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Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
To access a list of all our old quizzes, click here.
Month: November 2014
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
This R&D covers the Virgin Galactic accident. Last week, a test flight for Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo went awry and killed one of the craft’s test pilot. Virgin is trying to pioneer private space flight, but some believe the accident will hinder its ability to take private citizens into space next year.
At a press conference last night, Virgin Galactic made one thing clear: they’re moving forward http://t.co/EQDF8BdFzU pic.twitter.com/4lGumX29iV
— Popular Science (@PopSci) November 5, 2014
Space tourism dented not derailed after @VirginGalactic crash http://t.co/0dNf5SLDBo pic.twitter.com/iQ28sqtGDg
— TorontoStar (@TorontoStar) November 3, 2014
Pilot mystery at heart of Virgin Galactic spaceship crash probe http://t.co/ne2bfbNzsH
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) November 4, 2014
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Last Sunday, Brazilian voters went to the polls and re-elected Dilma Rousseff by the slimmest margin since the country reverted back to democracy in the 1980s. Rousseff, aligned with the leftist Workers’ Party (PT) defeated center-right candidate Aecio Neves of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) in the runoff election by a three point margin, 51.64% to 48.36%. The results show that the country is divided between its poorer, more dependent northern regions and its more prosperous, middle-class southern regions. Rousseff has promised to do more to clean up corruption, enact political reform, and rejuvenate Brazil’s ailing economy, but her campaign pledge to maintain generous social benefits and the nastiness of the general election campaign may hinder her ability to do any of these things. Since Brazil has the seventh-largest economy in the world and is part of the BRICS nations extempers should be prepared to discuss the country’s economic problems and the outcome of the presidential election at future tournaments.
This topic brief will provide a quick overview of the Brazilian presidential election and its outcome, how the election result could impact Brazilian economic policy, and discuss the chances of Rousseff being able to govern effectively for the next four years.
Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.
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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on Brazil’s presidential election (2014).
#Brazil’s President #Rousseff defeated challenger Neves by a slim margin. @rogernoriegaUSA on the implications: http://t.co/0TpOPj4JpV
— AEI Foreign Policy (@AEIfdp) October 30, 2014
Brazil’s government held back on the publication of bad statistics until after the election, says @jchidalgo: http://t.co/TGy3syV1Ie
— Cato Institute (@CatoInstitute) November 3, 2014
The question now is whether Brazil’s Rousseff will listen to the markets and change her policies. http://t.co/hm9GiGaOOO
— WSJ Editorial Page (@WSJopinion) October 28, 2014
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1. What is the significance of Romania’s presidential election?
2. Is David Cameron imperiling Britain’s place in Europe?
3. Are Bangladeshi war crime trials motivated by justice or politics?
4. Is Hungary moving into Russia’s orbit?
5. Why did Nahda lose the Tunisian parliamentary elections?
6. How should the status of Jerusalem be handled in a future Israeli-Palestinian peace deal?
7. Is Myanmar backsliding on reform?
8. How should Burkina Faso’s democratic transition be handled?
9. What impact is China’s economic slowdown having on the world economy?
10. Does Brazil need political reform?
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1. What lessons should the Democratic Party take away from the 2014 midterms?
2. What lessons should the Republican Party take away from the 2014 midterms?
3. Is Obamacare working?
4. How much should the Federal Reserve care about income inequality?
5. Should Congressional ethics rules be relaxed?
6. Is reality TV coming to an end?
7. Should women be eligible for the military draft?
8. What impact will Virgin Galactic testing accidents have on the commercial space industry?
9. If Michelle Obama seeks a Senate seat in 2016, where might she run from?
10. Who ran the worst campaign of the 2014 midterms?