Use these questions to practice discussing evidence, hypothesis, and scientific consensus in English. The goal is to think critically, argue clearly, and express yourself with confidence.
Science is often presented as the search for truth — but scientists constantly revise and overturn previous findings. Does this make science more trustworthy or less? Is changing your conclusions a strength or a weakness?
Try to use: revision, self-correcting, provisional, consensus, methodology
A hypothesis is an educated guess that must be tested and potentially disproven. But in everyday life, people treat their guesses as facts without ever testing them. Why is the scientific habit of mind so hard to apply outside the lab?
Try to use: hypothesis, test, falsifiable, assumption, empirical
How much do you trust scientific consensus — for example, on climate change, vaccines, or nutrition? Is there a difference between trusting the process of science and trusting any particular scientific claim?
Try to use: consensus, peer review, evidence, replicate, trust
Science is funded by governments, corporations, and private donors. Does money influence what scientists study — and what they conclude? Can science ever be truly neutral and objective?
Try to use: funding, conflict of interest, bias, objectivity, transparency
Most people accept scientific conclusions without understanding the research behind them. Is that reasonable — or is it just a different kind of faith? What is the difference between trusting science and believing in science?
Try to use: deference, expertise, authority, verify, scientific literacy
Before science, humans used religion, tradition, and folklore to explain the world. Were those systems simply wrong — or did they serve important purposes that science doesn't fully replace? What has science given us, and what might it have taken away?
Try to use: explanation, meaning, replace, limitation, worldview