49. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and assignment below:

　　Assignment: Are people more likely to be productive and successful when they ignore the opinions of others? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.

　　50. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and assignment below:

　　Assignment: Is it better for people to be realistic or optimistic? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.

　　51. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and assignment below:

　　引文: In many circumstances, optimismthe expectation that ones ideas and plans will always turn out for the bestis unwarranted. In these situations what is needed is not an upbeat view but a realistic one. There are times when people need to take a tough-minded view of the possibilities of success, give up, and invest their energies elsewhere rather than find reasons to continue to pursue the original project or idea.

　　Adapted from Martin E. P. Seligman, Learned Optimism

　　引文: In order to be the most productive and successful people that we are capable of being, we must be willing to ignore the opinions of others. It is only when we are completely indifferent to others opinions of uswhen we are not concerned about how others think of usthat we can achieve our most important goals.

　　引文: Everybody has some choice. People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I dont believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and, if they cant find them, make them.

　　Adapted from George Bernard Shaw, Mrs. Warrens Profession

　　引文: No one is perfect. There are few among us who would disagree with this familiar statement. Certain that perfection is an impossible goal, many people willingly accept flaws and shortcomings in themselves and others. Yet such behavior leads to failure. People can only succeed if they try to achieve perfection in everything they do.

　　Assignment: Is it important to try to understand peoples motivations before judging their actions? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.

　　52. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and assignment below:

　　Assignment: Is happiness something over which people have no control, or can people choose to be happy? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.

　　53. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and assignment below:

　　Assignment: Should people take more responsibility for solving problems that affect their communities or the nation in general? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.

　　54. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and assignment below:

　　Assignment: Is it more important to do work that one finds fulfilling or work that pays well? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.

　　49. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and assignment below:

　　Assignment: Are people more likely to be productive and successful when they ignore the opinions of others? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.

　　50. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and assignment below:

　　Assignment: Is it better for people to be realistic or optimistic? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.

　　51. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and assignment below:

　　引文: In many circumstances, optimismthe expectation that ones ideas and plans will always turn out for the bestis unwarranted. In these situations what is needed is not an upbeat view but a realistic one. There are times when people need to take a tough-minded view of the possibilities of success, give up, and invest their energies elsewhere rather than find reasons to continue to pursue the original project or idea.

　　Adapted from Martin E. P. Seligman, Learned Optimism

　　引文: In order to be the most productive and successful people that we are capable of being, we must be willing to ignore the opinions of others. It is only when we are completely indifferent to others opinions of uswhen we are not concerned about how others think of usthat we can achieve our most important goals.

　　引文: Everybody has some choice. People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I dont believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and, if they cant find them, make them.

　　Adapted from George Bernard Shaw, Mrs. Warrens Profession

　　引文: No one is perfect. There are few among us who would disagree with this familiar statement. Certain that perfection is an impossible goal, many people willingly accept flaws and shortcomings in themselves and others. Yet such behavior leads to failure. People can only succeed if they try to achieve perfection in everything they do.

　　Assignment: Is it important to try to understand peoples motivations before judging their actions? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.

　　52. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and assignment below:

　　Assignment: Is happiness something over which people have no control, or can people choose to be happy? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.

　　53. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and assignment below:

　　Assignment: Should people take more responsibility for solving problems that affect their communities or the nation in general? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.

　　54. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and assignment below:

　　Assignment: Is it more important to do work that one finds fulfilling or work that pays well? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.