Topic 214: Limits on Public Expression

A1–A2 Level

1. Why do people like to share their opinions in public?

2. Where do people usually express their ideas openly?

3. Why do some words cause problems in society?

4. Why do governments make rules about public speech?

5. How can words hurt other people?

6. Why are schools careful about what students say?

7. What happens when people insult others publicly?

8. Why do public places have behavior rules?

9. How can online comments cause trouble?

10. Why do some speakers get punished for their words?

11. Can free expression have limits? Why?

12. Why is respect important when speaking?

13. How can arguments start because of speech?

14. Why do people disagree about what is acceptable to say?

15. Can silence sometimes be safer than speaking? Why?

16. How do you feel when people are stopped from speaking?

B1–B2 Level

17. Why do societies place limits on public expression?

18. How can unrestricted speech create social harm?

19. What kinds of speech are usually restricted?

20. Why do laws treat public speech differently from private speech?

21. How can offensive speech affect social peace?

22. Why do different countries have different speech rules?

23. How does media influence speech boundaries?

24. Can limiting speech protect vulnerable groups? How?

25. Why is it hard to define harmful speech?

26. How do courts decide when speech crosses a line?

27. Should public safety be more important than free speech? Why?

28. How can speech limits affect political debate?

29. Why do online platforms remove some content?

30. How do protests challenge speech boundaries?

31. Can speech limits increase trust in society? How?

32. How do you feel about balancing freedom and responsibility?

C1–C2 Level

33. How should democratic societies justify speech limitations?

34. Where should the boundary between opinion and harm be drawn?

35. How do speech restrictions affect minority voices?

36. Can limiting expression strengthen social cohesion? Explain.

37. How do historical events shape current speech laws?

38. What risks exist when governments control expression?

39. How can abuse of speech laws be prevented?

40. Should intent matter more than impact in speech cases? Why?

41. How does digital communication complicate speech regulation?

42. Can absolute free speech exist in practice? Explain.

43. How should societies respond to controversial speakers?

44. What role do courts play in protecting expression?

45. Can speech limits change public behavior long-term? How?

46. How do cultural values influence speech rules?

47. Should private companies regulate public expression? Why or why not?

48. How do you feel these limits shape democratic life?