Outliers “The Roseto Mystery” 1. Why was Stewart Wolf interested in Roseto?

2. What did Wolf find was the reason for Roseto’s outlier status?

3. Using Roseto as an example, what did Wolf try to tell the medical establishment?

Chapter 1: “The Matthew Effect” 1. What is the author’s viewpoint with The Story of Success?

2. Why is a January birth date important for a Canadian hockey player’s success?

3. In what three other areas does Gladwell find the same relationship as hockey regarding preferential

birth date?

4. Describe how “self-fulfilling prophecy” plays a role in “relative age.”

5. Describe “ability grouping” and how it compares or contrasts to “relative age.”

6. Describe “accumulative advantage.”

7. Besides passion, talent, and hard work, what are other ingredients of success?

8. What does Gladwell say is really at the heart of success instead of individual effort and grit?

9. Explain the author’s viewpoint regarding “The Story of Success.” Are personal qualities the sole

reason one becomes an outlier? Explain your answer providing support from the text. Chapter 2: “The 10,000-Hour Rule” 1. What is the significance of the 10,000-Hour Rule?

2. Where in your life can you implement the 10,000-Hour Rule?

3. Gladwell brings up the question of “is there such a thing as innate talent?” What do you believe about this concept? Where in your life have you thought about this, and how may it have been a factor in your own success?

4. What did Ericsson find was the greatest contributing factor in differentiating the excellent from the good and from the average violinists at the Berlin Academy of Music?

5. What is important about the figure of 10,000 hours?

6. To what does Gladwell attribute Bill Joy’s success as a computer programmer?

7. To what does Gladwell attribute The Beatles’s success?

8. To what does Gladwell attribute Bill Gates’s success?

9. What is a paradigm? Can our paradigm change? Explain.

10. What does Gladwell suggest is the real relationship between innate talent and preparation in personal success?

11. What does Gladwell say is extraordinary about the list of history’s wealthiest people?

12. What was so important about 1975?

13. What interesting correlation did Gladwell point out between birth years and mega-success in the computing industry?