Download Selecting Suitable Questions

Selecting Suitable
Questions
Research Questions / Titles
Cambridge Pre-U
GPR
Themes

Remember that there are five
themes that dictate our
curriculum content:
Ethics
 Economics
 Environment
 Technology
 Politics and Culture

Topics

Select a topic that engages your
own interest and that coincides
with one or more of the themes:

Ethics:
Genetic engineering
 Medical ethics and priorities
 Standard of living or quality of life
 Ethical foreign policies
 The religious-secular divide

Topics (continued)

Economics
Globalization of economic activity
 The economic role of women
 The impact of the internet


Environment
Industrial pollution
 Biodiversity and threats to the
world’s natural heritage
 Global climate change: science and
politics
 Urbanization and the countryside

Topics (continued)

Technology
Alternatives to oil
 Artificial intelligence
 Online and interactive communities


Politics and Culture
The emergence of China/India as a
global superpower
 Endangered cultures
 International law
 Integration and multiculturalism

Developing a Title

“Title” refers to a research
question that you will plan to
study.

A well-developed research title
will enable you to demonstrate
your newly acquired skills in
deconstruction, reconstruction,
reflection, and presentation.
Examples of Good Questions

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Theme: Ethics
Topic: The religious-secular
divide
RQ: Is a fundamentalist view of Islam mutually
exclusive with life in a 21st Century Western
culture?
Theme: Economics Topic: Migration & work
RQ: If the U.S. gives legal status to illegal
immigrants, will this hurt the economic
recovery?
Theme: Politics & Culture Topic: Transnational
orgs
RQ: Is it time to disband the United Nations?
How do I know if my question
is any good?






Does the question reflect a global issue?
Does the question arouse your interest?
Does the question open the possibility for
debate?
Will the question lead to intellectual
argument?
Does the question allow you to use skills
from the critical path?
Can the question be answered in suitable
depth within the limit?