A1 Level – Elementary
1. What is a kind thing to say?
2. Have you helped a stranger today?
3. Does kindness make you happy?
4. What makes a good friend?
5. What is the opposite of kind?
6. Do you like sharing your food?
7. What makes a place friendly?
8. Do you think people are naturally kind?
9. What is a common way to say thank you?
10. What can you do for a sad person?
11. What is a common animal that is friendly?
12. Do you help with housework?
13. What makes a neighborhood safe?
14. What makes you feel grateful?
15. Do you think small acts of kindness matter?
A2 Level – Pre-Intermediate
1. What are the key differences between being polite and being genuinely kind?
2. Describe a small, random act of kindness you witnessed recently.
3. What are the pros and cons of receiving help from a stranger?
4. What role does empathy play in motivating people to be kind?
5. Have you ever tried to intentionally practice kindness for a whole week?
6. What specific things can people do to be kinder to the environment?
7. What is the difference between altruism (pure kindness) and kindness for social reward?
8. What are common ways people show kindness to animals?
9. How does technology (e.g., online fundraising) help people be kinder on a large scale?
10. What are the challenges of remaining kind when you are stressed or tired?
11. What is the importance of teaching kindness and compassion in schools?
12. Do you think a person’s level of kindness changes as they get older?
13. What are the common excuses people give for not helping a stranger in need?
14. What are the benefits of volunteering your time to help a cause?
15. What is the difference between being kind and being naïve?
B1 Level – Intermediate
1. Discuss the difficulty of defining the boundary between helpful kindness and unwanted interference.
2. How can communities organize to promote a culture where kindness is the social norm?
3. What are the ethical issues surrounding companies that exploit the concept of kindness for marketing?
4. Do you agree that kindness is a learned behavior, or is it an innate human trait?
5. Describe a time when an act of kindness had a large, unexpected positive impact on your day.
6. To what extent should people be careful about performing acts of kindness that are easily visible online?
7. What role does humor and lightheartedness play in making acts of kindness more approachable?
8. How do different cultural norms determine the appropriate ways to give and receive help?
9. Discuss the psychological phenomenon of the “helper’s high”—the positive feeling from giving help.
10. What are the challenges of remaining kind in competitive environments like the workplace?
11. How does the rise of anonymous online interaction affect people’s willingness to be kind?
12. Should public funding support mental health programs that focus on increasing empathy and compassion?
13. What is the difference between kindness and charity?
14. Discuss the concept of “paying it forward”—extending kindness to strangers.
15. What is the long-term impact of consistent kindness on a person’s overall happiness and life satisfaction?
B2 Level – Upper-Intermediate
1. How does living in a large, anonymous city affect people’s tendency to perform acts of kindness for strangers?
2. What are the ethical arguments about wealthy individuals donating large sums to charity versus addressing systemic poverty?
3. Should governments use public service campaigns to actively encourage greater social cohesion and kindness?
4. What are the psychological reasons why people sometimes reject or resent receiving help or kindness?
5. How has the visual nature of social media led to a focus on performative kindness rather than genuine action?
6. Discuss the idea that a truly kind person must also be prepared to be firm and set necessary boundaries.
7. What is the role of forgiveness and letting go of resentment in fostering kindness toward others?
8. How do historical periods of conflict or trauma affect a society’s long-term capacity for collective kindness?
9. What are the challenges of teaching true empathy to people who have only experienced a privileged life?
10. Discuss the concept of “moral licensing”—doing a small kind act, then justifying a later selfish one.
11. What is the difference between expecting a reward for kindness and simply enjoying the act itself?
12. Should there be stricter rules about fundraising and charity to ensure that donated money is used effectively?
13. What is the impact of cultural norms about individualism versus collectivism on public acts of kindness?
14. How does the concept of “radical empathy” challenge the way we usually think about people with opposing views?
15. Discuss the idea that kindness is a strength, not a weakness, in a competitive world.
C1 Level – Advanced
1. Analyze the socioeconomic factors that correlate with higher levels of volunteerism and civic engagement in a society.
2. To what degree should the legal system incentivize acts of public kindness (e.g., Good Samaritan laws)?
3. Discuss the philosophical concept of “utilitarianism” and how it attempts to define the “greatest good” through collective kindness.
4. Evaluate the efficacy of using viral social media trends (e.g., challenges) to promote sustained, meaningful acts of kindness.
5. How does the strategic management of a company’s brand image incorporate the appearance of social kindness and philanthropy?
6. Examine the historical role of mutual aid societies and non-state organizations in providing kindness and support to the poor.
7. What ethical guidelines should govern the use of AI to automatically detect and respond to human distress signals?
8. Discuss the concept of “compassion fatigue”—the emotional exhaustion from prolonged exposure to the suffering of others.
9. How do different religious and spiritual traditions provide frameworks for understanding and practicing universal kindness?
10. Analyze the interplay between economic inequality and the structural barriers that prevent people from acting kindly (e.g., lack of time).
11. What ethical challenges arise when people with significant wealth use charity to avoid paying adequate taxes?
12. Debate whether a system based on economic competition or one based on social cooperation is ultimately more conducive to widespread kindness.
13. How does the architecture of public spaces (e.g., communal seating) either encourage or inhibit spontaneous acts of kindness?
14. Discuss the concept of “moral clarity” and how prioritizing kindness simplifies ethical decision-making.
15. To what extent does the modern pursuit of personal happiness rely on actively engaging in acts of kindness toward others?
C2 Level – Proficiency
1. How do you analyze the idea that kindness, in its purest form, is fundamentally a revolutionary act against self-interest?
2. Formulate a critique of global charity models that prioritize short-term aid over long-term empowerment and structural change.
3. Analyze the intersection of neuroscience, mirror neurons, and the biological basis for human empathy and compassionate behavior.
4. Discuss the philosophical distinction between “sympathy” (feeling sorry for someone) and “compassion” (desiring to relieve suffering).
5. Critically evaluate the effectiveness of school programs designed to measure and enforce “emotional intelligence” in students.
6. Propose a system for organizational culture that uses kindness and mutual support as the primary metrics for success.
7. Examine the psychological function of acknowledging personal vulnerability in opening pathways for receiving and giving kindness.
8. How does the semiotics of public apology and reconciliation rituals communicate sincerity and restorative justice?
9. Discuss the ethical responsibilities of social platforms to design spaces that actively promote positive, kind interaction over negativity.
10. Analyze the historical relationship between cycles of peace/prosperity and the corresponding rise in organized philanthropic activity.
11. Articulate the inherent tension between the personal mandate to be kind and the necessity of making difficult, objective decisions in public life.
12. Debate whether human kindness can be accurately modeled, predicted, or even replaced by advanced artificial intelligence.
13. Assess the long-term societal effects of mandatory kindness initiatives on individual autonomy and genuine altruism.
14. Discuss the philosophical definition of ‘goodness’ and whether it is an objective standard or culturally relative.
15. How might the principles of kindness and empathy be used to model processes of mediation in highly contentious political disputes?
