Argumentative Essay Topics: Top 22 Controversial Questions

To write a good argumentative essay, students must first find an excellent topic. There are many topics that have already been addressed, so students should look for a topic that is completely original. Once the student has found a topic for their argumentative essay, they can begin collecting information and designing their outline. To find a good topic, students can start with one of the following 22 controversial questions.

Questions for an Argumentative Essay

1. Should schools and colleges adopt dress codes for their students?
2. Should students be allowed to have their cell phones in the classroom?
3. Should tobacco be completely outlawed or just outlawed in public places?
4. Should a council be set up to censor the Internet?
5. Should single sex education become the norm for elementary, middle and high school students?
6. Should doctors be paid more when they successfully cure someone and less when they cannot?
7. Should college admission be competitive or should every student be allowed to go to college?
8. Should animals be used for scientific or medical research?
9. Are actors and athletes be paid as much as they are?
10. Lowering the speed limit, but it would reduce economic productivity. Should the speed limit be lowered?
11. Are people becoming too dependent on the Internet in their daily lives?
12. Is a democracy or a republic compatible with the principles of communism?
13. Is globalization one of the factors that is leading to pollution? Should there be a global conglomerate that addresses pollution?
14. Should marijuana be legalized for recreational and medical usage?
15. Instead of allowing money to be inherited, should all of the money that is earned by an individual in their lifetime be given to the government to be divided equally among everyone as they turn 18 years old?
16. Should prostitution be legalized and regulated?
17. Are current statutory rape laws too harsh for teenagers that have older, teenage partners?
18. Should underage individuals be allowed to get reproductive medical care and birth control on their own?
19. Should someone be tried for murder when they were only acting in self defense?
20. Should DNA cloning be banned or should be allowed to become completely illegal?
21. Do people have a right to commit suicide? Should assisted suicide be made legal for patients who have terminal illnesses?
22. Studies have shown that the death penalty is not particularly effective at reducing crime rates, and it costs more due to appeals than life in prison. Should the death penalty be banned or should the appeals process be modified to make the death penalty more cost effective?