What are the Best Icebreaking Would You Rather Questions?

Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?

Getting high school students to participate in classroom discussions is challenging. Many teens stay silent, check phones, or refuse to engage with traditional methods. Teachers struggle to spark conversations and build connections.

“Would You Rather” questions provide a simple, powerful way to break the barrier. They instantly grab student attention, encourage participation, and foster deeper learning and peer interaction.

This guide offers well-crafted “Would You Rather” questions for high school students.

It explains why they work, provides implementation tips, and includes questions on personal choices, scenarios, school topics, ethics, technology, and fantasy to build up classroom discussions.

Why Use “Would You Rather” Questions in the Classroom?

These simple questions pack serious educational power:

Instant Engagement – Students who normally stay silent suddenly raise hands and share opinions. The game-like format removes pressure and makes participation feel natural.

Perfect Icebreakers – New semester? These questions help classmates learn about each other quickly while building classroom connections.

Communication Skills Development – Students practice explaining their reasoning, supporting opinions, and expressing thoughts confidently to peers.

Critical Thinking in Action – Weighing options and considering consequences strengthens problem-solving abilities needed for college and careers.

Personal Choices Would You Rather for High School Students

These questions help students reflect on their values, priorities, and what matters most to them in life.

1. Would you rather have the ability to time travel or read minds?
2. Would you rather live without music or live without television?
3. Would you rather always be 10 minutes early or always be 20 minutes late?
4. Would you rather win the lottery and never work again or work your dream job with a modest salary?
5. Would you rather live in a city or on a beach?
6. Would you rather have one wish granted today or three wishes granted in 10 years?
7. Would you rather never feel tired again or never feel hungry again?
8. Would you rather be famous for something embarrassing or not famous at all?
9. Would you rather always know the truth, even if it hurts, or live with ignorance?
10. Would you rather have unlimited free time but no money or unlimited money but no time?
11. Would you rather be able to speak every language fluently or play every instrument perfectly?
12. Would you rather spend your free time traveling or spending time with family?
13. Would you rather have the perfect body but no friends or have friends but never feel satisfied with your appearance?
14. Would you rather have a job that you hate but pays well or a job you love but pays poorly?
15. Would you rather live in a mansion in the city or in a small cottage in the countryside?
16. Would you rather be able to teleport or be able to read minds?
17. Would you rather live forever or live a short but extraordinary life?
18. Would you rather have a large group of acquaintances or a small group of close friends?
19. Would you rather never have to work again or never have to sleep again?
20. Would you rather always have the perfect weather or never experience bad traffic again?
21. Would you rather be completely invisible or be able to fly?
22. Would you rather lose all your money or all your memories?
23. Would you rather be a leader of a country or the leader of a successful company?
24. Would you rather have a personal chef or a personal trainer?
25. Would you rather never age or never need to sleep?
26. Would you rather be able to eat anything you want without gaining weight or never get sick again?
27. Would you rather never be able to speak again or always have to tell the truth?
28. Would you rather have the ability to predict the future or change the past?
29. Would you rather be able to play sports at an elite level or be a world-renowned artist?
30. Would you rather always win an argument or always have people agree with you?

Hypothetical Scenarios Would You Rather for High School Students



These fun, imaginative questions spark creativity and get students thinking outside the box.

31. Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?
32. Would you rather be able to fly but only 10 feet above the ground, or run at super speed but only in small bursts?
33. Would you rather be able to breathe underwater or have night vision?
34. Would you rather live in a world with no internet or in a world where you can’t eat your favorite food?
35. Would you rather visit space or explore the deep sea?
36. Would you rather live in the past and relive your best memories or live in the future and make new memories?
37. Would you rather be able to speak to animals or control the weather?
38. Would you rather live without a smartphone or live without a car?
39. Would you rather have a clone of yourself to do your work or have a magical genie who can grant any one wish?
40. Would you rather never have to do laundry again or never have to clean your room again?
41. Would you rather be a time traveler or an intergalactic explorer?
42. Would you rather fight a giant spider or a giant snake?
43. Would you rather be able to control fire or control water?
44. Would you rather always live in a peaceful place but be bored or always live in a chaotic place but have fun?
45. Would you rather have the ability to heal others but never yourself or heal yourself but never anyone else?
46. Would you rather have a flying car or a robot butler?
47. Would you rather live in a world where everyone tells the truth or in a world where no one lies?
48. Would you rather live in a world with no crime or in a world with no poverty?
49. Would you rather never be able to leave your country or never be able to leave your state?
50. Would you rather live in a world where it’s always summer or always winter?

Education-Related Would You Rather for High School Students



Perfect for classroom discussions, these questions connect directly to student experiences and academic life.

51. Would you rather have homework every day but only for an hour or have no homework at all but with tests every week?
52. Would you rather be the best student in the class but not have many friends or have a lot of friends but not be the best student?
53. Would you rather have a teacher who always gives you 100% but is really strict or one who is super chill but gives you minimal grades?
54. Would you rather study abroad for a semester or have your dream internship locally?
55. Would you rather attend class in the morning or at night?
56. Would you rather have a class with your best friend every day but it’s boring or have a class with no one you know but it’s super fun?
57. Would you rather go on a field trip to a museum or an amusement park?
58. Would you rather be graded on your participation or your exam results?
59. Would you rather be the teacher’s pet or the class clown?
60. Would you rather have all your tests open book but with a time limit or closed book but with no time limit?
61. Would you rather give a 10-minute speech in front of the class or write a 5-page essay?
62. Would you rather never use a calculator again or never use a dictionary again?
63. Would you rather have an unlimited budget for school supplies or an unlimited budget for field trips?
64. Would you rather spend your summer doing a school internship or taking a vacation?
65. Would you rather have the same teacher for every subject or different teachers for each subject?
66. Would you rather have a high school reunion every year or every 10 years?
67. Would you rather get straight A’s but have no social life or have B’s but tons of friends?
68. Would you rather never use the internet for school again or never use a textbook again?
69. Would you rather have a school uniform but get to choose the style or no uniform but be required to dress formally every day?
70. Would you rather go to a private school with a small class size or a public school with a huge variety of activities?

Life Skills & Ethics Would You Rather for High School Students



These deeper questions encourage moral reasoning and help students explore important values and principles.

71. Would you rather always tell the truth and hurt people’s feelings or lie to make people happy?
72. Would you rather save a friend who’s in danger or call for help and risk them getting mad at you?
73. Would you rather forgive someone who hurt you deeply or hold a grudge forever?
74. Would you rather never get angry again or never feel sad again?
75. Would you rather give up your phone for a week or give up social media for a month?
76. Would you rather tell a lie that makes someone feel better or tell the truth that may upset them?
77. Would you rather help others even if it means sacrificing your time or focus on yourself first?
78. Would you rather be very rich but unkind or poor but a kind person?
79. Would you rather always be surrounded by people but never be able to relax or be alone all the time but at peace?
80. Would you rather know your life’s purpose or live without ever knowing it?
81. Would you rather always win arguments but feel bad afterward or lose arguments but feel proud of how you handled it?
82. Would you rather never lie again but hurt someone’s feelings or always tell small lies to protect others?
83. Would you rather be famous but have no privacy or be unknown but live a peaceful life?
84. Would you rather live a comfortable life in a small town or an exciting life in a big city?
85. Would you rather be very successful in your career but have no time for family or have a moderate career with a close family life?
86. Would you rather have a peaceful life with no excitement or an exciting life full of challenges?
87. Would you rather have everything you want but at the cost of helping others or have less but always be helping others?
88. Would you rather do what’s right but suffer consequences or do what’s wrong and face no consequences?
89. Would you rather forgive someone who wronged you or forget what happened and move on?
90. Would you rather always be generous but never receive anything in return or always keep what you have?
91. Would you rather always feel the need to prove yourself or always feel sure of who you are?
92. Would you rather be kind to others even when they are rude to you or stand up for yourself but risk conflict?
93. Would you rather know a hard truth or live in ignorance?
94. Would you rather be seen as humble and weak or confident and arrogant?
95. Would you rather always get the best advice but never take it or make all your own decisions without advice?
96. Would you rather always do the right thing but be criticized or do the wrong thing and be praised?
97. Would you rather be able to handle criticism well or never face criticism?
98. Would you rather have a job you hate but are great at or one you love but are average at?
99. Would you rather be the hero but be forgotten or the villain but remembered forever?
100. Would you rather give away your favorite possession to someone who needs it or keep it to yourself?

Technology & Social Media Would You Rather for High School Students



These contemporary questions tap into the digital world that shapes modern teen life and decisions.

101. Would you rather give up your smartphone for a year or give up your computer for a year?
102. Would you rather have a virtual reality headset or be able to control your dreams?
103. Would you rather have unlimited Wi-Fi but no phone or unlimited phone usage but no Wi-Fi?
104. Would you rather be famous on social media for a week or be unknown but happy with your life?
105. Would you rather spend all day on a video game or on a social media platform?
106. Would you rather never use social media again or never use YouTube again?
107. Would you rather never be able to post on social media again or never be able to text again?
108. Would you rather have the latest smartphone but only use it for phone calls or the oldest smartphone but use it for everything?
109. Would you rather be a social media influencer or a professional gamer?
110. Would you rather create a viral video for the wrong reasons or never go viral?
111. Would you rather have unlimited access to the internet but no phone or no internet but a great phone?
112. Would you rather live in a world without smartphones or without social media?
113. Would you rather only watch videos for entertainment or only read books for entertainment?
114. Would you rather be able to instantly learn any skill but never be able to share it or have to learn a new skill from scratch but be able to teach others?
115. Would you rather play a video game where you have to make real-life decisions or one where everything is predetermined?
116. Would you rather communicate with emojis only or with GIFs only for a whole week?
117. Would you rather never watch TV again or never use social media again?
118. Would you rather send a text with autocorrect mistakes or leave it unedited?
119. Would you rather only communicate via phone calls or only via text messages?
120. Would you rather have a virtual assistant do everything for you or do everything manually yourself?

Fiction & Fantasy Would You Rather for High School Students



Let imaginations run wild with these creative scenarios that encourage storytelling and creative thinking.

121. Would you rather live in a world where magic is real or where technology is super advanced?
122. Would you rather have a pet dragon or a pet unicorn?
123. Would you rather be able to talk to animals or speak every language fluently?
124. Would you rather be a superhero with no superpowers or a villain with superpowers?
125. Would you rather be stuck in a zombie apocalypse or an alien invasion?
126. Would you rather always be able to predict the future or change the past?
127. Would you rather live in a world where everyone has superpowers or no one has powers?
128. Would you rather be a wizard or a knight?
129. Would you rather be a vampire or a werewolf?
130. Would you rather fight dragons or fight trolls?
131. Would you rather visit Hogwarts or Middle-earth?
132. Would you rather be able to control the weather or have the power of invisibility?
133. Would you rather be the sidekick of a superhero or the villain in a story?
134. Would you rather be able to time travel or visit alternate dimensions?
135. Would you rather live in a world where there are ghosts or where there are aliens?
136. Would you rather live in a kingdom or a futuristic society?
137. Would you rather be able to fly like Superman or swim like Aquaman?
138. Would you rather be a pirate or a knight?
139. Would you rather have the power to freeze time or to change events in history?
140. Would you rather be a powerful wizard but isolated or a powerless person surrounded by friends?

How to Use These Questions Effectively

Start small and build momentum. Pick 3-5 questions that match your lesson topic or classroom mood. Give students thinking time before sharing, not everyone processes quickly.

Timing Tips: Use them as warm-ups, transition activities, or end-of-class discussions. Five minutes is often enough to get great conversations started.

Group Dynamics: Try whole-class voting first, then small group discussions, followed by sharing interesting points with everyone. This progression helps shy students participate.

Extension Activities: Have students create their own questions, debate their choices, or write short explanations for their decisions. These work great as journal prompts, too.

Final Thoughts

These questions are conversation starters, not enders. Watch quiet students come alive, see leaders emerge, and notice your classroom community strengthen.

Start with just a few questions tomorrow and see what happens. Your students are eager to share their thoughts, creativity, and perspectives with you.

Which “Would You Rather” question from this list do you think would work best with your students? Drop a comment below and share your classroom success stories.

If you’re looking for more thought-provoking questions to spark interesting discussions, don’t miss our blog on What Are Deep and Juicy ‘Would You Rather’ Questions?