Problematic Questions

[Tara Chang]

Do any of you guys have good problematic questions? I know a lot of you that ran for office were asked one or two. If you have any please share them. Thanks =)

--
Tara Chang
District 9 Vice President
Texas SkillsUSA
*YAEYAE!*

[Matt Jones]

The one they asked the final 15 running for state was "If SkillsUSA
were a reality show, what would the plot be and why?"... In years
past, it's been "Who is your hero and why?" and "What historical
figure has had the most impact on your life and why?"... Some other
more typical ones would be "What part of the SkillsUSA
Creed/Emblem/Pledge means the most to you and why?"... Those are just
some. Tell me and I'll give you some more. I know a lot of them.

[Tara Chang]

Thanks Matt. I just wanted to be prepared for what Kristina might ask me. Haha. As some of you know she's one of my great coaches and last night she asked me a few problematic questions and I freaked out. If you know anymore that'll be great. The more practice the better, right? =)

 

Kristina - I know my answers sucked last night, but my second answer was better then the first. I guess I really have to practice huh? Lol.

[krisitna Berreondo]

Honestly Tara they were good. I guess i could have started out easier

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[Tara Chang]

I think that question was fine. Showed me what I'll be having to do with you. Haha. I'm glad you're my coach! Hopefully we can get another national officer again =)

[Ana Armendariz]

I am the Queen of Problematics. You can ask Nathan and Andy and Alma
and Karina. I trained them all, and Problematics were my specialty.
I'll let you think up answers and then I'll tell you one way to answer
them.

1. Who has inspired you the most and why?
(Tip: Stay away from parents)
2. If you were any type of Jello that was thrown against the wall, what
color would you be and how would you slide down?
3. If you had to name a book that inspired your view of the world, what
book would it be and why?
Warning:Tough Question Ahead
4. National Skills USA competition is on the same day as your Senior
Prom. You have already purchased your dress, and both of these events
are "once in a lifetime". Which would you attend?

Happy Trails!

[Tara Chang]

Wow. The last one is a tough question, but honestly...I think I'd choose SkillsUSA. I'll answer those later and I'll email them to you and probably Kristina kuz I don't want everyone seeing how stupid my answers are...

[Ana Armendariz]

Tara,
That last question is a trick question, and Mr. Gray loves for State and
National candidates to be asked that.
You're not actually supposed to choose. If you pick Skills USA, then
everyone thinks that you're trying to get votes, and you're labeled as a
kiss ass. If you pick prom, then you are normal, but not outstanding enough.
This question sucks, don't it? Even If you do feel like you would choose
Skills, it makes you too mature for your age, and overmaturity is a huge
turn off to teenagers. But you dont want to seem like you would shirk your
duties. So you say that you would consider your options, and you would
realize how special they both are. So you would ask the opinions of your
family, and of your friends. But after all things considered, you would make
a sound and educated decision. NEVER actually say what your decision is.
If you need more tips, let me know.
Ana

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[krisitna Berreondo]

I agree completely with Ana on this one. You should never actually give a straight answer. Always acknowledge that they are both very important and mean a lot to you and with asking teachers parents family friends you would weighyour options and come to a decision based on what you really believe.

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[Tara Chang]

Man Ana...I think you should come to Sugar Land and train me for a week. Leadership wasn't enough. We should crack down and STUDY! Haha...I'm going to need A LOT of help let me tell you know. Yes I already have two of the best coaches I could get (Kristina and Roselia), but I'm going to need more coaches!!! Anyone up for it??? =)

[Tara Chang]

*let me tell you now. Sorry for the type-o. I suck at typing now. Haha.

[Julie Pena]

Ana it's Julie from Districts 5 and I would like to answer the prblematic questions

 

1. I would have to say that Mr. Davis has inspired me the most b/c he has had to deal with tuns of problems and yet every day that I see him I always see him with a smile on his face. and he always says " things happen for a reason."

2. If I was any type of jello I would be PINK  and I would I would be real hard to get off because pink is a mixture of red and white which are bad and good and I don't give up easy.

3. I really can't give a name of a book that has inspired me because there is more that one  and most books that I read have to do with things that have happed to me in life.

4. Sorry but I would have to say that I would go to my senior prom because thank god I got the chance to go to nationals this year . And I would like to give someones else the chance to experiance the rush.

 

 

 

Julie Pena

District 5

*STATE CHAPS!!!!*
Ana Armendariz <Ana_La_...@hotmail.com> wrote:

Julieta M.Pena

[Matt Jones]

I figured I'd give this a shot...

1. I would say that there is no particular person that has inpired me the
most. Sure, there have been people along the way like my advisor, my
friends, and my parents that have helped me and that have inspired me
but no one person sticks out as the one that inspired me the most. If
anything, I have been an inspiration to myself. I've been on cloud
nine before just to be thrown down to the troughs and I scratched
and clawed my way back to the top. I never gave up and everything
that happened to me, I learned from it and incorporated what I learned
into the way that I live my life. General George S. Patton once said
"I don't judge a man by how high he climbs, but how high he bounces
when he hits the bottom." I think this quote fits me perfectly and
explains my experience and my view. So my answer to the question is
that the person that has inspired me the most has, ultimately, been
me.

2. If I were any type of Jello that was thrown against the wall, I would
have to be red Jello. I choose red because NOTHING leaves its mark or
stain better than something red. And coincidentally, nothing leaves
its mark on the world like a SkillsUSA member in a red blazer! And
the way I would slide down is to unite with the rest of the red Jello's
of the world, my fellow SkillsUSA members, and use our weight together
to weigh us down to the bottom and make a greater impact when we hit
the floor just like SkillsUSA members when we enter the world of work.

3. The name of a book that inspired my view of the world was a book that
I used to love when I was a kid. The name of the book was "Don't Be The
Leaf, When You Can Be The Tree". When I was little, I never realized
the actual message of the book, I just liked reading it because it all
rhymed. But now that I'm 17 years old, I see the true message that is
saying "Don't be a follower, be a leader!" which is something that I
have learned through SkillsUSA. So thats why the name of the book that
inspired my view of the world is "Don't Be The Leaf, When You Can Be The
Tree".

4. I would've answered it the exact way Ana answered it so no point in me
typing it.

Let me know how I did. :-D

[Ana Armendariz]

1. Even though you had no particular answer, I liked the way you answered
this one. It makes you unique, but just remember not to cross the line
between unique and arrogant. Other than that, great job.
REMEMBER: Problematics must be tied back to Skills USA. Even the weird
ones.
2. Red Jello is THE answer. I liked the way you alternated the way you would
slide. I said that I would slide down nice and slow, so I could leave a
thick trail that would make it easier for other pieces of Jello to slide,
just like I would leave a trail for my fellow Skills members to embark upon.
REMEMBER: Use big words ONLY if you know what they mean and how to use
it. There was a girl at Nationals who did not know what segregation meant.
She said, "Back in the 50's, when desegregation was unconstutional..."
Desegregation was not outlawed by the constitution until like the late
sixties, not fifties. In other words, she actually meant that segregation
was unconstitutional.
3. I've never read that book, but now I want to because I have an interest
in it. The book I chose when I was asked that during my practices was "If
You Give a Mouse a Cookie."
If you give a mouse a cookie, he'll want a glass of milk. And he'll keep
asking you for something until he is happy. A blanket, a carrot, a pony, a
brand new car. Where will it stop? Did he ever stop and actually WORK for
something he wants? No, he would rather bum off someone else. Maybe if he
worked really hard for that cookie, he would understand the value that the
cookie held, and he would be more appreciative. As Skills USA members, we
are taught to base our expectations of reward upon a solid foundation of
service. If we want something, we work hard for it, and we reap the benefits
not only in the present term, but for years to come. As Skills USA members,
we not only reap the benefits of hard work at state contest, but in the
world of work as well.
4. Yeah, I already told you.

GREAT JOB!!!
Love You Much,
Ana la banana

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[Ana Armendariz]

Julie, here are my evaluations of your answers:

1. I would have to say that Mr. Davis has inspired me the most b/c he has had to deal with tuns of problems and yet every day that I see him I always see him with a smile on his face. and he always says " things happen for a reason."

    Be more specific as to why Mr. Davis inspired you. A specific moment would be good. Always seeing him with a smile on his face is to blase (blahsay) and everyone will say that, especially at State. Be unique, stand out.

2. If I was any type of jello I would be PINK  and I would I would be real hard to get off because pink is a mixture of red and white which are bad and good and I don't give up easy.

    I don't exactly see why you would choose pink. If you explain it more, we can see a clearer picture as for why you would choose such an unusual flavor of Jell-O. Also, incorporate more of yourself and Skills USA in your answers.

3. I really can't give a name of a book that has inspired me because there is more that one  and most books that I read have to do with things that have happed to me in life.

    Always pick one. Never cop out on a question, it does not look good to the voters.    

4. Sorry but I would have to say that I would go to my senior prom because thank god I got the chance to go to nationals this year . And I would like to give someones else the chance to experiance the rush.

   You're not actually supposed to choose, as this question is a double edged sword. You say that you would weigh your options, ask for advice from friends, family, and teachers, and then you would come to a conclusion on your own. If you say prom, then they won't think that you are resposible enough to handle the job. If you pick Nationals, then they know you're lying and are simply trying to get votes.

  The thing about problematic questions is that it gives you a chance to impress everybody with your wit, but you have to be believable at the same time.

 

Ana La Banana

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[Nathan Burkhart]

ok... ana has asked us (andy, alma, karina, ceci, and ana) all of these questions at least once. but the one i remember the most... the very significant one was the jello one. i really wanna say ana "la banana?" answer to it ... because its REALLY good, but no.. i think its to good to be known throught the world. all im saying is... if there were any way to perfectly answer it... her answer would be it.

[Ana Armendariz]

Here are some VIP tips for Answering Problematics

1. When asked who has inspired you most, stay away from your parents. You may think that you have an original way of bringing them to the table (and maybe you do), but when you see it from a voter's point of view, you will hear the same song & dance over and over, and if you're not the first, your answer is forgotten. They always remember the first one, but everybody else inspires the "Ah, crap, that one again" feeling, and you don't want that to be felt about you.

2. Stay away from controversial. Since Skills USA is being threatened by Dubya Bush, it would be pretty dumb to say he is your hero to your constituents, wouldn't it? Same goes for John Kerry people, too. Skills USA has really close ties with the Army, and Kerry's record was not as clean as he made it out to be. My sophomore year, the first time I was at State, a girl said that Osama Bin Laden strongly influenced her life. This got a lot of people angry, but they didn't hear the rest of her answer. Her mother, her father, and her three older brothers are in the Army, and they were all called to Afghanistan after 9/11. She had been staying with relatives ever since. But she really lit a fuse when she said Osama. It was a terrific answer, but the controversy blocked any chance for her to win

3. Here is a list of INSPIRATIONAL PEOPLE to avoid (unless you use the correlative comments as justifiable reasons for your answers):

Martin Luther King- avoid the "Crusader for Civil Rights". Everyone has heard it before. Try his articulation, his ability to give great speeches, his talent for calming the resentful, bringing faith to the hopeless, his belief in education, and sharing his dreams for the future. If you concentrate just on the fact that he was a leader in the Turbulent Civil Rights Movement, then everybody's heard it before. Try a different aspect.

John F. Kennedy & Robert Kennedy- Great men who could have salvaged the United States from Vietnam had they not been cut down in their prime. If you are thinking of joining the Peace Corp (and know a lot about it), then talk about how JFK started it. Try to stay away from: Leader in Civil Rights movement, WW2 hero, and first Irish Catholic president (again, you don't want to offend anybody)

Susan B. Anthony- leader for women's rights. Unless you know a lot about her life other than the Movement, you should not pick her (especially if you are a girl). Instead, say that being born a Quaker prevented her, in the beginning, from protesting in the movement. Her heartwrenching decision to cast her beliefs aside for the greater good took an amount of courage that hardly anyone possesses anymore. However, the Quaker belief that Men & Women Are Equal inspired her in the first place.

Here are some people to try instead:

Tony Robbins- Motivational Speaker ("Nobody can stop me but me")

Harriet Tubman- Underground Railroad Conductor

Deepak Chopra- Inspirational Writer   Ghandi- Indian Rights Leader & Motivator 

Silly Rabbit frm "Trix Cereal"- He keeps trying to get the cereal he loves even though those mean kids won't let him have any

Levi Strauss- Industrialist who immigrated to US with 3 dollars in his pocket and started one of the most influential companies ever: Levi's Jeans

If ya'll need info on this question or anyone else's please let me know!

Love You Much,

Ana La Banana

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[michael harder]

I like the question:

If you had a milllion dollars today, how would you spend it?

I think the answers show alot about a person's charachter. It was one of the questions i was asked as my first year district officer candidacy. GIve it a shot people.