Do Gladwell's many anecdotes prove his hypothesis? Or do his stories exemplify his ideas? Is there a difference.if so, what? Some critics suggest that Gladwell cherry-picks his facts in order to support his premise. Do you agree? Can you name people who overcame great odds-circumstances not in their favor-to attain success? What about those people that Gladwell offers in support of his argument (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or the Beatles, among others)? Do you agree with his assessment that much depends on timing?ħ. Why does Gladwell feel there is no such thing as a self-made person. According to Gladwell, what is the reason that Asians excell at mathematics? Discuss the cultural and educational differences that he points to as explanation.Ħ. Gladwell draws upon Robert Sternberg's idea of 'practical intelligence.' What is practical intelligence, and how does it differ from IQ?ĥ. Why does Gladwell insist that IQ is not the determining factor in one's ability to achieve success? What does he mean when he suggests that IQ reaches a point of diminishing returns after reaching 130?Ĥ. What does Gladwell mean by the term 'outlier'?ģ. Overall, how would you describe his thesis, or central premise? Do you agree or disagree with his ideas?Ģ. Malcolm Gladwell is interested in what makes some people more successful than others. Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)Īlso consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for Outliers:ġ.Generic Discussion Questions-Fiction and Nonfiction.

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