interesting critical thinking questions

85 Fun Critical Thinking Questions for Kids & Teens

Have you ever thought about using fun questions to practice critical thinking?

Students may need a little guidance to think their way through questions that lack straightforward answers.

But it is that process that is important!

How the Right Questions Encourage Critical Thinking

Every parent knows how natural it is for children to ask questions. 

It should be encouraged. After all, asking questions helps with critical thinking.

As they grow older, however, training them to answer questions can be equally beneficial.

Posing questions that encourage kids to analyze, compare, and evaluate information can help them develop their ability to think critically about tough topics in the future. 

Of course, critical thinking questions for kids need to be age-appropriate—even better if you can mix a little fun into it!

That’s what I hope to help you with today. I’ve organized the questions below into three different ages groups:

• Upper elementary
• Middle school
• High school 

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Upper Elementary

Students in upper elementary grades can be reluctant to put themselves out there, especially with answers that seem weird. 

In some cases, such hesitancy is actually fear of differing from their peers (and a barrier to critical thinking ). 

But that’s exactly why it’s important to practice answering ambiguous questions. 

We want our children to stand firm for their beliefs—not cave to peer pressure. 

Additionally, students may feel uneasy about answering serious questions, uncertain of tackling “big” problems. 

However, with careful use of creative questions for kids, it’s possible to engage even the most reluctant children in this age group. 

The idea is to simply get them interested in the conversation and questions asked.

If you have an especially reserved student, try starting with the funny critical thinking questions. 

Humor is a natural icebreaker that can make critical thinking questions more lighthearted and enjoyable. 

Of course, most younger kids just like to be silly, so playing upon that can keep them active and engaged.

With that said, here are some great questions to get you started:

1. Someone gives you a penguin. You can’t sell it or give it away. What do you do with it?

2. What would it be like if people could fly?

3. If animals could talk, what question would you ask? 

4. If you were ice cream, what kind would you be and why?

5. Do you want to travel back in time? If yes, how far back would you go? If no, why not?

6. What could you invent that would help your family? 

7. If you could stay up all night, what would you do?

8. What does the man on the moon do during the day?

9. What makes something weird or normal? 

10. Can you describe the tastes “salty” and “sweet” without using those words?

11. What does it feel like to ride a rollercoaster?

12. What makes a joke funny?

13. What two items would you take if you knew you would be stranded on an island and why?

14. Do you have a favorite way of laughing?

15. What noise makes you cringe and cover your ears? Why?

16. If you could be the parent for the day, what would you do?

17. If you could jump into your favorite movie and change the outcome, which one would you pick and why?

18. If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do?

19. What makes a day “perfect”?

20. If you owned a store, what kind of products would you sell?

21. If your parents were your age, would you be friends with them?

22. Would you still like your favorite food if it tasted the same as always, but now had an awful smell?

23. What would you do if you forgot to put your shoes on before leaving home?

24. Who would you be if you were a cartoon character?

25. How many hot dogs do you think you could eat in one sitting?

26. If you could breathe under water, what would you explore?

27. At what age do you think you stop being a kid?

28. If you had springs in your legs, what would you be able to do?

29. Can you describe the color blue to someone if they’re blind?

Middle School

At this point, students start to acquire more complex skills and are able to form their own conclusions based on the information they’re given. 

However, we can’t expect deep philosophical debates with 12 and 13 year olds. 

That said, as parent-teachers, we can certainly begin using more challenging questions to help them examine and rationalize their thought processes. 

Browse the fun critical thinking questions below for students in this age range. 

You might be surprised to see how receptive middle school kids can be to such thought-provoking (yet still fun) questions .

30. What would happen if it really did rain cats and dogs?

31. What does it mean to be lucky?

32. If you woke up in the middle of a dream, where would you be?

33. Is it ever okay to lie? Why or why not?

34. If you were solely responsible for creating laws, what one law would you make?

35. What makes a person a good friend?

36. What do you think is the most important skill you can take into adulthood?

37. If you had to give up lunch or dinner, which would you choose? Why?

38. How much money would you need to be considered rich?

39. If you knew you wouldn’t get caught, would you cheat on a test?

40. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?

41. What is your greatest strength? How is that an asset?

42. If you had an opportunity to visit the International Space Station, would you do it?

43. Is it better to keep the peace or speak your mind?

44. Imagine yourself as your favorite animal. How would you spend your day?

45. Would you be friends with someone who didn’t have the same values as you?

46. How much screen time do you think is too much?

47. Can you describe your favorite color without naming it?

48. If you suddenly became blind, would you see things differently?

49. Would you ever go skydiving?

50. Describe the time you were the happiest in your life. Why did this make you happy?

51. If you had a million dollars, what would you do?

52. If you had to move to a new city, would you change how you present yourself to others?

53. What do you need to do in order to be famous?

54. If you could rewrite the ending of your favorite book or movie, what changes would you make?

55. How would you tackle a huge goal?

56. How would you sell ice to an eskimo in Alaska successfully?

57. What makes you unique?

High School

Critical thinking takes on an entirely different role once students reach high school. 

At this age, they have a greater sense of right and wrong (and what makes things so) as well as a better understanding of the world’s challenges.

Guiding teens to delve deeper and contemplate such things is an important part of developing their reasoning and critical thinking skills. 

Whether it’s fun questions about hypothetical superpowers or tough critical thinking questions about life, older teens typically have what it takes to think their way to a logical conclusion . 

Of course, use your discernment as you choose discussion topics, but here are some questions to help get you started:

58. How can you avoid [common problem] in the future?

59. Do you think it’s okay to take a life in order to save 5, 10, 20 or more people?

60. If you could go back and give your younger self advice, what would it be?

61. Is it better to give or receive a gift?

62. How important is it to be financially secure? Why?

63. If it was up to you, what one rule would you change in your family?

64. What would you do if a group of friends wanted to do something that you thought was a bad idea?

65. How do you know that something is a fact rather than an opinion?

66. What would it take to get you to change your mind?

67. What’s the most important thing in your life?

68. If money were of no concern, what job would you choose and why?

69. How do you know if you’re happy?

70. Do you think euthanasia is moral?

71. What is something you can do today that you weren’t able to do a year ago?

72. Is social media a good thing or not?

73. Is it right to keep animals in a zoo?

74. How does your attitude affect your abilities?

75. What would you do if you found out a friend was doing something dangerous?

76. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Why?

77. What will life on Earth look like in 50 years?

78. Which is more important, ending world hunger or global warming?

79. Is it a good idea to lower the voting age to 16? Why or why not?

80. If the electrical power went out today, how would you cook if using wood wasn’t an option?

81. If you could magically transport yourself to any other place, where would that be and why?

82. When should teenagers be able to stay out all night?

83. Does the number zero actually exist?

84. What defines a generous person?

85. Does an influential person influence everyone?

Feel free to print out these fun critical thinking questions and incorporate them into your homeschool week!

will your children recognize truth?

About the author.

Jordan Mitchell

85 Critical Thinking Questions to Carefully Examine Any Information

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The ability to think critically will often determine your success in life.

Let’s face it. Every day, we are bombarded by news, social media updates, and an avalanche of information. If you take all of this at face value, it’s easy to be deceived, misled or ripped off.

That’s why it’s important to  develop a mindset that focuses on critical thinking . This is a skill that needs to be developed in the classroom. But it’s also a valuable life skill.

With that in mind, the following post will share 85 critical thinking questions you can use to increase your awareness about different problems by carefully examining available information. 

Let’s get started…

Table of Contents

What Are Critical Thinking Questions?

Critical thinking questions are inquiries that help you think rationally and clearly by understanding the link between different facts or ideas. These questions create a seemingly endless learning process that lets you critique, evaluate, and develop a depth of knowledge about a given subject. Moreover, you get to reinforce your viewpoints or see things in a new way.

We make decisions every day, whether at work or home. Adopting logical, rational, and practical approaches in addressing various issues requiring critical thinking is essential in decision-making. Therefore, before arriving at a decision, always ask yourself relevant questions and carefully analyze the matter’s pros and cons.

Critical Thinking Questions When in an Argument

When you make an argument using a critical thinking approach, you focus on justified claims that are valid and based on evidence. It helps one establish a strong argument.

• Do I disagree with the other person? Might the person I'm arguing with be misinformed on what they are saying?
• Would I be comfortable saying what I am telling him/her if I was in front of a group of people? 
• What would happen if I lose this argument? Is engaging in this argument worth my time and energy? How will I feel if I lose?
• Is there room for ambiguity or misinterpretation? Are we arguing because I didn't make my point explicit? Should I take my time to understand his school of thought?
• Do I need some rest before saying something? Am I arguing because of other reasons other than the issues at hand? Do I need to take some time and cool down?

• Is it more important that I’m right? Am I trying to ask to prove an unnecessary point?
• Is this argument inductive, deductive, or abductive? Is it a weak or strong argument that I need to engage in? Is it compelling or sound? 
• Is my opponent sincere? Given that they are wrong, are they willing to admit that they are wrong? Can they depend on available evidence, wherever it leads?
• Are my opponents only trying to shift their burden to me? What is the best way to prove them wrong without making them feel bad?
• Are the people I'm arguing with only interested in winning, or are they trying to pass some information across and help me discover the truth?

Critical Thinking Questions When Reading a Book 

When you read a book, you probably ask yourself many “why” questions. Why is this a problem? Why did the character say that? Why is this important? The most challenging part of reading a book is assessing the information you are reading. These questions can help.

• If I learn only two things from this book, what will they be? How will they help me? How will I apply them in my daily life?
• What message are the authors trying to pass across? Are they making suggestions or providing evidence for their arguments?
• Given that almost every book is about solving problems, what is the most prevalent issue that the author is trying to solve?
• What is the author’s writing style? What strategy or master plan does the author employ to convey his/her main ideas throughout the book?
• Do I have background information about the book’s topic? If so, how is what the author is saying different from what I already know?
• What didn’t I understand from the book? Should I re-read the book to understand everything the writer is trying to convey?
• Which sections of the book do I love the most, and why? Generally, do I like this book? Should I look for more books that are written by the same author?
• If I had a chance to meet this book’s author, what questions would I ask him/her? What would I tell the writer about the book? Is it a great book worth recommending to your friends and family members?
• Who are the main characters of the book? If there is only one main character, what overarching goal does the character accomplish?
• In what ways did the protagonist change from the start of the book to the end? What caused the changes? Was the protagonist reckless in some ways? Which ways?

Critical Thinking Questions to Spot a Scam

Asking questions when you feel that a fraud or a scam is being presented to you is a good way to stretch your critical thinking muscles. Are you being emailed or messaged by a stranger? Or maybe there are other red flags you are unsure about. If so, ask these questions.

• Does it seem to be too good to be true? Is this stranger pushy or trying to lure me into making a poor decision?
• When trying out online dating: Is my new “friend” professing strong feelings towards me although we’ve only interacted for a few hours?
• Why is a stranger calling me to ask about my Social Security Number (SSN), personal contact information, or bank details while claiming they are from the bank or a phone company? 
• When buying products online, why does the seller ask me to pay for goods using an insecure payment option like Bitcoin or money order?
• Does the email I have received have any spelling or grammatical errors? Is the language used overly formal or informal?
• If I do a quick search about the exact words of the email I received, does Google indicate it's a fraud or scam?
• Why should a stranger manipulate me using obvious questions like “Would you want to be rich or poor?” While they already know the answer?
• Is the email asking me to download an attachment? Or click a link to some insecure website? 
• Is the person trying to make me feel selfish or guilty for not sending them money, whether for a donation or buying a product? 
• Is the stranger portraying a sense of urgency and using pressure tactics? Are they telling me that their family member needs urgent medical attention?

Critical Thinking Questions About Your Life

It can also help to ask yourself a few critical thinking questions about your life. This way, you can gather basic information and uncover solutions to problems you might not have otherwise thought of.

• Where do I wish to be in a few years, probably two, three, or five years? What short-term and long-term goals should I set?
• What have I achieved so far from the time I set my previous goals? What should I be grateful for?
• Do I have any values that guide me in life? If so, what are these values? Am I always true to these values?
• Am I always worried about what people around me think? Can I act independently without the need to meet social expectations?
• What should people say about me at my funeral? Would they talk about how good I made them feel or how rich and flashy I was?
• If I wasn't afraid of anyone or anything, what would I have done? What if I didn't have any fear in me?
• If today was my last day, what extraordinary thing would I do? Can I do it right now?
• What should I do with the things that matter the most to me? 
• What things will make the greatest difference in my future life if I take action now?
• How should I react when I feel unwanted by the people I love the most? Should I tell them?

Critical Thinking Questions for a Debate or Discussion

When you are in the middle of a debate or discussion, you need to know that what you are saying is fact, have evidence to support your claim, and position yourself as an expert in what you are saying. Here are some critical thinking questions to ask when you are in a debate or discussion.

• Is there fairness in this discussion? Is the moderator supporting one side? Do they want to make one side look stupid or wrong? 
• What is the aim of this discussion? Is there a major problem that needs to be solved? If so, how can I help solve it?
• Who are the people affected by this discussion? If they were here, what would they say?
• Do my views on this discussion matter? If I raise my point, will I be redundant?
• What am I supposed to learn from this debate, and how can I use what I have learned in my daily life?
• Does the audience seem to be biased towards one side? Are they booing one side? What can I do even if it's our opponents being booed?
• Who are the discussion panel members? What views have they held about this kind of discussion or any other related discussions in the past?
• How can I make my point without being ambiguous? Before I speak, should I take down some notes to avoid any confusion during my speech?
• Am I ready to apologize if I make a mistake during the discussion? If so, what are the limits?
• What information does my team, or I need before this discussion? 

Critical Thinking Questions About Lying

Admitting when you are wrong, choosing not to cheat, and sharing constructive feedback are all ways to show your honesty. Here are some critical thinking skills to ask regarding lying.

• Will the lie hurt those I am telling, or will it help them? What if being honest might cause my friend unnecessary pain?
• Should I be the one telling this person a lie, or I let someone else do it? 
• Will I be the one hurt if I tell this lie? Will my friend feel I am a betrayer? Will it affect our friendship?
• Do they answer my questions in detail, or are they always trying to ignore and dodge the main problem?
• What if I ask these people the same question using different terms and wording? Will they give me the same response?
• Did the tone of my friend suddenly change after I asked him/her this question? Do they sound louder, faster, or slower compared to how they usually speak?
• Does this person have something to gain by lying to me? What is their motive?
• Does this person take a sudden pause or hesitate more than usual when responding to my question?
• When I look at these people's faces, do their facial expressions match what they say?
• Should I believe this person or not? What are my intuitions? Does it look like they are telling the truth?
• Do they blink like other days when I ask them questions? Are they always trying to avoid direct eye contact?
• Why do they seem uncomfortable when it’s just a normal conversation?  

Critical Thinking Questions When Presented With a Claim

Critical thinking is much more than just evaluating whether a claim is true or not. It also means a critical thinker reflects on what follows from true claims.

• What does this claim mean, and what are its implications? What if it's a false claim?
• Which of my morals, values, or beliefs do I have to give up to accept this claim?
• Do professionals in this field agree or disagree with the claim that has been made?
• Do they have evidence to back their claim? Which is the most robust evidence to support the claim?
• What argument can I come up with to refute this claim? Or what is the best view that can support this claim?
• Who is the primary source of the claim being made? Is the basis of the claim reliable?
• Is it a claim, or it's just an opinion?
• Is the claim likely to be 100% false, true, or partially true?
• Am I allowed to refute the claim and table my evidence, or is it one-sided?

Critical Thinking Interview Questions

Critical thinking skills are valuable in any industry or field and for almost all roles. During a job interview, you will be asked questions so the potential employer can assess your skills and see how you use logic. Your critical thinking ability is just one vital part that can play into your professional development.

• Is there a time you had to convince someone to use an alternate approach to solve a problem?
• Have you ever had to make a difficult decision quickly?
• How would you handle a situation where your supervisor handled something wrong or made a mistake?
• What is one of the most difficult decisions you have ever had to make at work?
• How would you solve a disagreement between coworkers when approaching a project?
• Can you describe a time when you anticipated a problem ahead of time and took the appropriate steps to stop the problem from becoming an issue?
• If you discover a cheaper way to do something or a better solution to a problem and try to explain it to your supervisor, but they don’t understand, what do you do?

Critical Thinking Questions for Kids

We can’t leave the kids out either. Critical thinking questions for kids get them thinking and talking. It also allows a parent to get to know their child better.

• How many grains of sand do you think are on the beach?
• What would happen if it stopped raining?
• Do you think there is life on other planets?
• Should children be able to set their own bedtimes?
• How would you describe what a tree looks like without saying green or leaves?
• Can you name five different emotions?
• Can you talk for five minutes without uttering “um?”

What Are the Basic Principles of Critical Thinking?

Your critical thinking skills involve gathering complete information, understanding and defining terms, questioning the methods by which we get facts, questioning the conclusions, and looking for hidden assumptions and biases.

Additionally, we can’t expect to find all of the answers, and we need to take the time to examine the big picture of it all.

Here are the basic principles:

• Disposition: Someone with critical thinking skills is often skeptical, open-minded, and practices fair-mindedness. They can look at different viewpoints and change positions if the evidence and reason lead them to do so.
• Criteria: In order to think critically, one must also apply criteria. Certain conditions must be met before someone believes in something. The information needs to be from credible sources.
• Argument: An argument is simply a statement or proposition that is shown with supporting evidence. When you use your critical thinking skills, you identify, evaluate, and construct your argument.
• Reasoning: With critical thinking comes reasoning. You must examine logical relationships among the statements being made.
• Point of View: Critical thinkers can see things from different perspectives and different points of view.

What Are Good Analysis Questions?

Analysis is a part of critical thinking that allows you to examine something carefully. Someone with analytical skills can examine the information presented, understand what that information means, and then properly explain that information to others. Analysis in critical thinking provides more clarity on the information you process.

When analyzing, you may ask yourself, “how do I know this,” how would I solve this problem,” and “why does it matter?”

Why Is Critical Thinking an Important Skill?

Critical thinking skills allow you to express thoughts, ideas, and beliefs in a better way. It also leads to improved communication while allowing others to understand you better. Critical thinking fosters creativity and encourages out-of-the-box thinking. This is a skill that can be applied to many different areas of your life.

For example, knowing the answers to critical thinking questions for a job interview will better prepare you for the interview. Many employers, during questioning, are likely to ask you critical thinking questions to assess if you have the ability to evaluate information effectively so you can make more informed decisions.

Final Thoughts on Critical Thinking Questions

Although it's common to get torn between making two or more choices, nobody wants to make the wrong decision. The only thing you can do to avoid this is use critical thinking questions to examine your situation. The answers to these questions will help you make informed decisions and help you comprehend crucial matters in your life. 

Want to learn more about critical thinking and decision-making using a real-life example? Here is  how Jeff Bezos uses critical thinking  to make some of the most challenging life decisions.

Finally, if you want to ask better questions, then watch this short, 20-minute course to learn how to have a great conversation with virtually anyone .

150 Fun Critical Thinking Questions For Kids, Teens, & Adults

Critical thinking questions for kids get them thinking and questioning. To go beyond rote learning.

The reason they excel later in life will not be based on the information they memorized. But instead on how well they think, make decisions, communicate, and use their creativity.

These questions are designed to help them build these essential skills.

What makes a good critical thinking question?

Open ended questions are perfect for encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving. Kids (and grown-ups) have to think about their answers. Below you will find the best age-appropriate examples to use in the classroom, at home, or during your everyday routine .

In fact, there’s no question about it. Critical thinking is important for kids. And adults too!

Good Questions For Kindergarten To Think Critically

Younger kids need more concrete questions. These critical thinking questions will help them use reasoning and think deeply, even when they are small.

1. How do you know if something was a good decision?

2. How are these two things similar?

3. What are the differences between _______ and _________?

4. How would you feel if __________?

This question is great for building empathy .

5. Who was the main character? Why do you say that?

6. When is ___________ a problem?

7. What is the problem?

8. Why is this a problem?

9. What did you notice about _________?

10. Do you think he/she sees this the same way you do? Why or why not?

11. Has this happened before?

12. Do you think it will happen again? Why do you think this?

13. What is your opinion about _________? Why?

14. Is this appropriate? Why or why not?

15. What do you think would happen if __________?

16. What caused this to happen?

17. Do you think the world would be better if __________?

18. If you were in charge, what would you do differently?

19. Where can you find out more about this?

20. What does ______ mean?

21. Do you agree?

22. Can you give me an example of ________?

23. How do you know?

24. How would you solve this problem?

25. What makes something weird? What makes something normal?

Questions For Students: Elementary Through Middle School

For this age of kids, use any of the examples above and try these more abstract critical thinking questions too.

26. What do you think was the turning point?

27. Is there evidence to support your opinion (or decision)?

28. What does the evidence tell you?

29. What do you think would have been a better ending to… (book, movie, story)

30. When is the best time to start this?

31. When you think about solving a problem, where do you like to start?

32. What character/person changed the most? Why do you think this?

33. How could the author have created a thrilling twist in this story?

34. Who could help you with this? Why would they be a good fit to help?

35. Why is this important?

36. Why do you think ________ said that?

37. Why did the __________ (author, speaker) write/say this?

38. How does an idea grow? Or how does someone get from being a beginner to being an expert?

39. Do you think that what happened is what they meant to happen?

(Often, results are different than what people first think they will be.)

40. What can you use to help you decide?

41. What are the pros and cons of this?

42. Why is this happening?

43. What is the main message from this? (Or the lesson learned?)

44. What would you ask the author (speaker, etc.) if you could?

45. Do you have any questions about this?

46. Do you think it is too good to be true?

47. Can you defend these actions?

48. Compare this with this.

49. What would the world be like if ________? (kids were in charge, the sun was farther away, etc.)

50. Do you think there is a better alternative?

51. Is this person trustworthy? Why or why not?

52. At what age does someone stop being a kid? Why?

53. Can you see why someone would agree or disagree?

54. How would this ________ benefit or help others?

55. How will you know if your idea worked?

56. What is wrong with this situation?

57. What is good in this situation?

58. If someone were to argue your point, what do you think they would say?

59. Why do you think the character/person did that?

60. Is this fact or opinion? How do you know?

61. Was this change for the better? Or did it make things worse?

62. Who is most likely to _________? Why?

63. What do you think are the consequences of this decision?

64. Do you think we are asking the right question(s)? What is a different question instead?

Related Posts:

• Best Thought-Provoking Questions
• Deep Questions For Kids & Adults
• Philosophical Questions To Ponder With Kids

Critical Thinking Questions For High School & College Students

These critical thinking questions are more complex. They encourage abstract thinking, plus explore logic, ethics, and reasoning.

65. Why did you make that decision?

66. How did you get to that decision? What was your thought process?

67. What are the advantages of this?

68. What are the disadvantages of this?

69. How could we make this (project, paper, etc.) better?

70. What do you think the problem is….?

71. What do you think the best solution for this is? Why?

72. Could someone interpret this differently? How so?

73. How would you explain this to someone who doesn’t know anything about it?

74. What are a few alternative possibilities? Are any better than the others?

75. What are the short-term implications of this decision?

76. What are the long-term implications of this decision?

77. How would you achieve a big goal ?

78. (After they come up with a solution to something) Are there other possible ways to solve this problem?

79. How can you use the pros and cons to make a good decision?

80. Do you think when many people do something, it seems more “right,” even when it isn’t?

81. What are the potential risks to this decision?

82. What are the strengths of this argument?

83. What are the weaknesses of this argument?

84. Where is this lacking in evidence?

85. What can this story teach us about life?

86. Where would this solution work? Where would it not work?

87. Why do you think it is important to ask this question?

88. Why are new ideas important in our society?

89. What do you think that character’s motive is?

90. When should you reevaluate your initial thoughts/decision?

91. Do you think this is an important issue?

92. What do you think should have happened instead?

93. What is the counterargument?

94. Why is this relevant?

95. Do you think ________ will ever happen?

96. If it does, who would it affect most? Why?

97. What assumptions are being made in this situation?

98. Is it ever ok to lie?

99. Why do you think this feels like __________?

100. How is this related to your values and beliefs?

• Best Topics To Discuss With Others
• Ice Breaker Questions To Get to Know Someone
• Best Questions To Ask Teens

Critical Thinking Questions For Adults

These are great for a conversation at home or at work interviews to see how well potential candidates think on their feet.

101. Where do you see strengths?

102. Where do you think there are areas for improvement?

103. Why did these things help you in the long run?

104. What information do you need to find out before making a good decision?

105. If you could sit down and have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be? Why?

106. What would you say to this person?

107. Should others care about this? Why?

108. When should you ask for help?

109. Who will benefit most from this decision?

110. Who will benefit least from this decision?

111. Have we considered all the options?

112. What questions do you have?

113. Are there any biases that you think are playing out here?

114. Are you making an assumption about __________?

115. When will you see your results?

116. Where do you often find this type of problem? Why?

117. In your opinion, what caused ____________ to happen?

118. Was it avoidable?

119. Does anything concern you about this?

120. When is this acceptable?

121. When is this not acceptable (or appropriate)?

122. What is one thing that would have changed everything?

123. When do you think this will benefit _________ (the company, society, etc.)?

124. When a disagreement happens at work, what do you do?

125. Is this goal achievable ?

126. How does your work experience help you fill this role?

127. Has this ever been done before? When?

128. What would need to happen for you to reconsider?

129. When will we need this?

130. What skills fit well with this position?

Related: Fun Rapid Fire Questions To Ask

Examples of Kids Critical Thinking Questions: By Word

Another way to split up your critical thinking questions is by word.

• Who is most directly affected by this decision?
• Who is the protagonist? Who is the antagonist?
• Who was the most important character?
• Who was a supporting character that was essential to the storyline?
• What is the problem you are trying to solve?
• What information is important to know about this before forming an opinion?
• What was the point of _________?
• When is it a good time to stop (or take a breather)?
• When should you know the answer?
• When will it be time for this? How do you know?
• When will this be critical?

• Where can you go to ask for help?
• Where can you find a good solution? Or information that helps you solve this problem?
• Where could this idea lead?
• Why has this issue come out into the spotlight?
• Why do you think ______ acts that way?
• Why is _______ happening, but ________ is not?
• How else could we have done that?
• How else could this be handled?
• How would you have responded in this situation?
• Fun Hobbies For Families To Do
• Best Family Challenge Ideas

More Ways To Encourage Critical Thinking In Kids

Want to go beyond questions? No problem! Here are other practical ways to build this crucial skill:

Change your questions to them.

Turn your normal yes or no questions to more open ended questions.

Example: Instead of “How was your day?” go with “What was the most interesting part of your school day today?”

Refrain from stepping in.

These days parents feel like they should be fixing their kids’ problems constantly.

Instead, hold back and force your child to problem-solve on their own. Ask questions and guide them through the problem, but let them know that they are in charge of finding their own solutions.

Play Games And Do Activities That Promote Critical Thinking

Here are a few great ones!

Two Truths & A Lie Game – The players have to decide which statements are true and which one is not. This game is great for learning to read body language too!

Good Debate Topics For Kids – Nothing builds quick critical thinking like a lively debate.

Riddles: What Am I? – These word riddles help kids think through different possibilities.

Guess The Animal Riddles for Kids – More riddles all about animals to get kids thinking.

Encourage creativity.

Provide your child with opportunities to use their imagination.

Sometimes, all this takes is getting your child off screens and outside playing with sticks!

Encourage them to build something , make up a new game, and think outside the box whenever possible.

Let them fiddle with things.

My son has a very “why” brain and loves to mess with stuff. It used to embarrass me when we were around others.

But, one day, my husband and I realized that his “working things out” isn’t bad. We just needed to teach him in what context it is appropriate. Now he fiddles with everything, and it is amazing to watch his mind work.

Let them question.

The same goes for questions. They should be challenging assumptions and questioning the world around them. Too many people take for granted the things that they hear and read. Teach your child to be different.

Promote Active Listening.

Encourage your child to ask questions to clarify understanding and develop communication skills.

Examples: “What I hear is _________.” Or, “How do you know _________?”

Try New Things.

Travel. And regularly expose your kids to new ideas and experiences. This helps them see their regular world in a new light.

Think Critically Yourself.

Finally, your child will be much more likely to think critically if they see a parent who does it. So, apply all of these strategies to yourself as well.

To Consider With Critical Thinking Questions For Kids

Teaching children to form their own opinions is how we build a generation of people that will analyze, evaluate, and make decisions for the betterment of the world.

It’s not just important. It’s critical to our future as a society.

More family-friendly posts you’ll love…

• Telephone Game Phrases & Statement Ideas
• Ice Breaker Kids & Teen Games
• Best Books List For 4 Year Olds

Creative Kids Critical Thinking Questions For Students

Jennifer is the founder and chief editor of Healthy Happy Impactful®. She believes that living, loving, and connecting deeply are the foundation for a good life. She holds a degree in education and is a mom to 3 kids.

Best fun critical thinking questions with answers

Home » Questions » Best fun critical thinking questions with answers

Critical thinking is an essential skill that allows individuals to analyze, evaluate, and interpret information in a logical and objective manner. It enables us to think outside the box, make informed decisions, and solve problems creatively. Engaging in critical thinking exercises helps stimulate our brains, expand our knowledge, and improve our problem-solving abilities. One way to enhance critical thinking skills is through fun and thought-provoking questions.

In this article, we have compiled a list of fun critical thinking questions with answers that will challenge your reasoning and ignite your imagination. Whether you are looking for icebreaker activities, conversation starters, or brain teasers to entertain friends and family, these questions are perfect for all occasions.

So, get ready to put your thinking cap on and enjoy these exciting critical thinking questions!

See these fun critical thinking questions with answers

• What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it?
• What has keys but can’t open locks?
• What has a heart that doesn’t beat?
• If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you no longer have me. What am I?
• What goes up but never comes down?
• What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
• What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
• What has a thumb and four fingers but is not alive?
• What can you hold in your right hand but never in your left hand?
• What has a face that doesn’t frown, a heart that doesn’t beat, and a back that doesn’t hurt?
• What has a ring but no finger?
• What can you catch but not throw?
• What gets bigger the more you take away?
• What can you hear but not touch or see?
• What belongs to you but is used more by others?
• What has a neck but no head?
• What has a bottom at the top?
• What gets wetter the more it dries?
• What has an eye but can’t see?
• What has a mouth but can’t eat?

These fun critical thinking questions are just the tip of the iceberg. By engaging in activities that challenge our thinking, we can improve our problem-solving skills and cultivate a more analytical mindset. So, the next time you want to stimulate your brain or spark an interesting conversation, give these questions a try!

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Critical thinking

200+ critical thinking questions.

“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” – Voltaire As critical thinkers, it’s our job to question everything, instead of just blindly believing what we’re told, but what kinds of questions should we be asking though? What are the “right” questions to ask? In this article I’ve compiled a list of 200+ […]

“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” – Voltaire

As critical thinkers, it’s our job to question everything, instead of just blindly believing what we’re told, but what kinds of questions should we be asking though?

What are the “right” questions to ask?

In this article I’ve compiled a list of 200+ of the very best critical thinking questions for almost any situation.

Critical thinking questions:

• If you’re presented with a claim

If you’re reading a book, listening to a podcast, watching TV or YouTube

If you’re watching an interview.

• In a group or panel discussion
• In an argument or debate

If you’re watching the news

• If you want to spot a lie

If you want to spot a scam

• If you’re presented with statistics
• Critical thinking about your life

Let’s begin:

• Is this an argument, a claim, a belief, an opinion, or a fact?

When you’re presented with information, whether it’s something you’re reading, watching or listening to, ask yourself:

• How do you know it’s a fact?
• What evidence exists to support this “fact”?
• Has this “fact” been proven?
• Do the majority of experts on the subject agree that this is a fact? Is there an expert consensus on this fact? If not, why not?
• Is this an ordinary or extraordinary claim?
• Do the majority of experts agree with this claim? Or is it contentious?
• What is the source of this claim?
• Who is making this claim?
• Is this person an authority or expert?
• How reliable is this source?
• What are the best arguments in support of this claim?
• What do the harshest critics against this position say?
• What arguments do skeptics of this position give?
• Has this claim already been debunked?
• Is this evidence good enough to accept the arguers assertions?
• Would this evidence stand up in court?
• Or is the arguer/author/speaker making assertions without evidence?
• What is the strongest evidence against this claim?
• Is there more confirming or disconfirming evidence?
• Is the expert consensus (if there is one) for or against this claim? Why?
• Do the majority of experts agree or disagree with this claim? Why?
• How can we verify or falsify this claim?
• A statement may be true, but is it relevant? Why?
• To what degree? To what extent?
• Under what conditions?
• In what context or circumstances?
• This claim is 100% true
• This claim is 100% false
• This claim is mostly true, partly false
• This claim is mostly false, partly true
• This claim is half true, half false
• Remember: There are degrees of “rightness” and “wrongness”. Statements are rarely 100% true or 100% false
• What further claims does this claim logically entail?
• Which of my beliefs would I have to change if I were to accept this claim?
• If this is an argument, is it deductive or inductive?
• If an argument is deductive, is it sound, valid, invalid, or unsound?
• If an argument is inductive, is it cogent, strong, weak, or unsound?
• How do you know this?
• How did you determine this?
• What evidence or proof do you have for this claim?
• What is their background?
• What makes them qualified to speak on this subject?
• Are they an expert in the field?
• On what basis is the author or speaker an authority or expert on the subject, or at least credible?
• Are they conservative or liberal?
• Atheist or religious?
• Feminist or MGTOW?
• (No author/speaker is completely neutral, unbiased and objective)
• When was the article, book, podcast, video etc., written or recorded? Is it possibly outdated? Is there a more recent up-to-date version available?
• Why did the author write this article/book?
• Why is the speaker giving this talk? What is their motivation?
• What is the purpose of this information? Why was it created?
• Why did I choose to read/watch/listen to it?
• Who benefits from this information? Why? How?
• Is this information relevant to you? If so, how? Why do you need to know this? How does it affect you personally?
• What are the authors/speakers main arguments and assertions? What is their philosophy? What are their main points?
• Is the author/speaker arguing for anything controversial? If so, there are likely to be good counterarguments on the other side
• Anonymous authorities aka “weasel words” e.g. “experts say…” “scientists say…” “studies show…”
• Deductive or inductive reasoning
• Expert opinion
• Expert consensus
• Randomized controlled trials
• Scientific studies
• Scientific consensus
• Or are they making assertions without evidence?
• What is the strongest evidence in support of these assertions? Is this evidence good enough to accept the authors/speakers conclusions? Would it stand up in court?
• What is the strongest evidence against these assertions?
• What might be another equally valid interpretation of the evidence or study results?
• What conclusions does the author/speaker want you to draw? What do they want you to think/believe/understand/do?
• Is the author/speaker/news station trying to push a narrative? e.g. “Diversity”, “Gender pay gap”, “Immigration”?
• Do you agree with the authors/speakers assertions? Why/why not? Anything you disagree with?
• Do you agree with the authors/speakers philosophy? Why/why not? Anything you disagree with?
• Do you agree with the authors/speakers “facts” and description of “reality”? Why/why not? Anything you disagree with?
• Do you agree with the authors/speakers arguments and rationale? Why/why not? Anything you disagree with?
• Are there any fallacies in the authors/speakers argument or rationale? If so, what?
• Does the author/speaker address counterarguments, disconfirming evidence, objections etc.? If so, how effectively do they rebut these points?
• If the author/speaker provides a “rule”, are there any exceptions to the rule that are not explained or accounted for?
• Do you agree with the authors/speakers conclusions? Why/why not? (You might agree with their arguments and rationale but not with their conclusions) Are they backed up by sufficient evidence? Or is the author/speaker jumping to conclusions too quickly from insufficient evidence?
• Are there any other equally valid conclusions or interpretations that could have been drawn from the evidence, or any other competing theories with better explanations for the evidence? If so, what?
• What is the perspective of the author/speaker? Do they seem like an insider or outsider? Why?
• Whose perspective is this information presented from? America’s or someone else’s? Conservative or liberal? Men or Women? Gen X, Y or Z?
• What perspectives/viewpoints are not represented here? What other perspectives might be equally valid, or worth looking into?
• What would (person) say about it?
• What would (group) say about it?
• Is there better evidence for one perspective/viewpoint than another?
• Is the author/speaker presenting you with both sides of the story – or only one?
• How has the author/speaker framed the information or story?
• Is the author/speaker embellishing or sensationalizing the story for dramatic effect? Do you think the story really took place the way the author/speaker tells it?
• What assumptions is the author/speaker making? What does the author/speaker have to believe is true before the rest of their argument makes sense?
• What are the implications of the authors/speakers argument? If this is true, what else must be true?
• What are the main problems the author/speaker is trying to solve? What solutions do they propose?
• Do you agree with the authors/speakers proposed solutions? Can you think of even better solutions to these problems?
• Has the author/speaker identified the real problem/s, or only a symptom of the problem?
• Is the author/speakers analysis or solution to the problem or situation oversimplified or incomplete? What needs to be unpacked or expanded upon?
• Is the author/speaker engaged in oversimplified black and white thinking as if something “always” or “never” happens, or as if “everyone” or “no one” should think/believe/do something, or as if something was right/wrong, true/false, correct/incorrect, without any grey areas in between?
• Are you engaged in black and white thinking, as if “everything” or “nothing” the author/speaker says is true? Or are you judging the validity of the information line by line, sentence by sentence, claim by claim, realizing that some parts could be true, and other parts false?
• Is the author/speaker emotional reasoning? Is it facts over feelings, or feels over reals?
• How would you describe the author/speakers tone? Dogmatic? Overconfident? Emotive? Pay attention not only to what  is said, but  how it’s said. How does the tone affect your response to the speech/text?
• Is the author/speaker using emotive language/tonality, and/or dramatic images or video, in an attempt to alarm, scare or outrage you?
• Is the author/speaker guilty of magical or superstitious thinking? Is there a lot of talk of “the law of attraction”, “miracles”, “soul mates” etc.?
• Does the author/speaker treat their opponents charitably and fairly? Do they treat the other side as intelligent people with a difference of opinion/perspective? Or do they demonize them as “crazy”, “dangerous”, “evil”, “dumb”, “stupid”, “racist”, “sexist”, “homophobic”, “transphobic” etc.?
• Does the author/speaker seem intellectually honest? Trustworthy? Why/why not?
• Is the author/speaker trying to be objective in their analysis and critique? Perfect objectivity isn’t possible, but are they even trying to be impartial, unbiased and objective?
• Yes: Be careful you’re not automatically believing everything they have to say without evidence, and letting them do your thinking for you
• No: Be careful you’re not automatically dismissing everything they have to say because you don’t like them (Remember: Examine the statement – not the speaker)
• Yes: Beware because you’re more likely to believe it whether it’s true or not
• No: Beware because you’re more likely to dismiss it whether it’s true or not
• The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth
• Half-truths and holding something back
• Straight up lying
• Is the author/speaker misquoting people, or taking quotes out of context?
• Did the person really say …? Is this a real quote/tweet? Or has the person been misquoted or quoted out of context? Is this a fake tweet?
• How are you going to use this information? What are you going to do with it? How are you going to put it into practice? How will it make a difference to your life?
• What is the purpose of this interview? Is it to educate or entertain the audience? Is it to promote a product or service?
• Who is the interviewee? Why is this person being interviewed?
• When did this interview take place? Is this information possibly outdated and no longer relevant?
• Is the interviewer asking the interviewee mostly softball or hardball questions?
• Is the interviewer asking the interviewee a lot of leading, loaded or gotcha questions? Do they seem to be trying to lead or trap the interviewee? e.g. “Yeah, but isn’t it true that…”, “Yeah, but don’t you think…”, “Yeah, but what about…”
• Is the interviewer really listening to the interviewee? Are they making a real effort to try to understand the interviewee and their position, or are they simply trying to promote or condemn it?
• Is the interviewer deliberately trying to make the interviewee look bad? e.g. Are they being overly disagreeable or standoffish? Do they only ask hardball or gotcha questions and then interrupt the interviewee mid-sentence with another difficult question every time the interviewee starts to give a good answer?
• Does the interviewer interrupt or cut off the interviewee if they start talking about anything controversial, or if they start talking about anything that doesn’t align with the narrative of the network e.g. anti-abortion, pro-gun or pro-Trump comments?
• Has the interview been edited to make the interviewee look bad, to paint them in a negative light?
• What additional questions would you ask the interviewee that the interviewer didn’t ask?

If you’re watching a group or panel discussion

If you’re watching a group discussion or debate, especially on a contentious topic e.g. abortion or gun control:

• Who are the panel members? What makes these people authorities or experts on the subject?
• Are both sides of the debate equally represented with intelligent people? Or is one side represented by heavyweights and the other side lightweights?
• Is there an equal distribution of liberal and conservative pundits? Or is it a majority liberal panel with a token conservative? (or vice versa)
• Does the host seem biased towards one side over the other? Is the host picking sides and showing their approval/disapproval of one side?
• Is the audience showing an obvious bias to one side of the debate? Are they only applauding/booing one side of the debate?
• Is the host giving more airtime, credibility and/or respect to one side?
• Is the host trying to make one side look bad, ignorant or stupid?

In an argument or a debate

If you’re in an argument or a debate, or watching one:

• Is this an argument or an assertion? If it’s an argument, is it deductive, inductive or abductive? Is it sound or cogent? Valid or invalid? Strong or weak?
• Are all of the premises true and correct? Do all of the premises necessarily lead to the conclusion? Are there any unjustified leaps of logic?
• Am I clear on how each word is being defined in the argument?
• Is someone attempting to redefine words e.g. “rational”, “reasonable”,   “racist” etc., to support their preferred conclusion?
• Is someone trying to shift the burden of proof? Note: The burden of proof is the obligation to provide evidence to support one’s assertion e.g. “You are guilty” and it is always on the one making the claim – not the other way around
• Has this argument already been debunked?
• Is someone making a PRATT? (Point refuted a thousand times)
• Is this a strawman or steelman argument?
• Is this the best argument in support of …?
• What are the best arguments in support of …?
• What are the best arguments against …?
• What is the strongest evidence in support of …?
• What is the strongest evidence against …?
• Is the preponderance of evidence for or against …? Is there more confirming or disconfirming evidence?
• Is the expert consensus (if there is one) for or against …? Why?
• Do the majority of experts agree or disagree with …? Why?
• Are there any fallacies in this argument or rationale? If so, what? (Fallacies don’t necessarily make an argument invalid but it’s still good to be aware of them)
• Am I 100% certain I understand my opponent’s position? Am I sure? Could I argue my opponent’s position convincingly? Could I steelman it? Could I pass the Ideological Turing Test? If not, you don’t understand it. Don’t argue for or against a position until you fully understand it
• What are the strongest points of my opponent’s argument?
• What are the weakest points of my opponent’s argument?
• What are the weakest points of my argument?
• What is the strongest evidence against my position?
• What are the best arguments against my position?
• How would I attack my argument if I had to?
• What do I like about my opponent’s position, and what do I dislike about mine?
• What aspects of my argument are likely to be unconvincing to those that don’t already agree with me?
• Does my opponent seem intellectually honest? Are they arguing in good faith? Are they willing to follow the evidence where it leads? Are they willing to admit when they’re mistaken or wrong? Am I?
• Does my opponent seem more interested in “winning” the argument or discovering the truth?

Ask the other person:

• How did you determine that?
• How did you come to that conclusion?
• What do you know that I don’t?
• Where am I wrong in my argument or rationale?
• What evidence would it take to change your mind, to convince you otherwise?
• Are these your real reasons for believing X? If all of these reasons were proven wrong, would you still continue to believe X? If yes, let’s not even worry about these reasons because they’re not the real reasons you believe X. What are the real reasons you believe X?
• Why do you think other smart people aren’t convinced by the same arguments and evidence that you are?
• Associated Press News
• The Bureau of Investigative Journalism
• The Economist
• Pro Publica
• What is the bias of this news station? Are they liberal or conservative? You can check the bias of a particular news station here:  Media Bias Fact Check
• Fear mongering
• Gossip/rumors
• Hatchet jobs
• Outrage porn
• Puff pieces
• Is this really the most important “news” of the day? Why is this story being prioritized over everything else that happened today?
• Why do I need to know this? How does it affect me?
• What is the purpose of this news story? Why was it created? What does the news station want you to think/believe/do?
• When was this news story published? Is this information current, or is it outdated and/or no longer relevant?
• Has this story already been debunked?
• Truth or Fiction
• The Washington Post Fact Checker
• Hoax Slayer

Check these websites to see if a claim or story has already been debunked, but don’t rely on any of these websites to do your thinking for you, because they may mislead you with their own political biases

• Has this story or headline been written to educate, entertain or infuriate you?
• Is the headline an accurate summary of the information – or is it just clickbait?
• Do the photos fit the story?
• Has an unflattering photo been deliberately chosen to paint the subject e.g. Trump in a bad light?
• Is it likely that this story has been embellished or sensationalized?
• How has this information been framed or spun?
• Are you being presented with both sides of the story – or only one?
• Whose perspective is this presented from? Conservative or liberal? America’s or someone else’s? Men or Women? What other perspectives might be equally valid, or worth looking into?
• What do the other news stations say? e.g. if you watch CNN or MSNBC, what does CBS or FOX say? (and vice versa)
• Are you being presented with facts or opinions?  If “facts”, on what basis are they “facts”? What evidence exists to support these “facts”?
• Do the media’s “facts” and description of “reality” seem accurate? Why/why not? Anything you disagree with?
• Did someone really say that? Or have they been misquoted or quoted out of context?
• Does the domain look credible?
• Is this satire?

How to spot a liar

• Does it seem like this person is lying or telling the truth? Why? Are they a known liar?
• Is this person motivated to deceive me? Do they stand to gain something by lying to me? What might this person gain by lying to me?
• Dodge the question
• Ignore the question
• Attack you for asking the question, “How could you ask me a question like that!”
• Refuse to answer the question
• Answer a different question
• Turn the question back on you, “I could ask you the same thing!”
• Give short one word answers
• Give vague or ambiguous answers
• Talk around in circles without answering the question
• If you ask the person the same question multiple times using different words, do they give different answers and contradict themselves? Do the details in their story keep changing?
• Uncomfortable
• Does the person speak slower or faster or louder than normal when answering your questions?
• Does the person hesitate, take long pauses, or talk slower than normal when answering your questions? (maybe in an attempt to think on the spot and buy time?)
• Do they avoid eye contact and/or cover their mouth when answering questions?
• Do they start sentences and not finish them, or change topics and start talking about something else mid-sentence?
• Does the tone or volume of their voice change? Does their voice crack and/or go higher than normal? Do they cough repetitively and clear their throat, or stammer or stutter?
• Do they blink rapidly, or not at all, or have a fake or nervous smile?
• Do they roll their lips back or purse them?
• Does their body language seem uncomfortable?
• Do their emotions and facial expressions match their words? When they say they’re “good” or “okay”, do they seem good or okay?
• Does it seem like they’re in a hurry to change the subject?
• This person is telling “The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”
• This person is telling half-truths and holding something back
• This person is playing dumb and pretending to know less than they do
• This person is straight up lying
• What does your gut/intuition say? Does it seem like they’re lying or telling you the truth? (or both)
• Is a stranger emailing, texting or calling you out of the blue claiming something too good to be true? e.g. you’ve entitled to a large inheritance – and all you need to do is provide bank details, or pay taxes or transfer costs? Or that you’ve won a prize in a competition or lottery you’ve never entered?
• Is someone calling you claiming to be from your bank, gas/electricity provider, phone company etc. and asking you to verify your personal contact details, password, bank details, credit card number etc.? maybe due to “unauthorized” or “suspicious activity” on your account?
• Does a google search on the exact wording of the email, text or ad reveal a scam?
• Does the email contain any grammatical or spelling errors, or overly formal language?
• Does the email ask you to click a link or open an attachment?
• If you’re buying something online is the seller asking you to make payment with an insecure payment option? e.g. direct bank transfer, money order, or a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin?
• In an online dating scenario, is someone professing strong feelings for you after only a few encounters?
• Does the person have a sense of urgency? Are they claiming to need money urgently for a personal or family emergency, medical attention, or to come see you?
• Is someone using pressure tactics, and trying to make you feel guilty or selfish for not buying their product or service, or donating to a charity?
• Is someone trying to manipulate you with sleazy sales/self-help seminar type questions e.g. “Do you want to be rich or poor?” “A winner or a loser?” “A success or a failure?”
• Does it seem too good to be true? Does it seem like a scam? If so, it probably is
• What does your gut/intuition say?

Statistics questions

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” – Benjamin Disraeli

Ask yourself the following questions whenever you’re presented with any statistic:

• Who paid for the study or survey?
• Who conducted the study or survey? Does it come from a credible source?
• Why was the study or survey done? What is the likely agenda?
• When was the study done? Is the information outdated? Is it still relevant? Times change. Public opinion changes
• Who was polled? Conservatives or liberals? Men or women? Asians, Blacks, Hispanics or Whites? What age group? Gen X, Y or Z? How diverse was the group?
• How large was the sample size? How many people were surveyed? Is the sample size large enough? Is it qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods? Was the sample size sufficient?  Was it  representative enough of the wider population? Did the participants come from different cultural and social backgrounds? How generalizable are the findings?
• What are the statistics measuring?
• How long did the information take to gather? Was it a 2 week survey? A 6 month study? A 10 year study?
• What questions were asked?
• How was each question asked? Were the questions leading or loaded or worded in such a way as to encourage a certain answer?
• What is the context of the survey?
• How was the research done? Phone, email, social media, face to face?
• What is the number as a percentage? e.g. 55, 000 Americans is 0.0167% of the population
• Is the percentage statistically insignificant? e.g. 500, 000 Americans might be addicted to Heroin, but as a percentage that’s ‘only’ (any number above one is obviously too high) 0.153% of Americans
• Do the author’s conclusions and the headline logically follow from the data? Or are they reading too much into the data? Find the raw data if you can. Don’t just accept and believe headlines for statistics. Make sure it says what the headline says it says. Statistical headlines are often used to suggest things the data doesn’t actually say
• Is the research confusing causation and correlation? Check out: spurious correlations for a perfect visual example of why correlation does not equal causation
• Has this study been peer reviewed by experts?
• Beware of unsourced statistics

“I can prove anything by statistics except the truth.” – George Canning 

Critical thinking about your life questions

“The unexamined life is not worth living” – Socrates

You can apply critical thinking to the books you read, the podcasts you listen to, the information and “news” presented to you, but ultimately, what better place to apply critical thinking skills than to your own life?

• Which biases and fallacies are you most guilty of?
• Where/when do you most often fail to practice critical thinking?
• What are your sacred cows? What shouldn’t be questioned? What is off limits? God? Jesus? Buddha? Krishna? Muhammad? The Bible? The Bhagavad Gita? The Quran? Your Guru?
• What do you need to start/stop doing?
• What do you need to do more/less of?
• What are your best/worst habits?
• Where do you waste the most time?
• Who/what should you cut out of your life?
• What one thing, if you were to take action on it, would produce the greatest difference in your life?
• A year from now, what will you wish you had started today?

Recommended reading

For additional critical thinking questions check out:

Critical Reading: The Ultimate Guide

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125 Philosophical Questions To Encourage Critical Thinking and Self-Exploration

Food for thought!

Our world is full of mysteries—why not try to solve a few? One of the most incredible ways to encourage critical thinking and self-exploration is to ask kids thought-provoking questions. Hearing the responses and exchanging ideas can really expand our perspectives and leave us with important food for thought. Want to try? Here are some philosophical questions to share with students in the classroom.

What Is a Philosophical Question?

Philosophical questions usually explore human nature, morality, ethics, the origins of the universe, and even the afterlife. These types of questions require deep thinking and don’t usually have straightforward, clear answers. They leave a lot of room for interpretation, which is why they are so interesting and fun!

Fun Philosophical Questions

1. Which really came first, the chicken or the egg?

2. If you’d been given a different name, would you be a different person?

3. Would the world be more peaceful if kids were in charge?

4. What is kindness?

5. Do you think music is a universal language?

6. What does happiness feel like in your mind and body?

7. Can one person really change the world?

8. If it was possible to live forever, would you want to?

9. If people live in a time zone ahead of us, does this mean they live in the future?

10. Can a person be happy and sad at the same time?

Philosophical Questions About Life & Society

11. What is the meaning of life?

12. What is the biggest issue in our society right now?

13. What is your vision of the ideal society?

14. Do you think it’s important to conform in society?

15. How can humans improve the world in the next five years?

16. What is the most important thing in life?

17. Are people too greedy?

18. How could the world change for the better?

19. Is failure ever useful?

20. What would life be like if we never experienced pain?

21. Why is it important to help others?

22. What is freedom?

23. Can too much freedom be a bad thing?

24. Should we have to pay for basic needs such as food, water, and shelter?

25. Should education be free?

Philosophical Questions About Growing Up

26. When do children become adults?

27. Are adults as curious as kids?

28. At what age does an adult become “old”?

29. What can kids learn from grown-ups?

30. What can grown-ups learn from kids?

31. Do we become wise through age, study, or experience?

32. Does birth order affect people’s personalities?

33. Do people need to have children?

34. If you could give your younger self one piece of life advice, what would it be?

Philosophical Questions About Love & Relationships

35. What is love?

36. Is love about feelings, words, or actions?

37. Does unconditional love really exist?

38. How do you know you are loved?

39. What causes someone to fall in love?

40. What makes a good friend?

41. Are romantic relationships important?

42. Do soulmates exist?

43. Can someone be in love with more than one person?

44. Do you think love at first sight really exists?

45. Is love blind?

46. Can you love others if you don’t love yourself?

47. What makes a relationship last for many years?

48. Do large age gaps matter in a relationship?

Philosophical Questions About Animals

49. Do humans treat animals properly or do we need to improve?

50. Are dairy and eggs more ethical to eat than meat?

51. What would life be like if animals were dominant over humans?

52. Have some animals or creatures walked the Earth that we don’t know about?

53. Do spiders or bugs experience emotional pain?

54. Do animals feel love?

55. Are animals less intelligent than humans?

56. Do animals like being kept as pets?

57. Is it OK to kill bugs?

58. Do you think our pets have names for us too?

Philosophical Questions About Death

59. Where does the soul come from?

60. Does the soul die when the body does?

61. Do you believe in life after death or reincarnation? Why or why not?

62. What do you believe about this statement: “Everyone dies twice. Once with their body and again the last time someone mentions their name.”?

63. If you only had five years left to live, how would you live differently?

64. Is euthanasia an immoral way to end a life?

65. Would you ever want to know how or when you were going to die?

66. Should everyone have to be an organ donor?

Philosophical Questions About the Universe

67. Do you believe in life on other planets?

68. Why are we here on Earth?

69. Do you believe in astrology?

70. Are there alternate universes?

71. Have aliens visited Earth?

72. Should we be spending money to develop space travel?

73. Do you think there could be time travelers living among us right now?

74. If someone could time-travel, would it be ethically wrong to change history?

75. If an advanced life-form from another planet wanted to eat us, would that be wrong considering we eat animals on Earth?

76. What do you think is out in space that we have not discovered yet?

77. If aliens were to come tomorrow, what would you do?

Philosophical Questions About Law & Governance

78. Are equal and fair the same thing?

79. What makes something right and something wrong?

80. Will war ever go away?

81. Is our legal system fair?

82. Is it OK to commit a crime to save another person’s life?

83. Is it OK to steal something to survive?

84. Should the legal drinking age be lower or higher?

85. Should the legal age for driving be lower or higher?

86. Should good healthcare be a universal right?

87. Should people living an unhealthy lifestyle pay more for healthcare?

88. Should there be stricter laws about what goes into our food?

89. If killing someone saved hundreds of other people, would that make it OK?

90. Does power change people?

91. What makes a crime a crime?

92. Should buses have seat belts?

Philosophical Questions About the Paranormal

93. Have you ever had any paranormal or strange experiences that defy explanation?

94. Do you believe in ghosts or spirits?

95. Do humans have extrasensory powers like psychic abilities or telepathy?

96. Do you believe in miracles?

97. Do you think that life is predetermined or that you choose your own path?

98. Does karma really exist?

99. Is it possible that paranormal creatures like vampires and werewolves really do exist?

100. Do you believe in the law of attraction?

Philosophical Questions About Science & Technology

101. What has been the greatest advancement or invention of our time?

102. Can robots develop emotions, consciousness, or morality?

103. Are you controlling your technology or is your technology controlling you?

104. Is social media a good thing in our society?

105. Why is it so easy to spread misinformation on social media?

106. Do you think the environment is in danger?

107. Do you think that technology is advancing us or destroying us?

108. Is time travel possible?

109. Will climate change affect us in the future?

110. Is technology making us more polarized or more open in our thinking?

111. Is technology gathering too much of our information?

Tough Philosophical Questions

112. Can people change?

113. What makes someone human?

114. Is hope essential to life?

115. What is intuition (your gut feeling)?

116. Why are we so afraid of the unknown?

117. Is there only one truth or can it be different for everyone?

118. Do we need good and evil to coexist in life?

119. What are dreams?

120. Is it possible to be in the wrong place at the right time?

121. Should wealthy people leave their money to their family or give it to charity?

122. Is lying ever OK?

123. Will life as we know it end someday?

124. Why do we remember things we should forget and forget things we want to remember?

125. Where do our thoughts come from?

What are your favorite philosophical questions? Come share on the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook !

Plus, check out  100+ fun icebreaker questions for kids and teens ..

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100+ Critical Thinking Questions for Students To Ask About Anything

Critical thinkers question everything. Continue Reading

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16 Critical Thinking Questions For Students

Critical thinking is an essential skill that empowers students to think critically and make informed decisions. It encourages them to explore different perspectives, analyze information, and develop logical reasoning. To foster critical thinking skills, it is crucial to ask students thought-provoking questions that challenge their assumptions and encourage deeper analysis. Here are 16 critical thinking questions for students to enhance their problem-solving abilities:

• What evidence supports this argument?
• Can you identify any biases in this article?
• How does this relate to what we have learned previously?
• What alternative solutions can you propose to this problem?
• How might different cultures perceive this situation?
• What assumptions underlie this theory?
• How reliable is the source of this information?
• Can you identify any logical fallacies in this argument?
• What impact does this decision have on various stakeholders?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of this argument?
• How might you approach this problem differently?
• Wha t ethical considerations need to be taken into account?
• Can you identify any gaps in the evidence provided?
• How does this concept apply to real-world situations?
• What are the potential consequences of this decision?
• How might you evaluate the credibility of this research?

By incorporating these critical thinking questions, educators can help students develop essential skills such as analyzing information, evaluating arguments, and problem-solving. Encouraging students to think critically will not only benefit their academic performance but also prepare them for success in various aspects of their lives.

Remember, critical thinking is a skill that can be nurtured and strengthened with practice. By guiding students to ask and answer these thought-provoking questions, educators can create a learning environment that fosters independent thinking and creativity.

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7 Puzzles to Challenge Your Critical Thinking

Can you spot the connections and sort these items.

Posted March 5, 2015 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

The theme of this post is critical thinking—and the kinds of puzzles that can be constructed around it. This term is used frequently in psychology and education . There are various definitions, but the one that best suits our purpose and which is, in the end, perhaps the best, is the ability to comprehend the logical connections among ideas, words, phrases, and concepts . In the relevant scientific literature, of course, the term is used much more broadly as a framework for understanding human cognition . But in my opinion, the best way to understand things is to construct puzzles to illustrate their basic essence.

Critical thinking involves skill at recognizing a pattern in given information and especially recognizing how the information is connected to the real world. Here are a couple of very simple examples. First, consider the five words below:

• Cruise ship
• Walking on foot
• Automobile (not a race car)

Now, put them in order from the slowest to the fastest, when they are going at maximum speed. The solution, of course, is: 4-2-5-1-3.

As with all such puzzles, there might be slightly different solutions—one could claim that some automobiles go faster than cruise ships. This “indeterminacy” characterizes this kind of thinking. However, some puzzles are straightforward. For instance, what do the following five things have in common?

The answer? These are all words referring to shades of blue.

The seven puzzles below are to the ones above, though hopefully more challenging. Some involve knowledge of facts, but critical thinking is still involved in such cases because the organization of the facts according to some principle is always involved—for example, a puzzle may ask you to put five items in order of their dates of invention.

The following tongue-in-cheek definition of critical thinking by Richard W. Paul, a leading expert on critical thinking theory, says it all: “Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking in order to make your thinking better.”

I. What do the following 5 things have in common?

• Orange juice

II. Put the following buildings or structures in order of height, from the shortest to the tallest.

• Typical camping tent

III. What do the following animals have in common?

IV. Put the following inventions in order from earliest to most recent.

V. What feature do the following words have in common?

• Imagination

VI. Put these bodies of water in order in terms of volume, from smallest to largest .

VII. What do the following landmasses have in common?

I. They are all drinkable liquids. II. 5-1-4-3-2 III. They all have a tail. They are also all quadrupeds. IV. To the best of my knowledge: 5-4-3-1-2 V. They start with a vowel: a, e, i, o, u VI. 4-2-1-5-3 VII. They are all peninsulas.

Marcel Danesi, Ph.D. , is a professor of semiotics and anthropology at Victoria College, University of Toronto. His books include The Puzzle Instinct and The Total Brain Workout .

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Critical thinking puzzles for adults (with answers)

Critical thinking can help to better navigate the information-dense and complex world we live in. By thinking critically we can better identify priorities, take a sensible approach to problem-solving and reach conclusions logically in line with evidence. Puzzles are an excellent way both to learn and practice critical thinking skills.

If you’d like to learn more about critical thinking or simply practice your skills with some puzzles, then this is the article for you. Read a little bit more about critical thinking skills and how to apply them first, or just skip straight to the puzzles and see how you get on.

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking is a broad approach to problem solving and analysis based on logic and evidence. It brings together a wide range of intellectual competences and the ability to combine and cross-reference them. Some of the most important elements of a critical thinking approach include:

Analytical skills:

• understanding of questions and concepts
• differentiation of relevant / irrelevant evidence and information
• identification of similarities, connections and differences
• use of metaphors or analogies to communicate ideas

Powers of inference:

• extraction of meaning from data using inductive or deductive reasoning
• extrapolation of data or abstraction into concepts and patterns
• correct identification and deployment of analogies and assumptions
• grasp of causal relationships, allowing development of conclusions and theories.

Data and theory evaluation:

• assessment of how strong, important or credible a theory might be
• taking on board new data and new arguments which alter understanding of ideas and theory

Rational decision-making:

– application of all the skills and competences above in order to come to a rational conclusion.

Problem-solving attitude: In addition to being able to think critically, you must also be personally inclined to think critically when facing a difficult or complex challenge. Developing qualities including curiosity and fairness, while distancing yourself from ideologies and group-think, should all help to create the kind of psychological landscape where critical thinking can flourish.

How can I learn critical thinking?

Critical thinking skills are hard to develop from only reading books or listening to lectures. The most effective way to sharpen and deepen critical thinking faculties is to practice critical thinking . Critical thinking puzzles offer a fun way to learn and the eight critical thinking puzzles we’ve chosen for this article should help you make a good start.

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Eight critical thinking puzzles – with answers

Puzzle 1 – letter puzzles.

What common feature do the following words share?

Answer: All of these words begin with a vowel. This type of puzzle may send your mind off in the wrong direction, thinking about the objects or concepts described by the words, and the properties they might share. In fact, the solution lies in a far more simple consideration of the alphabet. Puzzle 1 is a simple example of a common type of letter or word puzzle.

Puzzle 2 – Commonalities and differences

What do the following items have in common and which is the odd one out?

Orange Juice

Answer: These items are all liquids and the odd one out is petrol, since all the others are drinkable liquids.

Puzzle 3 – Falling on his feet

A man who lives in a high-rise building decides to exit through the window one morning rather than using the door. Somehow he survives the fall without a scratch and walks away to work. How did this happen?

Answer: The man lived on the ground or first floor and merely stepped or jumped down to the pavement outside. By stating early on that the building in question was a high-rise building, it’s easy for someone reading quickly to assume that the man jumped from a window on a high store but this it s not necessarily the case.

Puzzle 4 – Walk this way

A group of five people enter a windowless meeting room together. An hour later when the meeting ends, four walk out of the door, leaving the room empty. What has happened to the fifth member of the group?

Answer: The fifth person was in a wheelchair and wheeled out of the room rather than walked. Solving this puzzle requires you to think laterally about the question and the possible solutions. The answer can be found by asking yourself whether the emphasis of the question is on the emptiness of the room or the means by which the other four people left.

Puzzle 5 – Shapes and symbols

When lying on my side, I am everything, but when cut in half, I am nothing. What am I?

Answer: The number 8. This puzzle requires that you think about a shape being repositioned or cut in a way that can change it to “everything” or “nothing”. Number 8 on its side is the mathematical symbol for infinity (i.e. everything) and also shaped like two small number 0s put together.

Puzzle 6 – Three hard options

The hero is escaping the lair of an evil super-villain and is faced with three possible exits:

• Door A leads into a pit of bubbling lava
• Door B leads to a room housing a deadly hitman
• Door C leads to the den full of lions that haven’t had a meal for a year.

Which door should the hero choose?

Answer: Door C. If the lion hasn’t eaten in a year, it will definitely be dead by now. This type of puzzle requires you to consider the full implications of the information given, rather than being drawn into a comparison of the relative dangers of lava, hitmen and lions…

Puzzle 7 – The bus driver’s eyes

You are a bus driver. Today the bus is empty at the start of your route but at the first stop, four people get onto the bus. Eight people get on at the second stop, while three alight. When the bus reaches the third stop, one more gets off, and three get on.

At the fourth stop, two people get off the bus and one gets on. The bus is traveling at an average speed of 30mph and its tires are new.  What color are the bus driver’s eyes?

Answer: You are the bus driver so the color will be the color of your own eyes. This type of puzzle tries to confuse you and obscure the single piece of relevant information by presenting large quantities of irrelevant information.

Puzzle 8 – Losing weight

A man walks into a room, closes the doors behind him and presses a button. In a matter of seconds the man is 20lb lighter. Despite this, he leaves the room at the same weight he entered it.

Answer: The room in question is actually an elevator. When the man gets in and presses the button, the elevator moves downwards with an acceleration that reduces the effect of gravity and makes the man temporarily 20lb lighter. Once the lift stops moving, the man’s weight is subject to normal gravity, just the same as before. Solving this puzzle requires a small piece of general physics knowledge.

A final word…

We hope you’ve enjoyed our critical thinking puzzles for adults and that your critical thinking skills are feeling refreshed and sharpened after reading our article. Whether at school, in the workplace, or in general life, critical thinking can be a valuable tool for success and anyone can learn to use it.

Get more critical thinking puzzles on our Youtube channel:

20 Challenging Lateral Thinking Puzzles That Are Harder Than They Seem

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Critical Thinking Questions That Will Blow Your Mind

• February 10, 2018

What would it be like if every decision you made didn’t involve your personal feelings or over-emotional reactions? What if your perspective was always balanced and decisions completely informed? Is it not time that you used critical thinking questions to become the more levelheaded, cool, and calm person you want to be?

Being a critical thinker enables you to take a neutral perspective on an idea or scenario and gives you the power of true choice. Being free from manipulation or emotional ties to your decision will allow you to make the most beneficial choice in any circumstance.

In critical thinking, we are taught to question everything. However, the question behind the question is; what questions should you be asking? Before we go into the critical matter of the exact questions, we should first look at the manner in which these critical thinking questions should be asked. After this article, you will be a wizard at asking critical thinking questions. 

The Standard of Questions You Should Ask

Although the actual questions will be very important to critical thinking, the emphasis and purpose of these questions will determine how effective the questions will be. You must first know how to question before you know what and which critical thinking questions to ask.

1. Open-ended questioning

As a critical thinker, you cannot allow whomever or whatever you are questioning to give you the smallest amount of information for your questions. Yes or No answers can really drag out the process of getting the answers and information that you want.

Asking questions that will not only give you the answers you are looking for but also open up a heap more information than you were searching for. Ask open-ended questions such as the following:

• “What is the purpose of this scenario?”  Instead of:  “Is this the purpose of this scenario?”
• “What is your favorite thing about this scenario?” Instead of: “Is this your favorite thing about this scenario?”

2. Avoid leading questions

Being a critical thinker is about escaping your bias and seeing things outside of your personal perspective . It is thus very important to avoid leading the question, in an area you want it to go.

Keep your questions as neutral as possible and don’t allow any definitive language to creep into the question. Such as using the following:

• “What is your take on the healthiest diet there is?”  Instead of: “Don’t you think the vegan diet is the healthiest diet?”
• “What is the condition of the country at the moment?”  Instead of: “How bad is the condition of the country at the moment?”

3. Specify the boundaries of your questions

As much as leading a question can be a hindrance to what you want, so can leaving the question too open, and invite unnecessary information to be given. Critical thinking is about being objective, but it still needs a direction and focus in which you apply your critical thinking.

Make sure that you set up an accurate framework in which your questions can be answered. Being too broad makes the process of getting answers inefficient and drawn out. Try asking questions like:

• “Who is your favorite male tennis player in the United States?”  Instead of: “Who is your favorite tennis player?”
• “If you could live anywhere in South East Asia, where would that be?”  Instead of: “If you could live anywhere, where would that be?”

4. Funnel the questions until you get the answer you were looking for

When questions remain shallow, it is easy for the sources of information you are questioning to mislead and avoid giving you the information that you want.

Do not set up the path of questions beforehand, but rather make sure that you dig deeper after each question in the direction of information that you really want.  Once you have your answer, then move back to broader questioning in order to get a better picture of the whole once again.

5. All the answers to your question must be based on facts and well supported from many different sources

Make sure that you don’t give into hearsay. Find the studies, the science, and ample testimonials before you accept the information that you have been given.

Look into many different and unrelated sources to see if the information matches up. Look at the other side of the argument and validate their claims.

Methods of Critical Thinking Questions

1. the 5 w’s and the h.

These are the absolute basics of critical thinking. The Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How are foundational questions that are taught over and over in journalism, investigation, and research.

They are the base from which every critical analysis should be created. You would apply these questions as follows:

•    …would benefit?
•    …would this harm?
•    …is responsible?
•    …has researched this before?
•    …is the other perspective?
•    …would be the challenges?
•    …are the strengths?
•    …is the key subject?
•    …would this problem reside?
•    …are there similar situations?
•    …can more information be found?
•    …can this be improved on?
•    …is this acceptable and unacceptable?
•    …could this be implemented?
•    …would we be able to measure the results?
•    …is it time to stop this action?
•    …is this a problem?
•    …is this relevant?
•    …should this be known about?
•    …is there a need for this?
•    …is this different from anything else similar to it?
•    …it functions?
•    … is this the truth about it?
•    …could it harm anyone?

2. Agenda and method questioning

These two areas of questioning may have already been covered through the 5 W’s and the H. However, it is beneficial to emphasize the angle from which this questioning comes.

The first one is questioning the agenda. This is aimed at figuring out how people could benefit from a situation or idea. This agenda can place all the information received in context.

For instance, if a company was contributing to a charity and their agenda was to improve their image against the damage done by that company, then the contributions would be much less charitable and much more about publicity.

Questions that would help clarify the agenda would be:

• What is the person or organization involved trying to accomplish?
• What issues or problems are raised by the person or organization involved?
• What data, what experiences, what evidence is given?
• Is the person or organization involved thinking about the environment?
• Is the person’s or organization’s thinking justified as far as we can see from our perspective?
• And how do they justify it from their perspective?
• How can we enter their perspective to appreciate what they have to say?

The second aspect of this is questioning the method. As a critical thinker, this makes the outcomes of every situation and idea questionable, which is exactly the point of critical thinking.

Too many times the outcome of a specific method is the focus of debate, without clarifying if that outcome has validity.

Questions that would help clarify the Method would be:

•   I s the person or organization involved willing to fundamentally rethink their methods of creating a certain outcome?
•  Has the person or organization involved thought about how the method will work going into the future?
•  To what extent has the method been tested?
•  Is there any other method that could be used to produce this outcome and what would be the implications of this method?
•  Is the person or organization involved willing to allow this method to be tested?
•  In what other situation has this method been used and how effective was it?

3. Inquiry process

The inquiry process is exactly that; a process. It does entail certain questions but the power of this process resides in the way the process is conducted.

This process is the standard of research and creates an order in which you can follow, uncovering the information that you seek. Although the terminology may change for each step of the process, the essence of what needs to be done remains the same.

The process is divided as follows:

•     Ask (Pose Question)
•    Investigate (Find Resources)
•    Create (interpret/ Synthesise)
•    Discuss (Report findings)
•    Reflect (follow the process backward)

4. Bloom’s taxonomy

Bloom’s taxonomy was created by Dr. Benjamin Bloom , a psychologist in the 1950’s. Bloom’s work was to create a better form of learning through more focus on analysis and evaluation.

Bloom’s taxonomy is very much Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to critical thinking. The original Bloom’s taxonomy encompasses:

•    What is the subject?
•    When did it happen?

Comprehension:

•    How would you compare the subject?
•    Explain the subject in your own words?

Application

•    What examples can you find of the subject?
•    What approach would you use to solve the problem?
•    What inference can you make from the information?
•    How would you classify or categorize the subject?
•    How would you compare the information?
•    What was the value or importance of the information?

Creation or Synthesis

•    Can you propose an alternative interpretation of the information?
•    What might happen if you…?

Bloom’s Taxonomy has since been revised. In 2001 a group of cognitive psychologists, curriculum theorists and instructional researchers, and testing and assessment specialists change the titles of each level to make a more dynamic approach to the system.

The titles were revised to:

•    Recognizing
•    Recalling
•    Interpreting
•    Exemplifying
•    Classifying
•    Summarizing
•    Inferring
•    Comparing
•    Explaining
•    Executing
•    Implementing
•    Differentiating
•    Organizing
•    Attributing
•    Checking
•    Critiquing
•    Generating
•    Planning
•    Producing

In the process of the revision, the authors broke the knowledge area into its own taxonomy:

Factual Knowledge

•    Knowledge of terminology
•    Knowledge of specific details and elements

Conceptual Knowledge

•    Knowledge of classifications and categories
•    Knowledge of principles and generalizations
•    Knowledge of theories, models, and structures

Procedural Knowledge

•    Knowledge of subject-specific skills and algorithms
•    Knowledge of subject-specific techniques and methods
•    Knowledge of criteria for determining when to use appropriate procedures

Metacognitive Knowledge

•    Strategic Knowledge
•    Knowledge about cognitive tasks, including appropriate contextual and conditional knowledge
•    Self-knowledge

If you want to know more about the reasoning behind the revision click here .

5. Integral questioning

Integral theory was created by Ken Wilber  (author of A Brief History of Everything ) and has become one of the most useful structures of evaluation in this era. The integral model is a reference structure in which you can objectively see all areas of a specific subject.

This method goes hand in glove with the practice of critical thinking. Applying the method into question form will bring out the following analysis:

Quadrants: this is the evaluation of each viewpoint of a certain subject.

•    What does a specific person involved think or feel about the subject?
•    What studies and tests have been done on the subject?
•    What do the people as a whole feel or think about the subject?
•    What does the industry of the subject say on the subject?

Lines: These are the areas of understanding of factors involved in the matter.

•    What are the different areas of life expressed in this subject?
•    What factors are involved in the situation or subject?
•    To what area of understanding does is the subject appeal to?

Levels: This deals with a hierarchical standard of a certain area of the subject.

•    To what level of understanding does is a subject appeal?
•    How complex or advanced is this subject?
•    What standard of knowledge needs to be obtained to understand this subject?

State: This refers to a fleeting state of being in which the subject can be seen in.

•    In what state of mind was the person involved in when reviewing the subject?
•    In what state of mind was the person involved in when the situation occurred?
•    Is the information given contextual to a certain situation?

Types: This is a division of experiences based on traits that could affect perspective.

•    How would someone who is completely different from the person involved perceive the situation?
•    What different types of people were involved in the situation?
•    How could this subject be received differently by a different cultural reference?

Question Everything

You now possess all that you need to start becoming a critical thinker and asking critical thinking questions. The only way to engrain the above processes and questions to become a critical thinker is to practice. You might need to refer to this article consistently at first, but after time you will become a natural and healthy critical thinker.

This video may help to ignite your passion for questioning everything:

Read more on critical thinking by checking out these related articles and resources:

• How to Solve the Biggest Problems With Critical Thinking
• Critical Thinking Examples That Wil Influence the World Around You

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19 Types of Questions To Grow Critical Thinking

Jan 25, 2021 | Inquiry

Fostering critical thinking skills is essential for individuals to navigate the complexities of the modern world. As educators, one powerful tool at our disposal is the art of questioning. Thought-provoking questions stimulate intellectual curiosity, challenge assumptions, and encourage deeper analysis. Here are 19 types of questions designed to cultivate critical thinking in the classroom, categorized for clarity and purpose.

Categories of Questions:

1. Exploratory Questions:

• Open-ended questions: Encourage students to explore ideas without restrictive boundaries. Example: “What are the possible outcomes of this situation?”

2. Analytical Questions:

• Socratic Questions: Prompt students to analyze their own thinking processes. Example: “How did you arrive at that conclusion?”
• Comparative Questions: Encourage students to examine similarities and differences between concepts. Example: “In what ways are these two theories alike or different?”
• Cause and Effect Questions: Prompt students to consider the consequences of actions or events. Example: “What might be the repercussions if this decision is implemented?”

3. Imaginative Questions:

• Hypothetical Questions: Challenge students to think beyond the present and consider imaginary scenarios. Example: “What would happen if we reversed the roles in this situation?”
• Problem-Solving Questions: Engage students in critical thinking by presenting real-world problems. Example: “How would you address the challenges faced by the characters in this case study?”

4. Ethical Questions:

• Ethical Dilemma Questions: Foster moral reasoning by presenting ethical quandaries. Example: “If you had to choose between honesty and loyalty, which would you prioritize and why?”

5. Inference and Reflection Questions:

• Inference Questions: Encourage students to draw conclusions based on available information. Example: “What can you infer from the data provided?”
• Reflection Questions: Stimulate metacognition by prompting students to reflect on their own thought processes. Example: “How has your perspective on this topic evolved over time?”

6. Divergent Thinking Questions:

• Contradiction Questions: Encourage students to identify and resolve conflicting ideas. Example: “How can we reconcile these two seemingly contradictory viewpoints?”
• Prioritization Questions: Challenge students to determine the most significant factors in a given situation. Example: “What factors should be prioritized in making this decision?”

7. Integrative Questions:

• Interdisciplinary Questions: Encourage the integration of knowledge from multiple disciplines. Example: “How might principles from psychology and economics intersect in this context?”

8. Forward-Thinking Questions:

• Predictive Questions: Prompt students to anticipate future developments based on current trends. Example: “What might be the long-term implications of this social phenomenon?”

9. Collaborative and Metacognitive Questions:

• Collaborative Questions: Foster teamwork and collective problem-solving. Example: “How can diverse perspectives contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of this issue?”
• Meta-Questions: Encourage students to think about their thinking. Example: “What assumptions underlie your perspective, and how might they influence your conclusions?”

10. Awareness Questions:

• Bias Recognition Questions: Develop awareness of personal biases and perspectives. Example: “In what ways might your background influence your interpretation of this information?”

11. Systems Thinking Questions:

• Systemic Thinking Questions: Prompt students to consider the broader systems at play. Example: “How does this individual decision impact the larger system?”

12. Relevance and Adaptation Questions:

• Relevance Questions: Challenge students to assess the significance of information. Example: “How does this information contribute to our understanding of the main issue?”
• Adaptation Questions: Encourage flexibility in thinking by exploring alternative solutions. Example: “If the circumstances change, how might your approach to this problem evolve?”

Incorporating these diverse question types into your teaching repertoire can transform the learning experience, help create a culture of inquiry , equipping students with the invaluable skill of critical thinking. As educators, we have the power to shape not only what our students know but also how they think, empowering them to navigate the complexities of an ever-changing world with confidence and intellectual agility.

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40 Critical Thinking Questions for High School Students

How is electricity being produced from rainwater or do aliens exist if there are so many discoveries about them? High school students are certain to come across queries that question reality, everyday rules, general human existence, or anything out of nowhere! 

Young minds are filled with an amazing potential to explore beyond their capabilities and hidden qualities. While high school students might question the existing realities of life, some students might not be aware of their imagination and thinking capacities. That is why it is important to nurture these growing minds with opportunities to question, understand, analyze, find evidence, and arrive at solutions. 

In this case, critical thinking questions act as a helpful way to offer an opportunity to broaden their minds to unlimited knowledge and endless possibilities. When students are given a chance to think beyond the ordinary, they experience a sense of freedom in thinking and expressing their views.

Through critical thinking questions, they receive a wonderful chance to analyze, decode the information, and present their views without being right or wrong. Hence, the below-mentioned questions are drafted in a way to initiate abstract and informative conversations thereby boosting critical thinking.

Brain teasing critical thinking questions for high schoolers

Critical thinking skills are essential for measuring the imagination and creativity of students. High school students are likely to use the new age information and influence of others when processing their thoughts. Hence, the below-mentioned questions are a great way to channel their thoughts in a more positively empowered learning environment.

• Do you think it is okay to give up your life if you had to save someone?
• If you could go to your past, what would you change?
• What is the joy of giving for you?
• What is better – giving or receiving? Why?
• If you can change some rules of the school, which ones would you change and why?
• What if you know your future? What does it look like from your perspective?
• What if you are dragged into a situation where you disagree with others?
• What would you do if you are given a task against your willingness to complete it?
• Would you like to do – go to your past or get to know your future? Why?
• What would you choose, 1 million dollars or a lifetime free education? Why?
• What is more important to you, knowledge or money?
• How can you leverage the benefits of social media and how?
• Do you think animals should be free or kept in a zoo?
• What does life look like on the Earth 100 years from now?
• Imagine a world without mobile phones. What would you do?
• If you could choose any profession in the world, what would you choose? Why?
• Would you rather devote your life to helping others through social activities or invest in building a business?
• What is the most important matter of concern that the world needs to address?
• Do you think the voting of high school students matters in Government concerns? Why?
• Which aspect plays a major role in the success of individuals?
• If you could change any one habit of your parents, what would it be?
• If you could travel to any place in the world, where would you go? Why?
• Imagine the world is facing a major power cut issue. What would you do and how would you face the situation?
• What is more important, offering a home to the needy or offering food to the needy on an everyday basis?
• How does the number 0 change life?
• Should teenagers be allowed to make major life decisions?
• Are friendships real in today’s world? 
• Does an influential person always influence others with actions and words?
• If animals could talk to you, who would you choose to talk to?
• What is the difference between happiness and achievements?
• Do you think success is the same as happiness? 
• Imagine you have only 24 hours left on Earth. How would you spend it?
• What if you are given the option to reside on another planet? What would you do and how?
• Would you forgive your best friend if he/she commits a crime and is found guilty?
• If your mother and best friend are sinking in two different boats and you have the opportunity to save anyone, who would you choose? Why?
• Imagine you are stranded on an island and have access to 5 things. Which 5 things would you choose?
• Which 3 elements make a stronger nation? Why?
• What are the disadvantages of growing up? How would you tackle them?
• Would you be blind or deaf? Why?
• What if you could donate 50% of your wealth and have free food for life? What would you do? 

Critical thinking in students: Why is it crucial?

High schoolers are on their way to exploring various subjects and acquiring knowledge from around the world. In such a phase, students must have the ability to think through things and make the right decision. Critical thinking empowers the brain to analyze and understand situations with complete evidence before concluding. Here’s how critical thinking shapes the life of high schoolers.

1. Develops Problem-Solving Skills

Students are sure to come across everyday problems and issues in their academic journey or personal life. While some students may develop stress, others might ignore it. However, the essence of critical thinking helps students solve these issues with intelligence. Whether it is figuring out about the project or solving an issue between friends, thinking and analyzing the possible solutions makes it easy to tackle situations. 

2. Enhances Creativity

The advertisements you see every day often talk about the problem and how a product solves it. That’s exactly why you need to develop critical thinking skills. When you can identify the core issue and arrive at solutions only then can you think out of the box. Critical thinking helps students be creative with their solutions and find a way out amidst challenges. 

3. Boosts Decision-Making Skills

With every project, assignment, or topic of your thesis , you need to take many decisions in the learning process. Here, critical thinking skills play a crucial role in helping you analyze, decode and disseminate information before making any decision. 

4. Builds Open-mindedness 

As growing individuals, it is important to be open-minded towards various problems and their suggestions. People who think critically are more likely to understand situations from different points of view. Hence, developing critical thinking skills helps you accept different perspectives and respect the opinions of others. The skill helps a long way when you need to work in a group on your projects. It is because you become capable of thinking from various perspectives. 

5. Goal Setting

Success comes with proper planning and execution of tasks. However, you cannot study history if you are weak at math. Similarly, you cannot aim for a 60% growth in your academics if you have been growing at a pace of 30% in each examination. Critical thinking enables you to think practically and map your way out to reach your goals. When you think critically and practically, you can analyze your strengths and weaknesses thereby setting goals accurately.

Critical thinking indeed plays an essential role in shaping the mindset of students and exposing them to different skills simply by developing this one. As you take advantage of the critical thinking questions, know that it is important to keep questioning students to initiate conversations.

Whether it is reflective questions or would you rather-questions , these questions enable them to think beyond their imagination and dive into a world of possibilities. Apart from this, you may also involve students in interactive discussions that boost critical thinking skills.

Sananda Bhattacharya, Chief Editor of TheHighSchooler, is dedicated to enhancing operations and growth. With degrees in Literature and Asian Studies from Presidency University, Kolkata, she leverages her educational and innovative background to shape TheHighSchooler into a pivotal resource hub. Providing valuable insights, practical activities, and guidance on school life, graduation, scholarships, and more, Sananda’s leadership enriches the journey of high school students.

Explore a plethora of invaluable resources and insights tailored for high schoolers at TheHighSchooler, under the guidance of Sananda Bhattacharya’s expertise. You can follow her on Linkedin

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19 Short Stories and Questions For Critical Thinking

Apr 2, 2024

There have been rumblings in different online teacher groups recently about replacing novels with short stories and informational articles in middle and high school English classrooms. I have to admit I was shocked when I first read the comments because I am a book lover at heart, but since then, I’ve considered that there are several pros and cons to this approach.

Short stories and other smaller texts can provide a briefer timeline to complete tasks, and this process is helpful when there is already SO MUCH curriculum to cover. Short stories and related activities can also be more engaging for our students because of the exposure to diverse voices and themes! Using short stories and lessons provides students with amazing choices to meet their needs and preferences!

On the other hand, incorporating mainly short stories and other shorter passages means students’ already-pressed attention spans (as a result of social media influences and pervasive sources of technology) are reinforced. Plus, students miss out on the more complex stories within longer pieces of fiction that are, dare I say, life-altering! A novel can provide opportunities for sustained reading and layers for analysis that shorter pieces of literature like short stories and related texts cannot offer.

Ultimately, no matter where you find yourself on the issue, I think we can all agree that short stories and their counterparts can be vital, effective, and helpful in the modern classroom!

Continue reading for 19 Short Stories and Questions For Critical Thinking!!

Need help with Test Prep ?  Check out this  FREE Pack of 3 Test Prep Activities  to help students achieve success on standardized tests!

Table of Contents

19 Short Stories and Questions – Suggestions for Teaching Them

You don’t need to remove all novels to be able to include short stories and smaller passages like vignettes, articles, and narratives; there’s a time and place for all genres! But if you’re thinking about ways to include more short stories and fun activities, check out this list of 19 varied short stories and critical thinking questions as well as suggestions for teaching them in middle school and high school.

1.  “The Most Dangerous Game” 

“The Most Dangerous Game” is one of my absolute favorite short stories and overall plots to teach! This suspenseful short story by Richard Connell follows the harrowing ordeal of Sanger Rainsford, a skilled hunter who becomes the prey of a deranged aristocrat named General Zaroff. Stranded on Zaroff’s secluded island, Rainsford must outwit the cunning general in a deadly game of survival, where the stakes are life and death. 

SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHING:

• You could focus on the setting (description of time and place) and examine how the setting changes throughout the story.
• Students could learn about the plot (major events in the story) and list the major events and evidence as they read.
• Define foreshadowing (hints for what will happen by the end of the story) and encourage students to hypothesize about what will happen after every page.
• Analyze the character development (how a character changes over time) of Rainsford and highlight his traits/actions as you read along.

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS:

• How does the setting contribute to the tension and suspense in the story?
• How does the author use foreshadowing? How does the author hint at the danger Rainford is facing?
• What inferences can you make about the main character and the changes he undergoes from the beginning to the end of the story?

If you want to teach plot elements and plot analysis , check out this lesson bundle for the story , which includes comprehension quizzes and a variety of activities!

2.  “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”

Ambrose Bierce’s story is a gripping tale set during the American Civil War, where a Southern civilian named Peyton Farquhar faces execution by hanging after attempting to sabotage a Union railroad bridge. As Farquhar falls through the trapdoor, time seems to stretch, and he experiences a surreal moment, only to realize his grim reality. 

Integrating historical texts with other short stories and passages like “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” will make history come more alive and relevant for our students!

• Teach about irony (when the opposite occurs from what is expected) and how it plays a role throughout the story.
• Explain the term characterization (how a character is depicted) by looking at direct and indirect references while reading with your students.
• Discuss the major themes (messages) of the story and how they connect to our modern era within a Socratic Seminar.
• How does the author use characterization to convey Peyton Farquhar’s thoughts, emotions, and motivations?
• What is the purpose of irony in this story? How does its use affect the reader’s interpretation and understanding of events?
• What is the significance in our contemporary/real world of the themes of the story, including reality and fantasy, the passage of time, and the consequences of actions?

Ensure students’ understanding of the story with this set of reading questions that are perfect for state test prep, too !

3.  “The Masque of the Red Death”

This chilling tale from Edgar Allan Poe is set in a secluded abbey where Prince Prospero and his wealthy guests attempt to escape a deadly plague known as the Red Death. Despite their isolation efforts, the guests are confronted with their own mortality as a mysterious figure in a blood-red mask appears.

If you have not read any short stories and poems from Poe, this story is a perfect journey into the horror genre!

• The setting (description of time and place) plays a MAJOR role in the story, so following the Prince from room to room and highlighting the imagery (description that connects to the five senses) is very important when reading.
• If you have not introduced mood  (emotion intended for the reader to experience), this story is PERFECT for delineating its progression from start to finish.
• As students read, you might guide them through identifying various examples of  symbolism  (object, person, or place that represents something else); each room, objects within, and the “antagonist” is symbolic in some way!
• How does the author convey the tone of the story? How would you, as the reader, describe the story’s mood?
• What role does the plot structure (focus on the different rooms) play in shaping the reader’s understanding of the story?
• What is the purpose of the symbolism in the story such as the clock and the masked figure?

Check out this EASY-TO-TEACH bundle , you can practice with your students, so they will feel more confident analyzing higher-level language in “The Masque of the Red Death!”

4.  “The Cask of Amontillado”

Another chilling tale from Poe is the classic story “The Cask of Amontillado.” This one is set during Carnival in an unnamed Italian city. The plot centers on a man seeking revenge on a ‘friend’ he believes has insulted him. If your students are anything like mine, they will relish the ending particularly!

This is just one more of Poe’s short stories and tales that will capture the mind of every reader!

•  As you plan for this short story, be sure to encourage your students to analyze the changing setting (description of time and place); following Fortunato from scene to scene will help your students track what is really going on.
• This story is the perfect moment to teach about dialogue (conversation within someone=internal and/or between someone and someone/thing else=external); Montresor certainly means more than what he SEEMS to say!
• You might also offer a mini-lesson on the 3 types of irony and how each plays a role in the story: verbal (when a person says the opposite of what is really intended), situational (an action occurs that is the opposite from what the reader expects), and dramatic (a character expects a result, but the opposite occurs and the audience can tell what will happen)!
• Describe Montresor. What are his motives and personality?
• What inferences can you make about Montresor’s mindset based on his dialogue?
• What is the purpose of the family’s motto and the carnival atmosphere? 

Check out this Short Story Activity & Quiz Bundle for Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” which contains questions and answers modeled after various reading standardized tests as well as pre-quiz reading comprehension questions, graphic organizers, and a writing activity to get students thinking critically about this classic short story involving REVENGE!

Want 7 more teaching ideas for one of Poe’s epic short stories and questions to go with it? Click below!

5.  “To Build a Fire”

This story by Jack London describes the treacherous journey of a man through the harsh Yukon wilderness during extreme cold. Despite warnings and the company of a loyal dog, the man’s arrogance and underestimation of nature’s power lead to a tragic end.

Short stories and ideas related to survival in nature are still relevant today! Who knows when you might get lost on a hike or crashland in no man’s land?

• This story is PERFECT for a bit of  literary analysis  (examining the impact of various ideas, elements, or themes within a piece of literature); you could hone in on literary devices, characterization, theme, etc.!
• Integrating clips from survival shows will help students see connections to the world and extend their thinking by comparing (recognizing similarities) and contrasting (recognizing differences) varied experiences!
• Write a short narrative about surviving 24 hours in a different setting (description of time and place).
• How does the author use irony? Provide an example and explain. 
• What real-world connections can be made between this story and our contemporary life? 
• What is the story’s message about preparedness and respecting nature?

Grab these engaging short stories and activities to make teaching this Jack London story stress-free!

6.  “The Cactus”

Told from the point of view of a young man at his former lover’s wedding, the narrator retells their story. Like most of O. Henry’s short stories and texts, this one has a twist that involves the titular cactus plant.

The ending will end in a bit of fun for your students!

• Introduce diction (word choice) and its impact within the story by hyperfocusing on specific words within the story . Students can look up definitions, locate synonyms, create their own sentences, replace the words, etc.
• Investigate twist endings (unexpected finish to a story); before reading the end of the story, ask students to guess why the girl “rejected” him. Some students may know the answer before reading it!
• Describe the main characters. What similarities and differences are evident? How does this affect the story’s action?
• What inferences can you make about Trysdale and his feelings about love and marriage?
• What are the real and symbolic meanings of the cactus?

This resource packed with questions and answers, graphic organizers, and writing activities is sure to get your students thinking about this love story driven by misconceptions.

7.  “After Twenty Years”

This tale of friendship and betrayal focuses on the reunion of two old friends after twenty years apart on a New York City street corner. As they reminisce, something is revealed that demonstrates the reality of their bond as well as the choices they’ve made in life.

If you have not read O. Henry’s short stories and incorporated character analysis yet, this is your chance! The story is not long and can be completed in one to two class periods!

• Sometimes, we ask students to visualize (create a picture) in their minds, but why not give them the opportunity to use their artistic skills to draw the two characters?
• As students read, annotate for a description of each character; then, students can do a character analysis (investigation of the characters’ similarities and differences).
• What type of irony is used in the story? How does its use affect your interpretation and understanding of the story?
• How does the urban setting contribute to the mood of the story?
• What is the story’s message about friendship and loyalty?

Examine the links between loyalty and duty with this set of resources designed specifically for this O. Henry story.

8.  “The Lottery”

“The Lottery” is the quintessential short story for middle school or high school English! Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” tells the story of an annual ritual that takes place in a seemingly idyllic town. When the townsfolk gather for the lottery drawing, a shocking turn of events demonstrates the dark side of human nature and their ties to (outdated) traditions.

• Introduce the terms suspense (uncertainty and/or excitement leading up to a major event) and tension (anxiety or uneasy feelings experienced by characters). While reading, identify evidence that relates to each of these concepts and chat/write about their impact on meaning and plot.
• Teach title (the name of the text) analysis. The title of “The Lottery” is perfect for teaching the impact of the title and audience expectations. Before reading, students may write what they believe the story will be about based on the title. After reading, students can complete a quick write responding to their previous expectations! You can do a text analysis for all short stories and poems!
• What role does the plot structure play in building suspense and tension? (Consider the revelation of the lottery’s ‘prize’ in particular.)
• What social commentary is being made through the story and its characters?
• Describe Mr. Summers, Tessie, and Old Man Warner. What does the story reveal about their role in the community and their feelings about the lottery?

Give yours elf a breath of fresh air with this NO PREP curriculum that integrates test prep within the teaching of literature by using Shirley Jackson’s quintessential story!

9.  “The Pedestrian”

This Ray Bradbury story follows a lone walker in a futuristic society in which everyone else is consumed by technology, particularly the television. One evening, the walker encounters a police car that questions his unusual behavior and the end is quite unexpected! (Most of Bradbury’s short stories and texts connect to the future and technology in some way!)

• This story exemplifies Dystopian Literature (texts that include a supposedly perfect future society marred in some way by governmental or societal oppression). Using this story to introduce this type of literature is always fun for students because they will easily make connections to other dystopic short stories and poems!
• Teach about mood (the emotional impact of a story’s description/action). The goal is to get students to deepen their critical thinking skills by recognizing how the mood changes and the purpose for that change!
• How does the author use foreshadowing and suspense to build the mood of the story?
• What is the central theme of the story? How might it connect with our current world?
• What similes and metaphors does Bradbury use to describe the community and its members? What is notable about these comparisons?

With this resource about Bradbury’s “The Pedestrian,” you can just print and teach the lesson and activities with EASE! 

10.  “The Gift of the Magi”

This 1905 story by O. Henry relays a tale about a couple struggling to make ends meet. Throughout the story, they both figure out gifts to buy one another for Christmas and realize what love truly means!

• Review character traits (how a character is depicted internally and externally). Log the traits of each character within the story and how they are important to the meaning of the story.
• Extend (move beyond the text) critical thinking skills by encouraging students to think and write about other people. If they had $1,000 to spend on someone else, how would they spend the money and why?

• How would you describe Della and Jim, and their relationship?
• What values do the characters have, when you consider their actions and decisions?
• Explain how dramatic irony is used in the story. Is it necessary? Is it effective? Why or why not?

This tale is a great addition to your short stories and questions unit around the winter holidays! Save yourself time at that time of the year with this lesson bundle . 

11.  “The Monkey’s Paw” 

“The Monkey’s Paw” is a classic horror story about the White family who come into possession of a mystical monkey’s paw that grants three wishes. Despite warnings, they use it and then face devastating consequences as a result.

• Teach about the elements of the horror/suspense genre (Ex. Scary movies are typically dark, stormy, surprising, morbid, etc.).
• Create a thematic statement (message relayed by the text in a complete sentence). There is no perfectly created theme (message) unless it is directly stated by the author; however, students can create a theme by supporting their ideas with evidence from the story!
• What is the main theme of the story? Or how does the author communicate the themes of greed or fate? Is one stronger than the other?
• Are Mr. and Mrs. White more alike or different from one another? How do you know?
• Should we be afraid of the unknown? What message does the story share? Do you agree or disagree?

Examine W.W. Jacobs’ classic story with this set of questions and answers along with rigorous reading and writing activities . While it is ideal for a spooky season, the story is valuable for its ability to hook readers any time of year!

12.  “Lamb to the Slaughter” 

This classic story with a killer plot twist is about a woman who kills her husband and gets away with murder thanks to cooking a leg of lamb!

• You could introduce the plot elements (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution), encourage students to identify major events to fit each element and write down textual evidence to support their ideas.
• Complete a film analysis (examination of film techniques and their effects) to compare/contrast the short story with the classic Alfred Hitchcock television episode.
• What is Mary Maloney’s state of mind? Does it remain the same or does it change throughout the story? Explain.
• Is the resolution of the story satisfying? Why or why not? Why do you think the author ended it as he did?
• How does irony contribute to the theme of deception in the story? Explain.

Spice up your middle school English or high school English class with this short stories and activities bundle for Dahl’s famous story!

13.  “The Tell-Tale Heart” 

Poe’s classic psychological thriller is narrated by an unnamed protagonist who insists on their sanity while recounting how they murdered an old man. The narrator is haunted by the sound of the victim’s beating heart, which ultimately drives him to confess to the crime despite not originally being a suspect. 

• Teach symbolism (object, person, or place that represents something else) by focusing on the heart and eye . The author used these symbols in various ways!
• Investigate psychology (the study of the human mind) as a part of the story. Determine what is fact and what is fiction within the narrator’s mind.
• What does the story reveal about the human psyche?
• What is the deeper meaning of the two key symbols in the story – the beating heart and the eye of the old man?
• What role do the narrator’s inner thoughts play in the development of the plot?

This Short Story Comprehension Bundle offers quick (and effective!) ways to assess students’ learning and understanding of the story. It’s easy to use and will no doubt save you time too!

14.  “The Scarlet Ibis” 

Emotional short stories and their counterparts have a place as well in English classrooms! This short story by James Hurst about two brothers is a heartbreaking must-read. Through flashbacks, the unnamed narrator tells the life story of his younger sickly brother William Armstrong, who is nicknamed Doodle. And the end…well, you’ll see.

• Define and explain the purpose of a flashback (referring back to the past within a story). Think about the implications of never thinking back on the past or always thinking about the past.
• Complete a comparison chart between Doodle and the Ibis as you read along. Then, students can create a visual of each after they have ready by using their own evidence!
• What is the meaning of the story’s title and the presence of a scarlet ibis in the story?
• What is the central theme of the story? How do the events of the story support this chosen theme?
• How does the author use personification for the storm? What effect does this have on the story?

This flexible resource features critical thinking questions and answers as well as writing and reading activities for students to explore Hurst’s heartbreaking story.

15.  “The Veldt” 

This science fiction story by Ray Bradbury was first published as “The World the Children Made” and it is quite fitting as a title! The story focuses on a futuristic world in which a video screen can be controlled and it turns out to be more than simple virtual reality! By the story’s conclusion, the world the children made is the downfall of their parents. 

• Compare and contrast “The Veldt” with “The Pedestrian,” two short stories and dystopic texts by Ray Bradbury. Analyze the similarities and differences of both short stories and create a thematic statement that connects to both texts!
• Make connections to our current reality in the 21st century. Locate research about the implications of technology on young people and integrate this information as you discuss this short story.
• How does the author address the theme of technology versus humanity in the story? Do you agree with this commentary? Why or why not?
• How does the nursery reflect the personalities of Wendy and Peter in this story?
• Do you know the story of Peter Pan and his friend Wendy? What connections can you make between it and this story by Ray Bradbury?

Ray Bradbury’s classic short stories and similar passages are the BEST to teach in middle and high school English! With so much to dive into, they are sure to be a hit with your students. Grab this set of activities to extend your students’ engagement with rigorous reading and writing activities about “The Veldt.” 

16.  “The Necklace” 

A woman who longs for a life of luxury and elegance beyond her means faces consequences when she loses a borrowed necklace. Guy de Maupassant’s story ends with a twist that has the reader question the value of material possessions. 

• I love comparing this short story with O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi.” You might choose to focus on the theme, characterization, setting, etc.
• Summarize (writing about the main idea with details) each chunk of the story as you read with your students. Instead of asking students to write a paragraph, you could ask students to create each summary in only one sentence.
• The story explores vanity, deception, and the consequences of striving for social status. Which theme do you think is the most important? Explain with support from the story.
• Is Mathilde Loisel a likable character? Does this change during the story? Does it matter if the reader likes her? Why or why not?
• What clues does the author provide throughout the story that foreshadow the twist at the story’s end?

Focus on the standards with this Short Story Lesson Bundle for “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant!

Need help with implementing activities for “The Necklace?” See below!

17.  “A Vendetta” 

Guy de Maupassant’s late-19th-century story is all about REVENGE. A mother is obsessed with creating a plan to avenge her son’s murder and she then puts the plan into action with a morbid outcome.

• There are so many texts that involve REVENGE! Why not use this concept as a focus for a thematic unit (texts linked to a similar concept and/or message)? You could read “A Poison Tree,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “Lamb to the Slaughter” as well as “A Vendetta” with the intention of writing about all 4 for a comparison/contrast paper, presentation, or seminar.
• Analyze the development (how a character changes over time) of the mother and the dog throughout the story; you might annotate for similarities and differences as well as their motivations!
• What comment is the story making about the nature (or need) for justice? Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
• What similes and metaphors does the author use to communicate the main character’s feelings about the vendetta?
• How does the author use details to explain the main character’s thoughts, feelings, and motivation?

Add these activities for this lesser-known work to your short story plans. It’s sure to keep things fresh for your short stories and activities unit! 

18.  “Thank You, Ma’am” (also known as “Thank You, M’am”)

This heartfelt story by Langston Hughes tells the story of Luella, an older woman in the neighborhood, who is nearly robbed by a young man named Roger. In response to Roger, Luella brings him back to her home and treats him with an abundance of kindness, which has a profound effect on Roger.

This tale is at the top of the list for the BEST short stories and passages for upper middle and younger high school students!

• Introduce perspective and/or point of view (how a story is told: 1st, 2nd, 3rd omniscient, 3rd limited, 3rd objective). Students might rewrite the story from another perspective or extend the story using the perspective of one of the main characters.
• Review plot elements with a focus on the exposition (introduction to the characters, setting, and conflict), climax (highest point of interest/turning point of the story), and resolution (how the story is concluded and/or resolved in some way.) You could assign an activity surrounding each concept: visualization of the scene, a journal response to the event, or a short response focused on how the element is important to the overall theme!

• Do you believe in second chances? What does the story say about second chances? 
• How might the climax of the story also be seen as the turning point in Roger’s life?
• How would you describe Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones? Are her actions expected or unexpected in the story? Consider from Roger’s and the reader’s point of view.

Click to check out all of the details for this BUNDLE with differentiated options , which includes a Test Prep Quiz (with varied options), Venn Diagrams, Graphic Organizers, and Writing Responses!! 

19.  “Click Clack the Rattle Bag”

This short story by Neil Gaiman is creepy and fun in the best ways possible! The narrator is taking care of his girlfriend’s little brother and walking him to bed when the child asks for a story. Instead of the narrator sharing a story, the boy shares about the Click Clacks who drink their prey and leave behind rattling bodies. The end is too good to be missed!

Short stories and plots like those in “Click Clack the Rattle Bag” will most certainly engage even your most struggling learners!

• We all know that test prep can be tough as many reading passages are, well, boring! Why not accomplish some test prep with your students and incorporate 5 standardized test-related questions ? You could focus on theme, structure, order of events, characterization, etc.!
• Help students make inferences (acknowledging and hypothesizing about the impact of details that are not directly referenced or stated) as the scene moves along. Students can analyze the change in the setting, the little boy himself, the story the boy is telling, and specific phrases from the story.
• What details in the story contribute to its eerie atmosphere or mood? Or what figurative language devices does Neil Gaiman use to create a sense of suspense in the story? 
• How does the author use ambiguity in the story? Is it effective or not? Explain.
• What inferences can you make about the relationship between the narrator and the young boy?

This “Click Clack the Rattle Bag” Quiz Pack for middle and high school students uses the Common Core standards and contains questions and answers modeled after various state standardized tests! Make teaching this amazing short story by Neil Gaiman SIMPLE & EASY!

Why should we incorporate more short stories and activities in our teaching?

While I would never advocate replacing all novels with short stories and smaller texts, there is still something to be said about spending quality time with short stories and excerpts. 

Including short stories and standards-based activities is an ideal option to improve reading comprehension and develop skills, especially in middle and high school English classes!

SHORT STORIES AND ACTIVITIES RESOURCES: 

This  Short Stories and Test Prep Questions ULTIMATE BUNDLE with Lessons, Quizzes, and Activities uses the Common Core standards with reading comprehension QUESTIONS and ANSWERS for 18 short stories such as “The Most Dangerous Game,” “The Monkey’s Paw,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “After Twenty Years,” “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Veldt,” “The Lottery,” “The Pedestrian,” etc. modeled after various state reading exams.

Make teaching short stories and activities SIMPLE & EASY!

Just PRINT & TEACH with engaging short stories and lessons!!

Need more fun ideas for teaching short stories and corresponding activities? Check out my store Kristin Menke-Integrated ELA Test Prep !

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I primarily focus on  integrating multiple disciplines and subjects. The goal is to make teaching simplified and effective!

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Critical thinking definition

Critical thinking, as described by Oxford Languages, is the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement.

Active and skillful approach, evaluation, assessment, synthesis, and/or evaluation of information obtained from, or made by, observation, knowledge, reflection, acumen or conversation, as a guide to belief and action, requires the critical thinking process, which is why it's often used in education and academics.

Some even may view it as a backbone of modern thought.

However, it's a skill, and skills must be trained and encouraged to be used at its full potential.

People turn up to various approaches in improving their critical thinking, like:

• Developing technical and problem-solving skills
• Engaging in more active listening
• Actively questioning their assumptions and beliefs
• Seeking out more diversity of thought
• Opening up their curiosity in an intellectual way etc.

Is critical thinking useful in writing?

Critical thinking can help in planning your paper and making it more concise, but it's not obvious at first. We carefully pinpointed some the questions you should ask yourself when boosting critical thinking in writing:

• What information should be included?
• Which information resources should the author look to?
• What degree of technical knowledge should the report assume its audience has?
• What is the most effective way to show information?
• How should the report be organized?
• How should it be designed?
• What tone and level of language difficulty should the document have?

Usage of critical thinking comes down not only to the outline of your paper, it also begs the question: How can we use critical thinking solving problems in our writing's topic?

Let's say, you have a Powerpoint on how critical thinking can reduce poverty in the United States. You'll primarily have to define critical thinking for the viewers, as well as use a lot of critical thinking questions and synonyms to get them to be familiar with your methods and start the thinking process behind it.

Are there any services that can help me use more critical thinking?

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101 Questions That Will Make You Think So Hard Your Head Explodes!

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If you want to give your gray matter a serious workout, or start a long and interesting conversation with someone, you’ve come to the right place.

All you need is something to spark the mind into action, and what better way than by asking a few of the most thought-provoking questions there are.

For many of these, there is no right or wrong answer, just an opportunity to stretch your mental legs and see where your mind takes you.

They can be sources of contemplation and introspection, or topics to debate with friends late into the night when the moon is up and the rest of the world is asleep.

Try to remain open-minded , and if your views differ from those of others, be willing to accept that this is part of what makes life so interesting and exciting.

Deep questions like these make fantastic portals inward and allow you to explore your true thoughts and feelings.

Don’t worry if you can’t give a definitive answer; just know that by thinking about such interesting, philosophical problems, you are growing in both mind and spirit.

So let’s jump in with the seriously thought-provoking questions (our favorites in each section are highlighted).

If you just want random questions from the list without having to scroll down the page, use this generator:

Philosophical Questions That Make You Think

1. Can anything ever really be considered ‘true’ or is everything subjective?

2. Does a belief in free will make you more or less happy?

3. Given the ripple effect of our actions across time and space, how can we ever be sure that we’re doing the ‘right’ thing?

4. If you do a good deed in order to feel good about it, is it kindness or business? Does it matter either way?

5. If a perfect clone of you were created, right down to the tiniest cellular detail, would it BE you or would it somehow still be missing something?

6. If consciousness is a purely human trait, are we better off for it or does it simply lead to greater problems?

7. Is suffering an important part of being human?

8. Is there such a thing as knowledge if everything we know is subject to debate?

9. Is there such a thing as your real self or does your self change as time passes and given the circumstances you are in?

10. Where do thoughts come from?

11. Does a person have a soul? If so, where is it?

12. Can anything exist in complete isolation or is everything defined by its relation and connection to other things? Is a chair only a chair if someone is sitting in it?

13. If an afterlife does exist, what is it like?

14. Given that a person does not choose to be born, is free will simply an illusion?

15. Does life require a purpose?

16. By refusing to hold a position on something, do you, by default, accept all positions or reject all positions?

Thought-Provoking Moral Questions

17. Should prisoners with full life sentences be given the chance to end their life rather than live out their days locked up?

18. If you knew there was an 80% chance that someone was going to commit murder in their lifetime, but a 20% chance that they would not, would you imprison them before they had the opportunity? What if it were 50-50?

19. If the most effective way to help the greatest number of people out of poverty was to stop helping a small percentage of the population altogether, would it be a reasonable choice to make?

20. Does scientific and technological progress require an unequal distribution of wealth? Is it worth it if the only people who benefit are the rich?

21. Why are we humans so good at passing the buck of responsibility onto other people or entities?

22. If you knew that sacrificing your life would have a huge benefit to thousands of people, would you do it?

23. Would you run into a burning building to save your partner? What about your child?

24. Is a person ever truly evil? If so, are they born that way?

25. Does a banker really deserve to get paid more than a street cleaner?

26. Do you judge yourself by the same standards that you judge others? If not, are you harsher or more lenient?

27. Is surveillance ever a bad thing if you have nothing to hide?

28. Would full denuclearisation make the world more or less safe?

29. Would it be right for western governments to impose relative poverty on their citizens in order to save the planet? Would developing countries be more inclined to limit their consumption of resources if developed nations did too?

30. Is it ever morally acceptable to limit the number of children a person can have if the consequences of overpopulation are that everybody suffers?

31. When does a child stop being innocent and start being responsible?

32. What is justice?

33. Would it ever be ethical to read someone’s mind or is that the only true form of privacy?

34. Since morals change over time, what are some things we do now as a society that will be deemed unacceptable 100 years from now?

Questions To Make You Think About Life

35. Which is a scarier thought: that the human race is the most advanced form of life in the universe, or that we are mere amoeba compared to other life forms?

36. If you fear death, why?

37. How do we know that we’re not living in a computer simulation?

38. Imagine you’re 65. Would you rather live another 10 years in good health with full mobility or another 40 years in deteriorating health with limited mobility?

39. How should we measure our lives? In years? In moments? In accomplishments? Something else?

40. What is something that you could realistically do today that would benefit the rest of your life? What’s stopping you?

41. Is there such a thing as an ‘ordinary’ life? If so, what does it look like?

42. Does modern life give us more freedom or less freedom than in the past?

43. Would you wish to live a 1000 years in your 25 year old body if you had the choice?

44. If you could find out the date you will die, would you do it? Would knowing the date change how you live your life?

45. Would you really want to live a life that is free from challenges or obstacles?

46. Have you wasted your potential or lived up to it?

47. At what point does striving for a better life turn from healthy to unhealthy?

Interesting Questions To Really Get You Thinking

48. Will there ever be a time when robots, for want of a better word, are treated as equals with humans?

49. If humans still exist in 10,000 years time, what will civilization look like?

50. If intelligent extra-terrestrial life was discovered, how do you think humanity would react?

51. Can humanity ever come together around a common cause or are we all too selfish as individuals?

52. Would you prepared to live through a year of extreme hardship and trauma if it subsequently meant a lifetime of peace and happiness?

53. Does instant connectivity and communication bring people together or push them apart?

54. Would you prefer to lose all the memories you have now or never be able to make any new memories?

55. What is the single most important thing in making a relationship work?

56. What is the most significant historical event to have happened in your lifetime?

57. Which 3 people – past or present – would you invite to a dinner party?

58. If you won the lottery, do you think you’d be happier for it?

59. If nobody remembered you after you died, would it matter since you’d be dead?

60. Does higher academic intelligence make you more or less happy?

61. What do you think your last thoughts will be before you die?

62. If you were the leader of your country, what would your policies be?

63. Would the world be better or worse off without religion?

64. Is patriotism a good thing or does it lead to mistrust and dislike of foreigners?

65. Is a minimum income a good idea? What about a maximum income?

66. How do you define a community? Are you a part of one? Does where you live feel like one?

67. Would a perfect democracy – where each citizen got a vote on all matters of government – lead to a better or worse society?

68. Are science and religion compatible?

69. If past lives are real, why is the human population increasing? Or are our past lives sometimes as other creatures?

70. Would the world be a better place if all leaders were women?

71. If you can have too much of a good thing, can you ever have not enough of a bad thing?

72. Will true artificial intelligence ever exist, and if so, will it be good or bad for humanity?

73. Given that our memories change all the time , how can we ever be sure of what we experienced in the past?

74. Whose responsibility should it be to care for the sick, elderly, or infirm?

Deep Questions That Make You Think Hard

75. What is consciousness? If it is a purely human trait, at which point did it first emerge? Did one person suddenly become conscious?

76. Is it easier to hate or to love? Why?

77. Is there any real significance to numbers such as 11:11 or do we just give them meaning that doesn’t exist?

78. Are personal boundaries necessary or do they restrict the full expression of love?

79.   Why do bad things happen to good people?

80. Are any of our views truly our own or do we simply inherit them from the environments and societies we live our lives in?

81. Can any love be truly unconditional when we can’t ever be sure how we might feel in a future set of circumstances?

82. Are we the source of our own problems? Do we create problems in our minds to give us something to focus on?

83. Have you ever looked in the mirror and not recognized the person staring back?

84. Is there actually a present moment if that moment passes in an instant?

85. How old do you feel on the inside?

86. A day can seem to drag or a day can go by quickly. So is time real?

87. Is there a ‘before’ the universe? If so, what did it look like?

88. How does carrying a child for 9 months and subsequently giving birth to it change a mother’s way of thinking?

89. Is a mother-child bond automatically stronger than a father-child bond?

90. What is infinity?

91. Is it ever possible to ‘create’ something new, or is it just discovering that thing?

92. Is there ever a point at which greater knowledge becomes detrimental to a person rather than beneficial? How about for society as a whole?

93. Why do we do things in our dreams that we would never do when awake?

94. Why do we like what we like and dislike what we dislike?

95. Can a thought alone ever influence the physical world?

96. Is trust something that is offered by the giver or earned by the receiver? When you meet someone new, do you start by trusting or mistrusting them?

97. Is it possible to think about yourself when you are yourself? Are there different levels of you, where a higher level can think about a lower level, but not vice versa?

98. Can any aspect of any ‘thing’ ever be perfect or is perfection an illusion?

99. Why are humans so good at doing things that are bad for them?

And Finally…

100. Are some questions best left unanswered?

101. Does asking questions such as the 100 above actually do you any good? Could it even do you harm?

You may also like:

• 10 Traits Of A Deep Thinker
• Are You A Thinking Or Feeling Personality Type? Find Out Here.
• 9 Deep Questions To Make Your Brain Hurt (In A Good Way)
• 55 Interesting Topics To Talk About With Friends

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A List of 65 Thought-Provoking Questions to Really Make You Think

Whether it’s on a long drive, on a nighttime walk , or during quiet time at home , there are moments in life in which you might find yourself left alone with your own thoughts . And while that may sound like a horrifying way to pass the time (like Saw or Hereditary -level scary ), these times of solitude can also provide moments of clarity if you let them.. When faced with an inordinate amount of alone time, your first instinct might be to put on some Miley Cyrus — specifically from her rocker chick Plastic Hearts phase — to drown out the sound of your own anxiety-riddled shame spirals. You might replay recent interactions you’ve had on repeat, trying to understand how something you said went from innocuous side comment to embarrassing shame spiral. Surely, you think, there must be a more productive way to entertain your brain than bearing witness to your own neuroses !

Though we could recommend meditating to fill the void, trying to relax when you’re new to the “sitting in silence” game can feel like a slog. Instead, try a little self-stimulation (no, at least for these purposes, not like that … though we respect the self-pleasure hustle ). Below are 65 lighthearted, thought-provoking questions that should help you take stock of your life, or address whether you really needed that fourth dirty martini last night. (Or give you some material for your group chat — or first dates even — at the very least.) Who knows, maybe you’ll even surprise yourself by getting, dare I say, a little deep.

Questions about your life.

1. What book had the most significant impact on your life?

2. Do you feel older or younger than your age?

3. If you found out the world was ending in a year, how would you spend your time? Remember that the world would be ending in a year for everyone else, too. How would that affect your options?

4. What is the lie you tell yourself most often?

5. What are the day-to-day things you do that really make you feel good ? Do you find yourself doing them as often as you’d like to? If no, why not?

6. If there were a way to download your memories into a searchable spreadsheet, would you do it?

7. If you could have a second chance at one event in your life , what would you choose? What would you do differently? How would your life be different now?

8. What is your favorite thing about yourself ?

9. What do you wish you could change about yourself?

10. What is keeping you from changing the things you’d like to change about yourself ?

11. If you could choose to be any animal , what animal would you choose to be?

12. If you could have the credit for creating any piece of art — painting, music, movie, etc. — which piece of art would you choose? Would you choose based on the money and fame that the piece of art would get you, or would you choose a piece of art you really loved?

13. How much time do you think you’ve spent watching TV in your life? And do you think it’s multiple years? How does that make you feel?

14. If you could tell your younger self any one thing, what would it be?

15. In your life, have you been happier when you’ve had a lot of options, or when your options were limited?

16. If you had to make the case that you were living in a Truman Show situation, what evidence would you use?

17. If you could spend a day talking to an animal, what animal would you choose and what would you want to learn from them?

18. If you didn’t have to work to make money , how would you spend your time? What would you do or create?

19. What is your worst habit, and what is keeping you from dropping it?

20. What superpower would you choose if you were given the ability to develop one superpower?

Questions about the world around you.

21. What do you think the world will look like in 300 years?

22. Would civilization be better off if the internet had never been created?

23. How would you describe the idea of a color?

24. Can you explain to yourself how glass is made?

25. Do you know how a moat is filled with water? Think about how, exactly, the water might get in there.

26. What is a boulder? 

27. What does it feel like to remember something?

28. Is humanity inherently good or evil?

29. Do you know the anatomy of a turtle ? Do you really ?

30. Do you remember the first thing you learned about natural science? Do you still know the details of it?

31. If you had to give a speech detailing all of the knowledge you have right now about astronomy , how long do you think the speech would be? What would you say?

32. Do you know what accounts for changing tides?

33. Would you rather spend time floating alone in space, or floating alone at sea?

34. How many internal organs can you name?

35. Many celebrities have tiny little real teeth under their large, perfect fake teeth. Take a second and think about all of those little teeth. What would it be like if suddenly all of the celebrities lost their big fake teeth?

36. How do you think people would react if the moon disappeared?

37. How do you think people would react if we suddenly had two moons?

38. Do you think you’d like living underwater if you suddenly became a mermaid , or would it be too scary?

39. Does it make you mad that trees are more beautiful in their short flowering stages, or are you okay with the fact that we mostly see them with green leaves (or with bare branches)?

40. Do you think you’ve ever seen the same wild animal multiple times?

Questions that are really out there.

41. What if aliens invade our planet and they’re really hot ?

42. Do you think it’s scarier to imagine that humans are the most intelligent life form in the universe, or that there is a more intelligent life form out there ?

43. Do you think you’ve ever encountered a ghost ? If so, how does that impact your belief of an afterlife?

44. If you were a ghost, what location do you think you would haunt? Is it the same or different from the location you’d want to haunt?

45. Do you remember that thing people used to say about how you swallow eight spiders a year while you sleep? It’s not true, but do you think you’ve swallowed any? What bug do you think you’ve eaten the most of by accident?

46. If you could know everything the U.S. government knows about alien life forms and their access to our planet , would you want to know it, or would you rather live in ignorance?

47. Similarly, if ghosts exist, and they populate your living space, would you rather be able to see them or would you prefer they stay invisible to your eye?

48. What is the most life-changing decision you’ve ever made on a whim? Can you imagine what your life would be like if you hadn’t done it?

49. Do you think it’s scarier to think about how much of our life is formed by things that are out of our control , or how much of our life is formed by things that are within our control?

50. What do you know about your neighbors that they don’t know that you know? What do you think they know about you that you don’t know that they know?

51. What do you think is your most justified paranoia? (For example: that someone could be watching you through your computer’s camera.) How do you justify it? (For example: that Mark Zuckerberg covers his computer’s camera , and he seems like a guy who should know whether or not he should.)

52. What if you found out that there is another Earth out there , the complete mirror of our own in every way, and that another you existed on it. Would you want to meet the second you?

53. Listen to yourself think. What does your mind voice sound like? Do you think your mind voice is inherent to your mind, or do you think you developed your mind voice based on hearing your speaking voice?

54. Does social media make you happier or sadder in general? If sadder, why do you keep participating in it ?

55. What do you think dogs dream about ? Do you think fish dream? What do you think fish dream about, then?

Questions about relationships.

56. Do you find your relationships with friends, family, and loved ones fulfilling? What might you change in how you show up to those relationships?

57. Are there ways you might get better at dating yourself? For example, maybe it’s time to finally go on that silent retreat you’ve been Googling for six months.

58. What is your stance on cheating within a monogamous relationship ? Do you think it can ever be excusable? If so, why?

59. Do you really, truly love yourself ? Toxic positivity aside, do you think you are worthy of receiving someone else’s love?

60. Are there any past relationships you still haven’t healed from ? Some of those wounds can stick around for years after a partnership ends, even when you’re happy living life solo or have already moved on to someone new.

61. Are you able to comfortably communicate your desires ? Your likes and dislikes when it comes to intimacy? If not, how can you work to better understand yourself physically?

62. What’s your relationship to sex ? Is it something you enjoy or something that makes you want to hide under the bed ? Why?

63. Have you ever fantasized about going on a dating show like Love Is Blind (moral quandaries aside)? Is this year your year?!

64. Have you made peace with the way you behaved in past relationships ? Have you forgiven yourself?

65. How would you feel about dating someone significantly older than you? What about significantly younger?

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Fun Critical Thinking Questions to Try Today

Table of Contents

Are you trying to get kids to talk with no luck? This can be quite frustrating. You can overcome this challenge by asking kids  fun critical thinking questions. 

These questions take different forms and can help you have fruitful conversations with kids. Whether you’re a teacher or a parent, you will find the fun critical thinking questions in this article useful.

Always remember that there is no one-size-fits-all way to go about it. Therefore, you should not hesitate to tweak the questions to suit your kids. In any case, you can sharpen the kids’ critical thinking skills by asking these questions.

Fun Critical Thinking Questions to Ask Kids

Critical thinking questions challenge kids to think critically about ideas, brainstorm, and really dig into their deep thought . It is a lot of work, but it is also a healthy way to practice while improving creativity.

Their answer doesn’t have to be perfect; the effort is all that really counts.

• If you won a million dollars today, what would you do with the money?
• How would you make 100 bucks in the next seven days if you need it?
• Would you rather look more like your dad or your mom?
• What do you wish you knew before now?
• If you could remove one word from the dictionary, what word would it be?
• Would you rather read a book about zombies or one about aliens?
• Do you really think it’s good to be kind, or it’s just another clichéd expression?
• Would you rather learn from computers or humans?
• If Santa came today, what would be your wish?
• What do you want but think you can’t get?
• How many iPhones do you think there are in the world?
• Do you think there’s life on other planets?
• Who is the best person you met recently?
• What will you like to change about the school system?
• How do you think the world will end?
• What’s the best time to develop a new plan?
• What global problem would you like to solve?
• Do you think all adults are happy?
• What goes on in your mind before sleeping?
• Do you think children should start paying taxes?

Critical thinking is an important skill every kid needs. By asking kids critical thinking questions , you’re helping them to develop critical thinking skills.

Critical thinkers are known problem solvers because they can think outside the box. They often come up with creative solutions and find new, innovative ways to solve problems.

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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