Brains

The brain is something students are curious about but may not have talked about much in English. These questions cover everything from memory and learning to bigger questions about consciousness and how our brains shape who we are.

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 the most amazing thing about the brain?
2. What is the most mysterious thing about the brain?
3. What are some extraordinary things some people can do with their brains?
4. What do you wish your brain was better at? How would that change your life?
5. What do you think about most?
6. What does your brain do that you hate?
7. When do you use your brain the most?
8. What is the smartest thing you have ever seen an animal do? What made it so smart?
9. What kind of things are easy for your brain? (Math, languages, music, directions, etc.)
10. Do you know anyone with an amazing memory? What can they remember?
11. What do you usually forget? (Names, keys, birthdays, passwords, etc.)
12. What activities help you relax your brain? When do you do them?
13. Have you ever had a dream that you still remember? What happened in it?
14. Do you think better when it is quiet or when there is noise? What kind of noise?
15. What is a good food for your brain? Do you eat it often?
16. What is the strangest brain fact you have ever heard? What surprised you about it?
17. Have you ever experienced a moment when your brain felt completely blank? What happened?
18. Have you ever studied for a long time and then forgotten everything during a test? What did you do?
19. Have you ever tried brain training games or puzzles? How did it go?

Elementary (A2)

1. Are you a fast thinker or a slow thinker? What’s good about that?
2. What is the hardest subject for your brain? Why is it so difficult?
3. What do you usually do when you can’t sleep because your brain won’t stop thinking? Does it work?
4. What is the most useful thing you have memorized? Why did you learn it?
5. What kind of music helps you think or concentrate? Why does it help?
6. What do you do to help you remember things? (Write notes, set alarms, repeat it, etc.) Does it work?
7. Have you ever learned something that completely changed the way you think? What was it?
8. Do you think your brain works better when you exercise? Why?
9. What is the most interesting thing you have ever learned by accident? How did you find out about it?
10. Do you think you are good at doing two things at the same time? Why?

Intermediate (B1)

1. Will we ever be able to augment our brain with technology? Would you want to? Why or why not?
2. Do you think male and female brains are better at different tasks? Why or why not?
3. Do you think humans will ever completely understand the brain? Why or why not?
4. Do you think you are more creative or more logical? Why?
5. Do you prefer to study in the morning or at night? Why?
6. What do you think is the biggest threat to brain health in modern life? Give me some examples.
7. Should parents limit screen time for young children to protect brain development? Why or why not?
8. Do you think people rely too much on GPS and technology instead of using their own sense of direction? What might be lost?
9. Do you think learning a musical instrument changes the brain in important ways? What kinds of changes?
10. What do you think is more important for success, a smart brain or hard work? Give me some examples.
11. If you could erase one memory from your brain, would you? Why or why not?
12. What is the best age for learning new things? Is it getting harder for you as you get older?
13. Do you think stress is always bad for your brain, or can some stress be helpful? How so?

Upper-Intermediate (B2)

1. How has social media affected attention spans and the ability to focus? What do you think about those changes?
2. Some people say we only use 10% of our brains. Why do you think this myth is so popular even though scientists say it is not true?
3. Compare how children’s brains develop language versus how adults learn a second language. What makes them different?
4. How do emotions affect the way we remember things? Can you think of a time when your emotions made a memory stronger or weaker?
5. Compare how people trained their memory before the internet to how they use their memory now. What has been gained and what has been lost?
6. What are the implications of research showing that meditation can change brain structure? How often have you tried meditation yourself?
7. What are the arguments for and against letting people use brain-enhancing drugs for work or school? Where do you draw the line?
8. What happens to the brain as people get older, and how are some societies better than others at keeping older people’s brains active?
9. How do stress and sleep affect the brain’s ability to make good decisions? Have you experienced this yourself?
10. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being very intelligent? How much does intelligence really matter in everyday life?
11. How do video games affect the way the brain works? What are the good and bad sides of gaming for the brain?
12. How does being bilingual or multilingual change the way the brain processes information? Have you noticed any differences in yourself or people you know?

Advanced (C1)

1. In what ways does the brain’s tendency to seek patterns and create narratives both help and mislead us in politics, science, and everyday decision-making?
2. To what extent do advances in neuroscience threaten or support traditional concepts of free will, moral responsibility, and human agency in legal and ethical systems?
3. How might artificial intelligence eventually challenge or change what we consider to be uniquely human forms of intelligence, creativity, and consciousness?
4. To what extent should neuroscience research influence how we design education systems, workplaces, and public policy?
5. How might the increasing ability to read and decode brain activity challenge fundamental assumptions about mental privacy, inner freedom, and the boundaries between public and private life?
6. How has the medicalization of mental health changed the way society thinks about normal brain function, personal responsibility, and what it means to be human?
7. Why do some historical periods produce extraordinary concentrations of creative genius, and what does this suggest about how environment, culture, and social conditions shape what the brain can achieve?
8. What tensions exist between using neuroscience to enhance human cognitive abilities and preserving cognitive diversity, and how might enhancement technologies create new forms of inequality?
9. To what extent does understanding the brain’s evolved biases and limitations help us address modern challenges like misinformation, tribalism, and collective decision-making in democratic societies?
10. How does growing up in poverty affect brain development in children, and what does this suggest about the responsibility of governments to intervene early in education, nutrition, and housing?

PDF: Download a PDF of all the questions