Set of discussion questions about family, at Intermediate level English

1. STUDENT A
1 What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘family’?
2 Do you prefer spending time with your family or friends?
3 How often do you have big family get-togethers?
4 Do you prefer the idea of extended or nuclear families?
5 How far back do you know your family tree?
6 How close are you to your extended family? (cousins, aunts, great uncles
etc.)
7 Many families send their children to private institutes or daycares for
most of the day. Is this good or bad? Why?
8 As a child, did you go on family trips? What do you remember about
those vacations?
9 Would you prefer to have a big family with many children, a small family,
or no kids at all? Why?
10 If you are married, how well do you get along with your in-laws?
STUDENT B
1 How important is your family to you?
2 Are there any strange people in your family?
3 How much of a family person are you?
4 There is much talk recently of increased social problems due to family
breakdown. Do you think this is true in your country?
5 How do members of a family support each other?
6 How do you think western families and eastern families differ?
7 When married people talk about having children they talk about “starting
a family”. Can two married people be a family if they don’t have kids?
8 Are you an only child? Does growing up without brothers or sisters affect
a person's character?
9 Would you consider adopting children? Why or why not?
STUDENT C
1 How important are you to your family?
2 Are you jealous of any of your family members?
3 Is there a black sheep in your family?
4 When do you need your family most?
5 Who do you think has the most power in families? Why?
6 What do you think is the most important thing to make a happy family?
7 How do you think family life is changing in your country?
(example: wife working, husband cleaning, kids at institutes)
Are these changes good or bad? Why?
8 Who are you most proud of among your relatives? Who do you admire /
look up to?
9 What characteristics have you inherited from your parents? Do you look
like them? Do you behave like they do?
STUDENT D
1 Would you like / Do you have your own family?
2 Do you get on well with all of your family members?
3 Is “blood thicker than water” regarding your family?
4 What would the world be like without families?
5 What problems do parents have to solve as their children grow up?
6 Is it better for one parent to stay at home with kids or go to work to earn
more money for the family?
7 Who are you closest to in your family? What kind of relationship do you
have with that person?
8 Do your parents expect a lot from you? What kinds of things do they
want you to do?
9 What happens to old people in your family? Do they live with younger
family members or move to a retirement home? How would you prefer to
spend your old age?