in just one sentence. (100 words)

Fix that Dish

Think about some of the dinners that you have eaten recently. Of all the dinners that you’ve had, are there any that you didn’t enjoy that much? If not – imagine one!

Now – think of how you could change the dish to “save” the dinner and make it more appetizing (pleasing to your tongue). Write about how you would go about transforming a dining disaster into palatable meal.

Bon Appetite!

Limits to Borrowing

Some people are fine with lending money to friends or borrowing it from those around them. They live a life in which they can trust others and others can trust them. Others say that borrowing from a friend or family member can damage the relationship when trust is broken.

What do you believe? Do you believe that borrowing money from friends is good or bad? Why do you feel this way? Support your answer with both reasoning and experiences (either your own or another person’s).

Procrastination

An unknown author wrote the following couplet: “Procrastination is a silly thing, it only brings me sorrow, but I can change at any time! I think I will – tomorrow!”

Most people have responsibilities that they complete right away while leaving some tasks for another time. Tell of a time when you put-off doing something that you were supposed to do. What were the consequences of your procrastination? How has procrastination worked for you - as general strategy for dealing with the responsibilities of life?

Trusting

The German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzche (1844-1900) was noted to have said, “I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.” Some people are never around others who lie while others are exposed to lying from multiple associates every day. When people are lied to it can become difficult to trust others or even distinguish when a person is actually telling the truth.

Tell about someone you know you can trust. How do you know that what they tell you is valid? Now, to contrast, tell about someone you know you cannot trust. How do you know if they are telling the truth? Why do you believe that they continue to lie to others?

Addictive Food

Some food experts say that large food companies are using salt, sugar, and fat to make us addicted to their product. Within food companies, product designers often strive to add the right proportion of salt, sugar, and fat to achieve a “bliss point” at which consumers most enjoy eating their product.

 What is your favorite packaged food? What is in the food that you believe might make it enjoyable? Do you think companies are taking advantage of your body’s physiology and taste preferences to make you addicted to their product?

Most Difficult

For some people, the biggest obstacle they encounter is to not be too selfish while others may feel that what challenges them most is just getting up in the morning.

What is the most difficult thing in life for you? Why does this thing present such a problem for you? Name 3 things you can do to work to overcome this challenge.

Effort vs. Results

When a person goes into a restaurant they often care less about how much work a person put into making their food order as much as how the food looks, smells and tastes. In contrast, when a relative (such as a mother) cooks a meal for that person he will tell them what a good job they did, even if the dish didn’t turn out like it was supposed to.

Why do we praise a relative’s poor cooking but become upset by a poorly made dish from a restaurant? When do you know that it is important to praise a person for their effort and not for the product? In contrast, when do you know that it is more important to praise a person for the product then for their effort? Which would you prefer people to praise you for – your effort or the product of your hard work? Why?

Trivial Matters

Even though some people make thousands of dollars on game shows such as Jeopardy, most of us don’t make any money on the small interesting facts that we know. Tell at least 3 facts that you know, which you think are quite interesting.

What is it about these facts that has helped you remember them?

What lessons (from your learning of interesting facts) can be applied to learn information about subjects you find boring?

Breaking the News

When one person has bad news for another person, the chore of delivering the bad news can be so difficult that the person relaying the news must not only think of what to say, but how to say it.

Tell about an instance in which you (or someone you know) had to tell another person bad news. Was it difficult to say? Is it better to give bad news to someone as soon as possible or is it better to wait?

Worst Invention

Though some inventions are great ideas, there are those that really seem to do the world very little good. What do you believe is the absolute worst invention? It can either be an actual thing or an idea. Write down what the invention is. What makes this thing either bad or useless? What problem do you think the person who created this invention was trying to solve?

Guinea Pig Rules

In a family with multiple children a parent may make a rule for the first child only to find that the rule they made needs to be altered or changed as the younger children mature. Do you believe that a parent’s rules should remain the same for all his/her children or should rules change, depending upon the child? Support your position with reasoning or examples.

As parents make and enforce rules do you believe it is better to be the first child (or the guinea pig) in the family or the last? Why?

Bumper Stickers

People often utilize bumper stickers to express something about themselves, such as their personal view points, achievement s, or an affiliation with a specific organization. Of all the bumper stickers you have seen, which one or ones are your favorite? Why? Now, tell what bumper stickers you have or would have, if you could. Explain what this says about you. If you would never have a bumper sticker, explain what you believe not having a bumper sticker says about you.

Stay Calm

In the book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, the reader learns of a galactic guidebook that includes the simple phrase “Don’t Panic” on its front cover. Though in the book this phrase is meant to be humorous, many of us would be wise to learn from it. This is because during times of emergency, many of us (who are not in the position to make life-or-death decisions everyday such as surgeons or marines) believe the option to panic is very sensible.

Think about a time when you, or someone you know, encountered what can be termed “an emergency”. What was going on? Was the event an actual emergency? What did the person do to solve the problem? Did they give way to panic or were they able to remain cool and collected during the traumatic event? Write about this event, including as much information as possible to enable the reader to answer all the above questions from your written response.

Bored to Death

Whether waiting in a doctor’s office or sitting around on a summer’s day without friends, most people experience boredom at some point in their life. What situations do you experience that usually make you bored? Describe the most boring situation you can remember in as much detail as possible. What made it so terrible for you?

The Problem with Success

Tommy Lasorda, a major league player and manager, once stated that, “About the only problem with success is that it does not teach you how to deal with failure.” Do you think this is true?

What other problems do you think success can create that failure (or slow progress) does not create? Explain your answer with specific examples or reasoning.

Unbelievable

Sometimes a story we hear from the news or from others around us is so improbable that we dismiss it as false, only to later learn that it was the truth. Tell about a time when you or someone you know told the truth about a situation but the person on the receiving end did not believe it because of how outrageous it may have been. Some examples of this could include learning about a major disaster for the first time or being late for a meeting because of some very strange circumstance.

Add as much detail about the circumstances of the communication, what the individual was trying to communicate and what the reaction of the person receiving the communication was. Additionally, include in your explanation the reason why you think the news that the receiving individual heard was so unbelievable to him.