Intelligence

Intelligence means different things to different people, which makes it a rich topic for conversation. These questions explore everything from learning styles and problem-solving to AI and what makes someone ‘smart.’

Download PDF: Intelligence ESL Conversation Questions PDF

Beginner (A1-A2) — ESL Conversation Questions about Intelligence

1. What do you think is the most intelligent animal besides a human is? What sets it apart?
2. What is your favorite subject in school? What do you like about it?
3. Do you like puzzles or brain games? What kind do you play?
4. What do you think is the smartest thing a pet can learn? Have you ever seen it?
5. Are you good at remembering things, or do you forget a lot? What do you usually forget?
6. Do you use any apps or tools to help you learn new things? What are they?
7. Is anyone in your family really smart? What are they good at?
8. Do you think you are a quick learner or a slow learner?
9. Do you like learning new things, or do you prefer doing things you already know? Tell me about it.

Elementary (A2) — ESL Conversation Questions about Intelligence

1. Who is the smartest person you know? What makes them so smart?
2. Do you learn better by reading or by watching videos? What’s good about each?
3. What languages can you speak? How did you learn them?
4. What is the hardest thing you have ever tried to learn? Did you keep going?
5. Who was your favorite teacher? What was special about them?
6. Have you ever felt really stupid about something? What did you do?
7. Have you ever used AI like ChatGPT to help you learn something? What did you think of it?
8. Do you think you are smarter now than you were five years ago? Why?
9. What is something that looks easy but is actually very hard to do? Why is it so hard?
10. What language would you like to learn next? Why that one?
11. Have you ever tried to teach someone something? What happened?
12. What is the most useful thing you learned outside of school? Why was it useful?
13. What is harder for you, learning new words or understanding grammar? Why?
14. How often have you felt like the smartest person in the room? How did it make you feel?

Intermediate (B1) — ESL Conversation Questions about Intelligence

1. How intelligent do you think you are? What makes you say that?
2. Artificial intelligence is becoming more powerful every year. When do you think AGI will be achieved? What happens when AI is more intelligent than humans?
3. If scientists could put a chip in your head that would make you twice as intelligent, would you have the surgery done? Why or why not?
4. Do you think some school subjects make you smarter than others? Which ones?
5. Do you think intelligence is more important than hard work? Why or why not?
6. Should schools teach students how to think critically? Why or why not?
7. What do you think is the difference between being educated and being intelligent? Give me some examples.
8. Do you think playing video games can make people smarter? How so?
9. If you could be a genius at one thing, what would you choose? Why?
10. Do you think intelligent people are usually happier, or does being smart sometimes make life harder? Why do you think so?
11. Some people think common sense is more important than being book-smart. Do you agree? Why or why not?
12. Should parents try to make their children smarter by starting education very early? Why or why not?
13. Do you think people who speak more than one language are smarter? Why or why not?
14. Do you think the internet has made it too easy for people to feel smart without really understanding things? How so?
15. How does sleep affect a person’s ability to think clearly? How much does it affect you?
16. Some people say emotional intelligence is more important than IQ. What do you think about this claim?
17. How is intelligence different from wisdom? Give me some examples of each.

Upper Intermediate (B2) — ESL Conversation Questions about Intelligence

1. Can intelligence be measured? If so, what is the best way to measure it? If not, why not?
2. Do you think that intelligence is only based on genetics or can things in a child’s environment boost intelligence?
3. Sometimes very intelligent children are born to parents who are not very intelligent. Why do you think this happens?
4. Some people say that there are many geniuses born around the world but they can’t reach their full potential because they live in a poor country. Do you agree?
5. What separates a person from being very intelligent and being a genius?
6. Very intelligent people are often not very good at being social, why do you think this is?
7. How has artificial intelligence changed what jobs are available to people? What can be done to prepare workers for that change?
8. How does the way a country’s education system is designed affect how intelligent its people become?
9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of labeling children as ‘gifted’ at a young age?
10. Compare how intelligence was valued 100 years ago with how it is valued today. What has changed the most?
11. How do cultural differences affect what people consider to be intelligent behavior? Can you think of examples?
12. What are the risks of a society that only rewards one type of intelligence, like academic intelligence?
13. People often say ‘street smarts’ matter more than ‘book smarts.’ When have you seen this be true in real life, and when has it been the opposite?

Advanced (C1) — ESL Conversation Questions about Intelligence

1. AI can now pass medical exams, write legal briefs, and create art. If machines can do all of that, what does it mean for a person to be ‘intelligent’ anymore?
2. Schools are supposed to develop intelligence, but many successful people say school held them back. Why might the systems designed to build intelligence actually limit it for some people?
3. In many cultures, older people are considered wise, but in the tech industry, young people are seen as the smartest in the room. What does this tell us about how different worlds define intelligence?
4. When someone uses Google to answer a question instantly, are they being intelligent or just using a tool? Where do you draw the line between human intelligence and the technology that supports it?
5. Why do some societies invest heavily in education but still struggle with innovation, while others with weaker education systems produce groundbreaking ideas?
6. Highly intelligent people are often hired for their original thinking, but then put into organizations that reward following rules. How does this tension play out in the workplace?
7. Social media rewards quick, confident opinions over slow, careful thinking. How is this changing what society considers to be a sign of intelligence?
8. Some of the most important inventions came from people who failed repeatedly before succeeding. How does failure play a role in intelligence that test scores and grades can never capture?
9. How does the education system both develop student intelligence and sort them into social categories based on measured ability?
10. Many parents want their children to be intelligent, but intelligence can make a person feel different or isolated from others. How do families and communities handle the tension between pushing someone to be exceptional and helping them fit in?
11. Companies spend billions testing and measuring intelligence for hiring, but some of the most successful entrepreneurs dropped out of school and would have scored poorly on those tests. What does this gap between measured intelligence and real-world success tell us about how we identify talent?