21 Expository Essay Topics

Expository essays are written both in school and college. They are aimed to teach the student to be able to clearly explain a certain subject. These custom research papers are more about facts than personal opinions, and require investigation of credible arguments to persuade the reader with certain pieces of information. The reader should learn something new after reading an expository essay. Check out our complete guide on how to write an expository essay step by step.

Tips for Picking Good Expository Essay Topics

• Read the assignment several times, as you may skip important information related to choosing the topic.
• Make sure that you already know some information about the topic or that it is interesting enough to learn more about it.
• Consider your audience. The topic should be interesting for you, the teacher, and your classmates.
• It will be easier to decide on the topic if you write down a list of the most interesting topics on paper.
• It is a normal practice to reuse a popular topic, as you can see it from another angle.
• Keep in mind that you should consider the required word count from the assignment when deciding on a topic, as if your topic is too broad, you won’t be able to cover it in a 500-word essay.

You have no chances to write an A+ essay without picking a good topic. Expository essay topics have different variations, such as persuasive, cause and effect, and others. It is wise that you have decided to seek out some ideas for your topic. We hope that this article with expository essay ideas will help you!

1. The way to make your mother smile.

If you want to raise mom’s mood, you should do something that does not fit into the usual way of doing things. Let it be small, but a surprise. Little children often learn rhymes or songs, and they try to make a souvenir with their own hands or glue a postcard application to please their mother. Teenagers already know that there is a custom to giving presents on birthdays and Mother’s Day, but don’t always understand how it is possible to make their mother smile. You can prepare breakfast and serve it into bed or clean the house. What are other things that can make your mother happy? What have you done?

2. How to visit a supermarket and buy only what you were going to buy.

Marketers do everything to make you buy more things that you planned to buy. If you have come to the store only for milk and bread and left the store with a package of products, you need to know how to avoid this situation. It’s not a good idea to come into a store with a feeling of hunger. You are likely to buy more products if you are hungry simply because of the instinct. Tell more about basic rules you should follow to avoid unnecessary purchases at the supermarket and clothing store.

3. Selling a product no one needs.

Do you know what sales depend on? Someone can say the quality of the goods, the brand, the company’s popularity, or the advertising. Also, sales depend on the successful location of the store, marketing campaigns, and level of service. Everything is correct and there are dozens of factors, but very few people know that you can sell even the most unnecessary thing, and the client can be forced to buy something that he or she absolutely does not need. What are well-known factors that can influence the desire of people to buy something?

4. The ways to organize a surprise party.

A surprise party never killed anybody. Frankly, this kind of party can cheer up even the saddest man on the planet. The way you organize the party will depend on who you are going to surprise: your guests, or one particular person. If you want to prepare a birthday party for your friend or relative, think about his or her hobbies and favorite things. Organizing a surprise party, you can choose any format of entertainment: from a picnic and a buffet table to a solemn banquet. What are the different ways of organizing a surprise party?

5. The ways to avoid conversations with strangers in public transport.

Sometimes you are not in the mood to talk to strangers, you don’t like the person that wants to talk with you or you just don’t enjoy talking with people you see for the first time. No matter the reason, don’t force yourself – there are many working methods that will avoid or stop the conversation with a stranger. For example, if you have a book or mobile phone, you can simply look in it and pretend that you can’t hear anything as you are totally absorbed in reading. What other methods do you know?

6. Dogs or cats asking for food: behavior.

Why do dogs beg? Why are they always hungry and can’t miss any rubbish? Why are cats so picky about food, but they are always ready to eat your parrot? To understand why dogs and cats are so different in their food preferences and habits, it is necessary to look into the history of each representative. What do you know about the dog’s nature? What do you know about the cat’s nature?

7. How to kill time for a winter evening.

It’s dark outside the window, the work day is over, and there is a blizzard and frost in the street. What to do for a long winter night? Even if you don’t have a hobby, there are many activities that will help you pass the time. For example, you can prepare a new dish. If there is nothing to do, you can master a couple of unfamiliar recipes. Can you cook French onion soup? By the way, this is an excellent remedy against colds. And what about English punch? Or apple pie? The evening is a great time to please the home with a new dish. What other activities can you do?

8. Nasty weather and its connection with depression.

When it’s cloudy outside we feel that nothing works out, but when the sun is shining brightly we have an easy heart. Many believe that good weather accompanies a spiritual uplift, and the rain plunges us into depression. But what is the reality? Mood is an emotional state that colors our life, and it does not depend on specific circumstances. When we have high spirits we just feel joy. Our mood can change several times even within one day, but its changes are seasonal and primarily determined by individual biological rhythm. How can a lack of daylight influence our emotions? How can we avoid depression?

9. Optimism – the best way to success.

Can positive thoughts reflect on us with something more than just a smile on the face? Yes, many psychologists say that positive thinking can bring great results and it is necessary to develop a positive attitude toward life. With positive thinking you gain inner peace, happiness, and satisfaction. You can improve relationships with others and become healthier. Positive thinking will make life brighter and more interesting. How one can become a positive thinker?

10. How to cope with homework in half an hour.

How many times have you found yourself sitting with your homework for the whole evening? Yes, sometimes you have too much homework to do, but usually it’s about procrastination. How to boost your working capacity? Effective studying includes proper planning and purpose. First of all, you need to remember the main principle: work must be alternated with relaxation. When it comes time for the homework, it is better to complete written assignments first. Start with the easiest task and proceed to the more difficult. As a result, the brain is drawn into the study and mental performance increases. What methods do you know?

11. Space exploration: Hubble Telescope.

The Hubble Space Telescope is probably, in one way or another, the most popular and famous object connected with the cosmos; few people have not heard this name. The placement of the telescope in space was an absolutely logical step towards the study of the cosmos, since the terrestrial atmosphere makes it difficult to observe in certain ranges (in particular infrared, less in ultraviolet) and also makes it practically impossible to record medium and low-intensity electromagnetic radiation. Thus, the Hubble makes images 7-10 times better than similar devices on the surface of the Earth. What are the most significant discoveries?

12. Why a child needs both a mother and father.

The most important role of parents is the upbringing of children. The role of the mother can not be overemphasized. She wears a baby under her heart, nurtures the baby with milk, carries it in her hands – and gives the baby life and cares about the child’s well-being. But the father’s destiny can not be underestimated either. The man also contributes a lot to the upbringing of the child, to the development of the child’s thinking, skills, and worldview. If fathers pay little attention to children, in the future they often indulge in aggressive behavior. What other roles do the mother and father play in a child’s life? Is there difference for a boy’s or girl’s life?

13. Is procrastination an illness?

Procrastination is not just laziness. A lazy person does not want to do anything and does not feel any concern about this. The person who suffers from procrastination is glad to do something, but he or she cannot start doing it. Procrastination should also not be confused with rest. During rest, we are filled with new energy, while with procrastination we lose it. The less energy we have, the greater the chances of postponing the task for an indefinite period and once again doing nothing. How can you understand that you suffer from procrastination? How can procrastination be beaten?

14. The Samba dance in relation to race and politics.

Samba’s roots go to the state of Bahia. The dance was born from the influence of African rhythms, adapted to the reality of Brazilian slaves, and over time has undergone numerous transformations both in choreography and in music. In the 16th century, the Portuguese brought slaves from Angola and Congo to Brazil, and brought Africa such dances as Catarete, Embolada, and Batuque. After the abolition of slavery in the 19th century, the local population began to move towards the capital of the country – Rio de Janeiro. Having settled in the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro, they became the main distributors of African rhythms. What more do you know about Samba?

15. The effects a prison sentence has on an inmate’s reintegration into society.

The prisoner’s personality is suppressed for years. Imprisonment is difficult for even those who have already stayed in the prison walls. Half of the prisoners become neurotic, have stressful times, and suffer from somatic symptom disorders and behavioral syndromes. The more years a person spends in prison, the harder he or she passes the period of adaptation. This person falls out of society for a long time and needs to be socialized. How can this person be helped? How can they adapt to society? What can relatives and friends do for someone who recently left prison? How does this change the psyche and personality of a prisoner?

16. Why we need feminism.

In many countries, the quality of life still depends on gender, such as how much you can choose your own way of life, and what further opportunities are provided by society and the state. Women from all over the world today are subjected to humiliating and deadly procedures. Girls are married off without asking for consent even in adolescence, are stolen from the family, and are used for temporary marriage. Modern feminism fights to ensure that women are respected and that they can independently manage their lives and their bodies. However, women are killed by their relatives in some cultures, and they call it “honor killings.” What other actions against women do you know? What other gender issues do you know of?

17. Why do victims of domestic violence not escape their abusers?

Domestic violence is one of the most acute problems of the family. Physical violence is always preceded by psychological violence – everything begins with it, when the tyrant realizes that he has found a victim. Women suffer as victims due to their mentality, the social perception of the status of a divorced woman, psychological problems, children they bear, and the lack of support and understanding from relatives. All cases are different. Each victim of domestic violence has personal reasons to tolerate it. Characterize the most popular cases where victims continue the relationship with their abuser. How can victims of domestic violence escape an abuser?

18. Describe the key differences between fantasy and science fiction.

Science fiction appeared in the 19th century and developed rapidly throughout the twentieth century. Fantasy, as we know it, came into its own in the middle of the 20th century. A characteristic feature of science fiction is the existence of a fantastic assumption: what the world would be like under certain conditions. An author of fantasy describes an alternative reality that is not connected with the existing reality. The laws of the fantasy world are presented as a reality, without any explanation. The existence of magic and mythical races is normal. What is the history of these two genres? What sub-genres do they have?

19. Teenage pregnancy: social evil or personal grief?

The main features of some teenagers are increased irritability, teenage aggression, quick temper, and anger for any reason. But these emotions are not persistent. Pregnancy which occurs during the teenage years is called adolescent pregnancy. This type of pregnancy is not just a threat to the development and health of the future baby, but is also a threat to life for the young mother. After all, during pregnancy, the mother’s body undergoes multiple changes and restructuring. What are the reasons of teenage pregnancy? What are the difficulties of teenage pregnancy?

20. Food agriculture is the main reason of deforestation.

One of the main factors of climate change on the planet in addition to deforestation is agriculture, which is one of the main catalysts of the greenhouse effect. According to scientists, while the soil absorbs carbon from plant and tree organics as they decompose, plowing and harvesting releases these stocks to the surface. In addition, these operations also contribute to soil erosion. The main ways to mitigate global warming, according to scientists, are better farm management methods, including no-till farming and more active use of cover crops, and a greater variety of crop rotation to minimize soil erosion. What more do you know about this issue?

21. The reality of child labor in current times.

In extreme form, child labor is the enslavement of children and their separation from families, the endangerment of their lives and health, or forcing them to lead an independent life in the streets of big cities, often from an early age. According to human rights activists, 69% of children working around the world are engaged in agriculture – they collect cotton, tobacco, coffee, rice, sugarcane, and cocoa. Child labor should be seen not only as a cause, but also as a consequence of poverty and a low level of development. What more do you know about child labor? Is cleaning a house considered as child labor? Why do you think child labor still exists?

As you can see, we have described many good expository essay topics with basic information and questions that may help you with writing your own paper. If one of the topics has attracted you, we advise you to look up more information about it on the internet and narrow it down if necessary. If you have picked your own topic but still cannot decide whether you will be able to write about it, just try to write 50-100 words about it. Or check the available expository essay examples on similar topics.

Expository essays are not as complex as they may seem – all you need is to pick the right topic, think about the main points you want to express, plan your arguments, and start writing your points. Fight your innate fear of expository essays and learn to enjoy the writing process. We wish you luck for this interesting but hard path.