A1 Level – Elementary
1. Do you do house chores?
2. What is an easy task?
3. Do you forget rules?
4. What is a bad excuse?
5. Do you like helping others?
6. What is a repeated mistake?
7. Do you try hard?
8. What is a simple instruction?
9. Do you like people who complain?
10. What is a fast job?
11. Do you feel tired?
12. What is a big list?
13. Do you avoid difficult tasks?
14. What are three reasons someone avoids a task?
15. Do you think trying is important?
A2 Level – Pre-Intermediate
1. What is the difference between a real mistake and pretending to be bad at a task?
2. Why do some people pretend they cannot do something?
3. What are the good things and bad things about always doing a task for someone else?
4. How can a person politely ask someone to do their own job?
5. Should managers check if employees are avoiding work?
6. Why is it important to share tasks fairly in a family?
7. Do you think weaponized incompetence causes arguments?
8. What is the purpose of saying “I tried my best, but…”?
9. How does this behavior affect the person who takes over the task?
10. What is the difference between genuine lack of skill and intentional avoidance?
11. Do you think this happens more at home or at work?
12. What are the problems when one person in a relationship does all the chores?
13. When is the best time to stop doing a task for someone who is avoiding it?
14. What are two phrases used to show incompetence?
15. How does this behavior affect trust in a team?
B1 Level – Intermediate
1. What are the rules for politely pointing out that someone is pretending to be incapable?
2. How does the amount of shared responsibility affect the occurrence of this behavior?
3. Should the government provide resources for couples to discuss fair chore division?
4. What is the difference between a person who is truly overwhelmed and one who is avoiding?
5. Do you believe that this behavior is a sign of a deeper relationship problem?
6. What are the challenges of delegating tasks to someone who resists learning?
7. How does the feeling of being the only capable person affect mental load?
8. What is the idea of “learned helplessness”?
9. Is it fair or unfair when a manager promotes someone who avoids responsibility?
10. How does this behavior prevent skill development in the person avoiding the task?
11. What are the steps for properly training someone who genuinely lacks a skill?
12. What is the value of clearly documenting all responsibilities in a shared environment?
13. Should public media feature more examples of fair chore division?
14. What are the reasons why some people find it easier to do the job themselves than to teach someone else?
15. How does the historical expectation of gender roles affect this behavior?
B2 Level – Upper-Intermediate
1. What are the social pressures to maintain a false image of innocence or weakness?
2. What are the moral problems when a manager uses this behavior to exploit a co-worker’s willingness to help?
3. How does constant repetition of tasks by one person affect their long-term resentment?
4. Should companies be legally required to ensure fair distribution of non-promotion tasks?
5. Analyze the psychological effect of having your competence constantly doubted by someone avoiding work.
6. Who is responsible for calling out and addressing this behavior in a relationship?
7. What is your view on the practice of deliberately making a mistake to avoid future responsibility?
8. Evaluate the role of clear job descriptions in preventing this behavior in the workplace.
9. How does the concept of “mental load” relate to the tasks taken over due to incompetence?
10. Discuss the concept of “covert manipulation” in relationships.
11. What are the problems with having very different standards for “effort” in one partnership?
12. What are the legal differences between a poor performance review and intentional refusal to learn?
13. Do you agree that the purpose of weaponized incompetence is mainly to maintain control over the division of labor?
14. What steps should be taken to ensure that all team members take full responsibility for their tasks?
15. How does the fear of conflict stop people from confronting this manipulative behavior?
C1 Level – Advanced
1. Is it fair that the most agreeable people are often the targets of weaponized incompetence?
2. What is the right way to think about a company’s moral duty to identify and stop manipulative behavior?
3. How do the platform’s algorithms influence the visibility of content promoting traditional gender roles related to chores?
4. When should the government consider mandatory mediation for couples with extreme and unequal division of labor?
5. What are the moral questions when we talk about using psychological strategies to avoid personal responsibility?
6. How does the focus on quick task completion affect the long-term, necessary investment in equal skill sharing?
7. Discuss the impact of this behavior on the overall happiness and success of a long-term partnership.
8. How should leaders use knowledge about motivational psychology to ensure fair task distribution?
9. What is the idea of “the second shift” (unpaid labor at home) and its connection to incompetence?
10. What are the long-term effects on society when children grow up seeing one parent constantly avoiding responsibility?
11. What are the difficulties when courts try to decide if a divorce was caused by one partner’s deliberate avoidance of duties?
12. How does the search for total convenience conflict with the ethical need for equal partnership?
13. Do you agree that the most important thing is the explicit, written agreement on who is responsible for each task?
14. What are the simple moral rules a person should follow when they benefit from a co-worker’s extreme competence?
15. Should the government set a legal minimum for the amount of mandatory parental leave to ensure both parents gain competence?
C2 Level – Proficiency
1. What is the real difference between a person’s strategic feigned incompetence and their deeply ingrained social conditioning?
2. Debate the idea: Should we completely eliminate the concept of delegation in personal relationships?
3. How does the concept of “skill” change when it is deliberately hidden to avoid labor?
4. What laws or rules are needed to control how technology platforms use algorithms to promote gender stereotypes in household management?
5. How do historical views of gender roles and domestic labor affect modern expectations for equality?
6. How can communities maintain social fairness when this manipulative behavior is normalized in many households?
7. Argue the point that humans should stop focusing on incompetence and accept that people will naturally prioritize their interests.
8. What protection should laws give to employees who report weaponized incompetence in their co-workers?
9. How can we stop the problem of using the argument of “natural inability” to excuse intentional avoidance of work?
10. What did old thinkers say about manipulation, responsibility, and the virtue of competence that is still important today?
11. What will happen to the need for human managers if AI can perfectly track and expose all instances of task avoidance?
12. How do people use the idea of “I’m just not wired that way” to avoid discussing their deliberate choice to not learn a skill?
13. How does the experience of confronting and overcoming this manipulation improve a person’s assertive communication?
14. What is the power of a collective movement to demand equal distribution of domestic labor and mental load?
15. If scientists could create a perfect, impartial system for dividing household chores, how would that fundamentally change family dynamics?
