6 thoughtful #1 and #2 speaking questions

1. God tells you that you have a choice: you can live life as a homeless beggar or as a wealthy corporate executive whose company will pollute the environment and ruin the lives of its workers. Which life would you choose?

2. Super technologically advanced aliens come to Earth. They need manual laborers on their planet. Even the most brilliant Earthling is not competent to work high level jobs on their planet so you will be stuck at a menial and physical job there, but you will be able to witness a spectacular new world (but not participate in it). Would you stay on Earth or go with the aliens and become a laborer?

3. In an upcoming election both candidates really suck. You can't stand either of them, but you feel you should be a good citizen and vote. How will you decide which person to vote for? Should you not vote at all?

4, You are in a bar and the bar-tender goes into the kitchen. You see a guy walk behind the bar and pour himself a free beer. What will you do? 

5. In a play by Jean Paul Sartre a young man, during World War 2, feels he should fight against the Nazis who have occupied France. Yet, his mother is very ill and needs him to care for her. What should this young man have done - fought or cared for his mother (there was no possibility of hiring someone else to care for the mother)?

6. In the short story Billy Budd, Billy is a young, innocent sailor who accidentally kills a brutal officer who is physically abusing him. You are Captain Vere, captain of the ship. According to naval law, Budd must be executed - there are no exceptions to this: the killing of a first officer requires execution. Yet, most of the crew begs you to show mercy and not execute Budd because he was being abused and the death of the officer was an accident. If you pardon Budd, you may lose your naval career. What will you do?

Please enjoy a crazy video of Steve Goodman singing: Men Who Love Women Who Love Men

Daniel Gauss - the TOEFL King

More challenging Topic 1 and 2 TOEFL practice speaking questions

There are two new schools in your neighborhood – one has a traditional curriculum and grading system, but the other offers a new program where there will be no tests and learning will be fun and based on what a child is motivated to learn. Which school would you say is better for a child?

Describe the best way to catch a mouse.

You are the coach hired to create a new soccer/football team. Should you focus on developing a good offense or defense initially?

Describe the one quality every leader should have.

Describe something you don’t need in your neighborhood and would like to see disappear.

Describe what you would do if a group partner in an academic project won’t participate with the group.

Your flight has been delayed 5 hours, and you are stuck in an airport. What will you do?

Which is better: an easy-going parent or a strict parent?

Will books disappear because of the internet?

A person you know threatens suicide, and you kind of believe he/she may do it. Describe what you will say or do.

You are a park ranger. A bear has killed a man because he tried to take a photo of its cub (baby) even though there are signs saying that everyone should stay away from the bears and especially their cubs. People point out the bear to you and demand that you kill it. Should you?

You catch a burglar in your house and you have a gun. According to the law, you have the right to shoot and kill him. You see that he was carrying rope and intended to tie you up. What would you do?

Your boss invites you to go deer hunting and tells you that the government wants 50 deer in an area to be killed because the deer population has become too extreme for the deer’s own good. Will you go hunting?