Name:Tim Period:3 Date:6/18/17

Matter of Life or Death Socratic Seminar Questions

WewillbeusingthefollowingquestionsinourSocraticSeminar.TheSocraticSeminarisoneofyour
summativea ssignmentsforthisreadingunit.Comeupwitha ssertions(verbaltopic
sentences/claims)thatdirectlya nswerthequestion.Writenotesw ithe videncetosupportyourc laim.
Thee videnceisREQUIREDbecauseitwillhelpbackupyoura ssertiona nditwillhelpkeepthe
conversationc entereda roundthenovel.Thetalkingpointsa ree quallyimportant.Theya llowyouto
elaborateonthe sowhatofyoura ssertiona nde vidence.Withoutthis verbalmatters,your
conversationswillseemflata ndboring.Nota llofthequestionswillbeusedbutyouneeda ssertions,
evidence,a ndtalkingpointsfore achone.

1.Makeaclear,logicalgeneralizationabouttheway(s)peopleadaptforsurvival.

Assertion Evidence TalkingPoints/Matters

Beingcalmduringacrisisgives InthearticleIsSurvival Thisshowswithenoughfocusonhowtosolvethecrisis

humansahigherchanceto Selfishonpage318lines themorelikelyyoullsurvive.
survive. 4042itstates...The
numberonedetermining
factorforsurvivalissimply
whetherpeopleholdit
togetherina
crisisorfallapart.

2.Makeaclear,logicalgeneralizationabouttheway(s)peopleadaptforsurvival.

Assertion Evidence TalkingPoints/Matters

Wehavegeneticallyevolvedover Humansevolvedfrom Talkabouthowweareageneticallyadvancedspecies

manyyearstoallowustobemore simians,andtheyevolved thatprofitsfrommillionsofyearsofevolution.
adaptedtoourenvironment. fromothertypesoflife,all
thewaybacktobacteria.

3.Makeaclear,logicalgeneralizationabouttheway(s)peopleadaptforsurvival.

Assertion Evidence TalkingPoints/Matters

 Onewaypeopleadaptforsurvival
isgroupingup.
Evidencecanbefoundin Groupingcanhelppeoplesurvivebecausetheycan
LordoftheFlies.Where providedifferentideastohelpthemsurvive.Theycan
peoplesplitupintogroupsto alsogiveeachotheremotionalsupporttokeepcalm
supportandgetfoodforeach duringthehardshipsofsurvival.
other

WriteyourownopenendedquestionforSocraticSeminar.Thisshouldnotbesomethingeveryone
willagreeonandshouldbeconnectedtotheplayorthethemes/ideastheplaybringsup.Itshould
notbethesameasyourpeers,sothinkofthisonyourOWN.

Original Question: Do humans adapt at a faster rate than other life on earth?

Assertion Evidence TalkingPoints/Matters

Humansseemtoadaptfairly Organismsthatarestuckin Itmayseemlikewedo,butwehavebeenableto

quickly,andwedobelongtothe caves,deepundergroundlose observeorganismsintoughsituations,andmakeitout
speciesasawhole,butwhatIm theireyesight,butinturn alive.Thismaybeevidencesuggestingthatother
askingiswhetherornothumans gainboostedhearing. organismsonEarthcanevolveatthesameoreven
adaptfasterthanotherorganisms. quickerthanhumansdo.

WriteyourownopenendedquestionforSocraticSeminar.Thisshouldnotbesomethingeveryone
willagreeonandshouldbeconnectedtotheplayorthethemes/ideastheplaybringsup.Itshould
notbethesameasyourpeers,sothinkofthisonyourOWN.

Original Question: Can the everyday abilities of an average human, allow for survival even in the most extreme
situations?

Assertion Evidence TalkingPoints/Matters

 Someabilitiesthatareused
everyday,aredevelopedthrough
manyyearsofexperienceandcan
proveworthyinsituations.
Iamnothingmoreorless Useshisabilityspeakandnegotiatetoprotecthisguests.
thanahotelmanager,trained
tonegotiatecontractsand
chargedtogive
sheltertothosewhoneedit.
Myjobdidnotchangeinthe
genocide,even
thoughIwasthrustintoasea
offire.Ionlyspokethewords
thatseemed
normalandsanetome
(172175).

WriteyourownopenendedquestionforSocraticSeminar.Thisshouldnotbesomethingeveryone
willagreeonandshouldbeconnectedtotheplayorthethemes/ideastheplaybringsup.Itshould
notbethesameasyourpeers,sothinkofthisonyourOWN.

Original Question: Does a middle point exist in being concerned for ones life and attempting to be heroic?

Assertion Evidence TalkingPoints/Matters

Peoplehavetheirownconcerns Peoplehavebeenawarded Deathbygrenademightnotbereallyworthit

ontotheirlife,butalsotheyhave
concernsforotherpeople'slife.
medalsofhonorinthe
militarytothosewhohave
sacrificedtheirlifeor
attemptedtoprotectothersby
jumpingontoagrenade.

WriteyourownopenendedquestionforSocraticSeminar.Thisshouldnotbesomethingeveryone
willagreeonandshouldbeconnectedtotheplayorthethemes/ideastheplaybringsup.Itshould
notbethesameasyourpeers,sothinkofthisonyourOWN.

Original Question: Is the government at fault for drastic changes in its people?

Assertion Evidence TalkingPoints/Matters

 Thegovernmentisthemostlikelyto
blameiftheirpopulationhasbeen
affecteddrastically.
Itwasapoisonousstreamof Thegovernmenthasthemostinfluenceonitspeople.
rhetoricdesignedtoreinforcethe
poweroftheelite.WhentheHutus
cametopowertheyspokeevil
wordsof
theirown,fanningtheold
resentments,excitingthehysterical
darkplaces
intheheart(133136).