Honest Conversations and Conflict Repair · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Talking It Out and Making It Right

Personal & Social Development · Friendship & Cooperation · ages 12-13
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which sentence talks about the problem instead of attacking the person?

    • You're so selfish and never think about me.
    • When you canceled without telling me, I felt hurt because I need to know I can count on you.
    • You always ruin everything.

  2. In a non-violent way of raising a problem, what are the four parts you include?

    • Observation, feeling, need, request
    • Blame, excuse, silence, revenge
    • Opinion, judgment, threat, ultimatum

  3. A face-saving 'sorry' is mainly meant to end an awkward moment, not to fix what went wrong.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Which response takes responsibility without defensiveness after being called out for spreading a rumor?

    • I only said it because everyone already knew.
    • I shouldn't have shared that. That was wrong of me and I get why you're upset.
    • I said sorry already, what more do you want?

  5. Priya tells her friend: 'When you didn't reply to my messages for two days, I felt anxious, because I need to know we're okay. Could you send a quick reply next time?' Which part is the need?

    • I felt anxious
    • I need to know we're okay
    • Could you send a quick reply next time

  6. Trust after a big conflict comes back right away as soon as someone apologizes.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. Two friends have a serious argument, work through it honestly, and stay close for years after. What does this show about conflict in friendships?

    • Conflict always weakens a friendship eventually
    • Friendships that avoid all conflict are automatically stronger
    • Working through real conflict, rather than avoiding it, can make a friendship stronger

  8. Jordan says: 'I'm sorry you felt embarrassed, but you shouldn't have taken it that way.' What's wrong with this apology?

    • It shifts blame onto the friend's reaction instead of owning what Jordan did
    • It's too short to count as a real apology
    • It doesn't use the word 'need'
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Talking It Out and Making It Right W1-mt_NCrbQe0LdB-s1

  1. When you canceled without telling me, I felt hurt because I need to know I can count on you. · The second sentence names what happened and how it felt, instead of name-calling.
  2. Observation, feeling, need, request · It breaks a hard conversation into four steps: what you saw, how you felt, what you need, and what you're asking for.
  3. True · A face-saving sorry gets the discomfort over with. A genuine apology owns the mistake and tries to make it right.
  4. I shouldn't have shared that. That was wrong of me and I get why you're upset. · Taking responsibility means owning the action without adding an excuse or getting defensive.
  5. I need to know we're okay · The need explains why the behavior matters to her, separate from the feeling and the request.
  6. False · Trust rebuilds slowly, through behavior that matches the apology over time, not from the words alone.
  7. Working through real conflict, rather than avoiding it, can make a friendship stronger · Avoiding problems keeps things surface-level. Facing them honestly is often what deepens trust.
  8. It shifts blame onto the friend's reaction instead of owning what Jordan did · A genuine apology owns the action itself, not how the other person reacted to it.
Worksheet · LightMySky