Here is this week’s news quiz. Good luck!
- Will the U.S. be caught up in Israel’s wars with its neighbors?
- Would a policy of not taxing overtime pay be fiscally wise?
- To what extent are crowd sizes indicative of who is leading the 2024 presidential election?
- What would a Kamala Harris victory in November mean for Gretchen Whitmer’s political future?
- Following a federal indictment, should New York City Mayor Eric Adams step down?
- Are nitrogen gas executions constitutional?
- Is the decline of American influence on the world stage a bad thing?
- Should Congress pass the Kids Online Safety Act?
- Is Virginia a swing state in this year’s presidential election?
- Would a Harris administration rekindle the Iranian nuclear deal?
- Are the results of the Brandenburg state election a boost for Chancellor Olaf Scholz?
- Does China’s central bank have the right strategy for reviving the nation’s economy?
- How long should Kenyan forces remain in Haiti?
- Has the EU become ineffectual on the geopolitical stage?
- Will Israel’s recent campaign against Hezbollah cause the world to forget Gaza?
- Has Big Tech become more powerful than nation states?
- What should Ukraine do if Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidential election?
- Can Anura Kumara Dissanayake win a better deal from the IMF?
- What impact will the death of Hassan Nasrallah have on Lebanese politics?
- Is the world leaving the U.S. behind?
A massive field of 114 extempers gathered for last weekend’s Yale Invitational, the kickoff to the extemporaneous speaking season in New England and the second National Points Race event on the 2024-2025 calendar.
The in-person event had familiar faces as three of the finalists were also in the final round of the online National Speech and Debate Season Opener. Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) notched another national circuit win, winning a tiebreaker over fellow Texan Waleed Haider of Hendrickson High School. Zhang and Haider, who entered elimination rounds with six others in first place, ended the tournament with identical composites in the cumulative tournament that counts ranks from preliminary rounds through the final round. The tie was broken by final round performance, which Zhang won by two ranks. That happened despite Haider capturing two first place ranks among the five final round judges, making him the only finalist to win multiple first place ranks. Zhang follows in the footsteps of Amy Cao of Ridge High School (NJ), who won the first two National Points Race tournaments last year.
One rank behind Zhang and Haider was Aparna Iyer of Ridge High School, who came close to delivering the school its second Yale championship in as many years. And two more ranks behind was Charlotte Reitman of NSU University School (FL). Reitman won two National Points Race events last year at the Florida Blue Key and the University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC).
Anish Mehta of Scarsdale High School (NY) and Sahana Srikanth of Mason High School (OH) finished much further back of Zhang by 17 and 22 ranks, respectively. Srikanth was making a second National Points Race final round this season after coming within one rank of defeating Zhang at the Season Opener.
Tea Shouldice of Half Hollow Hills East High School (NY), the defending National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Champion in United States Extemp, started her season off with a semi-final finish.
Scarsdale High School the best showing among schools in attendance, placing six extempers in the elimination rounds.
Since Yale was a fourth tier event all of the extempers who reached finals and semi-finals will earn points. The first National Points Race standings will be released after the New York City Invitational in a few weeks, thereby giving the initial release more data.
Here is this week’s news quiz. Good luck!
- How seriously should Vladimir Putin’s threats of war against NATO over Western supplied missiles to Ukraine be taken?
- Was Netanyahu wise to sack gallant for Sa’ar?
- Should African Union troops stay longer in Somalia?
- Is the race for AI the equivalent of the Cold War space race?
- Was Israel’s attack on Hezbollah a war crime?
- What does capital flight from China mean for the world economy?
- Should Justin Trudeau quit?
- Is Keir Starmer loses his political authority?
- How can the international community best combat extreme poverty?
- Is Marine Le Pen the biggest winner of France’s political chaos?
- How can the U.S. prevent political violence from becoming normalized?
- What is the best way to get “dark money” out of politics?
- Should Congress renew enhanced ACA subsidies?
- How can the U.S. best stop the flow of fentanyl from China?
- Will the North Carolina gubernatorial election turn the state blue in the presidential race?
- Is there any significance in the Teamsters decision not to endorse Kamala Harris?
- Did the Federal Reserve cut interest rates too much?
- Does early voting begin too early?
- Should the U.S. stop pushing Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel?
- Would the codification of Roe v. Wade into law survive a legal challenge?
Here is this week’s news quiz. Good luck!
- Would a Trump presidency lead to a quick end of the Russo-Ukrainian War?
- Is there a future for Boeing’s Starliner?
- Will Taylor Swift’s endorsement carry significant weight in this year’s presidential election?
- What is next for Big Lots after its bankruptcy filing?
- Would Kamala Harris’ plan ease America’s housing shortage?
- Should Democrats feel confident about turning Florida’s blue this year?
- Would the closure of the Department of Education be bad for the future of American education?
- Is it a mistake for Trump to refuse a debate rematch?
- Would allowing employees to vote in CEO elections improve corporate governance in the United States?
- Why is American confidence in the media so low?
- Is the West doing enough to prevent an ISIS resurgence?
- Who should be the next leader of the British Conservative Party?
- How can the Ukrainian government overcome declining domestic support for its war with Russia?
- What does Edmundo Gonzalez’s flight mean for the chances of a Venezuelan political transition?
- How can European economies increase their productivity?
- Is the Nigerian government doing enough to end fuel shortages?
- What is the most important international institution in today’s world?
- Is there anything Justin Trudeau can do to keep Canada’s Conservatives from returning to power?
- Are right-wing forces winning Europe’s immigration debate?
- Has the South Pacific become the new “Great Game” among the world’s major powers?
The 2024-2025 national circuit season started virtually last weekend with the National Speech and Debate Season Opener hosted by the University of Kentucky. 56 extempers were part of this year’s tournament, substantially more than the last few editions since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event’s online nature allowed extempers from across the country to participate in the first National Points Race event of the year. And three extempers from the final top 25 made the final round. Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX), who finished eighth in the standings last season, won the tournament, defeating Sahana Srikanth of Mason High School (OH) by two ranks. Srikanth took two of the three available first place ranks in the final round but was undone by a sixth place rank from the other judge. That resulted in a composite score of eight, which Zhang overcame with second place ranks from all three judges.
Waleed Haider of Hendrickson High School (TX), the winner of a National Points Race event last season and the sixth place finisher in the National Points Race, notched a third place finish. Haider finished four ranks behind Zhang’s winning score.
Kajal Parmar of Cary Academy (NC) was the other extemper from last year’s top 25 in the final round. Parmer finished twenty-first in last year’s National Points Race and ended the Season Opener one rank outside of the top three.
Andrew Zheng of Acalanes High School (CA) took the other available first place rank in the final round but the other two judges did not concur with that ranking so he finished fifth, one place behind Parmar and four ranks ahead of sixth place finisher Eashan Kosaraju of Solon High School (OH).
Other prominent finishers at the tournament included a quarter-finalist placing for defending NSDA International Extemp National Champion Anthony Babu of Concord-Carlisle High School (MA) and Ellie Sohn of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA). Sohn finished last year’s National Points Race in nineteenth place.
The Speech and Debate Season Opener was a fifth tier event so only the extempers who reached the final round will earn points. The first National Points Race standings will be released after the New York City Invitational in October.
Here are the results of the 2024 National Speech and Debate Season Opener Hosted by the University of Kentucky (Click here for tab sheet):
This news quiz is dedicated to the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
- Does the recent slaying of hostages by Hamas in Gaza prove that Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy is not working?
- Can the use of strict international sanctions end the Sudanese Civil War?
- Should South Korea go nuclear?
- Is Libya’s unity government living on borrowed time?
- Should more countries follow Brazil’s example with X?
- How can Japan best deter Chinese aggression?
- Why are Asian economies battling stubbornly high unemployment figures?
- How will BRICS expansion impact the global economy?
- Should the UN be replaced?
- Will Barnier be able to defeat a no confidence motion?
- Should the Harris campaign ignore the economy?
- Does Florida’s Amendment 3 go too far?
- Should the U.S. treat Venezuela like Cuba?
- Which presidential candidate has the best child credit tax policy?
- What is the best way to prevent future school shootings?
- Does the FBI need to be overhauled?
- Should states put more money into legal aid services?
- Would a Trump defeat be good for the future of the Republican Party?
- Is standardized testing still the best way to evaluate American schools?
- Should 9/11 become a federal holiday?
Here is the first Extemp Central news quiz of the 2024-2025 season. News quizzes will be posted each week until the end of May. Good luck!