Animals

Animals usually bring out personal stories and strong opinions. These questions range from pets and favorites to wildlife conservation and our changing relationship with the natural world.

Questions are organized by level from beginner to advanced. A printable PDF of all the questions is available at the bottom of the page.

Beginner (A1-A2)

1. What is Darwin famous for? How do you think his ideas changed the world?
2. What are some animals you don’t know much about? Pick one — what would you like to learn about it?
3. What is the cutest animal you can think of? How about the ugliest?
4. Do you prefer dogs or cats? What’s good about each?
5. What wild animals live near your home? What do you see them doing?
6. Where do you see animals in your daily life? (Parks, streets, etc.)
7. Do you like watching animal videos online? What kind do you watch?
8. What animal sounds do you know from other cultures that are different than yours?
9. Have you ever had a pet? Tell me about it.
10. What animals do you like to see at the zoo or aquarium? What do they do that’s interesting?

Elementary (A2)

1. What creature scares you? Why?
2. What are some useful traits that help animals survive? Pick one animal and explain how its special trait helps it.
3. What are three things that make a good pet? (Friendly, easy to care for, etc.)
4. What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen an animal do? What happened?
5. What farm animals have you seen? Where did you see them?
6. What animals are popular in your country? What do people like about them?
7. What animals don’t you like? Why?
8. Have you ever touched an exotic animal? What did it feel like?
9. What’s the most interesting animal you’ve learned about? What made it interesting?
10. What animals are common symbols in your culture? Why are they important?
11. Have you ever fed a wild animal? What did you give it?
12. What’s the strangest animal you’ve ever seen? What was strange about it?
13. What animals did you like when you were a child? Why did you like them?
14. What are some benefits of service animals for people with disabilities? Have you ever seen a service animal at work?

Intermediate (B1)

1. What animal best represents you? Why?
2. Why do humans have pets? Do you have a pet? Why or why not?
3. Are there any animals that we should try to kill off completely? Why or why not? What might happen if we did?
4. If you could have any animal as a friend for one day, which animal would you pick? What would you do together?
5. Do you think some animals are smarter than others? Give me some examples.
6. Do you think it’s hard to take care of a pet? Why?
7. Do you prefer to see animals in the wild or in a zoo? Why?
8. Do you prefer watching animal documentaries or fictional movies with animals? What is good about each?
9. What do you think makes some people afraid of certain animals? Give me some examples.
10. Do you think people should eat less meat? Why or why not? Is it common in your culture or country?
11. If you could have any superpower an animal has, what would you choose and why?
12. Do you think people spend too much money on their pets? What is a reasonable amount?
13. What do you think is the smartest animal besides humans? What makes you think that?
14. What do you think is the main reason people don’t adopt shelter animals? Why do you think so?

Upper-Intermediate (B2)

1. Except for food, do humans need other animals? Why or why not?
2. What is the most effective way to save endangered species? Why do you think that approach works best?
3. What traits have made humans a successful species?
4. Do you think zoos are good for animals? What are the upsides and downsides of zoos?
5. Should people keep exotic animals as pets? What are the problems with keeping them?
6. Do you think hunting should be allowed? When is it acceptable and when is it not?
7. What misconceptions confuse people about certain animals? How do these myths spread?
8. How has urbanization affected wildlife populations? What do you think about those changes?
9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of breeding animals in captivity?
10. How do social media trends affect people’s choices of pets? What impact does this have on animals?
11. What are the economic impacts of wildlife tourism? How might this affect local communities and animal populations?
12. How has the relationship between humans and animals changed over the last hundred years? What do you think about those changes?
13. How does losing one species affect other animals and the environment? Can you think of a real example?
14. What responsibilities do pet owners and governments have when it comes to animal welfare?
15. Compare how people treat animals in cities versus rural areas. What are the main differences and why do they exist?

Advanced (C1)

1. To what extent does anthropomorphism in media simultaneously help and harm animal conservation efforts?
2. What tensions exist between traditional cultural practices involving animals and modern animal rights movements? How might communities navigate these competing values?
3. How might the concept of animal sentience reshape legal frameworks, agricultural practices, and scientific research simultaneously?
4. How might conservation efforts that prioritize charismatic megafauna simultaneously advance and undermine broader biodiversity protection goals?
5. How do changing scientific understandings of animal cognition challenge established boundaries between human and non-human minds? What implications does this have for moral philosophy?
6. To what extent does the way a society treats its animals reflect deeper values about power, empathy, and moral responsibility?
7. How might the increasing use of technology in wildlife conservation both advance ecological goals and create new ethical dilemmas?
8. In what ways does the pet industry reveal underlying assumptions about the boundary between companionship and ownership?
9. How do competing narratives about animals in media, science, and tradition shape public policy on issues like habitat destruction and species protection?
10. What paradoxes arise when humans simultaneously view animals as resources to be managed, companions to be cherished, and wild beings with intrinsic value?

PDF: Download a PDF of all the questions