QUESTIONS ON THE 7 DEADLY SINS OF STUDENTS

THE FACTS
1. What are the seven deadly sins?
2. In paragraph 2, Benton says, Enabled by institutions repeatedly take the path of least
resistance. Whats wrong with this kind of thinking?
3. Early on in his essay, Benton says that the sins dont seem like sins at all. Why
does Benton call them sins when they do not really rise to the level of sin?
4. Why is Benton qualified to speak of his students sins?
THE STRATEGIES
1. How does Benton prove his thesis? What patterns of development does he use?
2. How do the seven deadly sins have value in our lives?
3. What is most irritating about sloth, according to Benton?
4. What is so bad about pursuing a degree in todays society, according to Benton?
5. What comment does Benton make about ratemyprofessors.com?
6. What is most despicable thing about angry students that Benton cites?
7. According to Benton, how do many students see education?
8. What astounding truth did Benton learn about pride when he questioned a group of
students?
THE ISSUES
1. Is Bentons assessment of students realistic or is he out of touch?
2. Do students often think they should be graded on their effort rather than the quality of
their work. Explain.
3. Benton says that students are greedy in that they come to believe that no one has
integrity and that there is no basisother than the marketplaceby which value can
be judged. Do you agree or disagree with his assessment?
4. Have students crossed the line in Bentons view when it comes to proper attire for
class? What kinds of dress has he witnessed?

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5. Should colleges have a dress code of some kind? Agree or disagree. Should a
statement be made about dress under student behavior on the syllabus?
6. After attending college, what should a student realize, according to Benton.
7. Thomas Benton is not the authors real name. Is there something suspicious about an
author who writes a story but chooses to use a pseudonym. Does this diminish the
credibility of the message itself?

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