A1 Level – Elementary
1. What is a small problem you solved today?
2. Do you like solving puzzles?
3. What makes a problem difficult?
4. Do you ask for help with problems?
5. What is the difference between a small problem and a big problem?
6. Do you worry about problems?
7. What is a common family problem?
8. What is the best way to stay calm when there is a problem?
9. Do you think every problem has a solution?
10. What is a common phrase for a problem?
11. What makes a good problem solver?
12. Do you ignore problems or fix them quickly?
13. What is the opposite of a problem?
14. What are some different types of personal problems?
15. What makes people disagree about a problem?
A2 Level – Pre-Intermediate
1. What are the key differences between a technical problem and a human relational problem?
2. Describe one challenging problem you faced recently and the steps you took to solve it.
3. What are the pros and cons of seeking advice from many different people about a personal problem?
4. What role does clear communication play in resolving group conflicts or problems?
5. Have you ever tried to solve a major problem only to realize you created a new one?
6. What kind of critical thinking skills are essential for effective problem-solving?
7. What is the difference between a root cause and a symptom of a problem?
8. What are common challenges in dealing with a long-term, ongoing problem?
9. How does technology (e.g., collaboration tools) help teams solve complex problems?
10. What are the biggest challenges of addressing global problems (e.g., poverty, climate)?
11. What is the importance of having multiple possible solutions before making a choice?
12. Do you think attitude (e.g., positivity) is more important than knowledge in solving problems?
13. What are the challenges of solving a problem that is dependent on other people’s actions?
14. What are the best ways to turn a major problem into an opportunity for growth?
15. What is the difference between avoiding a problem and strategically delegating it?
B1 Level – Intermediate
1. Discuss the difficulty of defining a problem correctly—if you solve the wrong problem, the result is useless.
2. How can societies effectively address systemic problems (e.g., traffic congestion) that require mass behavioral change?
3. What are the ethical issues surrounding the use of artificial intelligence to diagnose and solve human problems?
4. Do you agree that the most difficult problems are those related to human emotion and relationships?
5. Describe a time when solving a problem required you to completely abandon your previous assumptions.
6. To what extent does the fear of failure prevent people from attempting to solve big, difficult problems?
7. What role does creative thinking (“thinking outside the box”) play in breakthrough problem solutions?
8. How do cultural norms around hierarchy and authority influence who is expected to solve problems in a group?
9. Discuss the psychological phenomenon of “learned helplessness”—the feeling that a problem is unsolvable.
10. What are the challenges of implementing a solution when it faces strong political or financial resistance?
11. How does the concept of “first principles thinking” help break down complex problems into basic components?
12. Should public funding prioritize research aimed at solving immediate, practical problems or long-term, theoretical challenges?
13. What is the difference between a crisis (an immediate problem) and a chronic issue (a long-term problem)?
14. Discuss the concept of “wicked problems”—problems that are so complex and interconnected that they seem unsolvable.
15. What is the long-term impact of consistently taking responsibility for solving problems that belong to other people?
B2 Level – Upper-Intermediate
1. How does the speed of modern life increase the pressure to find quick-fix solutions rather than comprehensive, slower ones?
2. What are the ethical arguments about corporations profiting from “solutions” (e.g., health products) to problems they originally created (e.g., pollution)?
3. Should governments invest in public education programs specifically designed to teach advanced systemic thinking and conflict resolution?
4. What are the psychological reasons why people sometimes prefer to complain about a problem rather than take steps to solve it?
5. How has the dominance of social media changed the way we discuss, debate, and attempt to address public problems?
6. Discuss the idea that every solution to one problem inevitably creates a new, unforeseen problem.
7. What is the role of interdisciplinary teams (e.g., combining engineers and psychologists) in solving complex societal problems?
8. How do our cultural narratives (myths, history) shape our expectations about who is responsible for solving problems?
9. What are the challenges of overcoming organizational inertia when a problem requires a massive, coordinated effort to solve?
10. Discuss the concept of “design thinking”—a human-centered approach to creative problem-solving.
11. What is the difference between managing a problem and truly resolving it?
12. Should major corporations be legally required to dedicate a percentage of profit toward solving the societal problems they contribute to?
13. What is the impact of public fear and hysteria on the quality and rationality of government problem-solving during a crisis?
14. How does the history of scientific methodology reflect the evolution of structured, objective problem-solving techniques?
15. Discuss the idea that personal growth is fundamentally a continuous process of solving increasingly complex personal problems.
C1 Level – Advanced
1. Analyze the socioeconomic factors that link low financial capital to reduced capacity for effective problem-solving (e.g., lack of time, resources).
2. To what degree should the legal system restrict problem-solving attempts (e.g., citizen initiatives) that are highly popular but potentially illegal?
3. Discuss the philosophical concept of “pragmatism” and its focus on solving problems with practical, real-world consequences.
4. Evaluate the efficacy of targeted financial incentives (e.g., prizes) in motivating innovation to solve global health and energy problems.
5. How does the strategic use of political framing and language define a problem in a way that dictates only a narrow set of solutions?
6. Examine the legal challenges of intellectual property rights when a problem is solved collaboratively by a global, open-source community.
7. What ethical guidelines should govern the use of AI in national security to preemptively identify and mitigate potential threats (problems)?
8. Discuss the concept of “systemic discrimination” and the challenge of solving a problem that is embedded in the structure of society.
9. How do different national political systems (e.g., authoritarian vs. democratic) affect the speed and transparency of governmental problem-solving?
10. Analyze the interplay between the increasing complexity of technology and the resulting difficulty in diagnosing and solving technical failures.
11. What ethical challenges arise when a problem’s solution requires a difficult trade-off between individual liberty and collective security?
12. Debate whether large, centralized institutions (e.g., the UN) or small, agile startups are better suited to solve the world’s most intractable problems.
13. How does the architecture of corporate headquarters and government buildings reflect or inhibit effective cross-departmental problem-solving?
14. Discuss the concept of “path dependence”—historical solutions that limit the possibility of finding better, new solutions.
15. To what extent does the emotional investment in a problem (e.g., personal grievance) make objective, rational problem-solving impossible?
C2 Level – Proficiency
1. How do you analyze the idea that human existence is fundamentally defined by the continuous process of problem identification and solution?
2. Formulate a critique of organizational models that focus on assigning blame for problems rather than designing systems for collective resilience.
3. Analyze the intersection of complexity theory, feedback loops, and the difficulty of finding stable solutions in dynamic, non-linear systems.
4. Discuss the philosophical distinction between “diagnosis” (understanding the problem) and “prognosis” (predicting the outcome of solutions).
5. Critically evaluate the effectiveness of global political summits in achieving meaningful, actionable solutions to transnational problems.
6. Propose a system for problem-solving education that emphasizes the critical importance of framing and collaborative inquiry.
7. Examine the psychological function of narrative and shared experience in mobilizing groups to address collective problems.
8. How does the semiotics of problem presentation (e.g., charts, graphs, language) influence public perception of its urgency and solvability?
9. Discuss the ethical responsibilities of scientists and engineers whose solutions may inadvertently create massive future societal problems.
10. Analyze the historical relationship between cycles of technological advancement and the resulting emergence of new, unforeseen existential risks.
11. Articulate the inherent tension between the need for speed in crisis problem-solving and the requirement for due process and democratic input.
12. Debate whether a system of hyper-specialization makes the solution of truly interdisciplinary problems increasingly rare.
13. Assess the long-term societal effects of mandatory resilience training on a population’s ability to cope with collective trauma and uncertainty.
14. Discuss the philosophical definition of ‘resolution’ and whether a problem can ever be truly *gone* or is merely transformed.
15. How might the principles of iterative problem-solving (e.g., design sprints) be used to model processes of political reform and legislative drafting?
