Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.
Month: September 2022
1. What should the Biden administration do if the Supreme Court overturns affirmative action this term?
2. How big of a threat is the New York lawsuit to the Trump empire?
3. What aid should the U.S. provide to Puerto Rico?
4. Are the chances of a “soft landing” to tame inflation gone?
5. What should the U.S. response be if Russian forces use nuclear weapons in Ukraine?
6. Are California’s green energy dreams out of step with the state’s existing infrastructure?
7. Is the Supreme Court trending against capital punishment?
8. Are pollsters accurately predicting how the 2022 midterms will go?
9. Does the Biden administration have an effective Middle East strategy?
10. How should the U.S. Census Bureau handle growing evidence of miscounts from 2020
1. Should the world take Putin’s threat to use nuclear weapons over Ukraine at face value?
2. Does the ICC have enough teeth to deter human rights abuses?
3. Is it time for countries to abolish COVID-19-related travel restrictions?
4. Has the Palestinian Authority lost its credibility with the Palestinian people?
5. Should King Charles III become more politically involved?
6. How big of a threat are recent protests to Iran’s Islamic Republic?
7. If Vladimir Putin was overthrown, who should lead Russia?
8. Can the Philippines simultaneously strengthen ties with the U.S. and China?
9. What should India do with its G-20 presidency?
10. Should Egypt form a closer relationship with Sudan?
Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.
1. Should Chinese directly aid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine?
2. Will new Israeli elections produce another political logjam?
3. Should the EU expel Hungary?
4. What steps should the WHO take to better combat monkeypox in Africa?
5. Will William Ruto be able to satisfy his campaign promises to Kenya’s poor?
6. Is a global recession next year inevitable?
7. How can the Nigerian government better tackle oil theft?
8. Is Venezuela’s parallel government still worthy of international support?
9. Are term limits necessary a necessary democratic safeguard?
10. Can Pierre Poilievre lead Canada’s Conservative Party back to power?
1. Should U.S. employers relax COVID-19 vaccination mandates?
2. Have American schools done enough to combat pandemic learning loss?
3. Will Lisa Murkowski return to the U.S. Senate next year?
4. Has the Biden administration finally found its footing?
5. Will the 2020s be the decade where American labor regained its strength?
6. Should the U.S. adopt a digital dollar?
7. How should the Biden administration respond to Republican efforts to bus migrants to sanctuary cities?
8. Will Lindsey Graham’s abortion proposal make it more difficult for the GOP to win control of the Senate?
9. Has the January 6 committee lived up to expectations?
10. Is nitrogen hypoxia a constitutionally permissible form of capital punishment?
For the third straight year, the National and Debate Season Opener, hosted by the University of Kentucky, took place in a virtual environment. The first national circuit event in the country in the National Points Race drew a field of twenty-eight extempers, representing ten states.
Charlotte Reitman of the University School (FL) won a very close final round, winning the tiebreaker of judge’s preference two-to-one over Evelyn Tsoi of Velasquez Academy (CA). Guhan Krishnan of Mason High School (OH) finished one rank behind Reitman and Tsoi.
Lahari Donepudi of Dublin Jerome High School (OH) and Matthew Abrahms of George Washington High School (CO) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, and each earned a first place rank in the final round.
Sam Kang of the Hawken School (OH) rounded out the final round, finishing sixth.
Reitman’s victory nets her forty National Points Race points as the Season Opener is a fifth tier tournament. The first National Points Race standings will be released after the Yale Invitational in early October.
Here are the results of the 2022 National Speech and Debate Season Opener (Click here for tab sheet):
Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.
The National Points Race is a season-long competition that seeks to identify the top extempers across a select group of prestigious national circuit events. Extemp Central recognizes that in some years the top extemper in the nation may not win the National Points Race due to the inability of some competitors to travel extensively. Still, six national champions (three CFL and three NSDA) are among the seven previous National Points Race winners.
1. How will Michigan’s abortion ballot question affect the state’s gubernatorial election?
2. Can America expect an increasing wave of teacher strikes before the end of the 2022-2023 school year?
3. What does California need to do to fix its energy grid?
4. Will the Juul Labs settlement help to curb the vaping epidemic among America’s youth?
5. Should the U.S. continue to list Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism?
6. Will President Biden’s student loan forgiveness initiative make inflation worse?
7. Has the U.S. effectively fought terrorism since the 9/11 attacks?
8. How can the GOP win the Arizona Senate race?
9. Does the U.S. need to improve its organ transplant system?
10. Will ethics complaints hinder South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s national ambitions?
1. How can King Charles III maintain the respect of the English monarchy after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II?
2. Should Vladimir Putin stop all energy supplies to Europe?
3. What does Liz Truss need to do to help the Conservative Party win the next British general election?
4. Are Israel and Iran locked in a “shadow war”?
5. Is it too late for Bolsonaro to salvage his re-election campaign?
6. Will recent flooding create more instability for Pakistan’s government?
7. How significant is Russia’s retreat from the Kharkiv region?
8. Does the EU have a role to play in reducing tensions between Greece and Turkey?
9. What does Volker Türk need to do to enhance the credibility of the UN’s human rights work?
10. Are jihadist activities across Africa getting stronger?
We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Kevin Li and McKinley Paltzik of the Extemper’s Bible for a two-part podcast series. The Extemper’s Bible has posted the first episode, which you can check out on Anchor!
Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.
1. How can Western Europe become energy independent?
2. Is artificial intelligence a threat to global democracy?
3. Will China’s real estate woes push the country into a severe economic recession?
4. Should the UN attempt to facilitate greater cooperation on nuclear power advancements?
5. Who will win Sweden’s elections?
6. What can end Peru’s political dysfunction?
7. Is the international community doing enough to support Afghan women?
8. Will rising authoritarianism in the Americas make hemispheric migration worse?
9. Is Emmerson Mnangagwa becoming another Robert Mugabe?
10. How will Itamar Ben-Gvir shape Israel’s upcoming election?
1. What is needed to quell the political polarization that roils America?
2. Do delays in the Artemis 1 mission illustrate the need for a shakeup at NASA?
3. Should more states adopt ranked choice voting?
4. If the GOP fails to win control of either chamber of Congress, what shakeups should the party make for 2024?
5. How can the U.S. deter other nations from taking Americans hostage?
6. Should more states adopt California’s electric car mandate?
7. How can the U.S. federal government encourage more Americans to get COVID boosters this fall?
8. What is the cause of Mississippi’s water disaster?
9. Are MAGA forces a threat to the American republic?
10. Is the Federal Reserve making progress in its fight against inflation?